Transcript

Welcome again to a series of talk on the virtues of Masjid Al-Aqsa.

I would just like to read you a poem

Sweet earth of Palestine wherever I went carrying the burning scars of your humiliation nursing in my heart the longing to make you proud your love your memories went with me the promise of your blessing went with me in distant lands and dark lanes in alien cities on nameless streets wherever the banner of my blood unfeld I’ve left a desire for you your enemies destroyed one Palestine my wounds created many more

Alhumdulillah this love for Masjid Al-Aqsa also rebuilds within this Ummah and us through the pits that are connected to Masjid Al-Aqsa and of course all these names of these Prophets, the incidents are narrated in the holy Quran making it that much important for us to understand the centrality of Masjid Al-Aqsa its virtues and its importance to us.

Now the greatest of the prophets that have ever lived or have passed in the past been blessed by having their presence in Masjid Al-Aqsa. Hence the significance of Masjid Al-aqsa and Palestine is further enhanced by the presence of the noble Prophets and major events that occurred during their lifetime.

One of the greatest Prophets Khaleelullah “the friend of Allah” Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) we’ve mentioned him earlier before but we need to understand how he is connected to Masjid Al-Aqsa in detail. Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) migrated from his home town of “Ur” in modern day Iraq with his wife Sarah and his nephew Lut and they moved to Palestine and settled there, the reason they had to move is as we recall from the incidents that are narrated in the holy Quran that he wanted to preach the tawheed (oneness) of Allah while his people were building idols and worshiping idols.

Because he destroyed all the idols and left an axe in the largest of the idol and when the people came and asked him as they suspected he had done it and asked him why he had done it, he asked them to question the idol, of course they also accepted that the idol would not be able to answer them, then thereafter they built a big fire in which they Threw Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and Allah quenched the burning qualities of the fire, saved him and thereafter asked him to migrate, and the place Allah told them to migrate is to the land of Palestine, of course this is the first time in the holy Quran that Allah mentions that he has bestowed his blessings for all the world upon the land of Palestine and this is where he asked Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to migrate.

Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was stationed in and around Masjid Al-Aqsa and from there he made different journeys and in one episode he goes to Egypt and while he’s in Egypt a tyrannical leader was attracted to his wife Sarah (peace be upon her)  and tried to seduce her however Allah protected him and Sarah (peace be upon her) and they were left unharmed.

In Egypt he gets married to his second wife Hajar, Hajrah (peace be upon her), and with Hajrah and Sarah they returned back to Jerusalem where they live for many years. There Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was granted children, some narrations state that the age of 80 Hajrah bore him a son. Ibrahim is then commanded by Allah to take his wife Hajrah and his son Ismaeel to the Arabian desert modern day Makkah and leave them there. He follows the commands of Allah and leaves his wife Hajrah and son Ismaeel and returns back to Palestine, this is the important part after he had left them in Makkah he then return back to Jerusalem.

The story of Hajrah and Ismaeel then ofcourse the story of the water zam-zam, then Ibrahim later goes back to Hajrah when his son Ismaeel is much older and together father and son they’re commanded by Allah to rebuild the Kabah which they do.

However his second wife who remained in Palestine she also becomes pregnant in her old age a second son is born and this second son his name is Ishaaq, in the holy Quran it says “and we gave him the good news of Ishaaq a prophet amongst the righteous ones” this good news of the birth of Ishaaq was given to Ibrahim in Palestine when he was approximately 100 years old. Ishaaq lived with his father in and around Jerusalem where he preached where he craded eventually grew old and died and the graves of Ibrahim and Ishaaq are very near Jerusalem in the city of Al-khaleel unfortunately today it is known by its modern name of Hebron but those who are fortunate enough to make ziyaarah of Masjid Al-Aqsa can go to Al-khaleel and visit the graves of Ibrahim ans Ishaaq. But the important factor here which I wish to emphasise as Ibrahim rebuilt the kabah with his son Ismaeel he also when he returned back to Jerusalem with his other Ishaaq he rebuilds Masjid Al-aqsa.

The first time masjid Al-Aqsa is built its by Adam now we see that after time of course the same way the Kabah was destroyed and he rebuilds it with his son Ismaeel, in Jerusalem Ibrahim rebuilds Masjid Al-Aqsa with his son Ishaaq and this is very significant that the continuation of the 2 masaajid, Masjid Haraam in makkah and masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem are going in tandem from the earlier hadeeth we heard that it was Adam who had built the 2 Masaajids right at the beginning of time, right at the beginning of creation of humanity.

When Allah brings Ibrahim to this Earth and gives him the Nabuwwah (prophethood) he is then appointed and honoured to having to rebuild the haram of Makkah with Ismaeel and with his other son Ishaaq he builds Masjid Al-Aqsa.

