Tarikh (al-Tabari) 2406
The Year 96
( ابْتِدَاءِ عِمَارَةِ جَامِعِ دِمَشْقَ ) كَانَ ابْتِدَاءُ عِمَارَةِ جَامِعِ دِمَشْقَ فِي أَوَاخِرَ سَنَةِ سِتٍّ وَثَمَانِينَ; هُدِمَتِ الْكَنِيسَةُ الَّتِي كَانَتْ مَوْضِعَهُ فِي ذِي الْقَعْدَةِ مِنْهَا، فَلَمَّا فَرَغُوا مِنَ الْهَدْمِ، شَرَعُوا فِي الْبِنَاءِ، وَتَكَامَلَ فِي عَشْرِ سِنِينَ، فَكَانَ الْفَرَاغُ مِنْهُ فِي هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ، أَعْنِي سَنَةَ سِتٍّ وَتِسْعِينَ. وَفِيهَا تُوُفِّيَ بَانِيهِ الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ، وَقَدْ بَقِيَتْ فِيهِ بَقَايَا، فَكَمَّلَهَا أَخُوهُ سُلَيْمَانُ، كَمَا ذَكَرْنَا. فَأَمَّا قَوْلُ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ سُفْيَانَ: سَأَلْتُ هِشَامَ بْنَ عَمَّارٍ عَنْ قِصَّةِ مَسْجِدِ دِمَشْقَ وَهَذِهِ الْكَنِيسَةِ قَالَ: كَانَ الْوَلِيدُ قَالَ لِلنَّصَارَى مِنْ أَهْلِ دِمَشْقَ: مَا شِئْتُمْ، إِنَّا أَخَذْنَا كَنِيسَةَ تُومَا عَنْوَةً وَكَنِيسَةَ الدَّاخِلَةِ صُلْحًا، فَأَنَا أَهْدِمُ كَنِيسَةَ تُومَا؟ قَالَ هِشَامٌ: وَتِلْكَ أَكْبَرُ مِنْ هَذِهِ الدَّاخِلَةِ، قَالَ: فَرَضُوا أَنْ أَهْدِمَ كَنِيسَةَ الدَّاخِلَةِ، وَأُدْخِلَهَا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ. قَالَ: وَكَانَ بَابُهَا قِبْلَةَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْيَوْمَ، وَهُوَ الْمِحْرَابُ الَّذِي يُصَلَّى فِيهِ قَالَ: وَهَدْمُ الْكَنِيسَةِ فِي أَوَّلِ خِلَافَةِ الْوَلِيدِ سَنَةَ سِتٍّ وَثَمَانِينَ، وَمَكَثُوا فِي بِنَائِهِ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ، حَتَّى مَاتَ الْوَلِيدُ، وَلَمْ يُتِمَّ بِنَاءَهُ، فَأَتَمَّهُ هِشَامٌ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ. فَفِيهِ فَوَائِدُ، وَفِيهِ غَلَطٌ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ: إِنَّهُمْ مَكَثُوا فِي بِنَائِهِ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ. وَالصَّوَابُ: عَشْرَ سِنِينَ، فَإِنَّهُ لَا خِلَافَ أَنَّ الْوَلِيدَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ تُوُفِّيَ فِي هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ أَعْنِي سَنَةَ سِتٍّ وَتِسْعِينَ وَقَدْ حَكَى أَبُو جَعْفَرِ بْنُ جَرِيرٍ عَلَى ذَلِكَ إِجْمَاعَ أَهْلِ السِّيَرِ. وَقَوْلُهُ: لَمْ يَتِمَّ بِنَاؤُهُ فِي زَمَنِ الْوَلِيدِ. بَلْ قَدْ تَمَّ، وَلَكِنْ بَقِيَتْ بَقِيَّاتٌ مِنَ الزَّخْرَفَةِ، فَأَكْمَلَهَا أَخُوهُ سُلَيْمَانُ لَا هِشَامٌ، وَاللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى أَعْلَمُ.
Translation
✧ (The Beginning of the Construction of the Jāmiʿ of Damascus) The beginning of the construction of the Jāmiʿ of Damascus was at the end of the year eighty-six; the church that was its site was demolished in Dhū al-Qaʿdah of that year. When they had finished the demolition, they began the building, and it was completed in ten years, so its completion was in this year, meaning the year ninety-six. In it, its builder al-Walīd b. ʿAbd al-Malik died while some remnants remained in it, so his brother Sulaymān completed them, as we have mentioned. As for the statement of Yaʿqūb b. Sufyān: I asked Hishām b. ʿAmmār about the story of the mosque of Damascus and this church. He said: Al-Walīd said to the Christians of the people of Damascus: “Whatever you wish, we took the Church of Tūmā by force and the Church of al-Dākhilah by treaty, so should I demolish the Church of Tūmā?” Hishām said: “That one is larger than this al-Dākhilah.” He said: “They agreed that I demolish the Church of al-Dākhilah and incorporate it into the mosque.” He said: “Its door is the qiblah of the mosque today, and it is the miḥrāb in which prayer is performed.” He said: “The demolition of the church was at the beginning of al-Walīd’s caliphate, in the year eighty-six, and they remained in its construction for seven years, until al-Walīd died and he had not completed its construction, so Hishām completed it after him.” In it there are useful points and there is an error, namely his statement that they remained in its construction for seven years. The correct view is ten years, for there is no disagreement that al-Walīd b. ʿAbd al-Malik died in this year, meaning the year ninety-six, and Abū Jaʿfar b. Jarīr reported the consensus of the people of biographies on that. His statement that its construction was not completed in al-Walīd’s time is also incorrect; rather, it was completed, but some remnants of ornamentation remained, and his brother Sulaymān, not Hishām, completed them. And God, glorified and exalted, knows best.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.