WHY IS AL-AQSA and what surrounds it so important?
It can be appreciated by the first khutba given in al-Aqsa by Al-Qadi Muhiy ad-Deen ibn Az-Zaki following its liberation by Salahuddin after 88 years of occupation. He said:
“It is the home of your father Ibrahim (as), the place of ascent (Mi’raj) of your Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, your qibla towards which you used to pray at beginning of Islam. It is the homeland of the prophets, the focal point of the friends of Allah, the refuge of the messengers, the place where revelation came down, the place to which commands and prohibitions were sent down. It is the land of resurrection and gathering. It is the holy land that Allah has mentioned in His clear Book. It is the masjid in which Allah has mentioned in His clear Book. It is the masjid in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ led the highest-ranking angels in prayer; it is the land to which Allah sent His slave and Messenger, His Word which He bestowed upon Maryam and the Spirit from Him, Isa whom He honoured with the office of Allah’s Messenger and the Prophet, who never departed from a position of servitude to Allah…It is the first of the two qiblas, the second of the two masjidain and third of the holy sanctuaries. No journey is to be undertaken to any masjid, after the two most sacred, except it.”
Al Quds is not some far away, insignificant land. It is a land firmly rooted in our aqeedah. Allah mentions it:
سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَـٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ
Glory be to the One Who took His servant (Muḥammad) by night from the Sacred Masjid to the Farthest Masjid whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing. (al-Isra 1)
It was the land that Muslims gave their lives for to open during the time of Umar (ra); a land that was liberated by Salahuddin after its occupation by the Crusaders and a land that was defended by Ottoman Khalifah Abdul Hamid II when the Zionists tried to buy it from the Muslims.
So, when we see this Holy land desecrated, the blood of our brothers and sisters, old and young, split without consequence, their homes and properties taken, an oppressive apartheid system, all whilst the powers that be spin a false narrative and support the oppression and clamp down on the truth, we must speak up against injustice and come to their aid.
We find a good lesson from the Prophet’s ﷺ Night Journey to al Aqsa.
He could have kept the night journey to himself considering how the Quraysh would use it against him ﷺ to undermine his call. After all, who would believe that he had travelled in one night that which took two months. But he ﷺ did not fear speaking the truth and upon his return, he was eager to speak about this incredible event.
And those who believed and had no doubts also spoke up. Abu Bakr (ra) attained his title as-Siddiq (the verifier of Truth) when he affirmed without hesitation: “By Allah, if he actually said that he has told the truth. There really is nothing to be amazed about, for he has told me that information comes to him from Allah, from the sky to the earth, in an instant during the night or day and I believe him. And that is even more strange.”
Just as the Prophet ﷺ spoke the truth and Abu Bakr (ra) confirmed the truth when it was very hard to do so, we too today must not be afraid of speaking on behalf of our ummah in Palestine, calling for its liberation and restoring justice and security via Islam.
What we should do
• Know why al Aqsa and its surroundings are part of our deen so that you love it
• Learn how the keys to Jerusalem were given to Umar al Khattab (ra) in 637 CE and how only Islam gave safety and security to all.
• Learn what happened in the Crusades and how Salahuddin, a sincere ruler with an army, liberated this land in 1187 CE from similar occupation by first uniting the Muslims.
• Know the history of Palestine in the last 100 years so you know how this situation arose and why our rulers remain silent and why the Western powers support the continued oppression.
• Speak the truth against the false narratives and continued oppression of our ummah.
Call for the correct solutions that Islam demands based on our deen rather than ways that do not create change or only demoralise us.
• Always remember that Palestine belongs to our Ummah and keep it in your dua.
وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ خَيْرُ ٱلْمَـٰكِرِينَ
But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners. (al-Anfal 30)
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