Jummah Khutbah - The Virtues of the Noble Sanctuary in Jerusalem

The Virtues of the Noble Sanctuary in Jerusalem

For those who have been watching the news lately, and unfortunately we don't see that much coverage in our local news over here, whether it's national, local or international, about what's going on in Palestine, and what's happening around the Noble Sanctuary in Jerusalem — Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, the farthest mosque.

People wonder, what is this all about? What's happening? Why are these people protesting? Thousands and thousands of people were staying outside of the doors, outside of the walls of Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, refusing — refusing to go into a sanctuary, a religious, spiritual sanctuary such as Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa. Shouldn't they be going through the doors happily and joyfully? What is it that they're protesting anyway?

For a lot of us who live in this society, in this part of the world, unfortunately we don't have fair coverage of what's going on over there. And as a result, probably in many ways, just in a news strip as you watch other news and media, they will just mention that the protesters in Palestine, in Jerusalem, are throwing rocks, doing this or doing that — and you don't get the full picture.

What I would like to cover in this khutbah, inshallah, is just a little bit of what is the importance of the noble sanctuary in Palestine, in Jerusalem — the noble sanctuary of Bayt al-Maqdis, the Father's Mosque. What is the virtue of this space for the Muslims? Why are the Muslims taking it so seriously that they're protesting the electronic doors that have been put by the occupation forces there in Jerusalem? Why are the Muslims refusing that?

And not just the Muslims. Ironically, if you watch the videos and read the news, you see that the solidarity of the Palestinians from Jerusalem and other places in Palestine, whether they were Muslims or Christians, they all stood in solidarity together in regards to this particular matter — because it's a matter of rights. It's a matter of resistance against an occupation that is trying to dictate the way they should enter their own noble sanctuary and religious space to go and worship.

For many days, the Palestinians, the Muslims there, refused to go and pray in Masjid al-Aqsa. And for many days — which is probably the first time ever in the history of Masjid al-Aqsa — it was abandoned, and there were no prayers going on over there.

Why? Because they wanted to make a point. They wanted to make a point that this is a place of worship. It's a place of sanctuary. It's a spiritual site. And no one has a right to go and put any kind of political agenda to this, or try to control the people from going there based on their own political views or otherwise.

The Second Sacred Site on Earth

So why is it so special? What is the virtue of Masjid al-Aqsa for the Muslims? The first thing we should understand is what the Prophet ﷺ said to us about this site. Rasulullah ﷺ was once asked:

"O Messenger of Allah, which of the masajid — which of the houses of worship — were ever established first on earth?"

So he said the first one that was established on earth was Al-Masjid al-Haram, the sacred house in Mecca. And then he was asked, "Then which one came next?" He said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3366; Sahih Muslim, Book 5, Hadith 1067)

The farthest mosque in Jerusalem. So it is the second holy site ever on earth. And it is very unique and very special because many prophets and anbiya visited that space and that place.

He was asked ﷺ how much time was in between the establishment of the one in Mecca and the one in Jerusalem. He said: four years. Four years from the time of Adam — only four years between the establishment of the settlement in Mecca and the one in Jerusalem. And of the first things that people established on earth is a house of worship to worship Allah.

So the virtue of that site extends way beyond just 60 or 70 years, or even 2,000 or 3,000 years. It goes way back to the beginning of the establishment of humanity on earth.

A Blessed Land — As Mentioned in the Qur'an

As a result of being the second sacred site on earth, Allah made this land a very blessed land. And it was mentioned in the Qur'an when Allah speaks about the land where Masjid al-Aqsa, the farthest mosque, is established — that noble sanctuary. He said:

"Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from Al-Masjid al-Haram to Al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs."

In one of the miracles the Muslims believe in, the Prophet ﷺ was taken on a magnificent journey — a miraculous journey where he was moved from Mecca to Jerusalem in one single night. In that miracle, Allah says he took him from Al-Masjid al-Haram, the sacred site of Mecca, to the holy site in Jerusalem. And He says: الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ — "around which We have made blessed."

