Part of What an Excellent Place of Prayer (series completed)
· Lesson 15 of 30
Yes, the prayer hall | Episode (15) | What is the greatest kingdom in history, and where is its headquarters?
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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 respond.
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We restore the stolen right.
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We support the beloved Al-Aqsa.
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In it is the best of creation, may peace be upon him.
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It is indeed an excellent place of prayer.
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An excellent place of prayer.
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What is the greatest kingdom in history?
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And where was its seat?
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To answer this question,
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we must point to a point of utmost importance:
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that the city of Jerusalem
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is an ancient and significant city throughout history.
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Chronologically, its roots run deep,
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dating back to the civilization of the Canaanite Arabs.
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Geographically, it connects the continents of the world.
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For this reason, it was subject to raids, destruction, and burning
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more than any other place.
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The city of Jerusalem has been rebuilt
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more than eighteen times throughout history.
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And every time the usurper and the aggressor departs,
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the city remains standing and firm,
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more firmly rooted than ever before.
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However, we must pause at a golden era,
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a period that was one of the most magnificent times for that land,
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when the greatest kingdom was established upon it
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to realize servitude to Allah and monotheism.
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Ibn al-Jawzi, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his book,
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*Al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa al-Umam* (The Systematic History of Kings and Nations):
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"We have narrated in a hadith from Mujahid that he said:
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'Four individuals ruled the earth:
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two believers and two disbelievers.
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As for the two believers,
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they are Sulayman ibn Dawud (peace be upon them both)
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and Dhu al-Qarnayn.
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As for the two disbelievers,
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they are Nebuchadnezzar and Nimrod.'"
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To visualize the greatness of this powerful and magnificent kingdom
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which Sulayman (peace be upon him) established in Palestine,
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let us look at how Allah the Almighty described
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this state from its very inception.
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The Almighty said:
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﴾And Sulayman inherited Dawud.﴿
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“And Solomon was David's heir. And he said: O mankind! Lo! we have been taught the language of birds, and have been given (abundance) of all things. This surely is evident favour.” (27:16)
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﴾We have been taught the language of birds.﴿
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“And Solomon was David's heir. And he said: O mankind! Lo! we have been taught the language of birds, and have been given (abundance) of all things. This surely is evident favour.” (27:16)
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﴾Indeed, this is the clear bounty.﴿
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Sulayman inherited Dawud (peace be upon them both)
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in knowledge, kingship, and prophethood.
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He bore the responsibility and fulfilled his servitude to Allah.
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﴾And We gave to Dawud, Sulayman.﴿
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﴾An excellent servant! Indeed, he was one who frequently returned [to Allah].﴿
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It was a caliphate of faith,
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a powerful state,
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and a complete kingdom.
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He preserved it, strengthened it, and expanded its borders,
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incorporating other regions into it.
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He implemented the law of Allah within it,
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brought happiness to the people,
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and led them on the path of Allah’s pleasure.
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How magnificent is this kingdom
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that combined religion and worldly life,
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servitude to Allah, authority, and the power of kingship!
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For the Lord of Might, the Almighty, shows us
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a situation and a scene of that Prophet, King, and righteous servant,
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and successful leader.
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The Almighty said:
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﴾And We gave to Dawud, Sulayman.﴿
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﴾An excellent servant! Indeed, he was one who frequently returned [to Allah].﴿
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“When there were shown to him at eventide lightfooted coursers” (38:31)
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“And he said: Lo! I have preferred the good things (of the world) to the remembrance of my Lord; till they were taken out of sight behind the curtain.” (38:32)
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until it vanished from sight.
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"Bring them back to me."
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“(Then he said): Bring them back to me, and fell to slashing (with his sword their) legs and necks.” (38:33)
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﴾And We certainly tried Sulayman.﴿
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“And verily We tried Solomon, and set upon his throne a (mere) body. Then did he repent.” (38:34)
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﴾Then he turned [to Allah].﴿
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“He said: My Lord! Forgive me and bestow on me sovereignty such as shall not belong to any after me. Lo! Thou art the Bestower.” (38:35)
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“He said: My Lord! Forgive me and bestow on me sovereignty such as shall not belong to any after me. Lo! Thou art the Bestower.” (38:35)
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﴾Indeed, You are the Bestower.﴿
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So Allah answered his prayer,
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as in the hadith of Abdullah ibn Umar,
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that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
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"When Sulayman ibn Dawud (peace be upon them both)
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finished building Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem),
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he asked Allah for three things:
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among them, a kingdom that would not be granted to anyone after him—
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meaning, anyone other than him—
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and it was granted to him."
