1 00:00:00,020 --> 00:00:04,019 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:04,019 --> 00:00:09,429 The Mawaddah Association presents: 3 00:00:09,429 --> 00:00:12,429 "Events in Ramadan," 4 00:00:12,429 --> 00:00:15,750 by Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha. 5 00:00:15,750 --> 00:00:22,100 The fall of al-Masjid al-Aqsa into Crusader hands, 6 00:00:22,100 --> 00:00:27,190 in the year 492 AH. 7 00:00:27,190 --> 00:00:31,190 The Islamic world was shaken from end to end 8 00:00:31,190 --> 00:00:34,189 by the Crusaders' occupation of the First Qibla, 9 00:00:34,189 --> 00:00:36,189 the Third of the Sacred Mosques, 10 00:00:36,189 --> 00:00:40,259 and the destination of the Night Journey of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. 11 00:00:40,259 --> 00:00:43,259 It was a sorrowful day among the days of the Muslims, 12 00:00:43,259 --> 00:00:46,259 whose bitterness the passage of time could not erase, 13 00:00:46,259 --> 00:00:50,640 nor could great events wipe away its memory. 14 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:53,640 Have you seen a palace of towering structure, 15 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:55,640 with firm foundations, 16 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:59,640 impregnable, filled with warmth, and overflowing with life? 17 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:01,640 Then, the tides of fate turned against it, 18 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:03,640 and calamities befell it, 19 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:07,640 until it became desolate, stripped of its protectors, 20 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:09,640 becoming haunting after having been welcoming, 21 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:11,640 gloomy after having been radiant. 22 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:13,640 The wind howls in its corners, 23 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:16,640 owls nest in its balconies, 24 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:20,640 and snakes hiss in its halls and chambers. 25 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,859 Such was the state of the Islamic world 26 00:01:23,859 --> 00:01:26,859 in the late fourth century AH. 27 00:01:26,859 --> 00:01:31,120 The Caliph in Baghdad had locked his doors upon himself, 28 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:35,120 content with the fleeting worldly goods thrown to him by the usurpers. 29 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:39,120 The Caliph in Cairo was preoccupied with superstitions, 30 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:42,120 using them to secure his kingdom and protect his throne. 31 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:45,120 The Muslims were drowned in internal conflicts, 32 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:49,120 and because the people forgot Allah, He forgot them, 33 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:51,120 and abandoned them, 34 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:54,120 leaving them to His enemy and theirs. 35 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:57,469 This state of the Islamic world 36 00:01:57,469 --> 00:02:00,469 was the greatest incitement for the Pope 37 00:02:00,469 --> 00:02:04,469 and the Emperor of Constantinople to invade the lands of the Muslims 38 00:02:04,469 --> 00:02:07,469 and ignite the Crusades, 39 00:02:07,469 --> 00:02:12,469 which had not ceased for a single moment since Islam appeared on the face of the earth. 40 00:02:12,469 --> 00:02:16,469 They were like fire smoldering in the ashes; 41 00:02:16,469 --> 00:02:19,469 whenever a favorable wind blew upon them, 42 00:02:19,469 --> 00:02:21,469 they flared up and ignited. 43 00:02:21,469 --> 00:02:24,469 The Crusader hordes were driven toward the East, 44 00:02:24,469 --> 00:02:27,469 with hatred boiling in their chests, 45 00:02:27,469 --> 00:02:29,469 and their hearts fueled by malice. 