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ISLAM
Jerusalem- Al Quds Al Sharif
Third Holiest place in Islam:
Al Haj A M M Rauf
Jerusalem, historically the Arab city in Palestine, and presently
under Israel occupation, is sacred to Muslims all over the world. It
houses Islam’s first Kiblah and the site from which Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
began his ascent to high heavens.
The significance of Palestine to Muslims is evident from the frequent
references to it in both the holy Quran and the Hadiths (sayings) of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The greatest significance of Palestine to
Muslims is that it contains Jerusalem, the holiest place in Islam after
Makkah and Madina. Both Al Masjid Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock are
in the Baithul Muqaddis (the Hollowed House). In Arabic, Jerusalem is
called Al Quds Al Sharif, the noble sanctuary and Baithul Muqaddis.
The origin of the Islamic attachment to the city derives from the
fact that it was initially selected by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as
the first Kiblah, the direction faced by Muslims when they pray. There
are verses in the Holy Quran and several Hadiths that describe the
significance of Baithul Muqaddis in Islam and the fact that Allah has
blessed the land around it. After studying the Quranic revelations,
Prophetic traditions and the practices of the companions of the Prophet,
it is obvious that Palestine is a blessed Holy land of great importance
and significance to every Muslim.
Al Aqsa Mosque is considered the third Holiest place to Islam, the
sacred house of worship on earth, and was the first Kiblah. On his
miraculous journey to Jerusalem and the high heavens, Prophet Muhammad
(peace be on him) led all the prophets in prayer in Al Aqsa mosque. In
the Holy Quran Allah says, “Glory be to the one who took his servant on
a journey by night from Al Masjid Al Haram in Makkah, to Al Masjid Al
Aqsa whose precinct we have blessed”.
Baithul Muqaddis history
Baithul Muqaddis was the second mosque established after Al Masjid Al
Haram in Makkah. In one of the Hadiths, Abu Dahar says: Once I asked
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH),”Which was the first mosque established on
earth?” To which he said “Al Masjid Al Haram”, then I asked him, “then
which mosque next?” He replied,” Al Masjid ul Aqsa.” I asked him the
time gap between the establishment of the two mosques and he said 40
years (Al Bukhari).
Muslims worldwide consider prayers in Masjid ul Aqsa to be equivalent
to 500 prayers in any other mosque except Al Masjid Al Haram in Makkah
and Al Masjid Al Nabawi (the prophet’s mosque In Madinah). In the Hadith,
prophet Muhammad (PBUH) says, “Prayers in my Masjid in Madinah are
equivalent to 1000 prayers and a prayer in Baithul Muqaddis is
equivalent to 500 prayers (Thabarani).
Baithul Muqaddis, the Capital of Palestine, is 55KM-35Miles from the
Mediterranean. The first inhabitants of the area were Semitic
Canaanites, who lived some 5,000 years ago.
In 638, Jerusalem was brought peacefully, under Muslim control by
Omar Ibn Al Khattab, the second Caliph of Islamic rule was welcomed by
Jews and Christians, who had been living in the City under Byzantine
ruler.
Towards the end of the seventh century, Omar’s successors built and
embellished the magnificent Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque in the
precincts of the Haram Al Sherif, Muslim rule all over Jerusalem for the
next thirteen centuries, interrupted only by 88 bloody years of rule by
those who came from Europe to the Middle East in 1099.
They occupied Jerusalem and during their occupation, massacres and
great injustice were committed against the Muslims, Jewish and native
Christian inhabitants of the area. After 88 years, the Muslims under the
leadership of Salah Al –Din AL –Ayyubi-Kurd, who was known in the West
as Saladin, famous as, first, the enemy and then, the friend of Richard
the Lion –Hearted, brought the city once again under Islamic control,
which remained the case until 1917, when the British occupied the city.
It was Capital of British mandated Palestine, from 1923 until 1948;
in 1967; the Israelis with British help occupied the entire city and
since then, Jerusalem has been under Zionist occupation and control.
Since that time, the history of both Jerusalem and Palestine has been
subject to alteration and distortion. The aim has been to deprive
Palestinians of their claim to the land by superimposing Zionist
ideology upon historical fact.
In order to justify today’s reality, ancient history has been twisted
to validate what is occurring now-the Palestinians, who have lived on
these lands for thousands of years, are labeled “intruders” while the
Israelis, who have occupied the lands only since 1948, are termed
“natives”.
The golden dome, constructed by Rajah Ibn Awwah and Yaseed ibni Salam
extend 20 metres across the noble rock, rising more than 35 metre above
it. The Quranic verse is inscribed there in the dazzling tiled work,
commissioned by Ottoman Sulaiman the magnificent in the 16th century.
