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

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What a blessed place of prayer.

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How did the status of Al-Aqsa feature in the lives of the Companions?

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The noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, realized from the very beginning of their Islam

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the status of the Holy Land, its spiritual importance, and its doctrinal significance,

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until it became a life project for which they sacrificed everything precious and dear.

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They were keen to conquer it and preserve it,

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and this was only due to their intense love for the Prophet, peace be upon him, and their emulation of him

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regarding his circumstances and his profound attachment to that blessed land.

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How could the Companions not love that blessed spot, that holy land, and that virtuous place,

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when they had prayed in difficult circumstances and at a most critical stage

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with the Prophet, peace be upon him, in Makkah before the migration, while their qibla was Bayt al-Maqdis?

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On the authority of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:

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"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to pray while in Makkah facing Bayt al-Maqdis,

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with the Kaaba in front of him. After he migrated to Madinah, he continued this for sixteen months,

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then it was turned toward the Kaaba." Whoever follows the circumstances and the Prophetic biography of the Companions

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will find wonderful examples and radiant images.

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The noble Companion Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, Jundub ibn Junada, may Allah be pleased with him,

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one of the early pioneers and the elite of the Companions,

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for he was the fifth of four who embraced Islam,

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was not deterred by the injustice, persecution, and hardship of the Makkan era

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from asking about Al-Aqsa Mosque, its status, and its connection to the Sacred Mosque.

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On the authority of Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

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"I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, which mosque was built first on earth?'"

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He said, "The Sacred Mosque."

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I said, "Then which?"

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He said, "Al-Aqsa Mosque."

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I said, "How much time was between them?"

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He said, "Forty years.

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Then, wherever prayer overtakes you, pray,

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for the merit is in it."

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The love for Al-Aqsa Mosque and its emotional attachment continued in the soul of Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him,

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for after their migration to Madinah and the increase in the burdens of the state and responsibilities,

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he did not forget to discuss the status and virtue of that land in the presence of the noble Companions.

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For on the authority of Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, he said:

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"We were discussing, while we were with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, which is better:

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the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,

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or the Mosque of Bayt al-Maqdis?"

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The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

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"A prayer in this mosque of mine is better than four prayers in it.

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And what an excellent place of prayer it is!

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A time will soon come when a man will have a piece of land the size of his horse's tether,

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from which he can see Bayt al-Maqdis,

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and that will be better for him than the entire world,

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better than the world and all that is in it."

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The *shatan* is the rope.

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Contemplate this scene;

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it is as if it were a forum and a gathering,

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a Prophetic, Jerusalem-focused council par excellence in Madinah

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in the presence of the noble Companions.

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Amazing aspirations,

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and an unparalleled sense of responsibility for this unique generation.

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Abu Dharr’s attachment to Al-Aqsa Mosque was not

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merely a matter of theory or abstract principles,

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but it was reflected in the course of his life,

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remaining present in his mind and thoughts,

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so that he participated in the army that conquered Bayt al-Maqdis in the year fifteen after the Hijra.

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Indeed, he traveled there to reside and worship.

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Because of their intense religious attachment to that land

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and their knowledge of priorities and virtues ranked by importance,

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Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, says:

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"The Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him, came to me

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while I was sleeping in the mosque of Madinah,

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and he nudged me with his foot and said,

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'Do I see you sleeping in it?'

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I said, 'O Prophet of Allah,

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my eyes overcame me.'

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He said, 'What will you do when you are expelled from it?'

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I said, 'I will go to Al-Sham, the Holy Land.'

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He said, 'And what will you do when you are expelled from Al-Sham?'"

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He said, "I seek refuge in Allah."

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The best of creation after the Prophets, may the blessings of Allah be upon them,

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Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him,

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had pivotal stances

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and great concern for that Holy Land,

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among the most prominent of which was the dispatching of the army of Usama ibn Zayd,

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which was the last expedition in the life of the Prophet, peace be upon him,

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to the lands of Al-Sham to meet the Romans,

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and the first expedition in the life of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him.

