1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,720 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:24,329 --> 00:00:27,329 What an excellent place of prayer. 3 00:00:28,329 --> 00:00:35,780 Is Palestine the cause of the Palestinians alone? 4 00:00:35,780 --> 00:00:42,600 The answer to this question is almost 5 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:48,600 one of the greatest fruits of these pauses and reflections on the excellence of this place of prayer. 6 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:50,920 Due to the weakening of religious allegiance 7 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:54,920 and the bond of faith and creed to that cause, 8 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:58,920 and the misleading, directed media machine 9 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:05,299 designed to reduce that cause and strip it of its true content, 10 00:01:05,299 --> 00:01:10,299 we must first establish a very important truth: 11 00:01:10,299 --> 00:01:13,299 that speaking about the Al-Aqsa Mosque 12 00:01:13,299 --> 00:01:16,299 is speaking about the city of Jerusalem, 13 00:01:16,299 --> 00:01:20,299 and speaking about Palestine—all of Palestine— 14 00:01:20,299 --> 00:01:23,299 which is the heart of the Levant (Bilad al-Sham), 15 00:01:23,299 --> 00:01:26,299 that blessed and sanctified land. 16 00:01:26,299 --> 00:01:29,299 It is impossible to separate all these parts 17 00:01:29,299 --> 00:01:33,530 through artificial labels and geography. 18 00:01:33,530 --> 00:01:35,530 At the beginning of the conflict, 19 00:01:35,530 --> 00:01:38,530 the cause in the hearts of most Muslims 20 00:01:38,530 --> 00:01:41,659 was an Islamic cause. 21 00:01:41,659 --> 00:01:45,659 Then, after the spreading of rumors, lies, and fabrications, 22 00:01:45,659 --> 00:01:47,659 and the weakening of religious motivation, 23 00:01:47,659 --> 00:01:50,659 the culture of nationalism prevailed, 24 00:01:50,659 --> 00:01:54,659 until it became an exclusively Arab cause 25 00:01:54,659 --> 00:01:56,659 for a period of time. 26 00:01:56,659 --> 00:01:58,750 Then, little by little, 27 00:01:58,750 --> 00:02:00,750 the circle narrowed, 28 00:02:00,750 --> 00:02:03,750 and the cause was reduced more and more, 29 00:02:03,750 --> 00:02:06,750 until it became the cause of the frontline states, 30 00:02:06,750 --> 00:02:09,750 then a Palestinian cause 31 00:02:09,750 --> 00:02:12,750 concerning only the Palestinians themselves. 32 00:02:13,389 --> 00:02:17,389 The great truth and the supreme cause 33 00:02:17,389 --> 00:02:21,389 that should be firmly rooted in the minds, hearts, 34 00:02:21,389 --> 00:02:23,389 and even the thinking of Muslims, 35 00:02:23,389 --> 00:02:26,389 and which should not be taken lightly, 36 00:02:26,389 --> 00:02:30,389 or neglected and forgotten under any circumstances— 37 00:02:30,389 --> 00:02:35,389 and every Muslim must review their own self, behavior, approach, 38 00:02:35,389 --> 00:02:38,389 creed, and actions toward it— 39 00:02:38,389 --> 00:02:43,389 is that the cause of this good, sanctified, and blessed land 40 00:02:43,389 --> 00:02:46,389 is the cause of an entire Ummah, 41 00:02:46,389 --> 00:02:50,389 from the time Allah created humanity on the face of the earth 42 00:02:50,389 --> 00:02:52,389 until the Day of Judgment, 43 00:02:52,389 --> 00:02:55,389 because it is closely linked 44 00:02:55,389 --> 00:02:58,389 to revelation and the message of monotheism (Tawhid) 45 00:02:58,389 --> 00:03:01,389 at the beginning, middle, and end of time. 46 00:03:01,389 --> 00:03:05,620 If we say that the cause of Palestine is Arab 47 00:03:05,620 --> 00:03:07,620 and not Islamic, 48 00:03:07,620 --> 00:03:11,620 then we exclude from the circle of responsibility and conflict 49 00:03:11,620 --> 00:03:16,620 more than 1.3 billion non-Arab Muslims. 50 00:03:16,620 --> 00:03:21,650 And if it is reduced to being only the cause of the Palestinians, 51 00:03:21,650 --> 00:03:24,650 as is rumored in some media institutions, 52 00:03:24,650 --> 00:03:27,650 whether intentionally or unintentionally, 53 00:03:27,650 --> 00:03:32,650 it will be limited to a number not exceeding fifteen million, 54 00:03:32,650 --> 00:03:36,650 and thus we slaughter the cause with our own hands. 