In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
[In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.]
How do we nurture in our children and those around us a love for Al-Aqsa?
This is a highly important question.
We have previously discussed how Ibrahim, peace be upon him, established with his progeny a community founded upon the oneness of Allah in that blessed land.
They inherited the testament to realize servitude to Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, upon the soil of that sacred place.
The Almighty says:
“When his Lord said unto him: Surrender! he said: I have surrendered to the Lord of the Worlds.” (2:131)
“When his Lord said unto him: Surrender! he said: I have surrendered to the Lord of the Worlds.” (2:131)
“The same did Abraham enjoin upon his sons, and also Jacob, (saying): O my sons! Lo! Allah hath chosen for you the (true) religion; therefore die not save as men who have surrendered (unto Him).” (2:132)
To answer this question,
and to arrive at a truly practical answer,
one that establishes a generation that loves this mosque,
and is connected to it with a bond of creed and faith,
we will mention two radiant, Quranic examples
of two noble, sacred families who were joined by marriage.
The first family:
The family of ‘Imran.
One of the noble, honorable, and righteous families in the Jerusalemite community.
The wife of ‘Imran asked Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, for a child after she had reached an advanced age.
Allah, the Exalted, answered her.
As soon as she sensed she was pregnant,
she wished for it to be a boy to serve the Holy House (Bayt al-Maqdis).
She vowed him to be purely dedicated and freed for that service.
This was a common practice among them.
The Almighty says regarding the wife of ‘Imran in a majestic scene,
which plants a great love for that land:
When the wife of ‘Imran said:
“(Remember) when the wife of 'Imran said: My Lord! I have vowed unto Thee that which is in my belly as a consecrated (offering). Accept it from me. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower!” (3:35)
"Accept this from me;
indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing."
“And when she was delivered she said: My Lord! Lo! I am delivered of a female - Allah knew best of what she was delivered - the male is not as the female; and lo! I have named her Mary, and lo! I crave Thy protection for her and for her offspring from Satan the outcast.” (3:36)
“And when she was delivered she said: My Lord! Lo! I am delivered of a female - Allah knew best of what she was delivered - the male is not as the female; and lo! I have named her Mary, and lo! I crave Thy protection for her and for her offspring from Satan the outcast.” (3:36)
"And the male is not like the female."
"I have named her Maryam (Mary),
and I seek refuge for her and her descendants in You from Satan, the expelled."
“And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.” (3:37)
"And He accepted her with a good acceptance."
And Zakariyya (Zechariah) took charge of her.
“And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.” (3:37)
He found provision with her.
He said, "O Maryam, from where is this [coming] to you?"
“And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.” (3:37)
“And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.” (3:37)
The surprise was that the child she had been blessed with was a female,
who, according to their customs, was not suited for the service she had vowed.
But because she was sincere and purified her intention,
and bore the responsibility toward the Holy House,
Allah accepted her.
She became the mistress of the women of the worlds,
among the devout, the obedient, the humble, and the truthful.
She is Maryam, peace be upon her.
The second family is the family of Zakariyya, peace be upon him,
which was joined by marriage to the family of ‘Imran.
While he had reached an advanced age,
and his wife was barren,
he longed for offspring,
so that the care for the Holy House would endure,
and the believing generation would continue, realizing servitude to Allah within it.
Let us contemplate how Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, narrated
to us that beautiful story and those great moments.
The Almighty says:
"A mention of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zakariyya."
“When he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret,” (19:3)
“Saying: My Lord! Lo! the bones of me wax feeble and my head is shining with grey hair, and I have never been unblest in prayer to Thee, my Lord.” (19:4)
"And the head has flared with white hair."
“Saying: My Lord! Lo! the bones of me wax feeble and my head is shining with grey hair, and I have never been unblest in prayer to Thee, my Lord.” (19:4)
He was sincere to Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, in his supplication for offspring,
and he humbled himself and showed his need before Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,
with complete certainty and sincere faith in the answer.
Then he, peace be upon him, appears and reveals his purpose,
and his goal in requesting offspring in that blessed land:
“Lo! I fear my kinsfolk after me, since my wife is barren. Oh, give me from Thy presence a successor” (19:5)
"And my wife is barren."
“Lo! I fear my kinsfolk after me, since my wife is barren. Oh, give me from Thy presence a successor” (19:5)
“Who shall inherit of me and inherit (also) of the house of Jacob. And make him, my Lord, acceptable (unto Thee).” (19:6)
"And make him, my Lord, pleasing [to You]."
He had a forward-looking vision based on bearing responsibility,
and a keenness for the continuation of a generation of faith, righteousness, and piety,
to cultivate that land and the Exalted House in the best possible way.
He defined the qualities of that offspring as being of guardianship and righteousness,
and mapped out the path for him by following what his ancestors of the family of Ya‘qub (Jacob) were upon.
Then the glad tidings come from the Lord of Might, may His Majesty be glorified, through the angels,
in the place where Zakariyya, peace be upon him, used to worship in the sanctuary (mihrab).
We said that Zakariyya called upon his Lord:
“Then Zachariah prayed unto his Lord and said: My Lord! Bestow upon me of Thy bounty goodly offspring. Lo! Thou art the Hearer of Prayer.” (3:38)
"Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication."
The angels called to him,
while he was standing in prayer:
“And the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: Allah giveth thee glad tidings of (a son whose name is) John, (who cometh) to confirm a word from Allah lordly, chaste, a prophet of the righteous.” (3:39)
"That Allah gives you glad tidings of Yahya (John), confirming..."
“And the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: Allah giveth thee glad tidings of (a son whose name is) John, (who cometh) to confirm a word from Allah lordly, chaste, a prophet of the righteous.” (3:39)
“And the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: Allah giveth thee glad tidings of (a son whose name is) John, (who cometh) to confirm a word from Allah lordly, chaste, a prophet of the righteous.” (3:39)
Because he was truthful and had excellent purpose and intention, Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, blessed him with a boy,
and favored him with many traits and qualities.
“(And it was said unto his son): O John! Hold fast the Scripture. And we gave him wisdom when a child,” (19:12)
“And compassion from Our presence, and purity; and he was devout,” (19:13)
“And dutiful toward his parents. And he was not arrogant, rebellious.” (19:14)
“Peace on him the day he was born, and the day he dieth and the day he shall be raised alive!” (19:15)
Among the legacies of Yahya, peace be upon him, as established in the authentic hadith,
is that he stood and delivered a sermon in the Holy House, gathering the Children of Israel until the mosque was full.
He said, "Indeed, Allah has commanded me with five words to act upon,
and I command you to act upon them: the first is that you worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him."
And he commanded them to pray, fast, give charity, and remember Allah.
The role of the family is very significant in planting the love of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the souls of children.
It is essential to intrigue them and make them love our sanctities,
and to encourage them to be attached to them through faith and to remember them always,
especially those that are usurped in Palestine.
It is of great importance to invest in social media, modern techniques, and technological development
to plant the love of Al-Aqsa in the hearts of children,
to build a generation connected to the issues of the Ummah, not separated from them.
We do not suffice with the role of parents and the family,
but the mosque, the school, educational institutions, and memorization centers also have a role,
as do media institutions, especially those targeting children and youth.
We are a sun that does not set,
if the caller calls, we answer.
We return the right intact,
we support beloved Al-Aqsa.
In it, the best of creation prayed,
it is indeed a blessed place of prayer.
The landing place of the trustworthy revelation,
the sending place of the messengers,
the qibla for the Muslims,
the destination for the conquerors.
In it, the best of creation prayed,
it is indeed a blessed place of prayer,
it is indeed a blessed place of prayer.