Masjid Al-Aqsa
The Blessed Land
... الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ ... ۞
[Surah Al-Isra (17), Ayat 1]
Muhammad Ahmad Zafar
www.aagahi.com
Bait Al-Maqdas
بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِس
Land Blessed By Allah
Muhammad Ahmad Zafar
www.aagahi.com
Middle East, Al-Sham & Al-Quds
Middle East, Al-Sham & Al-Quds
Middle East, Al-Sham & Al-Quds
Middle East, Al-Sham & Al-Quds
Middle East, Al-Sham & Al-Quds
Middle East, Al-Sham & Al-Quds
Middle East, Al-Sham & Al-Quds
Middle East, Al-Sham & Al-Quds
Middle East, Al-Sham & Al-Quds
The Whole Land of Al-Sham is Blessed
عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ ... فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم « طُوبَى لِلشَّأْمِ » فَقُلْنَا لأَىٍّ ذَلِكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ « لأَنَّ مَلاَئِكَةَ الرَّحْمَنِ بَاسِطَةٌ أَجْنِحَتَهَا عَلَيْهَا »
Zaid ibn Thabit (r.a) reports ... the Prophet (s.a.w) said, “How blessed is Al-Sham!” We asked, “Why is that?” He (s.a.w) replied, “I see the Angels of Allah spreading their wings over Al-Sham”.
[Tirmidhi, Abwab-al-Manaqib (46), 3954] (Hasan)
The Blessed Land
The Highest Reward in Worship
أَبَا ذَرٍّ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَىُّ مَسْجِدٍ وُضِعَ فِي الأَرْضِ أَوَّلُ قَالَ « الْمَسْجِدُ الْحَرَامُ » قَالَ قُلْتُ ثُمَّ أَىٌّ قَالَ « الْمَسْجِدُ الأَقْصَى » قُلْتُ كَمْ كَانَ بَيْنَهُمَا قَالَ « أَرْبَعُونَ سَنَةً، ثُمَّ أَيْنَمَا أَدْرَكَتْكَ الصَّلاَةُ بَعْدُ فَصَلِّهْ، فَإِنَّ الْفَضْلَ فِيهِ »
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab Ahadith-al-Anbiya (60), 3366]
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم « لاَ تَشُدُّوا الرِّحَالَ إِلاَّ إِلَى ثَلاَثَةِ مَسَاجِدَ مَسْجِدِى هَذَا وَالْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَالْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى »
Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: ‘Do not set out on a journey to visit any Masjid except three. This Masjid of mine, Masjid Al-Haram & Masjid Al-Aqsa.’
[Muslim, Kitab-ul-Hajj (15), 3261]
Ibrahim & Lut were ordered to Migrate
وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَلُوطًا إِلَى الْأَرْضِ الَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا لِلْعَالَمِينَ ۞
And We delivered him (Ibrahim) and Lut to the land which We had blessed for the worlds.
[Surah Al-Anbiya (21), Ayat 71]
The Lord has said to Abram, “Leave your country ... and go to the land I will show you.”
[Book of Genesis, 12:1]
So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him … At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.”
[Book of Genesis, 12:4-7]
The Family of Prophet Ibrahim (e.s)
Years of Slavery in Egypt
وَأَوْرَثْنَا الْقَوْمَ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يُسْتَضْعَفُونَ مَشَارِقَ الْأَرْضِ وَمَغَارِبَهَا الَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا ۖ وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ الْحُسْنَىٰ عَلَىٰ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا ۖ وَدَمَّرْنَا مَا كَانَ يَصْنَعُ فِرْعَوْنُ وَقَوْمُهُ وَمَا كَانُوا يَعْرِشُونَ۞
“And We caused the people who had been oppressed to inherit the eastern regions of the land and the western ones, which We had blessed. And the good word of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel because of what they had patiently endured. And We destroyed [all] that Pharaoh and his people were producing and what they had been building.”
[Surah Al-Araf (7), Ayat 137]
Israelites Remained Reluctant to Obey
يَا قَوْمِ ادْخُلُوا الْأَرْضَ الْمُقَدَّسَةَ الَّتِي كَتَبَ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَرْتَدُّوا عَلَىٰ أَدْبَارِكُمْ فَتَنقَلِبُوا خَاسِرِينَ ۞
“O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you and do not turn back [from fighting in Allah’s cause] and [thus] become losers.”
