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
Caution on Following the Israelites (1)
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ « لَتَتْبَعُنَّ سَنَنَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ شِبْرًا شِبْرًا وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ، حَتَّى لَوْ دَخَلُوا جُحْرَ ضَبٍّ تَبِعْتُمُوهُمْ » قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى قَالَ « فَمَنْ »
Narrated by Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (r.a) that the Prophet (s.a.w) said, “You will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit so much so that even if they entered a hole of a mastigure, you would follow them.” We said, “O Allah’s Messenger! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He (s.a.w) said, “Whom else?”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book on Holding the Quran and Sunnah (96), 7320]
Caution on Following the Israelites (2)
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ « لَتَتَّبِعُنَّ سَنَنَ مَنْ قَبْلَكُمْ شِبْرًا بِشِبْرٍ، وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ، حَتَّى لَوْ سَلَكُوا جُحْرَ ضَبٍّ لَسَلَكْتُمُوهُ » قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى قَالَ « فَمَنْ »
Narrated by Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (r.a) that the Prophet (s.a.w) said, “You will follow the wrong ways, of your predecessors so completely and literally that if they should go into the hole of a mastigure, you too will go there.” We said, “O Allah’s Messenger! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He (s.a.w) said, “Whom else?”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book on Prophets (60), 3456]
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
What is meant by the term ‘Levant’
“Eastern part of the Mediterranean with its islands and neighbouring countries.”
[The Reader's Digest - Great Encyclopaedic Dictionary, 3rd Edition (1978), V1, 504]
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]
Travelling for the Intention of Reward
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]
Ancient Canaanites (Bronze Age)
“The oldest city in the world is Jericho in Palestine.”
[National Geographic - Visual History, Page 19]
City of Ur (Mesopotamia) 4,000 Years Ago
When Ibrahim ؑ Smashed the Idols
فَجَعَلَهُمْ جُذَاذًا إِلَّا كَبِيرًا لَّهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ يَرْجِعُونَ ۞ قَالُوا مَن فَعَلَ هَٰذَا بِآلِهَتِنَا إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ ۞ قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا فَتًى يَذْكُرُهُمْ يُقَالُ لَهُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ ۞ قَالُوا فَأْتُوا بِهِ عَلَىٰ أَعْيُنِ النَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْهَدُونَ ۞ قَالُوا أَأَنتَ فَعَلْتَ هَٰذَا بِآلِهَتِنَا يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ ۞ قَالَ بَلْ فَعَلَهُ كَبِيرُهُمْ هَٰذَا فَاسْأَلُوهُمْ إِن كَانُوا يَنطِقُونَ ۞
[Surah Al-Anbiya (21), Ayat 58-63]
When Ibrahim ؑ Is Brought In Front of the King & Challenges Him Also
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِي حَاجَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فِي رَبِّهِ أَنْ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّيَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ قَالَ أَنَا أُحْيِي وَأُمِيتُ ۖ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْتِي بِالشَّمْسِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ فَبُهِتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ ۞
“Have you not looked at the one who argued with Ibrahim about his Lord [merely] because Allah had given him kingship? When Ibrahim said, ‘My Lord is the one who gives life and causes death,’ he said, ‘I give life and cause death.’ Ibrahim said, ‘Indeed, Allah brings up the sun from the east, so bring it up from the west.’ So the disbeliever was left astonished, and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.”
[Surah Al-Baqarah (2), Ayat 258]
Allah Protected Ibrahim ؑ From Harm
قَالُوا حَرِّقُوهُ وَانصُرُوا آلِهَتَكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ فَاعِلِينَ ۞ قُلْنَا يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ۞ وَأَرَادُوا بِهِ كَيْدًا فَجَعَلْنَاهُمُ الْأَخْسَرِينَ ۞
“They said, ‘Burn him and support your gods - if you are to act.’ Allah said, ‘O fire, be coolness and safety upon Ibrahim.’ And they intended for him harm, but We made them the greatest losers.”