55 00:03:36,650 --> 00:03:38,650 This is what the enemies strive for, 56 00:03:38,650 --> 00:03:42,680 and they exert strenuous efforts to achieve it. 57 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:49,680 Hence, the enemies worked to spread rumors, lies, and fabrications regarding that cause 58 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:52,680 to shake confidence in the hearts. 59 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:57,680 One such lie is that the Palestinians sold their land to the Jews, 60 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,680 and this is a great slander, unfortunately, 61 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:03,680 which most nations believed, 62 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:09,680 and it reflected negatively on people's concern and responsibility toward Al-Aqsa. 63 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:14,810 For if someone sold their land, would they live in camps of misery and diaspora, 64 00:04:14,810 --> 00:04:17,810 in a wretched state and hardship of life? 65 00:04:18,810 --> 00:04:24,810 Would someone who sold their land demand it back after the sale, even now? 66 00:04:24,810 --> 00:04:30,899 Would someone who sold their land insist on returning to it no matter the cost? 67 00:04:30,899 --> 00:04:38,899 Furthermore, have you ever heard that the Jews produced an official document in any international forum 68 00:04:38,899 --> 00:04:44,899 and said, "This proves we bought the land, so do not claim it"? 69 00:04:44,899 --> 00:04:47,899 That has not happened and never will. 70 00:04:47,899 --> 00:04:52,160 Why should this cause not be the cause of an Ummah? 71 00:04:52,160 --> 00:05:02,160 We have mentioned throughout our past reflections many truths, virtues, and great events on the soil of this land. 72 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:06,350 It is the first Qibla and the second mosque established, 73 00:05:06,350 --> 00:05:11,350 and the third of the mosques to which journeys are undertaken. 74 00:05:11,350 --> 00:05:15,350 It is one of four mosques that the Dajjal (Antichrist) will not enter. 75 00:05:15,350 --> 00:05:20,350 It is the place of migration for the Prophets, their abode, and the site of their graves, 76 00:05:20,350 --> 00:05:23,350 among many other qualities. 77 00:05:23,350 --> 00:05:26,670 If this land had no other merit 78 00:05:26,670 --> 00:05:30,670 than being the place of the Night Journey (Isra') of our beloved, peace be upon him, 79 00:05:30,670 --> 00:05:33,670 and his Ascension (Mi'raj) to the heavens, 80 00:05:33,670 --> 00:05:37,670 it would suffice for it to be the cause of every Muslim man and woman, 81 00:05:37,670 --> 00:05:43,670 regardless of their colors, races, nationalities, or languages. 82 00:05:43,670 --> 00:05:50,800 Otherwise, why did the wife of 'Imran vow what was in her womb to be dedicated to the service of the Holy House (Jerusalem)? 83 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,800 Because it is the cause of an Ummah. 84 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:59,800 And why did Musa, peace be upon him, pray to be buried at the edges of the Holy Land 85 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:02,800 when he was not able to enter it? 86 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:05,930 Because it is the cause of an Ummah. 87 00:06:05,930 --> 00:06:11,930 Why did 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, come himself to receive the keys to Jerusalem, 88 00:06:11,930 --> 00:06:14,930 even though he ruled from Egypt to the Indus? 89 00:06:14,930 --> 00:06:21,930 It is said that more than a thousand provinces, villages, and cities were conquered during his reign, 90 00:06:21,930 --> 00:06:26,930 yet he did not personally receive the keys to any of them except Jerusalem, 91 00:06:26,930 --> 00:06:30,930 in a sign of the importance and sanctity of that spot, 92 00:06:30,930 --> 00:06:33,930 and that it is the property of the Muslims. 