WEBVTT 00:00:00.020 --> 00:00:04.019 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:04.019 --> 00:00:09.429 The Mawaddah Association presents: 00:00:09.429 --> 00:00:12.429 "Events in Ramadan," 00:00:12.429 --> 00:00:15.750 by Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha. 00:00:15.750 --> 00:00:22.100 The fall of al-Masjid al-Aqsa into Crusader hands, 00:00:22.100 --> 00:00:27.190 in the year 492 AH. 00:00:27.190 --> 00:00:31.190 The Islamic world was shaken from end to end 00:00:31.190 --> 00:00:34.189 by the Crusaders' occupation of the First Qibla, 00:00:34.189 --> 00:00:36.189 the Third of the Sacred Mosques, 00:00:36.189 --> 00:00:40.259 and the destination of the Night Journey of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. 00:00:40.259 --> 00:00:43.259 It was a sorrowful day among the days of the Muslims, 00:00:43.259 --> 00:00:46.259 whose bitterness the passage of time could not erase, 00:00:46.259 --> 00:00:50.640 nor could great events wipe away its memory. 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:53.640 Have you seen a palace of towering structure, 00:00:53.640 --> 00:00:55.640 with firm foundations, 00:00:55.640 --> 00:00:59.640 impregnable, filled with warmth, and overflowing with life? 00:00:59.640 --> 00:01:01.640 Then, the tides of fate turned against it, 00:01:01.640 --> 00:01:03.640 and calamities befell it, 00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:07.640 until it became desolate, stripped of its protectors, 00:01:07.640 --> 00:01:09.640 becoming haunting after having been welcoming, 00:01:09.640 --> 00:01:11.640 gloomy after having been radiant. 00:01:11.640 --> 00:01:13.640 The wind howls in its corners, 00:01:13.640 --> 00:01:16.640 owls nest in its balconies, 00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:20.640 and snakes hiss in its halls and chambers. 00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:23.859 Such was the state of the Islamic world 00:01:23.859 --> 00:01:26.859 in the late fourth century AH. 00:01:26.859 --> 00:01:31.120 The Caliph in Baghdad had locked his doors upon himself, 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:35.120 content with the fleeting worldly goods thrown to him by the usurpers. 00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:39.120 The Caliph in Cairo was preoccupied with superstitions, 00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:42.120 using them to secure his kingdom and protect his throne. 00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:45.120 The Muslims were drowned in internal conflicts, 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:49.120 and because the people forgot Allah, He forgot them, 00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:51.120 and abandoned them, 00:01:51.120 --> 00:01:54.120 leaving them to His enemy and theirs. 00:01:54.120 --> 00:01:57.469 This state of the Islamic world 00:01:57.469 --> 00:02:00.469 was the greatest incitement for the Pope 00:02:00.469 --> 00:02:04.469 and the Emperor of Constantinople to invade the lands of the Muslims 00:02:04.469 --> 00:02:07.469 and ignite the Crusades, 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. 00:02:12.469 --> 00:02:16.469 They were like fire smoldering in the ashes; 00:02:16.469 --> 00:02:19.469 whenever a favorable wind blew upon them, 00:02:19.469 --> 00:02:21.469 they flared up and ignited. 00:02:21.469 --> 00:02:24.469 The Crusader hordes were driven toward the East, 00:02:24.469 --> 00:02:27.469 with hatred boiling in their chests, 00:02:27.469 --> 00:02:29.469 and their hearts fueled by malice. 00:02:29.469 --> 00:02:32.469 They overran the fortified walls of Antioch, 00:02:32.469 --> 00:02:36.469 then descended upon Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, 00:02:36.469 --> 00:02:38.469 the town of Abu al-'Ala. 00:02:38.469 --> 00:02:42.599 The brave inhabitants of Ma'arra resisted the Crusader hordes 00:02:42.599 --> 00:02:45.599 with a resistance far greater than their own capacity, 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:49.599 but the invaders soon occupied the city at nightfall. 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:53.599 They silenced the voices of the muezzins from atop the minarets, 00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:56.599 and put the people to the sword, 00:02:56.599 --> 00:03:00.599 killing every man, woman, and child. 00:03:00.599 --> 00:03:03.599 They began trampling with their boots upon the corpses of the slain, 00:03:03.599 --> 00:03:07.599 after they had filled the paths and blocked the roads. 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:10.599 The Crusader army continued its march, 00:03:10.599 --> 00:03:13.599 reaping cities and villages like a harvest. 