46 00:02:29,469 --> 00:02:32,469 They overran the fortified walls of Antioch, 47 00:02:32,469 --> 00:02:36,469 then descended upon Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, 48 00:02:36,469 --> 00:02:38,469 the town of Abu al-'Ala. 49 00:02:38,469 --> 00:02:42,599 The brave inhabitants of Ma'arra resisted the Crusader hordes 50 00:02:42,599 --> 00:02:45,599 with a resistance far greater than their own capacity, 51 00:02:45,599 --> 00:02:49,599 but the invaders soon occupied the city at nightfall. 52 00:02:49,599 --> 00:02:53,599 They silenced the voices of the muezzins from atop the minarets, 53 00:02:53,599 --> 00:02:56,599 and put the people to the sword, 54 00:02:56,599 --> 00:03:00,599 killing every man, woman, and child. 55 00:03:00,599 --> 00:03:03,599 They began trampling with their boots upon the corpses of the slain, 56 00:03:03,599 --> 00:03:07,599 after they had filled the paths and blocked the roads. 57 00:03:07,599 --> 00:03:10,599 The Crusader army continued its march, 58 00:03:10,599 --> 00:03:13,599 reaping cities and villages like a harvest. 59 00:03:13,599 --> 00:03:17,599 Then, the Crusaders turned their faces toward Jerusalem, 60 00:03:17,599 --> 00:03:20,729 which was then in the hands of the Fatimids. 61 00:03:20,729 --> 00:03:25,729 Soon, the Islamic world was shaken from end to end 62 00:03:25,729 --> 00:03:28,729 by the Crusaders' occupation of the First Qibla, 63 00:03:28,729 --> 00:03:30,729 the Third of the Sacred Mosques, 64 00:03:30,729 --> 00:03:33,729 and the destination of the Night Journey of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 65 00:03:33,729 --> 00:03:36,729 without any notable resistance. 66 00:03:36,729 --> 00:03:41,729 The Crusaders gave themselves free rein in the City of Peace for seven days, 67 00:03:41,729 --> 00:03:45,729 each day of which was like a hundred years by our count. 68 00:03:45,729 --> 00:03:48,729 They set their swords upon necks, 69 00:03:48,729 --> 00:03:50,729 and made blood flow in the streets. 70 00:03:50,729 --> 00:03:53,729 They piled up the corpses of the slain, 71 00:03:53,729 --> 00:03:56,819 and from them, they built mounds. 72 00:03:56,819 --> 00:03:58,819 They entered the homes, 73 00:03:58,819 --> 00:04:00,819 taking those within as captives, 74 00:04:00,819 --> 00:04:02,819 and occupied the palaces, 75 00:04:02,819 --> 00:04:07,860 ripping open the bellies of the inhabitants in search of dinars hidden in their intestines. 76 00:04:07,860 --> 00:04:10,860 Then, they raided al-Masjid al-Aqsa, 77 00:04:10,860 --> 00:04:12,860 entering its secure courtyards, 78 00:04:12,860 --> 00:04:15,919 where seventy thousand had sought refuge, 79 00:04:15,919 --> 00:04:17,920 among them the scholar and the worshiper, 80 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:19,920 the pious and the ascetic, 81 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:22,050 the woman and the infant. 82 00:04:22,050 --> 00:04:25,050 They entered the Holy Sanctuary with their horses, 83 00:04:25,050 --> 00:04:28,050 whose hooves trampled upon the dismembered bodies, 84 00:04:28,050 --> 00:04:31,050 and whose legs were stained with blood. 85 00:04:31,050 --> 00:04:34,050 Then, they plundered the treasures within al-Aqsa, 86 00:04:34,050 --> 00:04:37,050 and among what they looted 87 00:04:37,050 --> 00:04:42,050 were the chandeliers made of pure silver and solid gold. 88 00:04:42,050 --> 00:04:46,050 Then, they left a garrison in the sorrowful city, 89 00:04:46,050 --> 00:04:50,139 and set out to conquer cities and demolish fortresses. 90 00:04:50,139 --> 00:04:54,139 The Muslims in the East and the West turned 91 00:04:54,139 --> 00:04:56,139 to the Fatimid Caliph of Egypt, 92 00:04:56,139 --> 00:04:58,139 the master of Jerusalem, 93 00:04:58,139 --> 00:05:01,139 hoping he would rescue it from the hands of its occupiers 94 00:05:01,139 --> 00:05:04,139 and cleanse it from the filth of its usurpers. 