Who is Habib Al-Najjar or Habib the Carpenter?

Habib Al-Najjar (Habib-i Neccar in Turkish) is described in Surah Yunus, the 36th chapter of the Holy Quran. In the surah consisting of 83 verses in total, Hz. Muhammad and the Prophet. It is stated how the tribes that denied Jesus were punished.

Habib-i Al-Najjar, Hz. He was a great person who said that they should believe that Jesus was the messenger of God and was executed by hanging for this reason.

A church was built at the place where Habib'i Al-Najjar was executed, and the church was converted into a mosque by Süleyman Şah in the 11th century. Today, Habib-i Al-Najjar Mosque is within the borders of Hatay (Türkiye).

Life and Death of Habib-i Neccar

Habib-i Al-Najjar is a carpenter born near Antakya. Although his exact date of birth is unknown, Hz. He lived in the same period as Jesus. According to the rumor, Hz. Jesus sends his two disciples to Antioch. However, most of the people of Antioch deny the apostles and try to kill them.

Habib the Carpenter, or Habib Al-Najjar, was a martyr who lived in Antioch at the time of Jesus Christ. In Muslim tradition, Habib believed the message of Christ's disciples sent to the People of Ya-Sin, and was subsequently martyred for his faith. The Mosque of Habib-i Neccar (Ottoman for Habib al-Najjar), below Mount Silpium, contains the tomb of Habib along with that of Sham'un Al-Safa (Peter, also known as Simon the Pure). Some sources have identified Habib with Saint Agabus of the Acts of the Apostles, an early Christian who suffered martyrdom in Antioch at the time of Jesus.

The apostles take shelter in a cave. Habib-i Neccar, who was worshiping in the cave at that time, asks them who he is. They are also Hz. He says that they are disciples of Jesus and that they came to Antakya to invite people to religion.

Thereupon, Habib-i Neccar asks what they want for the embassy duty. When the apostles said that their wages would be given by God, Neccar believed in Jesus. He runs to the city and says to his people, "O my people, believe in the messenger sent by God."

Many stories have been written and told about Habib-i Neccar. The most well-known among these is the story of the Thousand Coffins. According to the story, once upon a time, there lived a cruel king. The king asked Habib-i Neccar, a carpenter, to make a thousand coffins in one night.

Even though Neccar said that this was impossible, he could not make the king listen and wait for death. In the morning, soldiers knocked on his door and told them to buy him a coffin and follow him. It turns out that that coffin was not for himself but for the cruel king.