00:03:13.599 --> 00:03:17.599 Then, the Crusaders turned their faces toward Jerusalem, 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:20.729 which was then in the hands of the Fatimids. 00:03:20.729 --> 00:03:25.729 Soon, the Islamic world was shaken from end to end 00:03:25.729 --> 00:03:28.729 by the Crusaders' occupation of the First Qibla, 00:03:28.729 --> 00:03:30.729 the Third of the Sacred Mosques, 00:03:30.729 --> 00:03:33.729 and the destination of the Night Journey of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 00:03:33.729 --> 00:03:36.729 without any notable resistance. 00:03:36.729 --> 00:03:41.729 The Crusaders gave themselves free rein in the City of Peace for seven days, 00:03:41.729 --> 00:03:45.729 each day of which was like a hundred years by our count. 00:03:45.729 --> 00:03:48.729 They set their swords upon necks, 00:03:48.729 --> 00:03:50.729 and made blood flow in the streets. 00:03:50.729 --> 00:03:53.729 They piled up the corpses of the slain, 00:03:53.729 --> 00:03:56.819 and from them, they built mounds. 00:03:56.819 --> 00:03:58.819 They entered the homes, 00:03:58.819 --> 00:04:00.819 taking those within as captives, 00:04:00.819 --> 00:04:02.819 and occupied the palaces, 00:04:02.819 --> 00:04:07.860 ripping open the bellies of the inhabitants in search of dinars hidden in their intestines. 00:04:07.860 --> 00:04:10.860 Then, they raided al-Masjid al-Aqsa, 00:04:10.860 --> 00:04:12.860 entering its secure courtyards, 00:04:12.860 --> 00:04:15.919 where seventy thousand had sought refuge, 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:17.920 among them the scholar and the worshiper, 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:19.920 the pious and the ascetic, 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:22.050 the woman and the infant. 00:04:22.050 --> 00:04:25.050 They entered the Holy Sanctuary with their horses, 00:04:25.050 --> 00:04:28.050 whose hooves trampled upon the dismembered bodies, 00:04:28.050 --> 00:04:31.050 and whose legs were stained with blood. 00:04:31.050 --> 00:04:34.050 Then, they plundered the treasures within al-Aqsa, 00:04:34.050 --> 00:04:37.050 and among what they looted 00:04:37.050 --> 00:04:42.050 were the chandeliers made of pure silver and solid gold. 00:04:42.050 --> 00:04:46.050 Then, they left a garrison in the sorrowful city, 00:04:46.050 --> 00:04:50.139 and set out to conquer cities and demolish fortresses. 00:04:50.139 --> 00:04:54.139 The Muslims in the East and the West turned 00:04:54.139 --> 00:04:56.139 to the Fatimid Caliph of Egypt, 00:04:56.139 --> 00:04:58.139 the master of Jerusalem, 00:04:58.139 --> 00:05:01.139 hoping he would rescue it from the hands of its occupiers 00:05:01.139 --> 00:05:04.139 and cleanse it from the filth of its usurpers. 00:05:04.139 --> 00:05:06.139 But they found him subservient to his vizier, 00:05:06.139 --> 00:05:08.139 and his vizier was a man of suspicion. 00:05:08.139 --> 00:05:13.139 They sent a delegation, including Judge Abu Sa'id al-Harawi, 00:05:13.139 --> 00:05:15.139 to the Caliph of Baghdad. 00:05:15.139 --> 00:05:18.139 The delegation arrived at the Caliph's court, 00:05:18.139 --> 00:05:21.139 and recounted news that made eyes weep, 00:05:21.139 --> 00:05:24.139 eyelids sore, and hearts ache. 00:05:24.139 --> 00:05:27.300 They stood in the mosque on Friday, 00:05:27.300 --> 00:05:30.300 crying out for help, weeping, and making others weep, 00:05:30.300 --> 00:05:35.300 and they told the people what had befallen the fasting Muslims in Ramadan, 00:05:35.300 --> 00:05:39.300 of the killing of men, the enslavement of women, and the looting of wealth. 00:05:39.300 --> 00:05:42.370 But the Caliph of Baghdad 00:05:42.370 --> 00:05:46.529 was powerless, imprisoned within his own palace. 00:05:46.529 --> 00:05:48.529 At that point, 00:05:48.529 --> 00:05:51.529 the Muslims turned their eyes away from the two Caliphs, 00:05:51.529 --> 00:05:55.529 who sat on silk cushions in Cairo and Baghdad, 00:05:55.529 --> 00:06:00.529 and began casting their gazes toward the horizons of the Muslim lands, 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. 00:06:05.529 --> 00:06:09.589 Thus, Allah brought forth for them Salah al-Din 00:06:09.589 --> 00:06:11.589 Ibn Najm al-Din Ayyub. 00:06:11.589 --> 00:06:13.750 Salah al-Din had 00:06:13.750 --> 00:06:15.750 a biography as bright as the morning light, 00:06:15.750 --> 00:06:17.750 as luminous as the full moon, 00:06:17.750 --> 00:06:21.910 illuminating the path for those who wished to follow it. 00:06:21.910 --> 00:06:23.910 Salah al-Din realized 00:06:23.910 --> 00:06:28.910 that goodness lay dormant in the Ummah of Muhammad, peace be upon him, 00:06:28.910 --> 00:06:31.910 like life dormant in seeds, 00:06:31.910 --> 00:06:34.939 awaiting pure water, 00:06:34.939 --> 00:06:37.939 fertile soil, and bright light, 00:06:37.939 --> 00:06:39.939 to awaken from its slumber 00:06:39.939 --> 00:06:42.939 and fill the earth with growth and giving. 