The dome of the rock was begun in 685 by the Umayyad Caliph Abdul
Malick Ibnu Marwan and completed in 692 under his son Al Walid.
During a space of less than 25 years, Jerusalem fell to the Persian
in 614, was recaptured by the Byzantines in 629 and then conquerred by
the Muslims in 638. With the exception of a few years during the
crusades (1099 – 1187) the city remained under Muslims serenity until
December 1917.
Jerusalem’s prosperity continued after it came under Islamic control
in 638. Over the next 13th centuries Jerusalem occupied a central place
in Palestine – under the rule of the Ayyubbids, Mamelukes and ottomans,
who made the city the centre of an administration area in 1874 under the
direct supervision of the Ottoman Sultan.
When Palestine came under the British mandate in 1917, Jerusalem was
considered the capital of Palestine and thus the central department of
the mandate authority was set up in the city. Under Jordanian rule,
Jerusalem was declared Jordan’s second capital in 1959.
Recent history
The 1948 war resulted in the division of Jerusalem, with the old city
and adjacent areas under Jordanian control and the western part of the
city controlled by Israel. The city was supposed to become an
internationalized separate entirety under the UN general assembly
partition resolution in 1947. Since 1967, Israel has taken large areas
of land in eastern Jerusalem for the establishment of new Jewish
neighborhood with the result that, as of 1993, Israelis have become the
majority of the occupied eastern part of the city. Nevertheless, from
the perspective of the city’s Arab population, as well as the rest of
the world, East Jerusalem is occupied territory like the rest of the
west bank and Gaza and is thus subject to security council resolution
242 of 1967, which stresses the inadmissibility of the acquisition of
the territory by war.
The Zionist state
In 1948, the Jewish claimed the establishment of a state for
themselves in the land of Palestine and called it Israel. Hundreds of
thousands of Muslims were forced out of Palestine under the pressure of
Jewish terrorist groups, which was financed and armed by the British
army. In 1967 Israel attacked Egypt, Jordan & Syria & occupied
additional land, including of the first time, Al Masjid ul Aqsa.
Since that time, Al Masjid ul Aqsa has been the target of several
attempts by the Jews to destroy it, including several attempts to bring
about its collapse through underground excavations. The Jews knew that
Al Masjid ul Aqsa is the symbol of the Islam and want to remove all
traces of Islamic civilization from Palestine.
The Jerusalem Islamic supreme council has repeatedly warned against
such activities. On August 21, 1969, an attempt was made to burn Al Aqsa.
The UN passed a resolution 1512, condemning Israel for the attempt and
calling for preserving Jerusalem in its entirety along with the holy
sites.
Zionist believes Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock mosque should be
dismantled to build the temple mount instead. “There is no meaning to
Israel without Jerusalem and there is no meaning to Jerusalem without
the temple “, said Ben Gurian . “ If we take over Jerusalem, I will
remove all that is not holy to Jews”.
Rights of children in Islam
In accordance with the true Islamic teaching, both male and female
are alike in the sight of Allah, the Almighty. Each, however, is
physically prepared and equipped to perform certain tasks and duties
that are suitable to his/her nature.
All again are equal in religious duties, except for certain
exceptions that are defined and illustrated by Allah, the Almighty, in
the Glorious Quran, or declared and specified by Allah’s Apostle, PBUH.
Only these differences are to be acknowledged and honoured only in
accordance with Islam and its teachings. Children, in accordance to
Islam are entitled to several rights.
The first and foremost of these rights is the right to be properly
brought up, raised and educated. This means that children should be
given suitable sufficient, sound and adequate religious, ethical and
moral guidance to last them for their entire life. They should be
engraved with true values, the meaning of right and wrong, and true and
false, correct and incorrect, appropriate and inappropriate and soforth
and so on.
Allah, the Almighty stated in the Glorious Qur’an: “O ye who believe!
Save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is Men and
Stones.” 66:6 Allah’s Apostle, PBUH also said: “Every one of your
(people) is a shepherd. And every one is responsible for whatever falls
under his responsibility. A man is like a shepherd of his own family,
and he is responsible for them.
“This Hadith is reported by both Bukhari and Muslim. Children
therefore are a trust given to the parents. Parents are to be
responsible for this trust on the Day of Judgment. Parents are
essentially responsible for the moral, ethical, and the basic and
essential religious teachings of their children. If parents fulfil this
responsibility, they will be free of the consequences on the Day of
Judgment.