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And how magnificent a structure is the Al-Aqsa Mosque,
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existing under the shadow of this great and powerful kingdom!
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Therefore, when an ifrit (demon) from the jinn escaped
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to our Prophet (peace be upon him)
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to interrupt his prayer,
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he was able to overpower him,
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and he wanted to tie him to a pillar of the mosque
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so that the Companions could see him,
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but he remembered the prayer of Sulayman (peace be upon him):
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“He said: My Lord! Forgive me and bestow on me sovereignty such as shall not belong to any after me. Lo! Thou art the Bestower.” (38:35)
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“He said: My Lord! Forgive me and bestow on me sovereignty such as shall not belong to any after me. Lo! Thou art the Bestower.” (38:35)
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﴾Indeed, You are the Bestower.﴿
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
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"So I sent him away, humiliated."
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Then Allah the Almighty explained a portion of the miracles of Sulayman (peace be upon him)
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and the nature of that great kingdom,
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such as the subjection of the wind and the devils:
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some of them building whatever he desired,
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and others diving for him,
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extracting pearls and ornaments.
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And whoever disobeyed and deviated from his command,
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his fate was imprisonment and chains.
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The Almighty said:
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“So We made the wind subservient unto him, setting fair by his command whithersoever he intended.” (38:36)
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“And the unruly, every builder and diver (made We subservient),” (38:37)
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“And others linked together in chains,” (38:38)
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﴾This is Our gift, so grant or withhold without account.﴿
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﴾And indeed, for him is nearness to Us and a good place of return.﴿
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If we want a further visualization of the greatness of that kingdom,
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let us contemplate the nature of the army and the soldiers of Sulayman (peace be upon him),
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with precision and order, where no one moved ahead of another.
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And the observer of the method and nature of travel to and from that great kingdom
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finds a wondrous matter,
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a divine power and a providential care.
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“And unto Solomon (We subdued) the wind in its raging. It set by his command toward the land which We had blessed. And of everything We are Aware.” (21:81)
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“And unto Solomon (We subdued) the wind in its raging. It set by his command toward the land which We had blessed. And of everything We are Aware.” (21:81)
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If he wanted to speed up the journey, it moved like a storm.
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If he wanted gentleness, it moved softly.
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The context implies that it was subject to the will of Sulayman (peace be upon him).
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And one who contemplates deeply the story of Sulayman (peace be upon him) and his inspection of the hoopoe,
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and then the beautiful dialogue that took place between them,
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and how the Queen of Sheba indicated
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through her intelligence, wisdom, and discernment, the greatness of this king through his letter...
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“(The Queen of Sheba) said (when she received the letter): O chieftains! Lo! there hath been thrown unto me a noble letter.” (27:29)
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“Lo! it is from Solomon, and lo! it is: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful;” (27:30)
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“Exalt not yourselves against me, but come unto me as those who surrender.” (27:31)
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The result was that Bilqis and those with her among the kings, princes, and the army entered the religion of Islam,
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because they saw the greatness and majesty of the kingdom,
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along with truthfulness, reverence, wisdom, and good conduct,
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and they submitted to his authority and his rule.
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“It was said unto her: Enter the hall. And when she saw it she deemed it a pool and bared her legs. (Solomon) said: Lo! it is a hall, made smooth, of glass. She said: My Lord! Lo! I have wronged myself, and I surrender with Solomon unto Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.” (27:44)
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An excellent place of prayer.
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We are a sun that never sets.
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If the caller calls, we respond.
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We restore the right, intact.
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We support the beloved Al-Aqsa.
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In it is the best of creation, may peace be upon him.
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It is indeed an excellent place of prayer.
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The landing place of the trustworthy revelation.
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The place of mission for the messengers.
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The qibla for the Muslims.
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The destination for the conquerors.
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In it is the best of creation, may peace be upon him.
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It is indeed an excellent place of prayer.
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It is indeed an excellent place of prayer.