00:06:42.939 --> 00:06:47.939 Salah al-Din knew the key to opening the hearts of his Ummah, 00:06:47.939 --> 00:06:49.939 so he placed his hand upon it, 00:06:49.939 --> 00:06:52.939 and turned it in their hearts with skill, 00:06:52.939 --> 00:06:57.040 opening them and entering through their widest gates. 00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:01.040 That key was none other than the key of the religion. 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:04.040 He believed in the principle of the leader as a role model, 00:07:04.040 --> 00:07:06.040 so he magnified the law of Allah, 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:09.040 complied with His commands, and avoided His prohibitions. 00:07:09.040 --> 00:07:14.040 He rarely missed a congregational prayer, 00:07:14.040 --> 00:07:17.040 and he made up for any fast he missed. 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:22.040 As for zakat, the threshold for it never accumulated in his possession throughout his life. 00:07:22.040 --> 00:07:26.199 Salah al-Din did not attach his heart to wealth or inheritance, 00:07:26.199 --> 00:07:29.199 but rather tied it to struggle and jihad. 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:32.199 He spent a quarter of a century of his life 00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:35.199 rarely having a roof over his head, 00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:39.199 for his permanent dwelling was either the back of a horse, 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:42.199 or a tent pitched for him in the open. 00:07:42.199 --> 00:07:46.199 He was able to influence his people in the greatest of ways, 00:07:46.199 --> 00:07:49.199 for the jurists and scholars fought alongside him, 00:07:49.199 --> 00:07:52.199 as did the writers, poets, and teachers, 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:55.199 and then the youth and the women. 00:07:55.199 --> 00:08:01.360 Allah drove the people to Salah al-Din in groups, supporting him and sacrificing for him. 00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:03.389 Whenever he called for jihad, 00:08:03.389 --> 00:08:07.389 volunteers came to him of their own free will 00:08:07.389 --> 00:08:09.389 and absolute liberty, 00:08:09.389 --> 00:08:13.389 each carrying their own provisions. 00:08:13.389 --> 00:08:16.459 Thus, the majority of his soldiers were volunteers 00:08:16.459 --> 00:08:21.459 who came seeking the reward and martyrdom that is with Allah. 00:08:21.459 --> 00:08:26.459 This was a major reason for his victories. 00:08:26.459 --> 00:08:33.580 Salah al-Din realized the value of human resources in building kingdoms and winning battles, 00:08:33.580 --> 00:08:35.620 so he searched in every land: 00:08:35.620 --> 00:08:36.620 in Egypt, 00:08:36.620 --> 00:08:37.620 in the Levant, 00:08:37.620 --> 00:08:39.620 in the Hijaz, 00:08:39.620 --> 00:08:40.620 in Yemen, 00:08:40.620 --> 00:08:41.620 in Baghdad, 00:08:41.620 --> 00:08:44.620 in every corner of the Muslim lands, 00:08:44.620 --> 00:08:47.620 for those with competence in politics, 00:08:47.620 --> 00:08:48.620 in the sciences, 00:08:48.620 --> 00:08:49.620 in warfare, 00:08:49.620 --> 00:08:50.620 in the arts, 00:08:50.620 --> 00:08:52.620 and in literature. 00:08:52.620 --> 00:08:54.620 He gathered them from every region, 00:08:54.620 --> 00:08:57.620 so he had a helper from every land, 00:08:57.620 --> 00:09:00.620 and a supporter and friend from every country. 00:09:00.620 --> 00:09:03.620 That was one of the unique qualities of Salah al-Din. 00:09:03.620 --> 00:09:09.899 Salah al-Din chose the most knowledgeable and truthful of scholars, 00:09:09.899 --> 00:09:12.899 the most profound in religion among the callers, 00:09:12.899 --> 00:09:17.899 the most skilled and energetic among the engineers, 00:09:17.899 --> 00:09:22.899 and the most experienced and discreet among the envoys. 00:09:22.899 --> 00:09:26.100 Furthermore, he adorned himself with the qualities of heroism, 00:09:26.100 --> 00:09:30.100 which never left him in health or sickness, 00:09:30.100 --> 00:09:32.100 in days of victory or defeat, 00:09:32.100 --> 00:09:35.100 or in times of hardship or ease. 00:09:35.100 --> 00:09:37.259 When the battle grew fierce, 00:09:37.259 --> 00:09:39.259 the conflict intensified, 00:09:39.259 --> 00:09:42.259 and death surrounded him from every side, 00:09:42.259 --> 00:09:44.259 he would circle the ranks of his soldiers, 00:09:44.259 --> 00:09:47.259 and extend his hand to shake hands with death, 00:09:47.259 --> 00:09:49.259 so death would recoil from him. 00:09:49.259 --> 00:09:51.419 With these qualities, 00:09:51.419 --> 00:09:57.419 Salah al-Din led the armies of the Muslims from victory to victory to victory. 