[Surah Al-Anbiya (21), Ayat 68-70]
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]
A Similar Command in the Bible
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 ؑ
Grave of Ibrahim ؑ in Hebron, Palestine
Cave of the Patriarchs or Ibrahimi Mosque, the burial site of Ibrahim, Sarah, Ishaq and more.
Prophet Yaqub ؑ, Grandson of Ibrahim, was known as ‘ISRAEL’
“After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram (Northwest Mesopotamia), God appeared to him again and blessed him. God said to him, ‘Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.’ So he named him Israel.”
[Book of Genesis, 35:9-10]
Prophet Yousaf ؑ & His Beauty
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ «...قَدْ بُعِثَ إِلَيْهِ فَفُتِحَ لَنَا فَإِذَا أَنَا بِيُوسُفَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَ إِذَا هُوَ قَدْ أُعْطِيَ شَطْرَ الْحُسْنِ فَرَحَّبَ وَدَعَا لِي بِخَيْرٍ ...»
“Narrated by Anas bin Malik (r.a) that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said, ‘... Then it was opened for us, and there was Yousaf, who had been given half of worldly beauty. He welcomed me and prayed good for me …’”
[Sahih Muslim, Kitab Al-Iman (1), 411]
The Great Pyramids of Egypt
Years of Slavery in Egypt
About Soothsayers & Fortune tellers
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهَا سَمِعَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ « إِنَّ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ تَنْزِلُ فِي الْعَنَانِ ـ وَهْوَ السَّحَابُ ـ فَتَذْكُرُ الأَمْرَ قُضِيَ فِي السَّمَاءِ، فَتَسْتَرِقُ الشَّيَاطِينُ السَّمْعَ، فَتَسْمَعُهُ فَتُوحِيهِ إِلَى الْكُهَّانِ، فَيَكْذِبُونَ مَعَهَا مِائَةَ كَذْبَةٍ مِنْ عِنْدِ أَنْفُسِهِمْ »
Narrated by Aisha (r.a), wife of the Prophet, “I heard Allah’s Messenger (s.a.w) saying, ‘The angels descend, the clouds and mention this or that matter decreed in the Heaven. The devils listen stealthily to such a matter, come down to inspire the soothsayers with it, and the latter would add to it one-hundred lies of their own.’”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book on Beginning of Creation (59), 3210]
Moses Escapes to Midian & Returns
Allah Orders Musa ؑ to go to Pharaoh
اذْهَبْ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُ طَغَىٰ ۞
“Go to Pharaoh. Indeed, he has transgressed.”
اذْهَبَا إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُ طَغَىٰ ۞
“Go, both of you, to Pharaoh. Indeed, he has transgressed.”
[Surah Ta-Ha (20), Ayat 24 & 43]
Two Pharaoh - According to Bible
“Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, ‘I have become an alien in a foreign land.’ During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.”
[Book of Exodus, 2:21-25]
Allah Counts His Favours on Bani Israel
يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتِيَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَأَنِّي فَضَّلْتُكُمْ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ ۞
“O Children of Israel! Remember My Favours which I bestowed upon you and that I preferred you over all of mankind.”
[Surah Al-Baqarah (2), Ayat 47 & 122]
“The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession.”
[The Old Testament, Book of Deuteronomy, 7:6]
“Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.”
[The Old Testament, Book of Deuteronomy, 14:2]
There was Always a Prophet for Israelites
(عَنْ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ) يُحَدِّثُ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ « كَانَتْ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ تَسُوسُهُمُ الأَنْبِيَاءُ، كُلَّمَا هَلَكَ نَبِيٌّ خَلَفَهُ نَبِيٌّ ... »
Narrated by Abu Hurairah (r.a) that the Prophet (s.a.w) said, “The Israelis used to be ruled & guided by Prophets. Whenever a Prophet died, another Prophet would take his place ...”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab Al-Anbiya (60), 3455]
Reason for this Favour on Bani Israel
وَلَقَدِ اخْتَرْنَاهُمْ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ ۞
“And We certainly chose them based on knowledge over [all] the (nations of the) worlds.”
