Jabal Mukabbir

This region, in south-eastern Jerusalem, is

known as Jabal Mukabbir. According to local

sources, it is named after Umar (may Allah be

pleased with him), the second caliph of the

Islamic Caliphate, who cried Allahu Akbar at this

site when he came to take the city.

When the Muslims surrounded Jerusalem in

638 CE, the inhabitants said they would

surrender the city only if the Muslim ruler

himself – Umar, the second successor or

“Caliph,” of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be

upon him) came to them. So Umar (may Allah

be pleased with him) travelled by camel from

Damascus, Syria to Jerusalem in the Holy

Land. As he approached the city, his servant

became weary, so he ordered his servant to

ride the steed while he walked it by the reins.

When they entered Jerusalem, records indicate

it very well could have been Easter, the people

of the city mistook the servant for the Caliph.

When corrected, they couldn’t believe that this

man in tattered and dirty clothes, leading on

foot his servant who rode his steed, was the

ruler of this new people who were conquering

the Persian and Roman Empires, the greatest

empires the world had ever seen, with such

speed that had never been seen before.

St. Sophronius, Christian Patriarch of

Jerusalem, greeted Umar (may Allah be

pleased with him) with a set of fresh regal

clothes and insisted he wear them instead of

the dirty rags he was wearing. According to

the Greek chronicler Theophilus of Edessa

(695-785CE), Umar (may Allah be pleased with

him) refused saying, “It is not right for a man

to take from another what God has not

decreed for him, for God has given to each and

every one of humanity from His Divine

knowledge, and he who desires to receive

something from his companion exceeding that,

does so against God.” The Christians of the

city were outraged and Umar (may Allah be

pleased with him) sensed that they found it

humiliating to concede the city to someone

who looked so base and common so he

compromised. Theophilus further records from

Umar (may Allah be pleased with him),

“Because you request it of me, and have

shown me such great honour, please lend me

these clothes and I will wear them while you

wash mine. When mine are returned, I will

return these clothes to you.”

Michael the Syrian, 12th Century Patriarch of

the Syriac Orthodox Church, says about Umar

(may Allah be pleased with him), “He was

certainly just and removed from greed, to the

degree that from all the empire that the Arabs

ruled, that is, from all the wealth and treasures

of the Romans and Persians, he took nothing

for himself. He did not change the simplicity of

his habits, not even the piece of hide that was

placed under him when he rode by camel and

that he used for sitting on the ground or

sleeping on.”

References: SuhaibWebb.com, Wikipedia

Dwellings in Jabel Mukaber

Houses located in the lower part of Jabel

Mukaber

Jabel Mukaber neighborhood in East Jerusalem