In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
THE FIRST SERMON FOR THE MONTH OF SHA’BAN, DATED 6/8/1445 AH (6/2/2024CE)
REGARDING: AL-AQSA MOSQUE, THE PALESTINIAN CRISIS, AND THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MUSLIMS TODAY.
THE FIRST SERMON:
All praises are due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds, who has established a strong relationship between Muslims in the east and west of the earth and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Palestine. Allah, the Most Blessed and Exalted, says: “Glory be to Him who took His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.” [Al-Isra: 17/1]. We praise Him, glorify Him, seek His assistance, seek His forgiveness, and repent to Him. Whoever Allah guides, there is no one who can lead him astray, and whoever Allah leads astray, there is no one who can guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without any partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. O Allah, send prayers, peace, and blessings upon him, his family, his companions, and all those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
Now then, O servants of Allah, I advise you and myself to have taqwa (God-consciousness) of Allah, both in secret and openly, as it is the ultimate goal of all acts of worship and all that is commanded and prohibited. Allah, the Most Blessed and Exalted, says: “O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous.” [Al-Baqarah: 2/21]
Brothers of faith, this is the first meeting in the month of Sha’ban, and the topic of our sermon focuses on continuing what we discussed in the previous sermon, as follows: Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Palestinian crisis, and the responsibility of Muslims today.
Our duty towards Al-Aqsa and Palestine.
O honorable ones, one of the ways to liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque from the slavery to other than Allah Almighty and to achieve monotheism in its entirety and perfection, is to preserve it from any defect.
In addition to that, every Muslim should feel the responsibility towards Al-Aqsa and the city of Jerusalem, and fulfill their duty by supplicating, providing financial support, spreading the issue through available media platforms, and staying away from sins.
We must know that duty does not expire except with an excuse, and every Muslim must do whatever is in their power to support Al-Aqsa and its liberation. Al-Aqsa is in urgent need of rescue before it is demolished and their alleged structure is built in its place. This liberation is something every Muslim hopes for, and it is not just a wish, but rather something that is proven by actions. Here we are, taking specific steps towards the return of Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem, and Palestine, and it is necessary to take the required measures to achieve these practical steps that we are taking towards Al-Aqsa and the holy land, which are as follows:
1- Freeing ourselves from the slavery to other than Allah Almighty in order to achieve monotheism in its entirety and perfection, and preserving the sanctity of monotheism from any defect.
2- Ruling by the Book of Allah Almighty among ourselves, and following the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). We should accept the legislation of Allah in the disputes that occur among us, starting with ourselves and demanding it from others, in matters of transactions, rulings, buying and selling, marriage, divorce, and others.
3- Striving for unity, “And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided” and “And obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute, lest you lose courage and your strength departs; and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.” Let us stop the divisions, conflicts, and tensions. Let us not be biased towards groups and nationalities, but rather let us be biased towards Islam and the divine methodology, and let us achieve brotherhood for the sake of Allah.
4- Achieving harmony between us and others by realizing the concept of loyalty and disavowal, and addressing the issue of coexistence with moderation, without excess or negligence. What is permissible and what is not permissible in dealings with the People of the Book, such as giving gifts to them, accepting their gifts, visiting their sick, offering condolences, buying, selling, renting, donating to them when it serves the interest, returning their greetings, seeking their assistance, forming alliances with them for legitimate interests, consuming their food, marrying chaste women among them, congratulating them on permissible worldly occasions, and benefiting from their knowledge, technologies, and so on. The scope of coexistence with the People of the Book is wide, but without compromising matters of faith. Some of us make the mistake of prohibiting all interactions with the People of the Book, while others do not prohibit anything at all. This issue is one of the distinguishing factors between believers and hypocrites, and Allah has not differentiated between believers and their enemies from among their own people until Muslims have distinguished their enemies. This issue has received abundant attention in the Quran.
Examples from the Sunnah regarding loyalty and disavowal. There are countless examples of this during the time of Prophethood and the companions, but here we mention two hadiths that clearly demonstrate this issue in a remarkable way. The first hadith states: “Whoever kills a gecko with the first strike, he will be rewarded with a hundred good deeds.” The gecko is a lizard-like creature, and this is because when Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was thrown into the fire, no creature on earth extinguished the fire for him except the gecko, as it would blow on it. Therefore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered its killing. The second hadith is about the great battle that will take place between Muslims and Jews in the end times. It states: “The Jew will hide behind a rock or a tree, and the rock or tree will say: ‘O Muslim, O servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him,’ except for the gharqad tree, for it is a tree of the Jews.” The rock and the tree embody the concept of loyalty and disavowal. When a Muslim embodies this concept and stands against the current of disbelief and hypocrisy, he becomes in harmony with the rest of the universe around him.
5- Self and family reform.
Reforming oneself and one’s family; for the family is the strongest building block in the nation’s entity, so the Muslim family should become a strong nucleus of faith. In this way, Islam spread with a few individuals at the beginning of the call, and triumphed through the Muslim family. This is evident from studying the biography of the family of Ammar ibn Yasir, and the family of Abu Salama and Umm Salamah – may Allah be pleased with them.
