Luton Muslim Journal >> Safar 1438 / Nov 2016 1 | Page 9

Luton Muslim Journal

Safar 1438 | November 2016

The Rihla of Ibn Jubair between 1183 and 1185 ...Continued
or inadvertence by the worshippers” which led to cries of ‘God is Great’ from all sides” to rectify a
mistake.


The 15th of Sha’ban was held in high esteem by Makkans, when they performed extra prayers both
singly and in congregation.



The month of Ramadhan in Makkah would be accompanied by an increase in candles such that the
Haram “blazed with light and shone with brightness” for the tarawih prayers.



Ibn Jubair describes the markets of Damascus as “the finest in the world and the best arranged and
most handsomely constructed”.



On the day of ‘Arafah, the people of Damascus would remain in the Great Mosque of Damascus
following the afternoon prayers, to pray and seek blessings until the sun set.



By 1184, many areas of Sicily had been surrendered to non-Muslim rule, but with Muslims remaining as
its inhabitants. In the city of Palermo, he described the situation as tense and the Friday Khutbah was
made illegal by the Norman king. Yet, still, Muslims preserved their faith, looked after their mosques,
and came to daily prayers at the call of the muezzin. There were countless ordinary mosques, and most
of them were used as schools for Qur’an teachers.

Bibliography:
The Travels of Ibn Jubayr, trans. by Ronald Broadhurst, Goodword Books, 2007.

9