[Surah Al-Maida (5), Ayat 21]
The Last Wish of Prophet Musa (e.s)
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ « أُرْسِلَ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ إِلَى مُوسَى ... فَسَأَلَ اللَّهَ أَنْ يُدْنِيَهُ مِنَ الأَرْضِ الْمُقَدَّسَةِ رَمْيَةً بِحَجَرٍ » قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم « فَلَوْ كُنْتُ ثَمَّ لأَرَيْتُكُمْ قَبْرَهُ إِلَى جَانِبِ الطَّرِيقِ عِنْدَ الْكَثِيبِ الأَحْمَرِ »
Abu Hurairah (r.a) narrated, “The angel of death was sent to Musa ... He requested Allah that bring him near the Sacred Land at a stone’s throw distance.” The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said, “If I was there, I would show you the grave of Moses by the way near the red sand hill.”
[Bukhari, Book of Actions while Praying (21), 1339]
The Patience of Prophet Musa (e.s)
قَالَ « يَرْحَمُ اللَّهُ مُوسَى قَدْ أُوذِىَ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنْ هَذَا فَصَبَرَ »
He (s.a.w) said: “May Allah have mercy on Musa (e.s), for he was troubled with more than this and he remained patient.”
[Sahih Muslim, Kitab Az-Zakat (12), 2447]
After Allah had Fulfilled the Promise of the Holy Land
وَلَقَدْ كَتَبْنَا فِي الزَّبُورِ مِن بَعْدِ الذِّكْرِ أَنَّ الْأَرْضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِيَ الصَّالِحُونَ۞
And verily we have written in the Scripture, after the Reminder: My righteous slaves will inherit the earth
[Surah Al-Anbiya (21), Ayat 105]
Imam Al-Qurtubi, the famous scholar of the 13th century, in his Tafseer of the Quran has mentioned that according to Ibn Abbas (r.a) this refers to Al-Ard Al-Muqdas.
وَلِسُلَيْمَانَ الرِّيحَ عَاصِفَةً تَجْرِي بِأَمْرِهِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ الَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا ۚ وَكُنَّا بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَالِمِينَ ۞
And to Solomon [We subjected] the wind, blowing forcefully, proceeding by his command toward the land which We had blessed. And We are ever, of all things, Knowing.
[Surah Al-Anbiya (21), Ayat 81]
وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ الْقُرَى الَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا قُرًى ظَاهِرَةً وَقَدَّرْنَا فِيهَا السَّيْرَ ۖ سِيرُوا فِيهَا لَيَالِيَ وَأَيَّامًا آمِنِينَ ۞
And We placed between them and the town which We had blessed, towns easy to be seen, and We made the journey between them easy (saying): “Travel in them safely both by night and day.”
[Surah Saba (34), Ayat 18]
First Temple of Solomon Completed in 957 BCE
The Story of Prophet Uzair (e.s)
أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّىٰ يُحْيِي هَٰذِهِ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۖ فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّهُ مِائَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ ... وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ آيَةً لِّلنَّاسِ ... فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ۞
“Or as the one who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin. He said, ‘How will Allah bring this to life after its death?’ So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years; then He revived him ... and We will make you a sign for the people ... And when it became clear to him, he said, ‘I know that Allah is over all things competent.’”
[Surah Al-Baqarah (2), Ayat 259]
Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE
After what they tried to do with Esa (e.s), Jews were Forbidden from this Land
وَحَرَامٌ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَاهَا أَنَّهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ ۞
“And there is prohibition upon [the people of] a city which We have destroyed that they will [ever] return.”
[Surah Al-Anbiya (21), 95]
The Miraculous Night Journey (1)
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ ۞
[Surah Al-Isra (17), Ayat 1]
The Miraculous Night Journey (2)
قَالَ أَبُو سَلَمَةَ سَمِعْتُ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ « لَمَّا كَذَّبَنِي قُرَيْشٌ قُمْتُ فِي الْحِجْرِ، فَجَلَّى اللَّهُ لِي بَيْتَ الْمَقْدِسِ فَطَفِقْتُ أُخْبِرُهُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِهِ وَأَنَا أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ »
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab At-Tafseer (65.17), 4710]
The First Qibla (1)
الْبَرَاءَ يَقُولُ صَلَّيْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- نَحْوَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا أَوْ سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا ثُمَّ صُرِفْنَا نَحْوَ الْكَعْبَةِ
Al-Bara' said: “We prayed with the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) facing towards Bait Al-Maqdis for sixteen months or seventeen months, then we turned to face the Ka'bah.”
