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Farrukh Travels: Into the Muslim History of China
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By Farrukh I.
Younus**
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April 30, 2005
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Qinjing Mosque |
In
our Farrukh Travels series we will follow Farrukh Younus as he travels around
the globe. Farrukh is a young British Muslim from a Pakistani background who has
to travel a great deal in his work. In this monthly series Farrukh will share
his adventures, cultural observations, and spiritual contemplations in his
search for that which we share and that which is unique to each place and
community.
“A-l
h-a-m-d-u l-i-l-l-a-h-i R-a-b-b il-`a-l-a-m-e-e-n.” So began the
recitation for Jumu`ah (the Friday Prayer). Every letter pronounced meticulously
by the imam, self-consciously aware as he led the small congregation of about
20, that he is not a native Arabic speaker. The congregation was fully Chinese,
mostly men over 50, but with a handful of youngsters in their early teens.
Qinjing
Mosque—also known as Kylin (Unicorn), Shenyo, or Ashab Mosque—was originally
built in 400 AH (1009 CE) during the Northern Song Dynasty. It is one of seven mosques
that were built in the city of Quanzhou. This city, described as Zaytun by Marco
Polo, was the most famous port city of the Eastern world, and the starting-point
of the maritime Silk Route.
I
have traveled to this part of China many times, but I never had the opportunity
to explore the nearby Muslim heritage. Today, having finished a meeting early, I
returned to the hotel, rented a taxi, and headed in the direction of Qinjing
Mosque in the hope of making it for Friday Prayers.
Arriving
late at the mosque and certain I had missed Friday Prayers, I couldn’t help
but notice the large Buddhist temple nearby. For centuries, Muslims and
non-Muslims have lived here in peace with their neighbors, be they Arabs,
Chinese, or other ethnicities. Later, Muslims and their descendants were
commonly identified with surnames such as Pu, Guo, Ding, Xia, Li, Jin, Ma, Tie,
Ge, Shan, Mi, Ha, Yang, Huang, and Su.
Expecting
a mosque similar to the Nu-Jei Mosque in Beijing, I was saddened to discover
that what lay before me were essentially ruins, the remnants of a community that
once flourished.
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The imam of Qinjing Mosque |
The
architecture is a blend of Chinese and Arab styles. I am led through a central
courtyard where a few pillars still stand. The inscriptions on the front walls,
including the direction of the qiblah, seemed to be verses of the Qur’an. To
the side lay a well, dug when the mosque was originally built, and despite
droughts, it has never dried up. For many centuries this well served as the
primary source of water for ablution.
Excavation
in recent decades brought up a series of tombstones, with inscriptions in both
Arabic and Chinese. A few of them are displayed alongside the “museum.”
Sadly the museum was not much more than a collection of photos of individuals
who have visited the mosque and some brief history, with little else in relation
to the mosque or other Islamic artifacts.
To
the side of the ruins I found a relatively new construction, large enough to fit
perhaps 60 people. This served as the prayer hall—a far cry from the drawings
in the museum of what the local community is hoping to build.
After
taking some photos I decided to make one last round of the mosque grounds to try
to capture something different before leaving. On my way I met the imam of the
mosque, whose English was as good as my Russian. My “as-salamu `alaykum”
encouraged him to say “ana min China” (I am from China), signaling that I
reply. I said, “Ana min Angleterre”—I immediately thought to myself,
“dude, he isn’t French!” Of course at that moment I couldn’t think of England
in Arabic but tried anyway, “Ana min England … United Kingdom … Great
Britain.” No luck. Between him, a Muslim couple who were visiting the region,
and an old fellow who was hanging about the place, we came to conclude that
conversation wasn’t going to be a highlight of this encounter.
Eventually
I understood that Jumu`ah Prayers were to be held at 1 p.m. I wasn’t late, and
I was welcome to stay. Woohooo! As much as I had wanted to use the water well
dug initially with the original mosque, given that it was fenced off, I decided
I would be better off not causing a stir and using the bathrooms for wudu’
(ablution). (They need a water boiler, the water was freezing!)
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The graves at Lingshan of the four Companions of the Prophet who were delegated to China |
At
prayer, I found myself surrounded by old Chinese men, who had the most amazing
full beards. If we go by the photographs we see, the West Chinese men do not
have facial hair on their cheeks, just a few strands on their chin. These guys
not only looked good, but if there were a Chinese Muslim version of Harrison
Ford, they would be it!
As
the khutbah (sermon) progressed in Chinese, I managed to pick up a few
words: tawheed (belief that God is One); kafir (disbeliever), mushrik
(one who worships multiple gods). I also noticed the imam’s continuous
pointing to his head and his heart. Although I had no clue what the sermon was
about, I came up with the following on the basis of his signaling: God Almighty
has blessed us all with both a heart and a mind. Use both the heart and mind to
find the truth. If you use one and ignore the other, you will not find the
correct balance.
Was
that interpretation my subconscious telling me that what I need to do is balance
the knowledge of my mind with the sentiments of my heart? Is this what we do
when we do not understand something: try to find the things that are common to
us and then give the things that we see and hear the value we think we
recognize? May God have mercy and help us all find that balance.
After
leaving the mosque, my driver and I stopped for lunch and then made our way to a
Muslim graveyard, one of many lining the city, with thousands upon thousands of
Muslim graves.
