Yes, the prayer hall | Episode (14) | What do you know about the virtues of Jerusalem?

0:00 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

0:24 What an excellent place of prayer.

0:28 What do you know about the virtues of Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem)?

0:35 Bayt al-Maqdis possesses numerous virtues.

0:41 If we were to track and investigate them all, the time would fail us.

0:46 It is the flower of cities and the mother of the lands of al-Sham (the Levant).

0:50 It is sufficient honor, nobility, and status for it

0:54 that Allah, glory be to Him and Exalted is He, made it a blessed land,

0:59 pure and sanctified, in more than one verse.

1:03 Allah the Almighty says:

1:05 “Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far distant place of worship the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, that We might show him of Our tokens! Lo! He, only He, is the Hearer, the Seer.” (17:1)

1:13 "...to the Al-Aqsa Mosque..."

1:18 “Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far distant place of worship the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, that We might show him of Our tokens! Lo! He, only He, is the Hearer, the Seer.” (17:1)

1:24 "...Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing."

1:30 If Bayt al-Maqdis had no other virtue but this verse,

1:36 it would be sufficient and encompass all blessings.

1:41 For if there is blessing in its surroundings, the blessing within it is multiplied.

1:46 When we speak of Bayt al-Maqdis,

1:49 we are speaking of the Al-Aqsa Mosque,

1:52 which is the best spot within it.

1:55 We are also speaking of Palestine,

1:58 which is the heart of the lands of al-Sham,

2:01 that sanctified, blessed land

2:04 which also possesses virtues related to both its location and its inhabitants.

2:09 We have mentioned in previous sessions

2:12 a number of important virtues of that sacred spot and blessed mosque.

2:19 Something of this will come up successively in every station.

2:24 However, we will focus here on some virtues that have not been mentioned.

2:29 For that spot is distinguished from other places on earth

2:34 by the dual virtues of both place and people.

2:38 Abdullah Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, said:

2:42 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

2:46 "I saw the pillar of the Book being pulled from under my pillow.

2:51 I looked, and it was a shining light being taken to al-Sham.

2:56 Verily, when tribulations occur, faith will be in al-Sham."

3:01 The vision of the Prophets is truth.

3:05 The "pillar of the Book and Islam" is that upon which it relies,

3:09 and they are its bearers who uphold it.

3:12 He, peace be upon him, informed us

3:15 that the pillar of Islam, which is faith,

3:18 will be in al-Sham when tribulations occur.

3:21 This means that if tribulations occur regarding the religion,

3:25 the people of al-Sham will be innocent of that, remaining steadfast in faith.

3:30 And if they occur in matters other than the religion,

3:33 the people of al-Sham will be acting according to the requirements and demands of faith.

3:38 And what praise could be more complete than that for the people of al-Sham?

3:43 The intent behind the "pillar of Islam"

3:45 is that which the people of Islam rely upon

3:48 and take refuge in.

3:50 Reality bears witness to this,

3:53 for we have seen the people of al-Sham in a state of complete uprightness,

3:57 holding fast to the Book and the Sunnah

3:59 when whims appear and opinions diverge.

4:03 He, peace be upon him, also said:

4:06 "How blessed is al-Sham!"

4:13 They asked, "O Messenger of Allah, and why is that?"

4:16 He said, "Those are the angels of Allah,

4:20 spreading their wings over al-Sham."

4:23 "Tuba" is the feminine form of "atyab" (most pleasant/good),

4:26 meaning comfort and a good life are attained for it and its people.

4:31 Al-Munawi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

4:34 Meaning they surround and protect it by bringing down blessings,

4:38 and warding off calamities and harmful things.

4:41 Because of its importance and status,

4:44 the Companions, including the female Companions, may Allah be pleased with them,

4:49 used to ask the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,

4:52 about everything related to Bayt al-Maqdis,

4:56 to the extent that Maymunah bint Sa'd,

4:59 the freedwoman of the Prophet, peace be upon him, asked,

5:03 saying, "O Messenger of Allah,

5:06 give us a legal ruling regarding Bayt al-Maqdis."

5:09 He, peace be upon him, said:

5:12 "The land of the Gathering and the Resurrection."

5:15 The land of the Gathering and the Resurrection,

5:18 meaning the spot where people are gathered for the reckoning,

5:21 and are resurrected from their graves,

5:24 then driven toward it.