What does that exactly mean? The ulama of tafsir of the Qur'an said: if Allah says that the land around the holy land — just the surrounding land, the outskirts of the holy land — was blessed, can you imagine the heart of that land? How much blessing will be found over there? How much khair should be found over there? And this is why it is actually a very important site. There are so many blessings to be found over there, whether religious, spiritual, and much more.

And if you would like to seek any sense of the blessing of this site or this place, then this ayah will be sufficient for you. To know that Allah has chosen this to be a destination for the establishment of a miracle — so that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would go and meet all the anbiya and the prophets in that area — again, on that magnificent journey we call Al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj.

The First Qibla of Islam

Why is this so special for us? Because facing Al-Masjid al-Aqsa, the noble sanctuary in Jerusalem, was actually the first qibla — the first direction the people used to face when they prayed to Allah. Just like nowadays you are all facing one direction — the direction of Mecca — Jerusalem would be in the opposite direction, behind you.

For all his time in Mecca — 13 years — the Muslims used to pray facing the direction of Jerusalem. And when they came to Medina, the same thing: for 16 to 17 months, they continuously worshipped Allah facing the direction of Jerusalem. It wasn't until later that Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — knowing how the Prophet ﷺ longed to face the direction of Mecca — that Allah gave the order for the qibla to be switched and changed.

Obviously that doesn't make Jerusalem any less valuable. But just the fact that Rasulullah ﷺ, throughout his lifetime as a messenger of Allah, prayed towards Jerusalem more than he did towards Mecca — that gives significance to that site. How important that place was as a site where your attention should be focused on, and the blessing of that land and that region.

The Gate to the Heavens

Allah made that site the destination of the Prophet's ﷺ Isra'. Why is that? Because we believe, as Muslims, that Jerusalem is more like the gate to the heavens. Rasulullah ﷺ came to Jerusalem to meet with the other prophets and messengers. And then he was taken on another magnificent journey all the way to the seventh heaven to meet with his Lord.

Our ulama of tafsir of the Qur'an say that Jerusalem is more like the gate to the heavens. And this is the exact same place from which Allah raised Prophet Isa alayhi salam — Jesus — because Jerusalem is the gate to the heavens.

And the Prophet ﷺ informed us that before the Day of Judgment — when he was asked about that site of Jerusalem — he said ﷺ: أَرْضُ الْمَحْشَرِ — the land of congregation. On the Day of Judgment, as people come out from their graves in the resurrection of mankind, they will gather at the site where Jerusalem is today. And from there they will be raised and lifted to meet their Lord in the seventh heaven, to meet their Lord on the Day of Judgment. This is how sacred and how important that site is.

Prophet Musa and His Love for the Holy Land

Another thing we can see in the blessings and the importance of this site: Musa alayhi salam — Prophet Musa — he knew and understood the value of that site. All the anbiya knew that. So when he was dying on his deathbed, he asked Allah to bring him closer to that precious site.

Musa was, as we call it in Arabic, in At-Tih — they were lost in the desert when they left Egypt. Allah had shown them the miracle of splitting the sea, and the Pharaoh and his army were destroyed. Now Musa alayhi salam, as he was taking his people into the Holy Land, there was some rebellion from his people at the time. Eventually they were punished — not to enter the Holy Land for 40 years. During that time they became nomads in the desert, trying to find their way out to the Holy Land. But Allah showed them that the generation that came out from Egypt did not deserve to be the one to enter Jerusalem. So they waited until the generation changed.

It wasn't until Musa passed away and died, and his disciple Yusha ibn Nun — or Joshua — took over and led the people into Palestine. But during the time of Musa, when he was about to die, as close as he could be to Palestine, he asked Allah: "Ya Allah, when I die, please bring me as close as possible to the Holy Site." And Allah answered his call. And he was buried somewhere close there.

Rasulullah ﷺ said: if I were to go there, I could show you where he was buried — beneath that red mountain, or red hills, in the desert. So he was very close to the holy sites of the Holy Land. And just the fact that Musa alayhi salam asked Allah to bring him closer there shows you the blessings of this land.