[Sahih Muslim, Kitab Al-Masajid (5), 1177]
The First Qibla (2)
عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ أَوَّلَ مَا قَدِمَ الْمَدِينَةَ ... وَأَنَّهُ صَلَّى قِبَلَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا، أَوْ سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا ... وَكَانَتِ الْيَهُودُ قَدْ أَعْجَبَهُمْ إِذْ كَانَ يُصَلِّي قِبَلَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ، وَأَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ، فَلَمَّا وَلَّى وَجْهَهُ قِبَلَ الْبَيْتِ أَنْكَرُوا ذَلِكَ ...
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab Al-Emaan (2), 40]
Red Shape Marks the Approx. Spot
Buraq Masjid in Al-Aqsa
Buraq Wall Sign Before 1967
It is called Al-Buraq Masjid because of a ring that is nailed to its wall where Muslims believe Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) tied the animal Buraq that carried him from Al-Haram in Makkah to the Al-Aqsa Masjid during the Night Journey.
Built in 1538 by the Ottoman Governor
The Shape of the Dome of Rock
Masjid Al-Qibli (مسجد القِبْلي)
The Western Wall (Wailing Wall)
The Western Wall (Wailing Wall)
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Masjid Umar ibn Al-Khattab
Six Signs of the Coming of the Hour
My death, the conquest of Jerusalem, a plague ..., the increase of wealth to such an extent that even if one is given 100 Dinars, he will not be satisfied; then an affliction which no Arab house will escape, and then a truce between you and Bani Al-Asfar who will betray you and attack you under eighty flags. Under each flag will be 12,000 soldiers.
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Jizya (58), 3176]
The Return of Jews in the Holy Land
وَحَرَامٌ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَاهَا أَنَّهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ ۞
[Surah Al-Anbiya (21), 95]
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فُتِحَتْ يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ وَهُم مِّن كُلِّ حَدَبٍ يَنسِلُونَ ۞
“Until when [the dam of] Gog and Magog has been opened and they, from every elevation, descend.”
[Surah Al-Anbiya (21), 96]
Reflection from Allama Iqbal’s Words
Gog & Magog are Already Released
کھل گئے، یاجوج اور ماجوج کے لشکر تمام
چشم مسلم دیکھ لے تفسیر حرف ینسلون
[بانگ درا، ظریفانہ : 23]
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ « لَيُحَجَّنَّ الْبَيْتُ وَلَيُعْتَمَرَنَّ بَعْدَ خُرُوجِ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ »
Narrated By Abu Said Al-Khudri : The Prophet said “The people will continue performing the Hajj and 'Umra to the Ka'ba even after the appearance of Gog and Magog.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab Al-Hajj (25), 1593]
Theodor Herzl (1860 - 1904)
_1896.jpg)
Foundation of Zionism in 1897
The Flag of Israel & the Promised Land
“The blue and white represent the Jewish prayer shawl, the tallit, while the Shield of David is a recognized symbol of Judaism, albeit a relatively modern one, becoming strongly associated with the faith only in the Middle Ages.”
[A Flag Worth Dying For, Page 128]
“On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates …’”
[Book of Genesis, 15:18]
“At Basle, I founded the Jewish State. If I said this out loud today, I would be answered by universal laughter. If not in 5 years, certainly in 50, everyone will know it.”
“It felt as if the great dream of our nation, of 2,000 years”
Theodor Herzl, Founder of Zionism in 1897
“The Zionist leader Theodore Herzl, who made six visits to Constantinople under Abdulhamid in his attempts to buy Palestine ...”
“Herzl ... offered the Sultan enough money to free the Ottoman Empire from the Debt Control Commission, in return for an autonomous Zionist entity in Palestine. The Sultan ... to Zionism: ‘I cannot sell even a foot of land for it does not belong to me but to my people ... The Jews may spare their millions. When my empire is divided, perhaps they will get Palestine for nothing ...’”
[Constantinople by Philip Mansel, Page 319, 321-322]
Chaim Azriel Weizmann
“... he took an important part in the negotiations that led up to the government’s Balfour Declaration (November 1917) favouring the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine.”
[Britannica, Chaim Weizmann]
Field Marshal Viscount Allenby
“... General Allenby captured the city from German and Ottoman forces—putting an end to 400 years of Ottoman rule over the city. ‘The crusades have now ended’, said General Edmund Allenby exactly 100 years ago, on December 11th 1917.”