93 00:06:33,930 --> 00:06:36,930 Then 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, made it an endowment (waqf), 94 00:06:36,930 --> 00:06:41,930 so no one has the right to concede even an inch of it. 95 00:06:41,930 --> 00:06:46,120 And if the cause of Palestine were not the cause of an Ummah, 96 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:53,120 then who drove the commander Nur al-Din Mahmud Zengi, from the Turkish Seljuks, 97 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:58,120 after the great slaughter and violation of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa occurred, 98 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:03,120 to the point that people thought Jerusalem would never return to the Muslims? 99 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:09,120 He rolled up his sleeves, spread monotheism and the Sunnah, 100 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:14,120 suppressed innovation, brought scholars close, united the small states, 101 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:18,120 spread justice, and gave the oppressed their rights. 102 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:24,120 He increased endowments and took upon himself the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. 103 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:31,310 Abu Shamah al-Maqdisi mentioned in his book *Al-Rawdatayn fi Akhbar al-Dawlatayn* 104 00:07:31,310 --> 00:07:37,310 that a group of scholars came to Nur al-Din one day 105 00:07:37,310 --> 00:07:44,310 and said, "We have come to narrate to you, with a continuous chain of transmission to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 106 00:07:44,310 --> 00:07:47,310 a hadith that is sequential (musalsal), 107 00:07:47,310 --> 00:07:52,310 which the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said while smiling, 108 00:07:52,310 --> 00:07:55,410 so we smile as we narrate it to you." 109 00:07:55,410 --> 00:08:00,410 Nur al-Din turned to them, with grief crushing his heart, and said, 110 00:08:00,410 --> 00:08:06,410 "How can I smile while the Al-Aqsa Mosque is shackled in the chains of humiliation and disgrace, 111 00:08:06,410 --> 00:08:09,410 under the hooves of the enemies' horses?" 112 00:08:09,410 --> 00:08:12,699 Then he was followed by his student, Salah al-Din, 113 00:08:12,699 --> 00:08:17,699 who was the fruit of Nur al-Din Zengi—may Allah have mercy on them both. 114 00:08:17,699 --> 00:08:21,730 Salah al-Din was of Kurdish origin from Armenia, 115 00:08:21,730 --> 00:08:29,860 and he liberated Jerusalem from the Crusaders in the year 583 AH. 116 00:08:29,860 --> 00:08:35,860 Thus, this cause remains the cause of an entire Ummah, 117 00:08:35,860 --> 00:08:41,860 and the struggle over its land is a struggle between truth and falsehood until the Day of Judgment. 118 00:08:41,860 --> 00:08:44,919 He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says: 119 00:08:44,919 --> 00:08:49,919 "A group of my Ummah will continue to fight for the truth, 120 00:08:49,919 --> 00:08:52,919 prevailing over those who oppose them, 121 00:08:52,919 --> 00:08:56,919 until the last of them fights the Dajjal." 122 00:08:56,919 --> 00:09:02,210 And what made the Emir Mawdud from the Turkish Seljuks, 123 00:09:02,210 --> 00:09:05,210 the Emir of Mosul after its usurpation, 124 00:09:05,210 --> 00:09:08,210 begin by leading the army, 125 00:09:08,210 --> 00:09:11,210 recapturing some cities in the Levant, 126 00:09:11,210 --> 00:09:15,210 and forming an alliance with the Emir of Damascus, Toghtekin? 127 00:09:15,210 --> 00:09:18,210 He was among the first to wage jihad against the Crusaders 128 00:09:18,210 --> 00:09:21,210 before the emergence of 'Imad al-Din Zengi 129 00:09:21,210 --> 00:09:24,210 and his son Nur al-Din—may Allah have mercy on them. 130 00:09:24,210 --> 00:09:27,299 When he returned with the Emir of Damascus 131 00:09:27,299 --> 00:09:31,299 to rest in the year 507 AH, 132 00:09:31,299 --> 00:09:35,299 and after performing the Friday prayer in the Umayyad Mosque, 133 00:09:35,299 --> 00:09:40,299 one of the Batiniyyah (sectarians) came and stabbed him four times. 