“Aljawhara”: a spring mythically gifted by the Prophet [Archives:2006/916/Last Page]
January 30 2006
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“Aljawhara” means the gem in Arabic. However, for the people of Dhilmahmer, a small village in Alnakeelain district in Ibb province, it is the name of their precious ancient spring. No one in this village or surrounding villages knows for sure how old Aljawhara is – some claim it is 400 years old and others say 200. Despite this, almost everyone there knows the story of Aljawhara narrated by locals generation after generation.
The Myth
Long ago, Alnakeelain district experienced a severe draught. A good man named 'Mohomed' from a nearby village traveled to Mecca for the Hajj and resided there a long time. In his prayers at the Kaaba, he asked God to show mercy on his people in the village who hungered and were in great difficulty. One night, he saw the prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him) in his dreams. The prophet spoke to him and told him he would find a bundle beneath his head upon waking, inside of which was a precious gift sent to him by God. The prophet ordered Mohomed to return to his village and take the bundle with him, asking him not to open it until he reached his village. The next morning, Mohomed found the bundle beneath his head. He then returned home walking all the way from Mecca to Ibb. While resting near his village, he thought of the bundle and felt he could now find out what was inside it. He wanted to be sure of the gift given to him by the prophet before telling the villagers about it. He opened the bundle and suddenly a gem fell to the ground and turned into a spring. Haj Mohomed then was sorry for not obeying the prophet's command and died that same day. As a sign of gratefulness and respect, the people of Dhilmahmer village buried him near where the gem fell. Over the years, his grave was turned into a shrine (wali) visited by Alnakeelain locals for blessing and meditation. Many miracles of Haj Mohomed are purported, especially in healing illnesses.
Facts and Observations
Like many things in Yemen, an accurate history of Aljawhara spring and shrine (Al-Wali) cannot be verified. However, Muttee Ahmed Dammaj, an electrical engineer living in the area, told of a 150-year-old agreement between farmers regarding distribution of its water. “This tells us that Aljawhara has been there at least 150 years,” he concluded.
Aljawhara spring itself is located beneath the village mosque and worshipers gather there for ablution around prayer times. Villagers are permitted to carry water to their homes for drinking purposes, as Aljawhara is the only water source for Dhilmahmer village. In dry seasons, surrounding villagers queue for water with their containers. Certain hours of the day are allotted to village women for washing clothes. Spring water also is used in a controlled irrigation system for certain village farms, with two small dams regulating the irrigation process.
Aljawhara spring waters have never stopped flowing as far as any villager remembers. Sheik Ahmed Hamood, the 83-year-old village chief, claimed that the water level is nearly the same year round, in dry or rainy seasons. “During early morning hours and at night, the water is relatively warm, while it gets cold in the afternoon,” he noted.
Haj Mohomed's grave still exists today. A small, domed white shrine, called a wali in Yemen, was built with the grave inside. Villagers from different areas used to visit the wali for blessings and meditation, especially sick people wanting to get well and women wanting to get pregnant. This mostly was during the Imamate era when Yemen lacked essential services such as schools and hospitals.
However, only a few visit the shrine nowadays, mostly women, despite the recent spread of religious thought prohibiting such visits. “We still see women go there from time to time,” Hamood said, “The wali is in bad condition though and needs regular renovation.” He pointed out that a few individuals who appreciate the building's historical value help save the building from collapsing from time to time. When asked about any governmental or organizational aid to preserve the building, Hamood replied, “No, no one seems to care.”
This is Aljawhara, where myth and reality blur: a spring mythically gifted by a prophet and the only real water source for Dhilmahmer village.
Dr. Hamdan Zaid Dammag is Editorial Consultant at the Yemen Times. A poet and short story writer for many literature publications, some in English, he is a research fellow at the Institute of Computing, London South Bank University, UK.
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