Introducatio of Tafilah

Al Tafilah is a small city with a population of 35,000 people in south Jordan 180 km away from Amman. It is the main city of the Tafilah Governorate. It is famous for having green gardens which contain olive trees, figs and grapes. There are more than 360 natural springs in the Altafilah area, including the natural reservoir of Dana and hot natural springs at Afra and Borbeata.

There are two phosphate and cement mines in At Tafilah which are one of the country’s main income sources.The much beloved venerable companion Jabir ibn Abdullah Al-Ansari has a shrine in Tafilah. He took part in nineteen military campaigns and was beside Prophet Mohammad during the conquest of Mecca.

On Prophet Mohammad’s authority, he narrated many of the hadiths and he witnessed several of the Prophet’s miracles and episodes. His last days were spent lecturing a circle of students at the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.

Also near Tafilah is the shrine of Prophet Adam’s third son Prophet Seeth , credited with inventing the arts and crafts, additionally the shrine of Farwah ibn Amr Al-Judhami is in Tafilah near Afra water springs. He was the Roman-Byzantine governor of Ma’an district until the Byzantines crucified him for converting to Islam.

The Prophet sent the venerable companion Kaab ibn Umayr Al-Ghifari to the tribe of Quda’ah asking them to embrace Islam; sadly they murdered him and his companions. His shrine is located in Salmani, Tafila province.

Prophet Mohammad sent the venerable companion Al-Harith ibn Umayr Al-Azdi to carry a message to the ruler of Bosra in Syria inviting him to adopt Islam. When Al-Harith arrived in Tafilah, Shurahbil ibn Amr Al-Ghassani the governor of Mutah captured and beheaded him.

This act was one of the causes that led to the Muslim military campaign and famous Battle of Mutah. In a modern building 20 km south of Tafilah, you can visit the tomb of the only one of the Prophet’s messengers martyred while on an official mission.