As I mentioned earlier that Ibrahim passes away, a place very near Masjid Al-Aqsa a place called Al-Khaleel where he’s buried and his son Ishaaq then ofcourse has a son called Yaqoob and from Yaqoob we know the other name was Israeel and that’s why his children and his progeny are known as “Banu Israeel” now from the many sons of Yaqoob one of the sons we are very familiar with is Yusuf with a great Surah in the holy Quran and an incident where he is taken as a slave from where his brothers discarded him in a well a caravan comes along picks him up and take his as a slave and sell him as a slave and goes into Egypt.

There is a great connection also of Yusuf with Palestine the fact that he was born in and around Jerusalem, is taken to Egypt where then after many years and many incidents he ends up as a wazeer a governor of Egypt and famine besets Palestine so Yaqoob asks his sons to go out and search for food and where do they end up, they end up on the door step on the foots of Yusuf. Yusuf recognises them as his brothers and then he grants them many goods to take to his father but he asks them to bring the whole family into Egypt not knowing to them that that is Yusuf.

When Yaqoob with his sons comes to Egypt he embraces them and then starts residing in Egypt in hence now you see all the movement of all people from the time of Ibrahim to the people who believed in Allah through those who believed Yaqoob and the Banu Israeel have now moved from the region of Palestine into Egypt and they remain in Egypt for a very long period of time until on one side the coming of Firaun and on the other side the coming of Musa.

Many verses regarding Musa are connected directly or indirectly with the land of Palestine in bait-ul-maqdis. The Banu Israeel of course are being persecuted by Firaun and Musa is being directed and asked to take them from Egypt back into Palestine and it is very interesting for us to understand that when Musa was asked to do this the land that is referred to is not a promised land it is referred to as a holy land, a land that has been made precious and blessed by Allah for the whole of humanity it is not a land that has been granted to one group of people unlike how it is narrated in other texts and misleading the people, as I mentioned the biography of Musa is long but in brief after Firaun (Pharaoh) began the persecution Musa with his brother Haroon guided the Banu Israeel to flee from Egypt towards Palestine after crossing the red said Firaun (Pharaoh) and his men died and Banu Israeel bagan to argue and protest that the lack of water food and shade. Musa prayed to Allah for all the 3 to be provided (water, food and shade) after these favours were bestowed upon them they continued their ingratitude until they reached the outskirts of Palestine. Musa then commands them to enter the holy land, as I mentioned to you earlier I mentioned in the holy Quran but never the less they again remonstrated against him and turned around to Musa and said you go and fight them and we will go after you afterwards and this is great upfront to Musa although despite the fact that Musa had assured them of a victory to assault the city but they would not go, they simply said you and your lord go and we’ll stay behind, Musa was grieved then Allah punished them and for 40 years they remain in wilderness without finding their way and until a time came when Musa death was called upon it was time for him to go to Allah and there’s a hadeeth on the authority of Abu Hurayrah who says an angel of death was sent to Musa, when he came to Musa, Musa slapped him on the eye, the angel returned to Allah and said you have sent me to a servant who does not want to die. Allah told the angel return to him and tell him to put his hand on the back of an ox and for every hair that will come under it he will be granted one year of life. Musa said Oh Lord what will happen after that, once the angel came back Musa instructed him this is what you need to do then Musa said what will happen after that Allah replied then death. Musa declared let it be now. Musa then requested Oh Allah let me die close to the.

The sacred land the holy land the blessed land so much so that he would be at the distance of a stone’s throw away, and then a hadeeth from sahee bukhari (authentic book) adds Abu Harayrah says the Prophet said “if I were there meaning if the Prophet were there he would show us the grave and the ret sand hill on the side of the road in fact even Musa despite the fact that him being aware that Allah was not going to give him the opportunity of extension to his life and he would not see the victory of Bait-ul-Maqdis  he prayed to Allah that he dies near Masjid Al-Aqsa and the surrounding of Al-Quds. And this is a great Prophet like Musa also is aware of the great blessings of this land and he’s making dua (supplication) to Allah that yes Oh Allah I want to be with you my time has come but take my soul away take my life when I’m close to the.

The sacred land the holy land the blessed and Prophet said if I were there I would have shown you the grave of Musa, and for us it is very significant that this great Prophet of Allah is seeking and making dua (supplication) that he dies near Masjid Al-Aqsa

Subhanallah so we see the connection through the Prophet Ibrahim and his children and Musa again the connection of Masjid Al-Aqsa and how they are all connected and how this brought to life for us through the holy Quran and how when we go there to Palestine when we make ziyarah all these incidences and episodes that teach us so many things of our life and how we should function come to reality and come to an essence we can touch the holy Quran in its physical context and this is the greatness of Masjid Al-Aqsa and the land of of Bait-ul-Maqdis.