The Forty Sacred Jewels of Hadiths Related to Jerusalem
Jerusalem: The Abode of Glad Tidings and the Sanctuary of Clear Light
On the authority of Al-'Irbad ibn Sariyah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:
"Indeed, in the Mother of the Book with Allah, I was written as the Seal of the Prophets,
while Adam was still kneaded in his clay.
And I shall inform you of the initial manifestation of that:
I am the supplication of my father Abraham, the glad tidings of Jesus to his people,
and the vision of my mother when she saw a light emanate from her
that illuminated for her the palaces of the Levant."
Recorded by Imam Ahmad.
Vocabulary of the Hadith
"The Mother of the Book" means the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz).
"The Seal of the Prophets" means the last of the Prophets,
so there is no Prophet after him.
"Kneaded in his clay"
means cast upon the ground, undergoing the process of his creation,
before the spirit was breathed into him.
"I shall inform you of the initial manifestation of that"
means I shall inform you of the first manifestations of my prophethood and elevated status in the world.
"The vision of my mother when she saw"
refers to the dream seen by the mother of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
during her pregnancy at the time of his birth.
"A light emanated from her that illuminated for her the palaces of the Levant"
That light symbolizes the manifestation of his prophethood across the East and the West.
Overall Meaning
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) informs us
that he was the Seal of the Prophets before the birth of Adam (peace be upon him),
and that the very first manifestation of his prophethood and the widespread renown of his name among mankind
occurred upon the tongue of the Intimate Friend of the Most Merciful, Abraham (peace be upon him),
through his supplication when he raised the foundations of the Ka'bah, saying:
"Our Lord, send among them a messenger from among themselves,"
and through the glad tidings of Jesus (peace be upon him) foretelling his coming (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
from Jerusalem,
as in the Almighty's saying:
"And giving glad tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad."
He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also informed us
that his mother saw, upon his birth, a light whose radiance spread
until it illuminated the palaces of the Levant for her,
hinting at the expansion of his light
and his guidance to the land of the Levant and Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Insights
Jerusalem is the land of glad tidings and the gathering place of optimism and victories.
The radiance of his light (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) shining upon the palaces of the Levant
is proof of the establishment of the religion,
its firmness, and its exaltation in the Blessed Land.
The future in Jerusalem and the Levant belongs to Islam,
preceded by severe labor pains that will eventually clear away.
The Forty Hadiths of Jerusalem