IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICIENT, THE MERCIFUL
BEING THE FIRST KHUTBAH FOR THE MONTH OF RABI’UL THAANI, DATED 5TH RABI’UL THAANI 1445AH (20TH OCTOBER, 2023CE)
TOPIC: AL-AQSA MOSQUE ISSUE: AN ISLAMIC ISSUE
THE FIRST SERMON
All Praises belong to Allah, many good and blessed praises to Him. I praise Him, Glory be to Him, and praise Him for all goodness. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, May the prayers and peace of my Lord be upon him and his family and companions
and whoever follows his Sunnah with righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
Thereafter:
Servants of Allah! I advise you to fear Allah Ta’alaa, and I warn you and myself against disobeying Him and violating His commands, as Allah Ta’alaa says: (مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلِنَفْسِه، وَمَنْ أَسَاءَ فَعَلَيْهَا، وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ) “Whosoever does righteous good deed it is for (the benefit of) his ownself, and whosoever does evil, it is against his ownself, and your Lord is not at all unjust to (His) slaves.” (Fussilat: 46).
Indeed, The Aqsaa issue concerns not only the Palestinians, nor does it concern only the Arabs, but rather it concerns all Muslims. Each one of us must feel what is happening on the land of Palestine, and raise our hands in supplication to Allah Ta’alaa to bring forth for Al-Aqsaa and baytul Maqdis (Jerusalem) someone who will support and save it from the usurpers.
O honorable Muslim! We stand today with the place that preoccupies the minds of many Muslims in today’s world, we stand with the place that Allah Ta’alaa mentioned in His Glorious Book, and sanctified, glorified, and honoured, we stand with the place that our Prophet – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – and his honourable companions – may Allah be pleased with them – cared about. We stand with the first of our two Qiblahs, and the third of the Two Holy Mosques, with Baytul-Maqdis, with Al-Aqsa Mosque, the place of pilgrimage of our Prophet Muhammad – may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
This is the blessed land that was built forty years after the Holy Ka’aba. It is narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr – may Allah be pleased with him, he said: I said, O Messenger of Allah, which mosque was the first built on earth? He said: Masjidil-Haraam, I said: then what? He said: “Al-Aqsa Mosque.” I said: How much time was there between them? He said: “Forty years. Then he added, “Wherever (you may be, and) the prayer time becomes due, perform the prayer there, for the best thing is to do so (i.e. to offer the prayers in time)” (Al-Bukhari).
It is also narrated on the authority of Maymuunah, a servant of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, she said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, tell us about Baitil- Maqdis.” He said: “It is the land of the Resurrection and the Gathering. Go and pray there, for one prayer there is like one thousand prayers elsewhere.” I said: “What if I cannot travel and go there?” He said: “Then send a gift of oil to light its lamps, for whoever does that is like one who goes there.” (Ibn Maajah).
Allah Ta’alaa did not mention any mosques in the Noble Qur’an except the Masjidil-Haraam (Sacred Mosque) and Al-Aqsa Mosque, and He made it a honour for this ummah, taking our Prophet Muhammad – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – on the journey from the Sacred Mosque to Al-Aqsa Mosque, and Allah Ta’alaa said: (سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ) “Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allah) [above all that (evil) they associate with Him] [Tafsir Qurtubi, Vol. 10, Page 204] Who took His slave (Muhammad SAW) for a journey by night from Al-Masjid-al-Haram (at Makkah) to the farthest mosque (in Jerusalem), the neighborhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad SAW) of Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.). Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.”(Al-Israa: 1).
The injustice taking place today against our brothers in Palestine, and what we see on satellite channels and social networking sites of killings and displacement, captivity and torture, the demolition of homes, and the violation and desecration of our sanctuaries, prompted me to stand today with Baytul-Maqdis and its importance and place in our Sharee’ah of Islaam.
Baytul-Maqdis (Jerusalem) is the house about which our predecessor Salahudeen Al-Ayyuubi (may Allah have mercy on him) was worried, to the point that he does not used to smile, and when it was said to him, O leader, why do we not see you smiling? He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: How can I smile while Al-Aqsa is captured? By Allah, I am shy before Allah to smile while my brothers are being tortured and killed there.” Among his words were: “How can joy, food, and the sweetness of sleep please me when the Baytul-Maqdis is in the hands of the Crusaders?” (Al-Aqsa Mosque: Truth and History, p. 54).
