WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.720 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:04.200 --> 00:00:07.400 We are a sun that never sets. 00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:10.400 If the caller calls, we answer. 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:13.800 We shall restore the truth, whole and intact. 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:17.000 We shall grant victory to the beloved Al-Aqsa. 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:20.199 Within it, the best of creation prayed. 00:00:20.199 --> 00:00:24.199 It is indeed a blessed place of prayer. 00:00:24.199 --> 00:00:28.230 A blessed place of prayer. 00:00:28.230 --> 00:00:35.240 What is the second mosque established on earth? 00:00:35.240 --> 00:00:40.320 To answer this question, 00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:44.320 let us pause and reflect upon this magnificent hadith. 00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:49.320 From the hadith of the noble Companion Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, may Allah be pleased with him, 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:53.320 who said: I asked, "O Messenger of Allah, 00:00:53.320 --> 00:00:56.320 which mosque was the first to be established on earth?" 00:00:56.320 --> 00:00:59.320 He replied, "The Sacred Mosque (Al-Masjid al-Haram)." 00:00:59.320 --> 00:01:02.380 I asked, "And then which?" 00:01:02.380 --> 00:01:05.379 He replied, "The Al-Aqsa Mosque." 00:01:05.379 --> 00:01:09.379 I asked, "How much time was between them?" 00:01:09.379 --> 00:01:12.379 He replied, "Forty years." 00:01:12.379 --> 00:01:16.379 Then, wherever prayer overtakes you after that, pray, 00:01:16.379 --> 00:01:18.379 for the merit lies in it. 00:01:18.379 --> 00:01:23.019 The hadith explicitly states that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque 00:01:23.019 --> 00:01:27.019 is the second mosque established to realize servitude 00:01:27.019 --> 00:01:30.019 to Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, on earth. 00:01:30.019 --> 00:01:35.180 And that the city of Jerusalem is the second city to know monotheism 00:01:35.180 --> 00:01:38.180 after Makkah, may Allah honor it. 00:01:38.180 --> 00:01:42.180 Thus begins the bond of faith and the religious attachment, 00:01:42.180 --> 00:01:47.180 and the doctrinal connection to that spot since the beginning of time. 00:01:47.180 --> 00:01:49.310 As is well known, 00:01:49.310 --> 00:01:54.310 the first house founded on earth to realize worship and devotion 00:01:54.310 --> 00:01:56.310 is the Sacred Mosque. 00:01:56.310 --> 00:01:59.310 As the Almighty said: 00:02:15.409 --> 00:02:18.080 They worship their Lord within it, 00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:20.080 so their sins are forgiven, 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:22.080 their lapses are overlooked, 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:26.080 and they attain through it acts of obedience and closeness, 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:29.080 by which they gain the pleasure of their Lord, 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:33.080 the attainment of His reward, and salvation from His punishment. 00:02:33.080 --> 00:02:36.240 That is why He called it "blessed," 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:42.240 meaning it contains abundant blessings in both religious and worldly benefits. 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:44.750 The verse and the hadith 00:02:44.750 --> 00:02:48.750 both point to an important historical reality 00:02:48.750 --> 00:02:50.750 and a depth of meaning, 00:02:50.750 --> 00:02:54.750 through the words of our Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He, 00:02:55.750 --> 00:02:57.750 "first" in the verse, 00:02:57.750 --> 00:03:00.750 and the question using "first" in the hadith, 00:03:00.750 --> 00:03:06.750 to denote a temporal beginning in terms of absolute primacy, 00:03:06.750 --> 00:03:11.750 and a spatial one in terms of foundation, designation, and the selection of the site. 00:03:11.750 --> 00:03:17.849 Herein lies the importance of these two spots and the interconnection of the two mosques. 00:03:17.849 --> 00:03:19.909 The meaning of "established" (wudi'a) 00:03:19.909 --> 00:03:21.909 is founded, fixed, and set. 00:03:21.909 --> 00:03:24.909 From this, a place is called a "mawdi'" (location). 00:03:24.909 --> 00:03:28.909 The root of "wad'" (placing) is the setting down, the opposite of lifting. 00:03:28.909 --> 00:03:32.909 Since something lifted is far from reach, 00:03:32.909 --> 00:03:36.909 that which is "placed" (mawdu') is close and accessible. 00:03:36.909 --> 00:03:42.909 Thus, "placing" is used to signify proximity for the seeker and preparation for benefit. 00:03:42.909 --> 00:03:46.169 The words of our Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He, 00:03:46.169 --> 00:03:50.169 and the words of our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, "established," 00:03:50.169 --> 00:03:54.169 contain a more precise indication than the word "built." 00:03:54.169 --> 00:03:58.169 It is a profound indication of their exclusivity for worship, 00:03:58.169 --> 00:04:03.169 the designation of the site, and the attention, honor, and reverence given to it, 00:04:03.169 --> 00:04:07.169 as well as its religious status, sacredness, and blessing, 00:04:07.169 --> 00:04:10.169 and the attachment of people's hearts to it. 00:04:10.169 --> 00:04:12.780 It is commonly known among people 00:04:12.780 --> 00:04:17.779 that Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was the first to build the Sacred Mosque, 00:04:17.779 --> 00:04:23.779 and that Ya'qub or Sulayman, peace be upon them, was the first to build Al-Aqsa Mosque. 