The children will become better citizens and a pleasure to the eyes
of their parents, first in this life, and in the hereafter. Allah, the
Almighty stated in the Glorious Quran: “And those who believe and whose
families follow them in Faith, to them shall we join their families: Nor
shall we deprive them (of the fruit) of aught of their works: (Yet) is
each individual in pledge for his deeds.” (52:21)
Moreover, Allah’s Apostle, PBUH said: “Upon death, man’s deeds will
(definitely) stop except for three deeds, namely: a continuous
charitable fund, endowment or goodwill; knowledge left for people to
benefit from; and pious righteous and God-fearing child who continuously
pray Allah, the Almighty, for the soul of his parents.” This Hadith is
reported by Muslim.In fact, such a statement reflects the value of
proper upbringing of children. It has an everlasting effect, even after
death.
Unfortunately, many parents from every walk of life, in every
society, regardless of creed, origin, social and economical status,
etc., have neglected this very important this imposed right of their own
children unto them. Such individuals have indeed lost their children as
a result for their own negligence. Such parents are so careless about
the time their children spent with no benefit, the friends they
associate with, the places they go to, etc.
Such parents do not care, are totally indifferent about where their
children go, when they come back and soforth and so on, causing the
children to grow without any responsible adult and caring supervision.
Such parents neglect even to instruct, direct or guide their children to
the proper way of life, behaviour or even right attitudes towards
others. Yet, you may find these parents are so careful about their
wealth. They are extremely concerned about their business, work and
otherwise.
To be continued
Happy marriage life
Important tips:
Dr Aisha Hamdan
* Enter the marriage with the right intention and renew this often
Both spouses should enter the marriage with the pure intention of
pleasing Allah in order to receive His grace and blessings. The marriage
itself, then, becomes an act of worship and one for which both spouses
will be rewarded. Allah will be pleased with them, and this will be the
most critical element in ensuring peace, stability and happiness
throughout the marital life. Realize that when an act of worship is
continued over a long period of time, it becomes necessary to renew
one’s intention often to remain on the correct path and to obtain the
most benefit.
* Remember that your spouse is also your brother or sister
Too often Muslims treat other people outside the home with kindness
and sincerity, but then behave in a very different manner when it comes
to their own spouses. Muslims should always remember that one’s spouse
is also another brother or sister and that the rights and duties that
apply to the general brotherhood (sisterhood) , should also form the
basis of the marital relationship. Obviously, a spouse has rights beyond
these, but there should be a clear understanding of the rights of
brotherhood (sisterhood) and adherence to these principles.
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: None of you are true believers
until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself. [Bukhari,2/12]
Subhanallah, how many marriages could this hadith alone save? It
counters every kind of negative treatment and encourages every kind of
good treatment!
* Do not hold unrealistic expectations
Before marriage, people often have unrealistic ideas about their
spouse-to-be, and expect perfection in all aspects. This rarely, if
ever, plays out in reality, and can lead to unnecessary problems and
concerns. We should recall that Allah created humans as imperfect
beings, which means that many mistakes will be made throughout a
lifetime. By turning the table and expecting imperfection, we will be
pleasantly surprised and pleased when we discover our spouse is much
more than we ever hoped for. This, in turn, leads to contentment within
the marriage.
* Focus on the best in your spouse
Since no one is endowed with all of the best qualities, emphasis
should be placed on the positive qualities that a spouse possesses.
Express encouragement, praise, and gratitude on a regular basis, to
strengthen these qualities and to encourage developing others. Make an
attempt to overlook or ignore negative characteristics, as the Prophet (PBUH)
said, “A believing man should not have any malice against a believing
woman. He may dislike one characteristic in her, but may find another in
her which is pleasing.” [Muslim, 8/3469]
*Be your mate’s best friend
Try to think of what a best friend means and be one to your spouse.
This may mean sharing interests, experiences, dreams, failures and
upsets. It may involve understanding a spouse’s likes and dislikes and
attempting to please him or her in any way possible.
A best friend is also usually someone that can be confided to
trusted, and relied upon. A spouse should be the kind of friend that one
would want to keep throughout the life.
* Spend quality time together
It is not enough to share meals, chores and small talk together.
Spouses should also find time to focus on strengthening the
relationship. Often couples get busy with their own separate tasks and
forget about working on one of the most important elements in life.
Quality time may be anything from having a quiet, profound conversation
to going for a nice long nature walk, to sharing a special hobby or
project.
Both spouses should enjoy the particular option they choose and
distractions should be kept to a minimum. The Prophet (PBUH) used to
race with his wife, ‘[Aisha (RA). Sometimes she won, and sometimes he
won. Remember, he was in his fifties at the time!–how many of us think
we are to “mature” to do something enjoyable that can also, with a
proper intention, count as an act of worship and ring in piles of good
deeds?
To be continued |