Baytul-Maqdis is the only place where all the prophets gathered, and our Prophet Muhammad – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – led them in prayer as an Imaam, and from it began the ascension of our Prophet Muhammad – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – to the highest heavens.
Indeed, our Prophet – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – told us that: “The superiority of praying in the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah) over any other prayer is equivalent of one hundred thousand prayers, and in my mosque it is a thousand prayers, and in the Mosque of Baytul-Maqdis it is five hundred prayers. Whoever prays in Al-Aqsa Mosque for a year is as if he has prayed five hundred years in that honourable spot.
Our Prophet – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – told us on the authority of Allah’s Prophet, Sulaimaan, the son of Daaud (peace be upon them). When Sulaimaan, son of Daaud, finished building the Holy House, he asked Allah for three things: a judgment that coincides with His own; a kingdom the like of which is not granted to anyone after him; and that no one should come to this mosque who does not intend anything other than to pray in it, except that he comes out with his sins removed as on the day his mother gave birth to him.” Then the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “As for two of the requests, they have been granted, and I hope that He will have been granted the third” (a ruling that coincides with His ruling – that is, it agrees with the ruling of Allah, and what is meant is attainment of what is correct in ijtihad and settling disputes between people) (Ibn Majah).
Our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade traveling to any mosque to pray except to three mosques. He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, 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 (Baitul-Maqdis).” (Bukhari and Muslim).
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave good tiding to his honourable companions – may Allah be pleased with them – that the Baytul-Maqdis would be opened (conquered), and the Hour (Day of Judgement) would not come until this house was opened (conquered by muslims), so hearts are yearning for that pure place. (Bukhari).
Therefore, the Prophet – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – prepared an army led by Usaama – may Allah be pleased with him – to conquer the Baytul-Maqdis, but the Prophet – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – died before the conquering of the House, and then the first caliph, our leader, (Abubakr) Al-Siddeeq – may Allah be pleased with him, came after him and directed the armies towards the Baytul-Maqdis, until Allah caused him to die before conquering it. Then our leader Umar came – may Allah be pleased with him – and assumed the caliphacy of the muslims, and in the fifteenth year of the Hijra, Allah, through his hand, granted victory and conquest of Baytul-Maqdis in that famous story.
Baytul-Maqdis is the place where our leader Bilal gave the call to prayer, and our leader Abu Ubaidah and the rest of the companions, may Allah be pleased with them, cried. Do you know why the companions of the Prophet – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – cried? It is because when they entered Baytul-Maqdis, they remembered the good tiding of their Prophet about the conquest of the Batyul-Maqdis, and they remembered that their Prophet – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – had prayed in this place as an Imam with the prophets, and that this House is the first of the two Qiblahs, and the third of the Two Holy Mosques.
Do you know, O Muslim, how many Muslims were martyred for the sake of conquering Baytul-Maqdis? Do you know how many martyrs fell for the sake of that blessed place?
More than fifteen thousand Muslims were martyred, including more than five thousand companions of our master Muhammad – may Allah bless him and grant him peace. All this blood was shed for the sake of Baytul-Maqdis and for that pure place. The Al-Aqsa issue does not concern only the Palestinians, nor does it concern only the Arabs, but rather it concerns all Muslims. Each one of us must feel what is happening on the land of Palestine, and raise our hands in supplication to Allah Ta’laa to raise for Jerusalem someone who will support it and save it from the usurpers.
By Allah! We will see, behind this long, dark night, a bright dawn, soon, whose lights glow. Allah Ta’alaa says: (يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ) “They intend to put out the Light of Allah (i.e. the religion of Islam, this Quran, and Prophet Muhammad SAW) with their mouths. But Allah will complete His Light even though the disbelievers hate (it).” (As-Saff: 8).