134 00:09:40,299 --> 00:09:43,299 He was fasting and did not break his fast, 135 00:09:43,299 --> 00:09:47,299 saying, "I will not meet Allah except while fasting." 136 00:09:47,299 --> 00:09:53,299 The Frankish king sent a message to the Emir of Damascus saying, 137 00:09:53,299 --> 00:09:57,299 "A nation that killed its leader on the day of its festival, 138 00:09:57,299 --> 00:09:59,299 in the house of its object of worship, 139 00:09:59,299 --> 00:10:02,299 deserves for Allah to annihilate it." 140 00:10:02,299 --> 00:10:06,500 Then you know the stance of the Ottoman Sultan, 141 00:10:06,500 --> 00:10:09,500 'Abd al-Hamid II—may Allah have mercy on him— 142 00:10:09,500 --> 00:10:14,500 when they pressured him to hand over part of Palestine to the Jews, 143 00:10:14,500 --> 00:10:19,500 and he lost his empire and the Ottoman State 144 00:10:19,500 --> 00:10:24,500 because of his heroic stance to preserve Palestine. 145 00:10:24,500 --> 00:10:29,590 Then what made the commander 'Izz al-Din al-Qassam—may Allah have mercy on him— 146 00:10:29,590 --> 00:10:31,590 from the Syrian coast, 147 00:10:31,590 --> 00:10:35,590 defend Palestine and fight for its sake, 148 00:10:35,590 --> 00:10:38,590 except that it is the cause of an Ummah? 149 00:10:38,590 --> 00:10:41,850 The enemies of Islam 150 00:10:41,850 --> 00:10:45,850 and the enemies of this cause, from the Jews and those who allied with them, have realized 151 00:10:45,850 --> 00:10:50,850 that when Muslims feel the reality of this cause, 152 00:10:50,850 --> 00:10:52,850 and that it is the cause of an Ummah, 153 00:10:52,850 --> 00:10:55,850 then they will be defeated, 154 00:10:55,850 --> 00:10:58,850 and the Muslims will overcome them. 155 00:10:58,850 --> 00:11:01,009 Golda Meir, 156 00:11:01,009 --> 00:11:04,009 the Prime Minister of the Zionist entity, says: 157 00:11:04,009 --> 00:11:07,039 "We do not fear the Muslims 158 00:11:07,039 --> 00:11:10,039 except when they pray the Fajr prayer in the mosque 159 00:11:10,039 --> 00:11:12,039 as they pray the Friday prayer." 160 00:11:13,259 --> 00:11:17,259 Our enemies know that the struggle over the land of Palestine 161 00:11:17,259 --> 00:11:20,259 is the struggle of an entire Ummah, 162 00:11:20,259 --> 00:11:23,259 not nationalism, nor regionalism, 163 00:11:23,259 --> 00:11:26,259 nor factionalism, nor partisanship. 164 00:11:26,259 --> 00:11:29,360 At a time when we have denied and turned away 165 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:32,360 from the simplest means of support and honor, 166 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:36,360 in an age of development, technology, and innovation, 167 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:39,360 whenever we achieve that, 168 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:43,360 and plant in our souls the reality of the struggle, 169 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:46,360 we will disturb the sleep of the occupiers. 170 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:50,360 For just as the usurpers have strategies, 171 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:54,389 the liberators also have strategies. 172 00:11:54,389 --> 00:11:57,389 The first of them is the reality of feeling responsibility, 173 00:11:57,389 --> 00:11:59,389 carrying the burden, 174 00:11:59,389 --> 00:12:03,389 and awakening the resolve in all situations and circumstances, 175 00:12:03,389 --> 00:12:07,389 because the soundness of the end comes from the soundness of the beginning. 176 00:12:07,389 --> 00:12:10,389 What an excellent place of prayer, 177 00:12:37,389 --> 00:12:39,389 for the Muslims, 178 00:12:39,389 --> 00:12:42,389 the place of the conquerors, 179 00:12:42,389 --> 00:12:45,389 in it is the best of creation, peace be upon him. 180 00:12:45,389 --> 00:12:49,389 It is an excellent place of prayer.