00:04:23.779 --> 00:04:27.779 Scholars have held various opinions in determining this, 00:04:27.779 --> 00:04:32.779 but one who reflects on the verse and the hadith, along with historical perspective, 00:04:32.779 --> 00:04:36.779 finds that the closest and most likely opinion 00:04:36.779 --> 00:04:39.779 is that the Sacred Mosque and Al-Aqsa Mosque 00:04:39.779 --> 00:04:44.779 were built—founded, initiated, and their foundations laid— 00:04:44.779 --> 00:04:47.779 in the time of Adam, peace be upon him. 00:04:47.779 --> 00:04:53.000 It is transmitted that Adam, peace be upon him, built the Sacred Mosque, 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:56.000 and then, forty years later, 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:58.000 Al-Aqsa Mosque was built. 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:00.000 That is, in his time, 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:03.000 and it is possible it was done by his children, 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:05.000 as they spread out after him. 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:08.160 Ibn al-Jawzi, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:11.160 "The indication is to the first construction 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:14.160 and the laying of the foundations of the two mosques. 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:18.160 Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was not the first to build the Ka'bah, 00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:23.160 nor was Sulayman, peace be upon him, the first to build Bayt al-Maqdis. 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:28.160 There were many prophets, righteous people, and builders. 00:05:28.160 --> 00:05:31.220 Allah knows best who began it. 00:05:31.220 --> 00:05:35.220 We have narrated that the first to build the Ka'bah was Adam, 00:05:35.220 --> 00:05:38.220 then his children spread across the earth, 00:05:38.220 --> 00:05:43.290 so it is possible that some of them established Bayt al-Maqdis." 00:05:43.290 --> 00:05:46.290 Al-Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned something similar. 00:05:46.290 --> 00:05:50.290 Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, favored the view 00:05:50.290 --> 00:05:53.290 that the building of Al-Aqsa Mosque was in the era of Adam, 00:05:53.290 --> 00:05:57.290 just as the Sacred Mosque was built in his era. 00:05:57.290 --> 00:05:58.290 He says, 00:05:58.290 --> 00:06:01.290 and Al-Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him, said the same, 00:06:01.290 --> 00:06:07.290 that the hadith does not indicate that Ibrahim and Sulayman, peace be upon them, 00:06:07.290 --> 00:06:09.290 when they built the two mosques, 00:06:09.290 --> 00:06:12.290 were the ones who initiated their establishment. 00:06:12.290 --> 00:06:16.290 Rather, that was a renewal of what others had founded before them. 00:06:16.290 --> 00:06:22.800 The elite of humanity, the prophets and the righteous, realized the importance of Al-Aqsa, 00:06:22.800 --> 00:06:27.800 so they took turns building, raising, and renewing it. 00:06:27.800 --> 00:06:30.860 Ibrahim, peace be upon him, renewed it, 00:06:30.860 --> 00:06:35.860 and when he grew old, Ya'qub, peace be upon him, renewed it, 00:06:35.860 --> 00:06:40.860 just as Sulayman, peace be upon him, raised its structure and built it. 00:06:40.860 --> 00:06:43.860 Its maintenance continued from generation to generation 00:06:43.860 --> 00:06:47.019 until this very day. 00:06:47.019 --> 00:06:52.019 For a long time, the Jews have tried to erase these historical facts 00:06:52.019 --> 00:06:57.019 and suggest that the beginning of the relationship of Al-Aqsa Mosque on earth 00:06:57.019 --> 00:07:00.019 was since Sulayman, peace be upon him, 00:07:00.019 --> 00:07:05.019 in order to discard more than two thousand years of its ancient history. 00:07:05.019 --> 00:07:07.019 But that is far from their reach. 00:07:07.019 --> 00:07:11.019 Just as the sun cannot be covered by a sieve, 00:07:11.019 --> 00:07:14.019 their lies, forgery, and distortion 00:07:14.019 --> 00:07:19.019 will only deceive the weak-minded and the sick-hearted. 00:07:19.019 --> 00:07:22.019 Our sanctities will remain standing tall, 00:07:22.019 --> 00:07:28.019 and they will be recovered tomorrow or the day after, by the will of Allah. 00:07:28.019 --> 00:07:30.019 A blessed place of prayer. 00:07:30.019 --> 00:07:34.019 We are a sun that never sets. 00:07:34.019 --> 00:07:37.019 If the caller calls, we answer. 00:07:37.019 --> 00:07:40.019 We shall restore the truth, whole and intact. 00:07:40.019 --> 00:07:43.019 We shall grant victory to the beloved Al-Aqsa. 00:07:43.019 --> 00:07:47.019 Within it, the best of creation prayed. 00:07:47.019 --> 00:07:50.019 It is indeed a blessed place of prayer. 00:07:50.019 --> 00:07:53.019 The landing place of the Trustworthy Revelation. 00:07:53.019 --> 00:07:56.019 The sending place of the Messengers. 00:07:56.019 --> 00:07:59.019 The Qibla for the Muslims. 00:07:59.019 --> 00:08:03.019 The destination of the conquerors. 00:08:03.019 --> 00:08:06.019 Within it, the best of creation prayed. 00:08:06.019 --> 00:08:09.019 It is indeed a blessed place of prayer. 00:08:09.019 --> 00:08:13.019 It is indeed a blessed place of prayer.