Each one of us must instill in our hearts, optimism about Allah’s victory, and that His victory is near. He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “The Last Hour will not come until the Muslims fight against the Jews, until a Jew will hide himself behind a stone or a tree, and the stone or the tree will say: ‘O Muslim, there is a Jew behind me. Come and kill him,’ (but Al-Gharqad tree will not say so, for it is the tree of the Jews.)” (Muslim)
May Allah bless you and me
THE SECOND SERMON:
All praises are due to Allah, who reveals the Book, directs the clouds, swift in (taking) account, and defeater of the parties. May the blessings and peace be upon the best of the creation of Allah, our master and leader, Muhammad, his family and companions, and all those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
As to what follow,
Our duty towards Palestine and Jerusalem: Since the issue of Palestine and Jerusalem are major issue that reach the level of a religious issue, these duties must be imposed on the people of the Ummah, and among these duties are the following:
– The need to exert effort to understand and gain awareness of the issue, and obtain the minimum amount of religious and historical knowledge about the issue, as knowledge is a powerful resource that could only be overcome by higher knowledge.
– The necessity to be in solidarity with the Palestinian people and demonstrates sympathy with them. In the hadith, the Messenger of Allah, may the peace and blessings of Allah be with him said: “The similitude of the believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever” (Bukhari and Muslim). There are many forms of expressing solidarity and sympathy, including raising awareness on the issue, understanding it, and educating others about it, and giving financial support through donations for the benefit of those stationed in the Palestinian territories. Accordingly, we will collect donations for them (the Palestinians) after the prayer using the bank account stated below, and we request your participation in spreading this request far and wide, through social media, so that the benefit may spread so that all Muslims can participate, in response to the command of your Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: “Then send a gift of oil to light its lamps, for whoever does that is like one who goes there.” Please make your donations after the prayer to (AQSAH CONCEPTS, 0005125108, JAIZ BANK)
– Among the duties is to boycott the products of these corrupt usurping Zionist, so that our money is not an asset for the bombs, missiles and bullets of the Zionist occupation.
– Among them is to destroy the Zionist view on the issue, which is promoted by a group of people, who provide aid to the occupation, intentionally or unintentionally, and among those false allegations that they spread are the following: considering the Palestinian resistance a terrorist movement! Or saying the conflict in Palestine is a conflict over land that concerns one people, not an entire nation! And the claim that the Palestinians are selling their land to the enemy! In addition to other false and baseless allegations.
Among the duties is the necessity of enriching education curricula with sufficient lessons to raise awareness of the Palestinian issue, introduce the status of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque to Muslims, and neutralize the Arab nationalist character from the issue, and see it as an issue for the entire nation.
Supplication: O Allah, never allow a banner to be raised for the Jews in Jerusalem, and never allow them to achieve any goal in Gaza. O Allah, help the people of Jerusalem, the people of Gaza, and the people of Palestine. O Allah, strengthen them, O Allah strengthen their hearts. O Allah, spread tranquility in their hearts. O Allah, send them warmth, peace, security and safety. O Allah, accept their martyrs and heal the sick. O Allah, have mercy on the bereaved mothers and widows. O Allah, have mercy on the elderly who bow in (prayers), the suckling infants, and the young who prostrate. O Allah, deal with the aggressing Zionists and those who supported and helped them. O Allah scatter their togetherness, scatter their power, and divide their unity.
O Allah, show us in them the effects and wonders of your power. O Allah, tear them apart in the most devastating manner, O Lord of the Worlds. O Allah, surround them in their numbers and destroy them as a swarm, and do not leave out anyone of them. O Allah, never allow a banner to be raised for the Jews in Jerusalem, and never allow them to achieve any goal in Gaza. O Allah, grant us happiness with the victory of our brothers over our enemy and their enemy. O Allah, we are in dire need of your mercy and help, eventhough we are unable to physically participate with them, then accept our prayers for their victory, O Allah, our Lord, we trust in You, and we hope for Your help, and we turn to Your door, so do not disappoint us. O Allah, grant us victory, O Allah grant us victory, O Allah grant us victory. O Allah, accept their martyrs, grant victory to their armies, heal their sick, heal their wounded, replace their fear with security, their hardship with ease, their distress with relief, and their patience with victory, O Mighty, O Powerful, O Possessor of enduring power, O Possessor of majesty and honor.
May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon our Prophet, our Master Muhammad, his family and companions. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.