On
the foothills of Mount Lingshan are the tombs of two of the four Companions that
Prophet Muhammad sent eastwards to preach Islam. Known as the “Holy Tombs,”
they house the Companions Sa-Ke-Zu and Wu-Ko-Shun—their Chinese names, of
course. The other two Companions went to Guangzhou and Yangzhou.
In
China they are referred to as the second and third saint, and I saw some photos
in the Qinjing Mosque of what seemed to be a celebration at their graveside on
the day of `Eid.
Driving
through the city of Quanzhou, as in many Chinese cities, one reaches a large
archway with an Arabic inscription along the top. Passing through there is
another archway to the left that leads to a large car park. Across the adjacent
river is Longshan Park, the funeral ground for these two Companions, and a host
of other individuals, some Muslims, some not, who were buried on that spot in
later days.
Halfway
up the hill, past a series of steps, there is a large enclosure, horseshoe in
shape, with a central cover. In the center of the enclosure are the graves of
the two Companions. To one side is a plaque documenting that Admiral Zheng
visited the gravesite of these two Companions and prayed for them before he left
on his fifth sea voyage.
While
I asked God Almighty to forgive those who have gone before us and those who are
to follow—the prescribed prayer when at a graveyard—I walked back to the
car, contemplating how these two men must have traveled to the other side of the
world in their time, a journey that we can today cover in 14 hours, but that
would have taken them many months. They didn’t have the comfort of a BMW or
that of a 5-star hotel. They came from a far-off land, settled in an alien land,
learned the local language, and preached the simple truth of Islam. How lucky
were these two men!
One
can only imagine the struggles and challenges they met, the way in which they
overcame them—they, like many others before and after them were true pioneers.
And may God Almighty forgive them their sins, and grant them peace and the best
success in the Hereafter. Ameen.
Making
our way out of the city, we headed in the direction of Zheng He’s tomb. This
famous Chinese admiral also happened to be a Muslim. His tomb is off a side
road, past a number of factories, nestled in a hillside about 20 minutes from
Longshan Park.
Upon
approach, a unique archway led to a magnificent tree-lined, unevenly paved
passage, which after some 500 yards ended in a series of steps leading to the
tomb. Climbing the stairs, I reached the tomb, had a look around, said a short
prayer, and made my way back.
This
time, a lengthier return to the car along those 500 yards left me time to think.
This man is one of the most famous men of Chinese history: a Muslim leader of
his time, a traveler whose trips dwarf those of Columbus, a man whose ships were
easily four times the size of Columbus’s and whose mission was to set out into
the world, showing the world the strength of the Ming Dynasty. Having achieved
so much, in the end, like any of us, he died. His tomb, in need of desperate
repair, is now falling apart, lodged away on the side of a hill, all but
forgotten.
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The tomb of Zheng He |
It
seems that no matter who we are, where we go, what we do, none can or will
escape death. Those who achieve great things may be remembered by history, but
to what avail? It is to God Almighty that we return, and as people we should
endeavor never to forget this, to live our lives in the best way possible, to be
good to our neighbors and friends (and even our enemies), and to ensure that
whenever it is that we die, we do so in our best state of faith. And may God
have mercy and let none of us die except in our highest state of Islam. Ameen.
Back
at the hotel I showed my photos of the mosque, the graveyard, and the tomb to
some Chinese girls at the hotel to help me translate the inscriptions,
commentaries, and plaques I had found at these locations.
Some
script was in modern Chinese, though much of it was in old Chinese. With our
“team” (four native Chinese girls, one East European proficient in Chinese,
one of the native Chinese bellboys, and I) we managed to decipher over a period
of two-and-a-half hours the various inscriptions, adding significantly more
value to the photos and my understanding of the history. The notes to them
follow:
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The
Qinjing Mosque is recognized as one of the top cultural sites and is thus
protected by the Cultural Ministry.
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An
inscription on the Qinjinag Mosque wall is a peace treaty between two
kings, the big king acknowledging that the Companions of Muhammad (and the
Muslims) had brought with them knowledge of Islam, and that Islam in
itself has much to contribute to the Chinese people. The small king, the
representative of the Muslims, was obliged to respect the big king. As
long as that mutual relationship of trust, friendship, and honor was in
place, the big king would not attack or harm the small king and his
people.
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Zheng
He was not buried alone, but with his wife, Guo.
Once
upon a time, Quanzhou was of central importance in global economics, a
flourishing multi-cultural, multi-faith center, a city of great history. Today
like most of China, much of the past is being brushed aside at the expense of
rapid growth and development.
It
transpired that my “translation team” themselves knew very little about
Islam, or the history of the city of Quanzhou and its famous old mosque, or the
old multi-faith communities in that region. What started as a short adventure
for me became a beautiful discovery for us all.
In
the history of the world there is a lesson for us all. Big or small, we will all
die and be brought before our Creator. I pray that we all pass the tests of life
in our own best capacities and that on that day when we stand before our
Creator, we will all do so smiling, as God Almighty says:
[The
early immigrants [those who migrated to Madinah when persecuted by the
Quraish in early Islam] and the helpers [those who helped the immigrants]
and those who followed them up with beneficence, Allah is well pleased with
them, and they are well pleased with Allah.]
(At-Tawbah 9:100)
**Farrukh
I. Younus holds a masters degree in international business management and
works in the emerging telecoms industry. He resides in Surrey, UK. His interests
include travel, nouvelle cuisine, and chocolate. You can contact him at: farrukh@ntlworld.com.
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