6- Following the path of those who liberated before us, such as Umar ibn al-Khattab, Salah al-Din, and Qutuz who liberated Palestine from the Mongols. They revived the cause of defending the sanctities with their souls, blood, and wealth.
7- Sensing the responsibility of every Muslim towards Al-Aqsa and the city of Jerusalem, by fulfilling their duty through supplication, financial support, spreading the cause through available media platforms, and staying away from sins.
8- The parents fulfilling their duty towards Al-Aqsa by raising their children to love the Al-Aqsa Mosque and be attached to it, informing them about its history and the history of the holy city, reviving the cause in their hearts, and clarifying the difference between the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
9- The scholars and preachers adopting this cause, spreading it among the people.
The issue of Al-Aqsa Mosque should become a cause for the entire Ummah, and it should be the foremost issue for individuals, nations, and governments.
10- All of us should know that the issue of Al-Aqsa Mosque is not just a Palestinian issue, but an Islamic issue, as it is connected to the beliefs of Muslims.
11- Working on maintaining the connection of our brothers from the people of Palestine with the Al-Aqsa Mosque and intensifying their presence in it.
12- Being cautious of normalization with the Zionist entity, as this would undermine the cause.
Governments and institutions should monitor the excavations carried out by the Jews near the Al-Aqsa Mosque and follow up on them.
13- The Arab and Islamic media, in all its forms, should adopt this cause, and media professionals should have a good understanding of this issue. They should not speak casually or spontaneously about this issue, as the media has a great influence now in serving or undermining the cause.
14- Historians, researchers, and writers should play their role in writing and documenting the history of the mosque.
THE SECOND SERMON.
All praises are due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds, who says in His noble book: “And those who disbelieve are allies of one another. If you do not do so, there will be fitnah on earth and great corruption.” (73) “But those who believe and emigrate and strive in the cause of Allah and those who give shelter and help – it is they who are the believers, truly. For them is forgiveness and noble provision.” (74). And may peace and blessings be upon our master and leader Muhammad, and upon his family and companions, and those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
Now, O noble servants of Allah, it is necessary to respond to the corrupt Jewish claims regarding Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Al-Aqsa and responding to Jewish claims:
1- Teachers in all educational stages must fulfill their role and instill the issue in the hearts of students, with clear explanations and statements about the reality of the conflict between us and the Jews.
2- Holding youth conferences and seminars in universities and elsewhere to spread awareness about the issue.
3- Postgraduate students and university professors should dedicate their academic theses at the master’s and doctoral levels to everything related to Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem, and Palestine.
4- Civil society organizations should play an educational role through seminars.
Supplication; it is the weapon of the believer that never fails. “And when My servants ask you concerning Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.” And the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The nations will soon gather against you, just as the eaters gather around their dish.” Someone asked: “O Messenger of Allah, will we be few in number on that day?” He replied: “No, you will be many, but you will be like the foam on the surface of the river. Allah will remove the fear of you from the hearts of your enemies, and He will cast weakness into your hearts.” Someone asked: “O Messenger of Allah, what is weakness?” He said: “Love of the world and hatred of death.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) has explained the causes of disease and the means of cure, saying: “When you engage in usury, hold onto the tails of cows, are content with agriculture, and abandon jihad, Allah will subject you to humiliation that will not be lifted from you until you return to your religion.”
The importance of Al-Aqsa Mosque: Al-Aqsa Mosque holds great significance for Muslims in general; it is the first Qibla and the second mosque built on Earth after the Sacred Mosque, and it is the place from which the Prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him – ascended to the heavens. It has remained for centuries a center for teaching the sciences and knowledge of Islamic civilization.
Supplication: O Allah, make this country safe, secure, generous, and prosperous, as well as all Muslim countries, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, feed us when we are hungry and grant us security when we are afraid. O Allah, rectify the youth of the Muslims and make them a source of strength for Islam and the Muslims. O Allah, rectify the women and girls of the Muslims and protect them from immodesty and indecency, and make them a source of strength for Islam and the Muslims. O Allah, rectify the scholars, leaders, wealthy, and rulers of the Muslims, and make them a source of strength for Islam and the Muslims. O Allah, invalidate the plots of the enemies of Islam and nullify their schemes. O Allah, we seek refuge in You from their evil and seek Your protection. O Allah, unite the hearts of the Muslims upon the truth. O Allah, grant victory to the Palestinian people and alleviate their suffering. O Allah, remove their hardships and relieve their distress. O Allah, heal their sick and the sick among the Muslims. O Allah, free the captives of Palestine and the captives of the Muslims. O Allah, grant us security in our lands. O Allah, rectify the rulers of our affairs and grant them success in what You love and are pleased with. O Allah, forgive our deceased and the deceased of the Muslims, O Most Merciful of the merciful and O Lord of all worlds. And may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad and upon his family and companions.