Dayr Rumanin
دير رُمانين
A great thriving monastery of Syria, in which runs the famous tale: young Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him), fleeing after killing a Byzantine patrolman at Antioch, was sheltered by its monk, whose book foretold a man named Umar would rule most of the earth and drive Heraclius from Syria; he took Umar's written pledge on a strip of leather, and when the caliph later came to Jerusalem the old monk met him with it — Umar would not squander the Muslims' fay', but commuted the pledge into a gentle kharaj the monks' heirs still hold and governors still honour 1.
At a glance
- Era
- The Rashidun Caliphate
- Region
- Levant & Iraq
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
The Monastery of Rumanin is a large monastery in Syria. Al-Umari tells a report there about Umar ibn al-Khattab. 1
The report
It is reported that Umar, in the days of ignorance, killed a patriarch of Antioch and fled, and that he stayed at this monastery. Its monk hosted him, and read in a book that he had that a man named Umar would rule most of the earth and drive Heraclius out of Syria. So Umar took from him a letter of safe-conduct for Adam. 1
When Umar came to Jerusalem, the monk met him, an old man, with the letter. Umar told him that he had written it in the days of ignorance, and that it was not lawful to waste the Muslims' spoils, but he settled with him on his land tax in a way that was gentle. It is said that the monks inherit the letter from one another, and that the governors confirm it for them. 1
What is not covered here
The report is a tradition in its source, and the data holds no second source for it. An additional source is needed.
Sources
- Masalik al-absar fi mamalik al-amsar — al-Umari (1924 printing), p. 342-343
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Dayr Rumanin”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/building/dayr-rumanin/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.