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Great History of Islam by al-Dhahabi

تاريخ الإسلام by الذهبي

Aliases
Aliases Aliases
Shams ad-Dīn adh-Dhahabī شمس الدين الذهبي
Shams ad-Dīn Abū ʿAbdillāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿUthmān ibn Qāymāẓ سهامس ادءدين ابو عابديللاه موحامماد يبن احماد يبن عوتهمان يبن قايماظ يبن عابديللاه اتءتوركوماني الءفاريقي ادءديماسهقي (?)
ʿAbdillāh at-Turkumānī al-Fāriqī ad-Dimashqī عابديللاه اتءتوركوماني الءفاريقي ادءديماسهقي (?)
Background and Biography
Background and Biography

Excerpts
English from Ambraseys (2009)

All these events took place at the time of the first earthquake, in the month of Ramadan of 130. God knows best.
In that year there was a prodigious earthquake in Sham: we know this from Ibn Jusa, whose source is Muhammad ibn Shaddad ibn Aws al-Ansary, whose source in turn is his grandfather. According to this chain of witnesses it is known that in the year 130 there was the most violent earthquake in Jerusalem. Many of the faithful (Ansars or no) were victims of it. The houses of Shaddad ibn Aws fell on him and his guests; Muhammad ibn Shadda was saved, but he lost his property under the ruins, recovering only the Prophet's sandals. According to another report, Abu Ja'far al-Mansur, the prince of believers, was asked, "O prince of believers, the western and eastern parts of the mosque were damaged during the earthquake of 130: if you would have the damage repaired, that would be very good." The caliph replied that he had no money. Therefore they took off the plates of silver and gold which had covered the doors since the caliphate of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan and broke it down to the last dinars and drachmas, which financed the rebuilding.

English from Guidoboni et al (1994)

[In that year] there was a strong earthquake in Syria [...]. When the Province of Syria was struck by earthquakes in the year 130 [of the Hegira = 11 September 747 - 30 August 748 AD ], the strongest shocks occurred in Jerusalem, causing the death of many conquering troops and others.

English from Taher (1979)

Ad-Dahabi1b says:
All these events took place during the first earthquake, in the month of Ramadan 130. God knows best. That year there was a prodigious earthquake in Syria. We know by ibn Djûsa which refers to Muhammad ibn 'abd-al Wahab ibn Muhammad ibn 'Amr ibn Muhammad ibn Chadâd ibn Aws Al Ançary, who refers to his grandfather. According to this chain of witnesses we know that the earthquake of the year 130 was the most violent in Jerusalem. Many faithful (Ançars or not) were victims. The house of Chaddad ibn Aws fell on him and his guests, Muhammad ibn Chaddad was saved, but he lost his belongings under the rubble. He could only recover the Prophet's sandals. When her sister saw what had happened to her as well as his family, she took a sandal, telling him that as he did not have descendants, and that she had a son, he had to share with Muhammad the very precious relics. So she took a sandal, which remained with her until the day when Al Mâhdî (the Caliph) came to Jerusalem. That day, she was presented as a descendant of Aws. The caliph kissed him, gave a gift to all his children. They went to look for the old man Muhammad ibn Aws who had to be transported because of his great age. The caliph asked him for details about the sandals. Muhammad replied that his sister was telling the truth. So the caliph asked him for the other sandal. The old man began to cry. The caliph left him the sandal which remained with him.
Footnotes

1b Tarikh al Islam, 5/39, 40

Characterization from Gil (1992)

A very devastating earthquake occurred in the year AH 130 (beginning 11 September AD 747), during which the eastern and western sides of the Dome of the Rock collapsed. Many of the ansar (people of Medina), who were living in Jerusalem, were killed during this earthquake, especially as a result of the caving in of the house of Shaddad b. AwsA. All his sons were killed in that earthquake. The people of Jerusalem fled from the city and remained in the fields for forty days.
Footnotes

A. [158—161] Abd Ya‘la Shaddad b. Aws also settled in Jerusalem; he was the nephew' of the poet Hassan b. Thabit, who had been one of the retainers of the Prophet. His father, Aws b. Thabit, was a notable figure among the Ansar, the first Muslims in Medina. They were of the clan of the Band al-Najjar, the closest to Muhammad, which belonged to the Band Khazraj, Shaddad died at the age of ninety-five in Jerusalem in the year AH 58 (AD 678), towards the end of Mu‘awiya’s reign (but some say that he died in the year AH 64, AD 683/4). Of his offspring are mentioned Ya‘la, who passed on ancient traditions in the name of his father; and also a daughter whose name w'as Khazraj, married to a man of the Band Azd, with three sons, Muhammad, ‘Abd al-Wahhab and Mundhir. I have already mentioned that Shaddad’s house, which he built for himself in Jerusalem, collapsed in the earthquake of 748. It is said that the building’s collapse buried many Muslims, including Shaddad’s sons, w'ith the exception of Muhammad, who survived but lost a leg. One should remember, however, that seventy years passed between Shaddad’s death and the earthquake; and one must therefore conclude that it is probably his grandsons or great-grandsons that are being spoken of rather than his sons.71 - Gil (1992:122-123)

Footnotes

71 Ibn Sa‘d, 111(2), 63, notes the fact that the offspring of Aws b. Thabit live in Jerusalem; and see ibid., VII(2), 124. See: Ibn al-Kalbl (Caskel), I, 186; II, 522; Baladhurl, Atisdb, I, 243f: he was aged seventy-five when he died. Ibn Qutayba, Ma'arif, 312; Ibn Qudama, 54; KhazrajI, 139; Ibn al-Athlr, Kamil, IV, 174; Ibn Kathlr, Bidaya, VIII, 87f; Ibn Hajar, Isaba, III, 196; some say he died in AH 41 or 42 (AD 661, 662); idem, Tahdhib, IV, 315f: his grave is in Jerusalem; Ibn al-Tmad, I, 64; DhahabI, Ta’rikh, V, 39; idem, Siyar, II, 328—333; Nawawl, Tahdhib, I, 242 noted that one can see his grave until today (around 1250) before Bab al-Rahma.

Original Document - Volume 39 - Arabic - embedded



Original Document - Volume 40 - Arabic - embedded



Chronology
1st Earthquake
Year Reference Corrections Notes
4 May 748 - 2 June 748 CE Ramadan A.H. 130 none
2nd Earthquake
Year Reference Corrections Notes
after 2 June 748 CE after Ramadan A.H. 130 none
Seismic Effects
  • there was a prodigious earthquake in Sham - Bilad al-Sham, a large province which, at the time, encompassed what we know as the modern countries of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine.
  • there was the most violent earthquake in Jerusalem
  • Jerusalem - Many of the faithful (Ansars or no) were victims of it.
  • Jerusalem - The houses of Shaddad ibn Aws fell on him and his guests
  • Jerusalem - Muhammad ibn Shadda was saved, but he lost his property under the ruins, recovering only the Prophet's sandals.
  • Jerusalem - the western and eastern parts of the mosque [Al Aqsa] were damaged during the earthquake of 130
  • the strongest shocks occurred in Jerusalem, causing the death of many conquering troops and others
Locations
  • Sham - Bilad al-Sham, a large province which, at the time, encompassed what we know as the modern countries of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine
  • Jerusalem
Online Versions and Further Reading
References