Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – February 27, 1998

Around seven in the morning, with a large number of companions and cars, we set off toward Khaybar. A group of the companions had also gone to Mecca. We ate the breakfast we had brought along, beside the road near Khaybar. The route is not bad. It is on the Tabuk road and the normal road. Up to about 50 kilometers from Medina, along the road, there are villages and palm groves, almost connected to each other, that use well water, and the rest of the way to near Khaybar is desert and has single trees like samar and bushes of tropical plants.

Although Khaybar has a total population of not more than 100 thousand, it has a governorate. 40 thousand people live in the city and the rest in the villages. We went directly into the municipality. The governor and the head of the judicial apparatus and the mayor welcomed us. In the municipality hall, the introduction was made.

The mayor read a welcome speech from a written text, which was interesting; he referred to the conquest of Khaybar by the Prophet (PBUH) and explicitly mentioned the outstanding role of Ali (AS) in the conquest of Khaybar. The matter of the Prophet's (PBUH) announcement regarding giving the battle banner to the person who has those distinguished qualities, and Murtaza Ali (AS) with his eye pain, and Ali being identified, and then the conquest of the Marhab fortress, which was the largest Jewish stronghold; it was interesting to those present. We praised him. They gave a gift: a picture of the five old fortresses of Khaybar.

Then we went to the site of the fortress in the north of the city, which is located in a valley. It is a residential area with mud and wooden houses that is not inhabited, and a green palm grove with small owned plots separated from each other by mud walls, in an irregular manner, each with a share of the water springs.

We saw two water springs; one of them is called "Ali's Spring," where the gushing of water from three points at its bottom is visible, and there were also some fish in the water. We drank from the water; it is sweet and pleasant. They said it has been giving water continuously since the beginning of Islam and its water flows to the north and south sides; of course, it is very low in water and increases during the rainy season. Apparently the water source is from the western mountain of the spring.

The Marhab fortress is surrounded by the palm grove, and with stone and soil and mud, it has become a tall hill, and on top of it there are a number of rooms on two or three floors, built with mud and wood. They said it has been destroyed many times—the last time during the Ottoman era—and then they have rebuilt it. It also had stone walls that they suspected had remained from ancient times. There is also a well on top of the fortress that is dug down to the level of the palm groves' ground and from which they used to draw water, and it has stone walls.

There is phosphorus in its soil, which causes the trees to be green. There are no traces of the fortress's large door that Ali (AS) used as a bridge for the Muslims to pass over. There we asked about the situation and location of the village of Fadak. They said it is 70 kilometers east of Khaybar and has no vehicle road from that side, and one must go from the Medina road to Hayel in the west of Fadak, which is about 40 kilometers from the main road. Our follow-up and many questions about Fadak had made them sensitive. We explained that it is because of the important historical and disputed matter between the Shia and the caliphs.

Mr. Ali Shams Ardakani, who is among the companions, said on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce that this matter was being discussed among themselves. One of them explained to the others the dispute of Hazrat Zahra (AS) with Abu Bakr and Umar and said it seems the right was with the Prophet's household.

We returned to Medina. At the hotel of the residence, we rested. We went to participate in the Friday prayer that was led by Mr. Hudhayfi. Near Bab al-Salam, for protection, they had separated a place for us from the people with metal walls. He recited the first sermon in detail. Most of the discussions were political. He severely criticized the great powers, Israel and Turkey and the presence of foreign forces and Iraq and the domination of foreigners, but he also severely criticized the Shia for the Shia's insult to the companions and caliphs and Aisha and the belief in the Promised Mahdi and the Guardianship of the Jurist and Imam Khomeini's deputyship of the Imam of the Time.

I and the companions left the congregational rows in protest. In the side room, we prayed our prayer separately in congregation. We told our companions from the Saudis and the head of the Holy Shrine who came with us that these divisive remarks between Muslims are the reason for this person's lack of qualification for leading the Friday prayer; they too confirmed our words. The head of the shrine apologized and said this Friday prayer leader is an uninformed person. An hour later, Dr. Nafiseh, the accompanying minister, said by telephone that the agents, by order of the center, are investigating his remarks and there will be a strong response, and he apologized to me. In the afternoon Prince Abdullah too spoke with me by telephone from Riyadh and expressed severe regret and said, "I am very, very, very, very sorry," and said this person will be punished.

I packed my suitcase and in the afternoon we went for the pilgrimage of Baqi'. This time without delay, they let all the women in too. We all sat on the soil at the heads of the Imams' graves. The Ziyarat-e Aminollah was recited by Mr. Afshar. The police were also with us. After that protest against the shrine's Friday prayer leader, this good treatment by the Saudis was perhaps to console us or to thumb their noses at the Wahhabi extremists.

Then, to see the Hosseiniyeh and mosque and the Friday prayer leader of the Shia, we went to the Shia neighborhood of Nukhayla of Mr. Omari. It became clear that the Shia are worried that after we leave, they will be held accountable. It was said that previously Mr. Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha, [the former Amir al-Hajj of Iranian pilgrims], had once gone to visit this same Mr. Omari and then Mr. Omari was held accountable by the Saudis and suffered imprisonment and other strictures, but this time he had made an istikhara and since I was going officially and with Saudi agents, he had expressed willingness. I too, with the intention of strengthening the Shia and showing our interest in them and breaking the atmosphere of their fear, accepted. We went to the Hosseiniyeh. No one was there. Then we went to the mosque that was from a garden of the palm groves. There too there were two or three people. In response to our question, they denied that this is the Shia mosque. They said it is a Prophet's mosque, and the companions said that at the door it had been written that the owner of this place is forbidden from accepting guests.

As we were leaving, Mr. Omari arrived. He is a sick old man. His hands were trembling. He also knew Persian and spoke Persian with me. I wanted the conversation to be in Arabic so that it would receive the special attention of the Saudis, but he himself preferred to speak Persian. We spoke a few sentences standing; he said their situation is good and they have no problem or need.

We returned to the hotel. Surely the presence of all those cars and agents in the poor Shia area will receive special attention. For ihram, we performed the ghusl and went to the Shajara Mosque. The head of protocol of the Prince of Medina had also come for the send-off. We prayed the evening and night prayers led by me. We put on the ihram clothing and after the talbiyahs, we got into the cars and set off for Mecca on the good large Medina-Mecca highway. We also had dinner in the cars.

At eleven at night we entered Mecca. "Qasr al-Diyafa," the residence next to the Holy Shrine, is on the east of the shrine. From our rooms, we can clearly see inside the shrine and the Holy Kaaba and the Station of Abraham. The companions also gradually arrived.

We went to perform the rest of the rites of the Umrah al-Mufradah. The shrine was empty. Mr. Iranmanesh was reciting the transmitted prayers. The circumambulation and prayer and sa'i and taqsir and the circumambulation of women and its prayer took about two hours. We also used the Zamzam water.

At all stages, Dr. Nafiseh and Colonel Ebrahim and a group of Saudis were accompanying; except when present at the residence, they do not leave us. In the car and at the ceremonies they have also been somewhat influenced by the Shia acts of worship. We slept at about two in the morning.