Part of What an Excellent Place of Prayer (series completed)
· Lesson 4 of 30
Yes, the prayer hall | Episode (4) | What is the second mosque built on Earth?
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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We are a sun that never sets.
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If the caller calls, we answer.
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We shall restore the truth, whole and intact.
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We shall grant victory to the beloved Al-Aqsa.
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Within it, the best of creation prayed.
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It is indeed a blessed place of prayer.
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A blessed place of prayer.
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What is the second mosque established on earth?
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To answer this question,
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let us pause and reflect upon this magnificent hadith.
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From the hadith of the noble Companion Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, may Allah be pleased with him,
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who said: I asked, "O Messenger of Allah,
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which mosque was the first to be established on earth?"
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He replied, "The Sacred Mosque (Al-Masjid al-Haram)."
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I asked, "And then which?"
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He replied, "The Al-Aqsa Mosque."
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I asked, "How much time was between them?"
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He replied, "Forty years."
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Then, wherever prayer overtakes you after that, pray,
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for the merit lies in it.
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The hadith explicitly states that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque
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is the second mosque established to realize servitude
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to Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, on earth.
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And that the city of Jerusalem is the second city to know monotheism
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after Makkah, may Allah honor it.
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Thus begins the bond of faith and the religious attachment,
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and the doctrinal connection to that spot since the beginning of time.
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As is well known,
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the first house founded on earth to realize worship and devotion
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is the Sacred Mosque.
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As the Almighty said:
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They worship their Lord within it,
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so their sins are forgiven,
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their lapses are overlooked,
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and they attain through it acts of obedience and closeness,
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by which they gain the pleasure of their Lord,
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the attainment of His reward, and salvation from His punishment.
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That is why He called it "blessed,"
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meaning it contains abundant blessings in both religious and worldly benefits.
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The verse and the hadith
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both point to an important historical reality
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and a depth of meaning,
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through the words of our Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He,
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"first" in the verse,
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and the question using "first" in the hadith,
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to denote a temporal beginning in terms of absolute primacy,
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and a spatial one in terms of foundation, designation, and the selection of the site.
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Herein lies the importance of these two spots and the interconnection of the two mosques.
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The meaning of "established" (wudi'a)
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is founded, fixed, and set.
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From this, a place is called a "mawdi'" (location).
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The root of "wad'" (placing) is the setting down, the opposite of lifting.
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Since something lifted is far from reach,
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that which is "placed" (mawdu') is close and accessible.
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Thus, "placing" is used to signify proximity for the seeker and preparation for benefit.
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The words of our Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He,
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and the words of our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, "established,"
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contain a more precise indication than the word "built."
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It is a profound indication of their exclusivity for worship,
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the designation of the site, and the attention, honor, and reverence given to it,
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as well as its religious status, sacredness, and blessing,
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and the attachment of people's hearts to it.
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It is commonly known among people
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that Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was the first to build the Sacred Mosque,
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and that Ya'qub or Sulayman, peace be upon them, was the first to build Al-Aqsa Mosque.
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Scholars have held various opinions in determining this,
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but one who reflects on the verse and the hadith, along with historical perspective,
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finds that the closest and most likely opinion
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is that the Sacred Mosque and Al-Aqsa Mosque
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were built—founded, initiated, and their foundations laid—
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in the time of Adam, peace be upon him.
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It is transmitted that Adam, peace be upon him, built the Sacred Mosque,
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and then, forty years later,
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Al-Aqsa Mosque was built.
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That is, in his time,
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and it is possible it was done by his children,
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as they spread out after him.
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Ibn al-Jawzi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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"The indication is to the first construction
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and the laying of the foundations of the two mosques.
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Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was not the first to build the Ka'bah,
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nor was Sulayman, peace be upon him, the first to build Bayt al-Maqdis.
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There were many prophets, righteous people, and builders.
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Allah knows best who began it.
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We have narrated that the first to build the Ka'bah was Adam,
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then his children spread across the earth,
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so it is possible that some of them established Bayt al-Maqdis."
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Al-Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned something similar.
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Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, favored the view
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that the building of Al-Aqsa Mosque was in the era of Adam,
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just as the Sacred Mosque was built in his era.
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He says,
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and Al-Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him, said the same,
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that the hadith does not indicate that Ibrahim and Sulayman, peace be upon them,
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when they built the two mosques,
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were the ones who initiated their establishment.
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Rather, that was a renewal of what others had founded before them.
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The elite of humanity, the prophets and the righteous, realized the importance of Al-Aqsa,
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so they took turns building, raising, and renewing it.
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Ibrahim, peace be upon him, renewed it,
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and when he grew old, Ya'qub, peace be upon him, renewed it,
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just as Sulayman, peace be upon him, raised its structure and built it.
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Its maintenance continued from generation to generation
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until this very day.
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For a long time, the Jews have tried to erase these historical facts
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and suggest that the beginning of the relationship of Al-Aqsa Mosque on earth
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was since Sulayman, peace be upon him,
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in order to discard more than two thousand years of its ancient history.
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But that is far from their reach.
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Just as the sun cannot be covered by a sieve,
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their lies, forgery, and distortion
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will only deceive the weak-minded and the sick-hearted.
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Our sanctities will remain standing tall,
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and they will be recovered tomorrow or the day after, by the will of Allah.
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A blessed place of prayer.
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We are a sun that never sets.
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If the caller calls, we answer.
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We shall restore the truth, whole and intact.
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We shall grant victory to the beloved Al-Aqsa.
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Within it, the best of creation prayed.
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It is indeed a blessed 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 for the Muslims.
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The destination of the conquerors.
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Within it, the best of creation prayed.
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It is indeed a blessed place of prayer.
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It is indeed a blessed place of prayer.