5:28 It was singled out for that

5:30 because it is the land about which Allah the Almighty said:

5:34 "...We have blessed it for the worlds."

5:37 And most of the Prophets, peace be upon them,

5:40 were sent from there,

5:42 so their laws spread throughout the worlds,

5:45 making it fitting that it be the land of the Gathering and the Resurrection.

5:49 Allah the Almighty says:

5:51 "...And We made the son of Maryam and his mother a sign..."

5:54 “And We made the son of Mary and his mother a portent, and We gave them refuge on a height, a place of flocks and watersprings.” (23:50)

5:59 meaning to a place raised above the surrounding land.

6:04 That is why it is said of a man who is in a high position among his people,

6:08 in terms of honor, nobility, and number,

6:11 "He is in a 'rabwah' (elevated place) among his people."

6:14 Qatadah said:

6:16 "It is Bayt al-Maqdis."

6:18 And Allah the Almighty says:

6:20 "By the fig and the olive,

6:24 and Mount Sinai,

6:27 and this secure city."

6:31 Shaykh al-Islam, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

6:34 It is an oath by the three noble, venerated places

6:39 in which His light and guidance appeared,

6:42 and in which the three were revealed:

6:45 the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur'an.

6:48 Just as the three were mentioned in the Torah by His saying:

6:52 "Allah came from Mount Sinai,

6:54 and shone forth from Seir,

6:56 and appeared from the mountains of Paran."

6:59 And since what is in the Torah is a report about them,

7:03 it reported them in their chronological order,

7:06 presenting the earlier one first.

7:09 From the hadith of Abdullah Ibn Hawalah, may Allah be pleased with him,

7:14 the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

7:18 "The matter will reach a point where you will be organized armies:

7:24 an army in al-Sham, an army in Yemen, and an army in Iraq."

7:30 Ibn Hawalah said:

7:32 "Choose for me, O Messenger of Allah, if I live to see that."

7:36 He said, "You must go to al-Sham,

7:39 for it is Allah's chosen land from His earth,

7:42 to which He gathers the best of His servants.

7:46 But if you refuse,

7:48 then you must go to your Yemen,

7:50 and drink from your ponds,

7:52 for Allah has guaranteed for me al-Sham and its people."

7:56 This hadith is of the highest level of prophecy,

7:59 combining the two virtues of place and people

8:02 through his saying, peace be upon him:

8:05 "For Allah has guaranteed for me al-Sham and its people."

8:09 The virtues of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Bayt al-Maqdis are numerous and varied,

8:15 more than can be counted in words such as these.

8:20 But it is enough that it is the third sibling

8:23 of the two greatest mosques on earth:

8:26 the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah) and the Prophet's Mosque (in Madinah).

8:30 It has been blessed, as have its surroundings,

8:33 with both religious and worldly blessings.

8:36 It is the first qibla for the Muslims,

8:39 the second mosque established on earth,

8:42 and the third of the mosques to which journeys are undertaken.

8:46 It is one of four mosques that the Dajjal will not enter.

8:50 It is the ribat (frontier post) of the mujahidin,

8:53 and the place of the victorious group until the Day of Judgment.

8:57 There, the conflict between truth and falsehood will be settled at the end of time.

9:04 There is not a space of a span within it

9:06 but that a Prophet has prayed there, or an angel has stood there,

9:10 or a worshiper has worshiped.

9:13 It is the land of the Prophets, peace be upon them,

9:16 the pure, and the pious.

9:18 It is the land of miracles, wonders, and glad tidings.

9:23 What an excellent place of prayer.

9:26 We are a sun that does not set.

9:29 If the caller calls, we answer.

9:32 We restore the stolen right.

9:35 We support the beloved Al-Aqsa.

9:38 In it, the best of creation prayed.

9:42 It is truly an excellent place of prayer.

9:45 The landing place of the Trustworthy Revelation.

9:48 The sending place of the Messengers.

9:51 The qibla for the Muslims.

9:54 The destination of the conquerors.

9:58 In it, the best of creation prayed.

10:01 It is truly an excellent place of prayer.

10:04 It is truly an excellent place of prayer.

Yes, the prayer hall | Episode (14) | What do you know about the virtues of Jerusalem?

Transcript