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The Caliph Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, during his life

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hoped that the city of Bayt al-Maqdis would be in the possession of the Muslims,

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and he made the goal of the army led by Amr ibn al-As, may Allah be pleased with him,

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Palestine and Aelia.

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People used to hear Abu Bakr’s instructions to Amr, may Allah be pleased with them both:

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"You must head for Palestine and Aelia."

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And in Abu Bakr’s letter to Khalid ibn al-Walid, may Allah be pleased with them both:

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"Hasten to your brothers in Al-Sham,

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for by Allah, a village of the villages of the Holy Land that Allah conquers for us

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is dearer to us than a district of the districts of Iraq."

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The *rustaq* is a place containing crops, villages, or clustered houses.

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Bayt al-Maqdis was conquered during the era of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,

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and he received its keys.

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He came himself with his servant,

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and his garment had seventeen patches,

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and he waded through the mud.

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Abu Ubayda, may Allah be pleased with him, said to him,

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"You have done a great thing."

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The Faruq, may Allah be pleased with him, said to him,

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"If anyone other than you had said that, O Abu Ubayda,"

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and he struck his chest.

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Then he said his famous statement:

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"We were the most insignificant of people, the most humiliated of people, and the most wretched of people,

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then Allah honored us with Islam.

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And whoever seeks honor in anything else, Allah will humiliate him."

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The doctrinal attachment of the Companions and their spiritual connection to Bayt al-Maqdis

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was reflected practically in their lives,

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for a great number entered it, having traveled there,

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and they intended to reside and worship there,

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as well as to preach, guide, and teach,

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and some of them were buried there.

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Mujir al-Din al-Hanbali said:

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"As for those who entered Bayt al-Maqdis from among the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them,

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they are a great multitude,

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whom none can count except Allah, the Glorified and Exalted."

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Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah, may Allah be pleased with him,

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one of the ten promised Paradise,

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was the commander-in-chief of the conquest armies in Al-Sham.

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And Bilal ibn Rabah, may Allah be pleased with him,

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witnessed the conquest and was the first to call the adhan in Al-Aqsa Mosque.

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Among those who traveled there and resided there from the Companions

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were Mu'adh ibn Jabal and Khalid ibn al-Walid, may Allah be pleased with them both,

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and Ubadah ibn al-Samit, may Allah be pleased with him,

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the first to hold the judiciary of Palestine,

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for he resided in Bayt al-Maqdis and was buried there.

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Among those who resided there were:

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Tamim ibn Aws al-Dari,

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Abdullah ibn Salam,

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Abu Dharr al-Ghifari,

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Shaddad ibn Aws al-Khazraji,

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Anif ibn Malla al-Judhami,

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and Barr ibn Abdullah al-Dari,

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whom the Prophet, peace be upon him, named,

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and others, may Allah be pleased with them all.

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Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, used to travel there

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and pray in Al-Aqsa Mosque,

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and he would intentionally not drink water

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so that his intention would be purely for prayer alone,

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in order to fulfill the supplication of Sulayman, peace be upon him,

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and attain the great reward and forgiveness,

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as the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

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"When Sulayman ibn Dawud finished building Bayt al-Maqdis,

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he asked Allah for three things:

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a judgment that coincides with His judgment,

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a kingdom that should not be granted to anyone after him,

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and that no one should come to this mosque intending only to pray in it

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without emerging from his sins like the day his mother gave birth to him."

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What an excellent place of prayer!

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We are a sun that does not set;

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if the caller calls, we respond.

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We restore the right, sound and whole;

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we support the beloved Al-Aqsa.

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In it, the best of creation prayed;

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it is truly an excellent place of prayer.

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The landing place of the Trustworthy Revelation,

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the sending place 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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In it, the best of creation prayed;

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it is truly an excellent place of prayer.

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It is truly an excellent place of prayer.