95 00:05:04,139 --> 00:05:06,139 But they found him subservient to his vizier, 96 00:05:06,139 --> 00:05:08,139 and his vizier was a man of suspicion. 97 00:05:08,139 --> 00:05:13,139 They sent a delegation, including Judge Abu Sa'id al-Harawi, 98 00:05:13,139 --> 00:05:15,139 to the Caliph of Baghdad. 99 00:05:15,139 --> 00:05:18,139 The delegation arrived at the Caliph's court, 100 00:05:18,139 --> 00:05:21,139 and recounted news that made eyes weep, 101 00:05:21,139 --> 00:05:24,139 eyelids sore, and hearts ache. 102 00:05:24,139 --> 00:05:27,300 They stood in the mosque on Friday, 103 00:05:27,300 --> 00:05:30,300 crying out for help, weeping, and making others weep, 104 00:05:30,300 --> 00:05:35,300 and they told the people what had befallen the fasting Muslims in Ramadan, 105 00:05:35,300 --> 00:05:39,300 of the killing of men, the enslavement of women, and the looting of wealth. 106 00:05:39,300 --> 00:05:42,370 But the Caliph of Baghdad 107 00:05:42,370 --> 00:05:46,529 was powerless, imprisoned within his own palace. 108 00:05:46,529 --> 00:05:48,529 At that point, 109 00:05:48,529 --> 00:05:51,529 the Muslims turned their eyes away from the two Caliphs, 110 00:05:51,529 --> 00:05:55,529 who sat on silk cushions in Cairo and Baghdad, 111 00:05:55,529 --> 00:06:00,529 and began casting their gazes toward the horizons of the Muslim lands, 112 00:06:00,529 --> 00:06:05,529 hoping for a star to rise that would guide them through the darkness of their pitch-black night. 113 00:06:05,529 --> 00:06:09,589 Thus, Allah brought forth for them Salah al-Din 114 00:06:09,589 --> 00:06:11,589 Ibn Najm al-Din Ayyub. 115 00:06:11,589 --> 00:06:13,750 Salah al-Din had 116 00:06:13,750 --> 00:06:15,750 a biography as bright as the morning light, 117 00:06:15,750 --> 00:06:17,750 as luminous as the full moon, 118 00:06:17,750 --> 00:06:21,910 illuminating the path for those who wished to follow it. 119 00:06:21,910 --> 00:06:23,910 Salah al-Din realized 120 00:06:23,910 --> 00:06:28,910 that goodness lay dormant in the Ummah of Muhammad, peace be upon him, 121 00:06:28,910 --> 00:06:31,910 like life dormant in seeds, 122 00:06:31,910 --> 00:06:34,939 awaiting pure water, 123 00:06:34,939 --> 00:06:37,939 fertile soil, and bright light, 124 00:06:37,939 --> 00:06:39,939 to awaken from its slumber 125 00:06:39,939 --> 00:06:42,939 and fill the earth with growth and giving. 126 00:06:42,939 --> 00:06:47,939 Salah al-Din knew the key to opening the hearts of his Ummah, 127 00:06:47,939 --> 00:06:49,939 so he placed his hand upon it, 128 00:06:49,939 --> 00:06:52,939 and turned it in their hearts with skill, 129 00:06:52,939 --> 00:06:57,040 opening them and entering through their widest gates. 130 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:01,040 That key was none other than the key of the religion. 131 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:04,040 He believed in the principle of the leader as a role model, 132 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:06,040 so he magnified the law of Allah, 133 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:09,040 complied with His commands, and avoided His prohibitions. 134 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:14,040 He rarely missed a congregational prayer, 135 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:17,040 and he made up for any fast he missed. 136 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:22,040 As for zakat, the threshold for it never accumulated in his possession throughout his life. 137 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:26,199 Salah al-Din did not attach his heart to wealth or inheritance, 138 00:07:26,199 --> 00:07:29,199 but rather tied it to struggle and jihad. 