[Israeli News Channel i24News (December 13, 2017) reporting 100th Anniversary]
i24news.tv/en/news/israel/162535-171213-1917-jerusalem-surrender-comes-alive-allenby-returns-100-years-later
Reflection from Allama Iqbal’s Words
ہے خاکِ فلسطیں پہ یہودی کا اگر حق
ہسپانیہ پر حق نہیں کیوں اہلِ عَرب کامقصد ہے مُلوکیّتِ انگلِیس کا کچھ اور
قصّہ نہیں نارنج کا یا شہد و رُطَب کا
[علامہ اقبال، شام و فلسطين ]
Jewish Refugees Arriving in Palestine
Rise of Jewish Insurgency & Terrorism
Israel’s Occupation & World’s Injustice
Oslo Accords of 1993 & 1995
Current State of Events
“The flourishing state of Jerusalem will be when Yathrib will be desolate; the desolate state of Yathrib will be when the great war (Malhama) comes; the outbreak of the great war will be the conquest of Constantinople; and the conquest of Constantinople will be Dajjal’s coming forth ...”
[Abu Dawood, Kitab-ul-Malahim (36), 4294] (Hasan)
Why was 2017 special?
- 150th Anniversary when Mark Twain visited and mentioned the prophecy.
- 120th Anniversary of the Zionist Movement
- 100th Anniversary of the Balfour Declaration & Mandate
- 50th Anniversary of the Six Day War
“The flourishing state of Jerusalem ...”
President Trump’s Offer
Remain Affiliated with Masjid Al-Aqsa
عَنْ مَيْمُونَةَ، مَوْلاَةِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَفْتِنَا فِي بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ فَقَالَ « ائْتُوهُ فَصَلُّوا فِيهِ » - وَكَانَتِ الْبِلاَدُ إِذْ ذَاكَ حَرْبًا - « فَإِنْ لَمْ تَأْتُوهُ وَتُصَلُّوا فِيهِ فَابْعَثُوا بِزَيْتٍ يُسْرَجُ فِي قَنَادِيلِهِ »
[Abu Dawood, Kitab-us-Salat (2), 457] (Daeef)
عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي عَلَى الْحَقِّ ظَاهِرِينَ لَعَدُوِّهِمْ قَاهِرِينَ لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ مَنْ خَالَفَهُمْ إِلَّا مَا أَصَابَهُمْ مِنْ لَأْوَاءَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَهُمْ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ وَهُمْ كَذَلِكَ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَأَيْنَ هُمْ قَالَ بِبَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ وَأَكْنَافِ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ
[Musnad Ahmad, 22320] (Daeef)
The Final Place of Gathering
عن أبي ذر -رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ- قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ -صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسلم: "الشًامُ أَرْضُ الْمَحْشَرِوَالْمَنْشَرِ"
[Musnad Ahmad, 6/257] (Sahih)
The Blessed Land
Should We Visit Al-Quds?
Reflection from Allama Iqbal’s Words
کبھی اے نوجواں مسلم! تدبر بھی کيا تو نے
وہ کيا گردوں تھا تو جس کا ہے اک ٹوٹا ہوا تارا
[علامہ اقبال، بانگ درا]
Do Not Block Roads Even in Times of War
عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ مُعَاذِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ الْجُهَنِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ غَزَوْتُ مَعَ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم غَزْوَةَ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَضَيَّقَ النَّاسُ الْمَنَازِلَ وَقَطَعُوا الطَّرِيقَ فَبَعَثَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مُنَادِيًا يُنَادِي فِي النَّاسِ أَنَّ « مَنْ ضَيَّقَ مَنْزِلاً أَوْ قَطَعَ طَرِيقًا فَلاَ جِهَادَ لَهُ »
Narrated by Sahl ibn Mu'adh ibn Anas al-Juhani from his father, “I fought along with the Prophet (s.a.w) in such and such battles. The people occupied much space and encroached on the road. The Prophet (s.a.w) sent an announcer to announce among the people, ‘Those who occupy much space or encroach on the road will not be credited with jihad.’”
[Sunan Abi Dawood, Kitab Al-Jihad (15), Hadith 2629] (Hasan)
Email: MAhmadZ@pm.me
YouTube: @MAhmadZ
Twitter: @MAhmadZ
Telegram: @MAhmadZ
Soundcloud: @MAhmadZ
LinkedIn: @MAhmadZ