[Surah Ad-Dukhan (44), Ayat 32]
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]
The Origins of the name ‘Palestine’
“Philistine, one of a people of Aegean origin who settled on the southern coast of Palestine in the 12th century BCE, about the time of the arrival of the Israelites ... The area contained the five cities (the Pentapolis) of the Philistine confederacy (Gaza, Ashkelon [Ascalon], Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron) and was known as Philistia, or the Land of the Philistines. It was from this designation that the whole of the country was later called Palestine by the Greeks.”
“There are no documents in the Philistine language, which was probably replaced by Canaanite, Aramaic, and, later, Greek.”
[Encyclopaedia Britannica, Philistine]
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 ؑ
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 ؑ
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]
The Jewish Settlement of Elephantine An Island of Nile River in modern-day Aswan, Egypt
David (Dawood) & Goliath (Jalut) Approx. 11th Century BC
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.
The Extra-ordinary Kingdom of Soloman
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 ؑ
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]
Jerusalem under the Roman Rule (63 BC)
“The Romans ... marched on to Jerusalem, which they occupied in the year 63 BC. There they appointed a Jewish priest named Hyrcanus as governor of Jerusalem, a position he held for 23 years.”
“The Romans appointed Herod as king of the Jews (43 BC), even though he did not belong to the governing Maccabee family ... Four years before the birth of Christ and John, Herod, the king of the Jews died ...”
[Palestine by Dr. Tareq M. Suwaidan, Page 57-59]
Governor of Judaea, Pontius Pilate
Quran on the Crucifixion of Jesus
وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا لَهُم بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلَّا اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ ۚ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًا ۞
“And their saying, ‘Indeed, we have killed the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, Messenger of Allah.’ And they did not kill him, nor crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.”
[Surah An-Nisa (4), 157]
After what they tried to do with Esa ؑ, 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]
Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE
Events of 132-5 AD
“Jews who stayed in Palestine ... rose against the Roman Empire (in 132 AD).”
“... Roman emperor Hadrian managed to put down the revolt (in 135 AD). He destroyed everything the Jews had built ... ordered a new city ... Aelia Capitolina.”
“Hadrian ordered the construction of ... a magnificent temple for the Roman god Jupiter was built on the site of the Jewish Temple ... prohibiting the Jews to enter.”
[Palestine by Dr. Tareq M. Suwaidan, Page 67]
Mention of ‘Aelia’ in Hadith
أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ يُخْبِرُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- قَالَ « إِنَّمَا يُسَافَرُ إِلَى ثَلاَثَةِ مَسَاجِدَ مَسْجِدِ الْكَعْبَةِ وَمَسْجِدِى وَمَسْجِدِ إِيلِيَاءَ »
Abu Hurairah (r.a) reported the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said, ‘Only set out on a journey to visit any Masjid except three. Masjid of the Kabaa, my Masjid and the Masjid of Aelia.’
[Muslim, Kitab-ul-Hajj (15), 3386]
The Anger & Curse of Allah on the Jews (1)
... وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ وَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوا وَّكَانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ ۞
“... And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allah. That was because they disbelieved in the signs of Allah and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were [habitually] transgressing.”
[Surah Al-Baqarah (2), Ayat 61]
The Anger & Curse of Allah on the Jews (2)
ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ أَيْنَ مَا ثُقِفُوا إِلَّا بِحَبْلٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَحَبْلٍ مِّنَ النَّاسِ وَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَسْكَنَةُ ۚ ... ۞
“They have been put under humiliation wherever they are overtaken, except for a rope Allah or a rope from the (other) nations. And they have drawn upon themselves anger from Allah and have been put under destitution ...”
[Surah Ale-Imran (3), Ayat 112]
Constantine the Great
Became the co-emperor while sharing power with six others emperors.
After a power struggle he became the undisputed emperor of Rome in 324.
Started favouring the Christians & after a dream he had in the end of October AD 312.