The Three Masjids — A Journey Worth Taking

One of the ways that Rasulullah ﷺ brings to our attention the importance of this noble sanctuary in Palestine is the following hadith. Rasulullah ﷺ says:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1189; Sahih Muslim, Book 7, Hadith 3218)

"Do not undertake a journey to visit any mosque — any house of worship — except one of these three masjids." Number one: the sacred house of Allah in Mecca. Then: the farthest mosque in Jerusalem. And then: his masjid — pointing to Masjid al-Nabi ﷺ in Medina.

Three masjids. If you would like to make a special journey to visit a masjid or a house of worship, it should be to one of these three. And as you can see, the Prophet ﷺ put them in a certain order — placing Al-Masjid al-Haram first, then the farthest one in Jerusalem, and then his own masjid third. He didn't put his own masjid first. That shows you the importance and the blessing of these sites and these houses of worship.

The Reward of Praying in the Noble Sanctuary

As a result, Allah increases the reward for those who worship in these places. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ spoke about the virtue of these masjids — which one is higher in terms of reward. He said that to pray in his masjid is better than many times over praying elsewhere, and that the noble sanctuary of Jerusalem is one of the best places to pray on earth. And then he said:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1407; also referenced in Musnad Ahmad)

"There will come a day when people will see that the best spot for them on earth is to be close to Jerusalem. To be there will be better than even acquiring the treasures of this world and all that is in it." This is how valuable that site is.

And indeed, for that reason, when people felt that their access to the holy sites and noble sanctuary in Palestine would be restricted by an occupier, they resisted. They refused. They refused to submit to this political agenda and to the occupation. They stayed praying in the streets outside — days and nights — until all of these doors were removed and things went back to what they used to be.

And as you can see — subhanAllah — that is the virtue of resistance. These people were asking for their very basic human rights. When they go to worship in the noble sanctuary, it should not be under anyone's agenda. That is a site that is noble to them and to others. And to many, many people, it is a symbol of resistance — because again, it is all about getting back their human rights: their right to the land, and their right to worship their Lord in a noble sanctuary.

May Allah make us among those who listen to the speech and follow the best of it, O Rabb al-Alamin, and keep Al-Masjid al-Aqsa always free, O Rabb al-Alamin, and give us the ability to visit it and worship our Lord therein.

The Du'a of Sulayman — Second Part of the Khutbah

My dear brothers and sisters, one of the virtues also that was mentioned about Al-Masjid al-Aqsa, the farthest mosque in Palestine, in Jerusalem, was narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As radiyallahu ta'ala 'anhu, in which the Prophet ﷺ informed us that when Sulayman ibn Dawud — Prophet Sulayman, the son of Dawud (David) alayhi salam — finished building the sacred house of Allah there, he asked Allah for three things.

All the anbiya contributed to that site by helping and restoring the place as a house of worship. So after finishing the construction, Sulayman asked Allah for three things. He said:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1408; Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 693)

First, Sulayman said: "Ya Allah, give me hukm — sovereignty, leadership, a position on the land — لَا يَنْبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ بَعْدِي — that no one will match." And the Prophet ﷺ said that Allah gave him this. Because Sulayman even ruled over the jinn and the animal kingdom as well — no one ever received that.

Second, he asked Allah to give him wisdom in terms of judgments — in terms of ruling between people with justice. And Allah answered his call to this. It was even mentioned in the Qur'an:

"We gave Sulayman understanding of the matter." Sulayman had a better understanding — even better than his father — in terms of judgments and ruling between people with justice. So he was that just messenger and just leader alayhi salam.

And then, third, he asked Allah that whoever comes to that holy site intending to pray and worship Allah — that when they return home from that site, they go back with their sins completely forgiven, just as when they were first born.

The Prophet ﷺ said: as for the first two, they were given to him — as confirmed historically and in the Qur'an. And then he said:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1408; Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 693)

"And I hope that Allah answered his call as well for the third one." Which means: even though that du'a and supplication wasn't from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ himself, he said, "I ask Allah that the supplication of Sulayman was accepted." So it would extend all the way until the Day of Judgment — and that includes me and you as well.

So Rasulullah ﷺ is showing us the virtues of this land. And this is why, again, what you have seen in the news — why people were resisting — because they believe in that. They believe in the virtue of this land, and at the same time, obviously, this is their basic human right: they will not submit to an occupation that mandates the way they worship in that land.