23 February 2011 Lefke, Cyprus
(Mawlana shows a photo.) This is my grandfather, this is my father, and this is my uncle. It is a hundred-year-old photograph. This is a jubba and turban worn by Ahlu ’l-Bayt and also worn by scholars in Mecca. A long time ago, he traveled from Cyprus to Al-Haramayn Al-Sharifayn four times, on foot. He walked for pilgrimage and did not ride a camel. He got married later and he was the servant of Umm Hiram's maqaam for forty years.
He called for early tahajjud prayer on the minaret. His parents told me that one day he was going to give the call for prayer at the gravesite and when he turned the key to open he saw a flag on His Highness, the Prince's pulpit. My grandfather, mercy be upon him, as soon as he opened, he saw Sayyidata Umm Hiram (r) sitting under his flag and she got up and he saw her enter her grave. It may have occurred several times after that, but we only have knowledge of its occurrence once.
(What kind of flag was there?)
A flag on the pulpit; one like this and one like that (crossing each other), may Allah praise and bless her. Before he died, he requested not to be buried in the gravesite as it would not be decent for him to be amongst them but he said, “Bury me outside the gravesite.” His grave was outside, at the entrance, and it is still there but when the Turks came they ruined it, and claimed that he was buried inside. Inshaa-Allah, it will continue to be as it was before.
Qadiri and Rifa`i say, “Hey hey hey hey bahru d-deen.” This is my grandfather; this is from her blessings. People like you who don't understand need to activate their heart. astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah. Welcome to you; we are honored to have you.
(From where came the rocks at Umm Hiram's maqaam?)
I got a letter from the Tikiya Library at her maqaam. I reviewed this 20 page handwritten letter mentioning that the Prophet (s) woke up laughing while sleeping on her lap.
She asked him, "What is making you laugh, beloved Messenger of Allah?"
Prophet (s) answered, “O Umm Hiram! I saw some people from my nation on the harbors, sailing on ships for a conquest towards the west, to a green island.”
She told him to pray that she would join them.
He said thrice, "You are with them."
According to a vision he saw in a dream, he foretold her good tidings and she was reassured. On her journey, subhaanAllah, it was the first sailing trip in the history of Islam which set off from Sayda (Sidon, Lebanon). She got married to Prince Abu `Ubayda ibnu ’l-Jarrah (r). She traveled with him and became a guest at the home of a nun. The hostess welcomed her and was happy to have her.
While walking in the garden, she saw three large rocks here and there. She asked, "O my hostess, would you mind selling me these rocks?" There weren’t any machines to lift such rocks at that time.
The nun said, “I accept to grant them to you without selling.” Umm-Hiram said, “I entrust them to you to take care of them. Whenever I wish, I can retrieve them.”
SubhaanAllah! They are now on the Larnaca side (of Cyprus). SubhaanAllah!
There is a narration about the salt lake; Larnaca was called “mallaha,” salted. There was a vineyard over there and she desired some grapes and asked the owner for a bunch of them. She did not give her any, so she said, “May it become a salty sea swamp!” SubhaanAllah, it all became salt. This was from her blessings until the Day of Judgment. This impressed you (the visitor). After that, while marching with the army she was riding on a mule that probably saw something; it startled and she fell. Her neck was broken and she died a martyr. There was a staff in her hand that she hit on the ground, and this is where a carob tree grew behind the side of her head and still exists.
There are remnants of the rocks there, subhaanAllah, three rocks were sailing through the water to her like ships just as people riding on boats on the Dijla and Euphrates pull them sailing like that. Those three are like companions to her. One of them reached the tip of her head, another the tip of her feet, and the other one is in the air. This is a miracle of the Prophet (s) and an honorable blessing for her (r). May Allah be pleased with Umm Hiram! She is happy now as we speak about her. Thanks to Allah. May He increase her glory and honor, for the honor of Prophet (s).
After this happened, the Ottomans arrived and opened her maqaam, to protect and honor her status. A tombstone was placed so that people who came would dread and respect that there is a special lady buried over there. They respected her so much that they started calling her “Aya (Saint) Catherina” because, subhaanAllah, even goats didn’t graze on her grave. SubhaanAllah! She has been honored for 1400 years. The earliest ships that sailed past it used to send her salaam. Even military ships used to fire cannons to honor her.
The Shaytan did not emerge from there. They came out of Girne, because they don’t believe in anything; they are people with no religion. They left Allah, so He made the Greek people honor her!
This is a summary, but there may be more to be told; however, what I have reviewed in the letter was handwritten and I don’t know where that is now. It may be with me or in their library or in a research library. May Allah grant Umm Hiram more honor, happiness, enlightenment, and satisfaction! We are living here in safety and security due to the blessings of Umm Hiram (r).
Fatihah.