The Religious Importance of Palestine - Shaykh Zakaullah Saleem

Opening — Khutbah al-Hajah

Praise be to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds.

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and you will not die except as Muslims.

O you who have believed, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul, and He created from it its wife, and He spread among them many men and women. And fear Allah, with whom you ask for mercy. Verily, Allah is ever watching over you.

O you who have believed, fear Allah and say a firm word. He will amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has indeed attained a great triumph.

As for the rest — the best hadith is the Book of Allah, and the best guide is the guide of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. And the worst of things are its innovations, and every innovation is a bid'ah, and every bid'ah is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

Palestine: A Religious Issue, Not a Political One

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam. Palestine is at the forefront of every Muslim's mind nowadays. Why is it that all of us talk about Palestine and how important Palestine is to us?

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, first and foremost, we must understand that the issue of Palestine, for us the believers, is not a political issue. Rather, it is solely and purely a religious issue. It is a religious issue in many ways.

The Sanctity of Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa

First and foremost, because of Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa — the first Qibla of the Muslims, the first Qibla of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa and the surrounding areas and regions, about which Allah said in the Quran, in the first ayah of Surah Al-Isra:

Glory be to the One who took His slave Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, from Al-Masjid Al-Haram in Makkah Al-Mukarramah to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa within one night. And then from there the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, went on his night journey, Al-Mi'raj. Allah says that He sent His blessings and His barakah in the area surrounding Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa.

Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa is one of the three masajid on this planet about which our beloved Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1189; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1397)

There are only three masajid — three houses of Allah — where you can travel with the intention of gaining reward and ajr from Allah for your travel and journey, and you are rewarded for that. And one of them is Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa.

Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa is the second house of Allah that was built on this earth for the worship of Allah. The first one was Baytullah, and then the second house of Allah that was built on this earth for the worship of Allah was Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa. The hadith is reported by Imam Al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim, rahimahum Allah — that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was asked by his companions: what was the gap between the construction of Baytullah and Masjid Al-Aqsa?

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3366; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 520)

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: forty years. Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa was built on this earth forty years after Baytullah. And there are so many virtues of Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa and the land of Palestine.

Therefore, we believers and Muslims believe that the issue of Palestine is solely a religious issue for us.

The Palestinians Are Part of Our Ummah

It is also religious for us because the people of Palestine are the Muslims and the believers. They are part of this Ummah, the Ummah of Muhammadur Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him. About which Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6011; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2586)

The example of the believers in terms of their mutual love, affection, and their connection and strong relationship amongst themselves is like a single body. If one single limb or part of your body hurts, the whole body becomes restless. You cannot sleep if you have a headache or if you have pain in any part of your body.

The Palestinians are part of this Ummah. And if a believer — if a person who claims to be Muslim and Mu'min, a person who claims that he believes in Allah and Muhammadur Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him — cannot feel the pain of the Palestinian in his heart, such a person has to question his Iman. Such a person has to question his Iman — what kind of Iman he possesses and what kind of Iman he holds in his heart.

How to Respond: The Religious Guidance

So when we establish, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, that the Palestinian issue is a religious issue for us, then we must also understand that we need to tackle and treat this issue religiously — according to the religious guidelines, according to the Sunnah of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

When we believe that our religion, the religion of Islam, is a complete religion that guides us in every single step of our life — it guides us how to react and how to behave in times of prosperity, happiness, and joy; likewise, our religion also guides us how to react and behave in times of hardships, difficulties, and calamities.

If we study the Seerah of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, we come to know that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, went through the most difficult situations. Him and his companions — Wallahi, I can say that the hardships and the difficulties that our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, faced at that time were far greater than the hardship and the difficulty of the people of Palestine.

And it is a fact: our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, faced the same as what the people of Palestine are facing today. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was forced to leave Makkah Al-Mukarramah — for what? For saying لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ. The people of Gaza are being forced to leave their homeland — because of what? Because they said لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ.

Iman and Yaqeen — Certainty in Allah's Help

Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has guided us how to react and how to behave in times of difficulties and hardships. My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, first and foremost, we need to have Iman in our heart and Yaqeen — certainty. Not only hope, rather Yaqeen — that Allah will definitely help the people of Palestine and this whole Ummah of Muhammadur Rasulullah. It has to be an Iman. It has to be a Yaqeen. Because this is what Allah has said in the Quran, and this is what our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has instructed us.

Du'a — The Strongest Weapon of the Believer

And we need to raise our hands in du'a and turn to Allah, making du'a for our brothers and sisters in Palestine, in Gaza — that Allah showers His mercy upon them, that Allah assists them and helps them, and that Allah destroys all those who are oppressing them. May Allah shower His mercy upon them.

Du'a is the strongest weapon that we have as believers in our hands nowadays, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam. And do not underestimate the power of du'a. Do not underestimate the power of du'a.

Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, before entering into the field of Badr — which was the very first battle that took place between the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his companions and the people of Mecca — the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, spent a whole night begging Allah for His help and assistance. And this is what you see throughout the history and throughout the Seerah of Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him.

Tawbah — Repentance as a Community

Turn to Allah, O Believers — all of you, without exception, turn to Allah in repentance. Ask Allah for His forgiveness first and foremost. Because whatever we see around us, whatever we hear, any calamity that we are afflicted with, any hardship that we face — it is because of our own mistakes and our own sins. And the sins of individuals have a great impact on the community, the society, and the whole Ummah.

You living in Birmingham — if you disobey Allah, never be deceived by Shaitan into thinking that your disobedience and your sin is not going to impact the people of Palestine. No. Rather, all of us, we need to turn to Allah in repentance and seek Allah's forgiveness.

Sabr and Salah — Seeking Allah's Assistance

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, it is very unfortunate that we all talk about the Palestinian issue and we try to find solutions outside the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and we tend to forget the core guidance of Allah and His Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him. Allah has ordered us in the Quran:

O you who believe, seek Allah's assistance — and obviously we all need Allah's assistance. In this most difficult time we need Allah's assistance for ourselves and for our brothers and sisters in Palestine. In order to seek Allah's assistance and help, Allah has guided you and ordered you what to do. First and foremost, have patience — have sabr. Have patience and believe that these kinds of calamities, hardships, difficulties, trials, tests, and tribulations are part and parcel of our Iman. Don't be driven by emotions; rather be driven by the guidance of your Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, and the instruction and commandment of Allah Dhul Jalal Wal Ikram.

Salah, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam — pray, turn to Allah. It has been nearly three weeks since we have been hearing about the catastrophe of Gaza and Palestine. Have we seen that our masajid have become full by worshippers? The number of attendees at the masajid remains the same. When are we going to turn to Allah? When? If not now, when?

You want to seek the assistance of the politicians and the rulers and the governments? What about Allah? As a believer, do you not believe that Allah is Malikul Muluk — He is the King of kings? He is Al-Qawiyyul Aziz — He has all the power. Allah said in the Quran:

If Allah assists you, if Allah helps you, then no one can overtake you. If Allah forsakes you, then who can help you after Allah? And upon Allah alone, the believers have to put their trust.

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, turn to Allah. Turn to Allah in prayers, seeking His forgiveness, asking for Allah's assistance and help in your salawat, in your individual prayers. And don't be deceived by Shaitan into saying that we have been making du'a for the people of Palestine for many years but Allah never answers our du'a.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Allah definitely answers the du'a of His slave, as long as he does not say and does not think within his heart, "I have made du'a for so long but Allah is not answering my du'a." As soon as you think like this and say this, Allah closes the doors of His mercy upon you.

Qunoot al-Nazilah — Du'a in the Salah

My duty and your duty towards the people of Palestine is to raise your hands and make du'a for them — and particularly, acting upon the Sunnah of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Not the du'a that people claim nowadays: "Let's get together in that street today, here and there." No. Turn to the houses of Allah — the masajid. Turn to the prayer. Turn to Allah in repentance and seek His forgiveness. Stand before Allah in your salawat. And then raise your hands in Qunoot al-Nazilah, making du'a for the people of Palestine and also making du'a against the oppressors — that Allah destroys all those who are oppressing our brothers and sisters in Gaza.

Our Obligation: Learn and Teach the History of Palestine

May Allah give us tawfiq and ability to rectify our own problems and our mistakes. And may Allah give us tawfiq and ability to seek His forgiveness all the time. And may Allah accept our du'as.

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, one of our obligations towards Palestine and towards Masjid Al-Aqsa particularly is to learn about the history of Palestine and the history of Al-Aqsa. And we must teach our next generation about Al-Aqsa and what has been taking place throughout history.

We must teach them. Otherwise there is a great chance that our next generation — our youth and our children — are influenced by the mainstream media, where the oppressed ones are shown as oppressors, and it is portrayed as if the people of Gaza and the people of Palestine are the oppressors. So we must learn, we must educate ourselves, and we must educate our next generation.

If our next generation loses their connection and their strong connection with Al-Aqsa, then it will be a clear sign of the defeat of the Muslims and the whole Ummah. And this is precisely what is being portrayed in the media nowadays. So we have to learn and we have to know what has taken place and what is going on right now.

We have to be realistic and we should not be deceived by the deceivers who paint the picture in a different way and expect us to believe whatever they want. Rather, as we said, the issue of Al-Aqsa is a religious issue — an issue that we as an Ummah can never give up on. It is a part of our Iman. We have to be clear.

So we have to support the cause of Palestine, and we have to support our brothers and sisters in Islam in Palestine. May Allah shower His mercy upon them. May Allah help them. And may Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions.