In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Imam of the prayer hall.
Where did Ibrahim, peace be upon him, migrate to?
Bayt al-Maqdis holds a position of immense significance in the lives of the prophets and messengers.
It is their qibla and the beacon of the call to the oneness of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic.
For it is a place where a prophet either arrived, passed by, died, or was buried.
Or he prayed and drew near to Allah, or sought refuge and migrated for His sake, or lived [a life of devotion].
Ibrahim, peace be upon him, the intimate friend of the Most Merciful, grew up in an environment
In it were gathered all the foundations and various forms of disbelief and associating partners with Allah.
from the worship of idols and the worship of the stars.
And the servitude of the ruler to the tyrannical, oppressive Nimrod.
Among the Chaldeans in the land of Babylon in Iraq.
Until he remained steadfast, persevered, was tried, and was tested.
He did not despair, nor did he lose heart.
He continued to call his people to the oneness of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic.
Yet no one responded to him except for his nephew Lot and his wife Sarah.
And he was the first to migrate in the path of Allah for the sake of the religion.
He is Ibrahim, peace be upon him.
He departed from Iraq for Harran, and then traveled on to Egypt.
And he was accompanied by his wife, Sarah.
The well-known story involving the tyrannical king of Egypt.
The one who intended to violate her.
So Allah averted it from her through her supplication and her sincerity.
Then he gifted her to the Coptic nation, Hajar.
Then, Ibrahim, peace be upon him, and Sarah migrated to Palestine.
And Lut, peace be upon him, migrated to Sodom.
In the Jordan Valley, between Jordan and Palestine.
Allah the Exalted says:
“And We rescued him and Lot (and brought them) to the land which We have blessed for (all) peoples.” (21:71)
“And We bestowed upon him Isaac, and Jacob as a grandson. Each of them We made righteous.” (21:72)
And We made each of them righteous.
Meaning that He, the Exalted, perfected His favor upon him.
So He saved him, and He saved Lut, peace be upon him, along with him.
To the land which He has blessed.
Due to the sheer number of prophets who were sent within it.
Those whose laws and teachings have spread to the furthest corners of the earth.
It is the foundation of all religious and worldly virtues.
Due to the abundance of its vegetation and trees.
And its fruits and its rivers.
And migration for the sake of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic.
In search of a safe place where the rituals of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, may be performed.
And through it, servitude to Allah is realized.
Just as Allah, Glorified be He, intended.
It can only occur from a place of lesser virtue to a place of greater virtue according to the Shari'ah.
And from an environment far removed from monotheism and righteousness
toward a unified and pious environment.
Pure and free from the impurities of polytheism.
And migration for the sake of Allah the Exalted.
It is an act of worship that ranks among the greatest of deeds of obedience and the most sublime of means of drawing near to Allah.
For this reason, Allah, glorified and exalted be He, has linked it with jihad.
Then He, glory be to Him, said:
“Lo! those who believe, and those who emigrate (to escape the persecution) and strive in the way of Allah, these have hope of Allah's mercy. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (2:218)
They are the ones who hope for the mercy of Allah.
And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
And He, the Almighty and Majestic, said:
“Whoso migrateth for the cause of Allah will find much refuge and abundance in the earth, and whoso forsaketh his home, a fugitive unto Allah and His messenger, and death overtaketh him, his reward is then incumbent on Allah. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.” (4:100)
He will find on earth many places of refuge and abundance.
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
clarifying the significance of migration for the sake of Allah
His servitude therein is the servitude of the elite among those who truly know Allah.
This is known as the servitude of defiance.
And none perceive this except those possessed of complete spiritual insight.
There is nothing more beloved to Allah than a believer’s defiance of His enemy and the provocation of his wrath.
The status of that holy land was elevated.
After the Friend of the Most Merciful had paved the way for it.
Then, this attachment and connection to the heavenly message grew even stronger.
After He, glory be to Him, had granted him Ishaq and Ya'qub, peace be upon them both.
As an increase and a bounty, without having been asked for it.
Then he indicated that the source of blessing in both of them is righteousness, by saying:
And We made them all righteous through steadfastness and being firmly established in guidance.
Shaykh al-Islam, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
It is well known that Allah saved Ibrahim and Lut, peace be upon them both, by leading them to the land of the Levant.
From the lands of the Arabian Peninsula and the Euphrates.
After Allah, glorified and exalted be He, bestowed His favor upon Moses, peace be upon him, and his people among the Children of Israel.
In that He saved them from Pharaoh and his soldiers.
They intended to migrate to the blessed land of Bayt al-Maqdis.
And when they drew near to arriving
Moses, peace be upon him, reminded them of the blessings Allah had bestowed upon them, both religious and worldly.
He urged them to strive against the pagan tyrants.
They abandoned their duty and were punished with forty years of wandering.
The land of the Isra' shall remain a place of migration for the followers of the prophets until the end of time.
Especially when tribulations and trials emerge.
Thus, the people of faith and righteousness migrate to it, fleeing with their religion from tribulations and the weakening of the faith.
He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
There will be one migration after another.
The best of the people on earth are those who most strictly adhere to the land to which Ibrahim—peace be upon him—migrated.
And the most wicked of people will remain upon the earth.
Their land will reject them.
They are held in high esteem by Allah.
And the Fire shall gather them together with the monkeys and the swine.
The commentators stated
This means he moves away from the lands that have been seized by the disbelievers.
The best of its people.
And there remains a remnant who lagged behind the Emigrants.
A desire for worldly gain and a fear of engaging in battle.
And out of their concern for what they possessed therein, such as estates, livestock, and other worldly goods.
Because of the baseness of their souls and the weakness of their faith.
Like something deemed repulsive and contemptible by pure souls.
It is as if the earth itself finds them repulsive and casts them out.
And Allah, glory be to Him, dislikes them.
Thus, He distances them from the places of His mercy and the stations of His honor.
Distancing oneself from that which one’s nature finds repulsive and naturally recoils from.
For that reason, he forbade them from going out.
And he discouraged them, leaving them to sit idly with the enemies of the religion.
What an excellent place of prayer.
We are a sun that never sets.
If the caller calls, we shall respond.
We return to the sound truth.
Supporting the beloved Al-Aqsa.
In him is the best of creation, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
He is indeed an excellent person to pray behind.
The site where the Trustworthy Spirit descended with revelation.
A mission for the messengers.
A qibla for the Muslims.
The path of the conquerors.
In him is the best of creation, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
He is indeed the best of those who pray.
It is indeed an excellent place of prayer.