00:09:57.419 --> 00:09:59.419 And with these traits, 00:09:59.419 --> 00:10:03.419 he was able to erase the shame that had befallen the Muslims 00:10:03.419 --> 00:10:06.419 since the Crusaders occupied Jerusalem. 00:10:06.419 --> 00:10:08.419 In the middle of Rajab, 00:10:08.419 --> 00:10:12.419 in the year 583 AH, 00:10:12.419 --> 00:10:16.419 the Muslim armies led by Salah al-Din surrounded Jerusalem, 00:10:16.419 --> 00:10:18.419 as a bracelet surrounds the wrist. 00:10:18.419 --> 00:10:22.419 They set up their catapults around its walls on every side, 00:10:22.419 --> 00:10:24.419 and drew the swords of Allah, 00:10:24.419 --> 00:10:27.419 to be quenched by the blood of the enemies of Allah. 00:10:27.419 --> 00:10:30.419 The Franks were terrified by the horror of what they saw, 00:10:30.419 --> 00:10:33.419 Allah cast terror into their hearts. 00:10:33.419 --> 00:10:36.419 It was but a single, sincere campaign, 00:10:36.419 --> 00:10:40.419 until the arrogant leader emerged, seeking safety for himself and his people. 00:10:40.419 --> 00:10:43.419 Salah al-Din granted his request. 00:10:43.419 --> 00:10:45.480 The Franks committed themselves 00:10:45.480 --> 00:10:48.480 to pay ten dinars for every man, 00:10:48.480 --> 00:10:51.480 five for every woman, 00:10:51.480 --> 00:10:53.480 and two dinars for every child. 00:10:53.480 --> 00:10:56.480 This was for those who wished to ransom themselves. 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:59.480 Whoever could not afford the ransom fell into captivity. 00:10:59.480 --> 00:11:02.639 On the morning of Friday, 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:04.639 the twenty-seventh of Rajab, 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:08.639 in the year 583 AH, 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:12.639 the Muslims entered Jerusalem, proclaiming the greatness and oneness of Allah. 00:11:12.639 --> 00:11:15.639 Their tongues were filled with supplication, 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:19.639 and their voices rose to Allah in gratitude and praise. 00:11:19.639 --> 00:11:21.639 The great cross was taken down, 00:11:21.639 --> 00:11:24.639 which had been erected atop the Dome of the Rock. 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:29.639 The images that had been engraved on the walls of the mosque were erased, 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:33.639 and the bells were removed from its minarets. 00:11:33.639 --> 00:11:36.639 The sounds of the adhan rang out from the minarets, 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:41.639 and the voices of the muezzins mingled with the recitation of the Qur'an. 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, 00:11:48.769 --> 00:11:51.769 for he had vowed it to Jerusalem upon its liberation. 00:11:51.769 --> 00:11:54.769 The first Friday prayer was held in Jerusalem, 00:11:54.769 --> 00:11:58.769 after Friday prayers had been suspended there for over ninety years. 00:11:58.769 --> 00:12:02.769 The sermon was delivered by the judge Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-Zaki, 00:12:02.769 --> 00:12:05.769 and his sermon became known as the Sermon of the Conquest. 00:12:05.769 --> 00:12:08.769 In it, the eloquent orator gathered 00:12:08.769 --> 00:12:12.019 all the praises of Allah found in the Qur'an. 00:12:12.019 --> 00:12:14.019 When the prayer was concluded, 00:12:14.019 --> 00:12:20.120 Salah al-Din sat to receive the congratulations of the Muslims on this manifest victory. 00:12:20.120 --> 00:12:23.120 Congratulations to the Muslims for Salah al-Din, 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:27.120 and congratulations to Salah al-Din for this manifest victory. 00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:33.120 We beseech Allah to honor the Muslims with another day like the day of the conquest, 00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:37.120 in which they erase their shame and remove their disgrace, 00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:42.120 reclaiming the stolen Jerusalem and rescuing the usurped sanctuary. 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, 00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:52.120 and the soul of the second conqueror, Salah al-Din, shall be comforted.