Omar Sulaiman’s video transcription by Imama Mufti – Hiba magazine team writer
I wanted to actually draw your attention to this concept of a holy land, this concept of Al-Ard Al-Muqaddasa because it’s very unique when it comes to Palestine.
How many of you have been to Al-Madina Al-Munawarrah? When you go to Madinah, there is not a single spot, no tree except that Rasulullah (sa) received revelation, or prayed, or remembered Allah (swt) and prostrated under it, how blessed is that? It is the city of the Sahabah, you are walking on the footsteps of Muhammad (sa) and the most blessed generation in the history of the world. Hence in Madinah every hand span, a Sahabi or the Prophet (sa) has set his foot there.
Ibn Abbas (rta) says about Al-Quds (Jerusalem); “There is not a single hand span except that a Prophet of Allah or an angel has stood there and prostrated or prayed before Allah (swt). You cannot step in a place in Jerusalem except that a Nabi (Prophet) of Allah was once there”.
The link to Prophet Muhammad (sa)
In Surah Al-Isra, Allah (swt) mentions to us the ascension of Muhammad (sa) to the heavens from ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَـٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَه, Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa which we have blessed everything around it, the ascend of the Prophet (sa) from that place to the highest place.
The link to Prophet Musa (as)
Then we get to Surah Al-Kahf. When did this incident take place where Musa (as) went out to Al-Khidr (as) and had this lesson of the Qadr of Allah (swt), this incredible lesson about how God decrees?
It happened after Musa (as) and his people were unable to enter into Jerusalem, when they were in the wilderness and that is actually one of the beautiful blessings of this. Think if you are in the place of Musa (as), and are forbidden because of these people and the Qadr of Allah (swt). You need to understand and come to terms with the decree of Allah (swt).
The last years of Musa (as) would be spent at the borders of Palestine, the borders of the holy land because of the sins of his people. And Allah (swt) takes him on this journey through Al Khidr, to where he learns another layer of the Qadr of Allah, the decree of Allah (swt).
It is mentioned in one of the most painful Ahadith recorded by Muslim, when Musa (as) was dying he said; “Ya Allah I know I can’t get in there because this is an Istibdal. There will be a new generation that will be able to go in there but let me be as close as a stone’s throw from it.” And the Prophet (sa) said: “If I could show you his grave under the red dome, where they now mark (Allah (swt) knows best) Mount Nebo, where Musa (as) passes away outside of the holy land.” So the end of Surah Al-Kahf is Palestine. Musa (as) being given this lesson of the decree of Allah (swt) unable to enter into a holy land.
The link to Prophet Zakaryia (as)
Then comes Surah Maryam, where does Surah Maryam start? It starts with Zakariya (as) inside Masjid Al-Aqsa, calling upon Allah (swt), asking Allah (swt) to grant him a righteous generation, as he doesn’t see inheritors of this mission, so grant to him a successor that will continue this mission. So we have Zakariya (as) now inside of Masjid Al-Aqsa, calling upon Allah (swt) and Allah (swt) blesses him with Yahya (as) in that holy land.
The link to Maryam (as)
Then Maryam (as)’s pregnancy starts and Maryam (as) comes with her baby Isa (as) right in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa as Al-Qurtubi Rahimullah says; “She went to her people holding Isa (as) in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa. And that scene where they circled around her and they started to point fingers at her and say all those nasty things about her. That is happening there in Al-Aqsa.”
The link to Prophet Isa (as)
Isa (as) speaks for the first time, on the dome of the rock (a part of Al-Aqsa), the calligraphy that is there is from Surah Maryam. Those words are plastered now on the dome of the rock. Isa (as) will one day return to this earth and go to that very same spot where he first spoke those words.
Next Yahya (as) is martyred and Isa (as) receives the news that he has been upgraded from a Nabi to a Rasool (from a Prophet to a Messenger) as well at the age of 30 years old while sitting in Masjid Al-Aqsa because he now inherits the next phase of his Dawah. It is there in Al-Aqsa as well.
The link to Prophet Ibrahim (as)
And then comes the story of Ibrahim (as). When Ibrahim (as) was expelled, where did he go?
“We granted refuge to Ibrahim (as) and to Lut (as) from their people, from their tyrants”. Where is Ibrahim (as) buried? That place. It is all in that place. That is truly a holy land.
The link to Prophet Lut (as)
In the case of Lut (as), from his destroyed people, to what land were they granted refuge? It is there, once again it is back at that same place.
The link to Prophet Yaqoob (as)
Where did Yaqoob (as) cry his eyes out waiting for Yousaf (as) to return to him? That place.
The link to Quran
And so much of the Quran is situated in that place and the reason why this needs to be brought up is because if we are reading this part of the Quran and are seeing the attacks on Al-Aqsa and it is not moving something inside of us, there is a problem.
With all of the things that are happening right now and the geopolitics and this pathetic attempt at Abraham accords, or whatever they use the name of Ibrahim (as) for, all of these actors in the region that are disenfranchising those people, as a Muslim we do not accept that.
This is Quran to us, we cannot be reading the Quran and ignoring the place where all of these scenes of the Quran are happening and pretending it does not exist, it is an issue of Iman, it is an issue of faith for us to be connected to this place and it is the one place that Allah (swt) will refer to in this particular way. People are blessed not because they are Palestinians, but, because they are Murabitun, because they are holding it down even when the Ummah abandons them, even when these state actors turn their backs on them.
Prophet (sa) says, they stay on the truth, they are thorn in the sides of their enemies, they are not deterred by those who betray them. Who are they? The people of Al-Quds, the people of Jerusalem and the people surrounding them.
Palestine will not be liberated on the hands of wicked people, nor will it come through the disobedience of Allah (swt), it is not going to come through festivals or types of acts that are displeasing to Allah (swt) or on the hands of people that do not actually honour their covenant with Allah (swt). Prophet Musa’s (as) people were prevented from it for that reason. Salahuddin Ayyubi’s people entered into it when they honoured Allah’s (swt) covenants.
Let’s interrogate ourselves, while we do everything we can, even boycotting the dates of the occupier, where is our righteousness, where is our connection to Allah (swt)?
And I end with those words of Abu Darda (rta) when he writes a letter from Jerusalem to call Salman Al-Farsi (rta), he said: “Come on and retire with me in Jerusalem.” The Sahabah have spread Islam throughout the world. Salman (rta) says: “No, no it is holy land.”
But the land does not make you holy. What makes you holy are your deeds. You are not holy by virtue of being in that land. Those whose deeds are holy will enter into the holy land bi izn illahi tala.
May Allah (swt) make us amongst those people and may Allah (swt) liberate Al-Aqsa in our lifetime and be with our brothers and sisters that are standing firm in the face of one of the most disgusting tyrants that we have ever seen in our lifetime. May Allah (swt) allow us to see their liberation soon. Allahumma Ameen.
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