139 00:07:29,199 --> 00:07:32,199 He spent a quarter of a century of his life 140 00:07:32,199 --> 00:07:35,199 rarely having a roof over his head, 141 00:07:35,199 --> 00:07:39,199 for his permanent dwelling was either the back of a horse, 142 00:07:39,199 --> 00:07:42,199 or a tent pitched for him in the open. 143 00:07:42,199 --> 00:07:46,199 He was able to influence his people in the greatest of ways, 144 00:07:46,199 --> 00:07:49,199 for the jurists and scholars fought alongside him, 145 00:07:49,199 --> 00:07:52,199 as did the writers, poets, and teachers, 146 00:07:52,199 --> 00:07:55,199 and then the youth and the women. 147 00:07:55,199 --> 00:08:01,360 Allah drove the people to Salah al-Din in groups, supporting him and sacrificing for him. 148 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:03,389 Whenever he called for jihad, 149 00:08:03,389 --> 00:08:07,389 volunteers came to him of their own free will 150 00:08:07,389 --> 00:08:09,389 and absolute liberty, 151 00:08:09,389 --> 00:08:13,389 each carrying their own provisions. 152 00:08:13,389 --> 00:08:16,459 Thus, the majority of his soldiers were volunteers 153 00:08:16,459 --> 00:08:21,459 who came seeking the reward and martyrdom that is with Allah. 154 00:08:21,459 --> 00:08:26,459 This was a major reason for his victories. 155 00:08:26,459 --> 00:08:33,580 Salah al-Din realized the value of human resources in building kingdoms and winning battles, 156 00:08:33,580 --> 00:08:35,620 so he searched in every land: 157 00:08:35,620 --> 00:08:36,620 in Egypt, 158 00:08:36,620 --> 00:08:37,620 in the Levant, 159 00:08:37,620 --> 00:08:39,620 in the Hijaz, 160 00:08:39,620 --> 00:08:40,620 in Yemen, 161 00:08:40,620 --> 00:08:41,620 in Baghdad, 162 00:08:41,620 --> 00:08:44,620 in every corner of the Muslim lands, 163 00:08:44,620 --> 00:08:47,620 for those with competence in politics, 164 00:08:47,620 --> 00:08:48,620 in the sciences, 165 00:08:48,620 --> 00:08:49,620 in warfare, 166 00:08:49,620 --> 00:08:50,620 in the arts, 167 00:08:50,620 --> 00:08:52,620 and in literature. 168 00:08:52,620 --> 00:08:54,620 He gathered them from every region, 169 00:08:54,620 --> 00:08:57,620 so he had a helper from every land, 170 00:08:57,620 --> 00:09:00,620 and a supporter and friend from every country. 171 00:09:00,620 --> 00:09:03,620 That was one of the unique qualities of Salah al-Din. 172 00:09:03,620 --> 00:09:09,899 Salah al-Din chose the most knowledgeable and truthful of scholars, 173 00:09:09,899 --> 00:09:12,899 the most profound in religion among the callers, 174 00:09:12,899 --> 00:09:17,899 the most skilled and energetic among the engineers, 175 00:09:17,899 --> 00:09:22,899 and the most experienced and discreet among the envoys. 176 00:09:22,899 --> 00:09:26,100 Furthermore, he adorned himself with the qualities of heroism, 177 00:09:26,100 --> 00:09:30,100 which never left him in health or sickness, 178 00:09:30,100 --> 00:09:32,100 in days of victory or defeat, 179 00:09:32,100 --> 00:09:35,100 or in times of hardship or ease. 180 00:09:35,100 --> 00:09:37,259 When the battle grew fierce, 181 00:09:37,259 --> 00:09:39,259 the conflict intensified, 182 00:09:39,259 --> 00:09:42,259 and death surrounded him from every side, 183 00:09:42,259 --> 00:09:44,259 he would circle the ranks of his soldiers, 184 00:09:44,259 --> 00:09:47,259 and extend his hand to shake hands with death, 185 00:09:47,259 --> 00:09:49,259 so death would recoil from him. 186 00:09:49,259 --> 00:09:51,419 With these qualities, 187 00:09:51,419 --> 00:09:57,419 Salah al-Din led the armies of the Muslims from victory to victory to victory. 188 00:09:57,419 --> 00:09:59,419 And with these traits, 189 00:09:59,419 --> 00:10:03,419 he was able to erase the shame that had befallen the Muslims 190 00:10:03,419 --> 00:10:06,419 since the Crusaders occupied Jerusalem. 191 00:10:06,419 --> 00:10:08,419 In the middle of Rajab, 192 00:10:08,419 --> 00:10:12,419 in the year 583 AH, 193 00:10:12,419 --> 00:10:16,419 the Muslim armies led by Salah al-Din surrounded Jerusalem, 194 00:10:16,419 --> 00:10:18,419 as a bracelet surrounds the wrist. 195 00:10:18,419 --> 00:10:22,419 They set up their catapults around its walls on every side, 196 00:10:22,419 --> 00:10:24,419 and drew the swords of Allah, 197 00:10:24,419 --> 00:10:27,419 to be quenched by the blood of the enemies of Allah. 