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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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We are establishing a place of prayer.

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What is the significance of our Lord’s statement regarding Al-Aqsa Mosque?

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"Whose surroundings We have blessed."

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The virtues of Al-Aqsa Mosque are numerous.

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Its merits are manifold.

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Its characteristics are diverse, and its status is exalted.

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Among the descriptions that are inseparable from it,

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and are constantly associated with its mention,

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is blessing.

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For that blessed land and sacred place has gathered

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all types of blessing:

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spatial and temporal,

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tangible and intangible,

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religious and worldly.

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Allah, the Almighty, described this land with blessing

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in five places in His Noble Book.

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The first place is His statement, the Almighty:

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“Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far distant place of worship the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, that We might show him of Our tokens! Lo! He, only He, is the Hearer, the Seer.” (17:1)

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“Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far distant place of worship the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, that We might show him of Our tokens! Lo! He, only He, is the Hearer, the Seer.” (17:1)

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"...to Al-Aqsa Mosque,

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whose surroundings We have blessed,

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to show him of Our signs.

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Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing."

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Al-Sa'di, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his Tafsir:

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"Meaning, with an abundance of trees, rivers, and perpetual fertility."

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Among its blessings is its preference over others

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among mosques, aside from the Sacred Mosque (Al-Masjid al-Haram)

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and the Mosque of Medina.

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And that it is a place to which one should undertake a journey

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for the purpose of worship and prayer therein.

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And that Allah chose it as a location

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for many of His prophets and chosen ones.

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Shams al-Din al-Minhaji said:

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"If Bayt al-Maqdis had no other virtue

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than this verse,

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it would have been sufficient,

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and with all blessings, it would be complete."

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Because if its surroundings are blessed,

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then the blessing within it is multiplied.

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The second place:

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Allah the Almighty said:

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“And We rescued him and Lot (and brought them) to the land which We have blessed for (all) peoples.” (21:71)

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“And We rescued him and Lot (and brought them) to the land which We have blessed for (all) peoples.” (21:71)

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And among the blessings of Al-Sham (the Levant)

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is that many of the prophets were there,

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and that Allah chose it as a place of migration for His intimate friend (Ibrahim).

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And it contains one of His three sacred houses,

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which is Bayt al-Maqdis.

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The third place:

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Allah the Almighty said:

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“And We caused the folk who were despised to inherit the eastern parts of the land and the western parts thereof which We had blessed. And the fair word of thy Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel because of their endurance; and We annihilated (all) that Pharaoh and his folk had done and that they had contrived.” (7:137)

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"...the east and the west of the land

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which We have blessed."

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The east and the west of the land,

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meaning the Holy Land,

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meaning its eastern and western sides,

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which We have blessed with water, trees,

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fruits, fertility, and abundance.

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The fourth place:

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Allah the Almighty said:

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"And to Solomon [We subjected] the wind, blowing fiercely..."

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“And unto Solomon (We subdued) the wind in its raging. It set by his command toward the land which We had blessed. And of everything We are Aware.” (21:81)

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“And unto Solomon (We subdued) the wind in its raging. It set by his command toward the land which We had blessed. And of everything We are Aware.” (21:81)

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The intent is that it travels to Al-Sham,

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returning from the regions to which it had gone

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for the interests of Solomon’s kingdom,

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whether for military campaigns or trade,

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based on the context that it was subjected to Solomon.

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Thus, it must have been traveling

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for the benefit of the Ummah over which he was king.

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And it is known that it travels to the land

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which Allah has blessed,

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that it departs from that land,

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carrying soldiers,

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or exporting the goods that the kingdom of Solomon

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exports to the lands of the earth,

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and returns laden with goods, provisions,

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industrial materials, and military weaponry

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to the land of Palestine.

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Thus, there is an ellipsis in the speech,

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relying on the context.

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The fifth place:

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Allah the Almighty said:

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“And We set, between them and the towns which We had blessed, towns easy to be seen, and We made the stage between them easy, (saying): Travel in them safely both by night and day.” (34:18)

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“And We set, between them and the towns which We had blessed, towns easy to be seen, and We made the stage between them easy, (saying): Travel in them safely both by night and day.” (34:18)

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"...prominent cities."

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Prominent cities,

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"And We determined the journey between them,

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[saying], 'Travel between them by night

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and day in safety.'"

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The intent by the cities that were blessed

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is the cities of Al-Sham.

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So, when they would depart from Ma'rib

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to the Levantine lands,

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for trade and the sale of food,

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they would follow a major route,

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then the Hijaz,

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then the outskirts of Al-Sham,

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then the lands of Al-Sham.

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So, whenever they traveled a stage,

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they would find a village, a town,

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or a place for rest,

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and they would rest and replenish their supplies.

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Because of that, they would not carry provisions with them

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when they departed from Ma'rib.

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Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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"These are five explicit verses."

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And blessing encompasses blessing in religion and blessing in the world,

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and both are known, without doubt.

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The land of Bayt al-Maqdis acquired tangible blessing

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due to its strategic geographical location,

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which connects Asia to Africa,

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and the fertility of its land, the abundance of its fruits,

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its trees, and its rivers,

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and the sweetness of its water, plains, and mountains.

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As for the intangible blessing of Bayt al-Maqdis,

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it is due to its sanctity,

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and that it is the land of the prophets, their place of worship,

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their source, and their dwelling,

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the cradle of messages, and the place where revelation descended,

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and the refuge, shelter, and migration point of the prophets

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who were persecuted by their people.

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And their graves are therein.

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And that the angels spread their wings over Al-Sham,

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and that it is the place of the night journey of our beloved, peace be upon him,

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and his ascension to the highest heavens,

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and it is the land of the gathering and the resurrection,

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among other characteristics.

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And among the fruits of it being a blessed land

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is the Prophet’s prayer for its blessing,

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and its being the location of the victorious group,

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and the station of the mujahidin.

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And that the Dajjal will not enter it,

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rather, 'Isa, peace be upon him, will kill him in Palestine.

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And faith [will be] there when tribulations appear.

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And the Muslims will gather there to fight the Jews and defeat them.

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It is also the land of miracles.

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And among the important implications

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is that if the Ummah wishes to achieve blessing in its deeds and times,

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and its results and fruits,

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then it must protect the blessed Holy Land from desecration,

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liberate it from occupation and usurpation,

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and preserve it and benefit from its blessing.

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Support beloved Al-Aqsa;

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the best of creation prayed in it.

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It is truly an excellent place of prayer.

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The place where the Trustworthy Revelation descended,

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the place of the mission of the messengers,

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the qibla of the Muslims,

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the destination of the conquerors.

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The best of creation prayed in it;

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it is truly an excellent place of prayer.

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It is truly an excellent place of prayer.