In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation. May the salutations of Allah, His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, his family, his companions and his true and sincere followers until the Last Day – then to proceed:
Dear brothers and sisters, despite spending the last ten years of his life in a city over 800 miles away from Jerusalem, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) would nevertheless frequently make a point of including Al-Aqsa in his speech. He knew its status in Islam and in the Eyes of Allah, and he knew that the events of the end of times (Al-Qiyamah) will culminate on its soil. The Prophet’s Companion Abu Zar once asked the Prophet (Peace be upon him):
“O Messenger of Allah, which Mosque was built on Earth first?” He said, “Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Makkah).” I said, “Then which [Mosque]?” He said, “Al-Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem).” I said, “How much time was there between them?” He said, “Forty years.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
Al-Aqsa is therefore no ordinary Mosque for Muslims, and Palestine is no ordinary land also. It served as a venue for the greatest conference to have ever taken place on Earth, one that was attended by every Prophet to have walked the globe, and when the greatest of them—Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)—was made to lead them all in prayer. Ibn Abbas mentions:
“Baitul Maqdis was built by the Prophets and inhabited by the Prophets. There is not the area of a single hand span except that a Prophet prayed in it or an angel stood on it.” [See Ittihaful Akhissa bi Fada’ilil Masjidil Aqsa]
Al-Masjid al-Aqsa was the first Qiblah of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his Companions, and remained so for around 14 and a half years before it was then changed to the Kaʿabah in Makkah. So distinct was this venue that when the Prophet (Peace be upon him) received his invitation to visit the inhabitants of the heavens, Allah chose Palestine for his ascension, in order to create within the hearts of Muslims the unbreakable link between Makkah and Palestine. Allah Almighty says:
“Glory be to Him who took His servant on a journey by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, in order to show him some of Our Signs. He (Allah) is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” [Qur’an, 17:1]
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
“Do not undertake a journey to visit any Mosque but three: this Mosque of mine, the Mosque of al-Haram, and the Mosque of Aqsa.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
Respected brothers and sisters, since the last Islamic month (Ramadan), the ‘Israeli’ occupiers have taken their boldness and vulgarity to new levels. Horrific scenes unfolded of armed Zionist troops launching an assault on worshippers—including women, children and the elderly—turning the Masjid (Mosque) into a full-fledged war zone. The occupiers besieged those in i‘tikaf, hundreds of whom were left to bleed without medical attention. How relevant are the words of Allah:
“Who are more unjust than those who prevent the name of Allah from being mentioned in His Mosques and strive toward their destruction? It is not for them to enter them except in fear. For them in this world is disgrace, and they will have in the Hereafter a great punishment.” [Qur’an, 2: 114]
Imam Al-Tabari prefers the opinion that the specific connection to this Qur’anic verse is in relation to Al-Masjid al-Aqsa.
Meanwhile, outside the Masjid (Mosque), the Zionist occupiers—neither content with the stolen land “bestowed” upon them by the UN, nor with the stolen land occupied by them in violation of the UN since 1967—raided Palestinian homes and sought to evict tens of families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, named after a personal physician to Salahuddin Al-Ayubi (Saladin), in East Jerusalem. They threw people out of their own homes, usurping them with impunity, as their own security forces watched them doing so in order to “preserve Jerusalem’s Jewish identity”, as they said.
In light of the above, I wish to share a few messages with the key players in this conflict:
- A message to the Jerusalemites on the frontlines in Al-Aqsa: You are the salt of the Earth. Your resilience resembles the robust trees standing at the Damascus Gate to the Old City, as you defend on our behalf, bare-chested, with your heads high and hearts certain of Allāh’s promise. After Allah, you are our inspiration whenever our motivation falters, and you are our motivation when despair takes hold. Indeed, the Ramadan TV shows of 2021 are so many, but nothing compares to your confrontation of the occupying forces, charging us with vibes that no show could ever achieve, as we strain our thoughts: “How can I involve myself in this colossal cause?”
No doubt, you are the consciousness of our Ummah, one which our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) promised that the agencies of repression can never defeat. If this is the gallantry of the third generation of Muslim Jerusalemites, then truly, your enemies have no hope. We wish we had been the soil beneath your feet, for those who live amongst you live honourably, and those who die do so as martyrs whose good deeds are made to forever grow from within their graves.
- A message to Islamic scholars, Imams, social media influencers and activists: We call upon you to make al-Aqsa central to your concerns, and not merely as part of a short-term remembrance during a plight. A longer-term strategy is the obligation of the hour. Include al-Aqsa when teaching Aqidah (theology), history, etc., featuring it regularly in your Friday sermons, and including it in your modules and curricula. Wallahi, your position is an Amanah (trust). Your congregation expects such guidance, and the securer of your wage is Allah, not a committee of the Mosque. The same can be said to social media influencers and community activists: use your platforms to mobilise the Muslims in defence of al-Aqsa, each according to their capacity, resources, and sphere of influence.
The celebrated Kurd whom we know today as Salahuddin Al-Ayubi (Saladin) was not parachuted from the heavens, but was the product of Imams who understood their duties towards the Islamic cause of Palestine. These Imams understood what their positions entailed and nurtured Salahuddin Al-Ayubi (Saladin) to look beyond his nationality and the sinful aspirations of the youth, and to see al-Aqsa as central to his being.
Consider how Jewish wedding ceremonies end with the stomping on glass to serve as a reminder, even during the height of personal joy, of their pain and loss of the alleged Temple in Jerusalem. Consider the Western wall of the al-Aqsa compound, known to the Jews as the Wailing Wall, the holiest site for Jewish prayer, where visitors mourn and bemoan the destruction of the Temple. We ask our Imams: for the last, say, ten years, how many times has this topic appeared in your addresses?
I also call upon congregations (followers of Imams) to respectfully encourage their Imams to fulfil this duty.
- A message to the general Muslim masses: (A) Make al-Aqsa your number one priority visit: Visit al-Aqsa in groups of families and friends. Inhale from its pure air, prostrate on its blessed land, and supplicate to Allah on its noble sanctuary for its aid. Reading about the Islamic cause of Palestine is one thing, but only a visit in person can illustrate the full extent of what has happened over the decades.
Find a recommended travel agent that offers a full programme, then book your trip. I stand baffled at those of us who have toured every holiday destination, preferring to return home with souvenirs, debts, and a tan over the everlasting deeds offered at al-Aqsa. Such prizes include what the Prophet (Peace be upon him) promised, when he said:
“When Prophet Sulaiman, the son of Dawud, finished building Baitul Maqdis, he asked Allah for three things: judgement that was in harmony with His judgement, and he was given that. And he asked Allah for a kingdom that no one after him would have, and he was given that. And when he finished building the Masjid (of Al-Aqsa), he asked Allah that every person who comes to it intending only to pray there that he emerges free of sin as the day his mother bore him.” [An-Nasa’i]
In another narration, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) added:
“As for two of his requests, Sulaiman was granted them. My hope is that he was granted the third.” [An-Nasa’i]
(B) Be proactive and create solutions: Our history as Muslims is witness to the countless calamities that Allah averted through suggestions that were put forward by ordinary people. Al-Hubab Bin Munzir did not like the site which the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had chosen to camp in before the battle of Badr. He politely asked:
“O Messenger of Allah, this place that you have chosen, is it from Allah such that we should not comment on it? Or is it part of strategy of war?” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) told him that it was the latter, and so al-Hubab made a suggestion: to advance and camp at the nearest well to the enemy so that the Muslims could collect water in containers for themselves, then fill the remaining wells with sand so the enemy would have no water. He did just that.” [See Sirah of Ibn Hisham]