198 00:10:27,419 --> 00:10:30,419 The Franks were terrified by the horror of what they saw, 199 00:10:30,419 --> 00:10:33,419 Allah cast terror into their hearts. 200 00:10:33,419 --> 00:10:36,419 It was but a single, sincere campaign, 201 00:10:36,419 --> 00:10:40,419 until the arrogant leader emerged, seeking safety for himself and his people. 202 00:10:40,419 --> 00:10:43,419 Salah al-Din granted his request. 203 00:10:43,419 --> 00:10:45,480 The Franks committed themselves 204 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:48,480 to pay ten dinars for every man, 205 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:51,480 five for every woman, 206 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:53,480 and two dinars for every child. 207 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:56,480 This was for those who wished to ransom themselves. 208 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:59,480 Whoever could not afford the ransom fell into captivity. 209 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:02,639 On the morning of Friday, 210 00:11:02,639 --> 00:11:04,639 the twenty-seventh of Rajab, 211 00:11:04,639 --> 00:11:08,639 in the year 583 AH, 212 00:11:08,639 --> 00:11:12,639 the Muslims entered Jerusalem, proclaiming the greatness and oneness of Allah. 213 00:11:12,639 --> 00:11:15,639 Their tongues were filled with supplication, 214 00:11:15,639 --> 00:11:19,639 and their voices rose to Allah in gratitude and praise. 215 00:11:19,639 --> 00:11:21,639 The great cross was taken down, 216 00:11:21,639 --> 00:11:24,639 which had been erected atop the Dome of the Rock. 217 00:11:24,639 --> 00:11:29,639 The images that had been engraved on the walls of the mosque were erased, 218 00:11:29,639 --> 00:11:33,639 and the bells were removed from its minarets. 219 00:11:33,639 --> 00:11:36,639 The sounds of the adhan rang out from the minarets, 220 00:11:36,639 --> 00:11:41,639 and the voices of the muezzins mingled with the recitation of the Qur'an. 221 00:11:41,639 --> 00:11:48,769 The pulpit that had been crafted by King al-Adil Nur al-Din Zengi was brought from Aleppo, 222 00:11:48,769 --> 00:11:51,769 for he had vowed it to Jerusalem upon its liberation. 223 00:11:51,769 --> 00:11:54,769 The first Friday prayer was held in Jerusalem, 224 00:11:54,769 --> 00:11:58,769 after Friday prayers had been suspended there for over ninety years. 225 00:11:58,769 --> 00:12:02,769 The sermon was delivered by the judge Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-Zaki, 226 00:12:02,769 --> 00:12:05,769 and his sermon became known as the Sermon of the Conquest. 227 00:12:05,769 --> 00:12:08,769 In it, the eloquent orator gathered 228 00:12:08,769 --> 00:12:12,019 all the praises of Allah found in the Qur'an. 229 00:12:12,019 --> 00:12:14,019 When the prayer was concluded, 230 00:12:14,019 --> 00:12:20,120 Salah al-Din sat to receive the congratulations of the Muslims on this manifest victory. 231 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:23,120 Congratulations to the Muslims for Salah al-Din, 232 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:27,120 and congratulations to Salah al-Din for this manifest victory. 233 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:33,120 We beseech Allah to honor the Muslims with another day like the day of the conquest, 234 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:37,120 in which they erase their shame and remove their disgrace, 235 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:42,120 reclaiming the stolen Jerusalem and rescuing the usurped sanctuary. 236 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:47,120 Thereby, the eyes of the first conqueror, Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, shall be gladdened, 237 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:52,120 and the soul of the second conqueror, Salah al-Din, shall be comforted.