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To Muslims, Jerusalem houses one of
the holiest Mosques, the Masjid-al-Aqsa and
represents a place of greatest
religious significance. This needs to be appreciated by the
West before a sincere bridge of
mutual friendship is built.
Muslims' call to rule over Jerusalem
is not driven by colonist, nationalist or material motives.
The love of every grain in the Holy
City is sacred to Muslims. As Muslims' respect all the
Prophets revered by Judaism and
Christianity and their venerated places are also central
to the ethos of Islam.
Therefore, it is only by entrusting
the custody of the Holy City to the Muslims can the
present Judaisation of Jerusalem come
to a halt and morally open the city to all the three
faiths.
To quote a few Qur'anic verses and
sayings of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu Alayhi
Wasallam) with regard to Jerusalem
will indicate the importance Masjid al Aqsa and
herefore Jerusalem has assumed upon
the Muslims hearts.
MIRAAJ
1. The miraculous journey of
the holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam)
from Makkah to Masjid al Aqsa (al
Isra) and his ascension through the heavens (al
Ma'araj) has linked Jerusalem to the
Muslims hearts and minds. The Holy Qur'an states:“Glory to Allah who did take His
Servant for a journey by night from the Sacred
Mosque (in Makkah) to the Al-Aqsa (in
Jerusalem) whose precincts We did bless
(al-Isra 17: 1)
The Lord Almighty had at in His power
to have taken the Prophet Muhammad e from
Makkah straight up to the heavens.
However, to impress the importance of Jerusalem
upon Muslims the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu
Alayhi Wasallam) was first taken to
Masjid al Aqsa in Jerusalem.
When in Masjid al Aqsa Haram Shareef
the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu Alayhi
Wasallam) led Salaah and was followed
by all the previous Prophets Alayhis salaam.
Hence the whole of Masjid al Aqsa
precincts are unique in that this is the only place on
earth where all the Prophets
Alayhis salaam performed Salaah in congregation.
2. The Prophet Ibrahim
(Abraham) Alayhis salaam central to all the three faiths
migrated
to the land of Canaanite around 1805 BC.
The Qur'an states:
“We said, O Fire! Be thou cool and
safety for Ibrahim. Then they planned against him, but We made them the greater
losers. But We delivered him and (his nephew) Lot (and directed them) to
the land which We have blessed for the nations (Al-Anbiyaa 21: 69-71)
3. The sacredness of Jerusalem is
emphasised on numerous places in the Holy Qur'an.
The Apostles of Allah, Muhammad (Sallallaahu
Alayhi Wasallam) and also Prophet Musa
(Mosses) [Alayhis salaam] alluded to it. The
Holy Qur'an reports Prophet Musa [Alayhis
salaam] telling his
people:
O my people! Enter the holy land...
(Al-Maida 5: 21)
Further the Holy Qur'an states:
(It was Our power that made) the
violent (unruly) Wind flow (tamely) for Sulaman.
To his order, to the land Which We
had blessed... (Al-Anbiyaa 21: 81)
4.
Masjid al Aqsa and therefore Jerusalem's importance was further
emphasized by the
sayings of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam):
(a) According to Islamic teachings there are only three places to
which it is desirable to
undertake a journey for the purpose of Salaah.
Abu Huraira [ra] is quoted as saying that Allah's Messenger [Sallallaahu
Alayhi
wasallam] said, 'set out deliberately on a journey only to three
mosques: this
mosque of mine (in Medina), the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah) and the
Masjid al
Aqsa (in Jerusalem) (Bukhari & Muslim)
(b) The virtues of praying in Masjid al Aqsa are exalted:
Abu Darda [ra] is quoted as saying that the Prophet of Allah
Muhammad
(Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, a prayer in the Sacred Mosque
(in Makkah) is
worth 100, 000 prayers, a prayer in my mosque (in Medina) is worth
1, 000 and a
prayer in Jerusalem is worth 500 prayers more than in an any other
mosque.
(Bukhari)
As part of another tradition, on the authority of Maimunah bint Sa'd,
it is reported that,
upon being asked about a person who is unable to travel to the
Masjid al Aqsa, the
Messenger of Allah [Alayhis salaam] said, 'He should make a gift of
oil to be burnt
therein, for He who gives a gift to the Masjid al Aqsa will be like
one who has prayed
Salaah therein.' (Ahmad & Ibn Majah)
(c) The Masjid al Aqsa is the second house of prayer established
on earth:
Abu Dhar [ra] is quoted as saying, I asked the beloved Prophet
Muhammad
(Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) which was the first mosque on earth?
'The Sacred
Mosque (in Makkah),' he said. And then which, I asked? 'Masjid al
Aqsa,' he said.
I further asked, what was the time span between the two? 'Forty
years,' the Prophet
[Alayhis salaam] replied. (Muslim)
(d) Abu Umamah al Bahili [ra] reports that the Prophet of Allah [Alayhis
salaam] as saying,
'A group of my ummah will remain firm upon the truth, dominating
their enemies. They will
not be harmed by their opponents until Allah's decree arrives upon
them. They asked, 'Oh
Prophet of Allah [Alayhis salaam]! Where will they be?' He replied,
'In Bait al Maqdis and
its surrounding areas. (Ahmad)
5. The Masjid-al-Aqsa was the First Qibla (the direction to which
Muslims faced when
praying Salaah):
The centrality, historical and cultural significance of Masjid al
Aqsa is further emphasized
by the fact that Muslims used to turn towards Jerusalem when they
prayed. This was
practized until 16 to 17 months after hijra, when Allah I commanded
in His wisdom, for
the Muslims to face Makkah. The importance of Masjid al Aqsa
remained and all the
worship performed facing Masjid al Aqsa was good and valid.
6. The resting place of Prophets [Alayhis salaam] and Prophet's
companions [ra]:
The land of Palestine has in it some of the noblest souls the earth
has seen. The graves
of many Prophet's are in Palestine. Including Ibrahim Alayhis
salaam, Yakub Alayhis
salaam, Ishaq [peace be upon them] and according to some
commentators there are
over 100 Prophets buried in Palestine.
Palestine also has the bodies of some of the closest companions of
the Prophet
(Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) and thus the first generation Muslims.
Included in these are
the graves of Ubada ibn al Samit, Shaddad ibn Aws ibn Thabit al
Ansari and Tamim al
Dari [ra].
7. Merits of Performing Haj or Umrah from Masjid al Aqsa:
Umm Salamah [ra] narrates that she heard the Prophet [Alayhis
salaam] saying,
whosoever starts his Umrah or Haj from Masjid al Aqsa his wrong
actions will be forgiven,
both past and future.' In another version, he is reported to have
said that Paradise would
be his reward. (Targheeb)
8. Freedom of the Holy City.
After the battle of Yarmuk the Muslim forces under the command of
Abu Ubaydahr alay
siege to Jerusalem. The inhabitants consented to surrender on
condition the Khalifa,
Umar ibn al Khattab (ra) came in person. Umar [ra] travelled to
Palestine and formally
received the keys to the city in 637 AC. On his arrival, he
concluded the famous peace
treaty with the people of Holy City. This opened the doors to the
Jews, who were denied
access for thousands of years and for the first time Jerusalem under
Muslim rule became
truly an OPEN CITY to all the three faiths. Throughout Muslim rule
of over one thousand
two hundred years of Jerusalem, members of Jewish, Christianity and
Islam found a
heaven to prosper from. Muslim rule enabled the city to live up to
its rightful title of 'The
Holy City' as it encompassed all the believers in One God to go
about their business
without hindrance.
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