In 330 AD Byzantion or Byzantium became Constantinople.
Split of the Roman Empire in 395 CE
When he died in 395, Rome split into Eastern and Western empires.
Battles of Heraclius (r. 610 till 641) & Sassanid King Khosraw II
A Promise from Allah
الم ۞ غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ ۞ فِي أَدْنَى الْأَرْضِ وَهُم مِّن بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ ۞ فِي بِضْعِ سِنِينَ ۗ لِلَّـهِ الْأَمْرُ مِن قَبْلُ وَمِن بَعْدُ ۚ وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۞ بِنَصْرِ اللَّـهِ ۚ يَنصُرُ مَن يَشَاءُ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ۞ وَعْدَ اللَّـهِ ۖ لَا يُخْلِفُ اللَّـهُ وَعْدَهُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَايَعْلَمُونَ ۞
[Surah Ar-Rum (30), Ayat 1-6]
Khosraw was murdered and Heraclius realising that he had the upper hand swiftly negotiated favourable terms.
Territories were returned and the relics were returned to Jerusalem after a display in Constantinople.
Toughest Day in the Life of Prophet ﷺ
Narrated by Aisha (r.a) that she asked the Prophet (s.a.w), “Have you encountered a day harder than the day of the battle of Uhud?” The Prophet (s.a.w) replied, “Your tribes have troubled me a lot, and the worse trouble was the trouble on the day of Aqaba when I presented myself to Ibn Abd-Yalail bin Abd-Kulal and he did not respond to my demand. So I departed, overwhelmed with excessive sorrow, and proceeded on, and could not relax till I found myself at Qarnath-Tha-alib where I lifted my head towards the sky to see a cloud shading me unexpectedly. I looked up and saw Gabriel in it ...”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab Al-Hajj (59), 3231]
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 ۞
“Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.”
[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]
Pope Urban II in Clermont, France
27 November 1095
“A foreign people and a people rejected by God, had invaded the lands belonging to Christians ... May you deem it a beautiful thing to die for Christ in the city where He died for us.”
[Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities by Bettany Hughes, Page 347]
Siege & Fall of Jerusalem in 1099
“On 15 July 1099, Jerusalem fell ... walls of the city were finally breached after a six-week siege, the attackers were primed to shed blood.”
“... Jerusalem was soon filled with dead bodies, corpses piled up ... feet would have been stained to the ankles with the blood of the slain ... none of them were left alive. Neither women nor children were spared.”
[The Silk Road by Peter Frankopan, Page 132]
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]
World After the Release of Gog & Magog
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 Umrah to the Kaaba even after the appearance of Gog and Magog.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab Al-Hajj (25), 1593]
Theodor Herzl (1860 - 1904)
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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]
The Big Four & Treaty of Versailles (1919)
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
Zionist Achievements of the Great War
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 ]
The British Mandate & The Arab Revolt
“The Arab Revolt of 1936–39 was the first sustained violent uprising of Palestinian Arabs in more than a century ... The British, taken aback by the extent and intensity of the revolt, shipped more than 20,000 troops into Palestine, and by 1939 the Zionists had armed more than 15,000 Jews in their own nationalist movement.”
[Britannica, The Arab Revolt]
Jewish Refugees Arriving in Palestine
Rise of Jewish Insurgency & Terrorism
Israel’s Occupation & World’s Injustice
Masjd Al-Aqsa set on Fire in 1969
“Denis Michael Rohan, a 28-year-old mentally ill Christian fundamentalist from Australia, set fire to the Al Aqsa Mosque, believing he had been given a ‘sign from God’ to carry out his crime. The Palestinians and much of the Arab world blamed the Israeli government for the fire, which destroyed part of the old wooden roof and a 800-year-old pulpit — a gift from the Islamic hero Saladin.”
[timesofisrael.com/pa-hamas-rehash-lie-that-jews-planned-1969-burning-of-al-aqsa-mosque/]
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
World Recognisation of Israel
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] (Daif)
Group that will Remain on Right Path
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] (Daif)
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)
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