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Showing posts with label Importance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Importance. Show all posts
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Holy Land NOT Promised Land
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
I'm now going to start presenting other ayaat (verses) of Quran in which Allah Almighty has said that He has made Al Quds a blessed land. The word 'blessed' is going to come up again and again in the verses, but what does it mean?
Barakah in arabic means blessings and when we say Allah has blessed Al Quds, we mean that Allah has showered spiritual and physical blessings on that place so all of mankind can benefit. As a result the people who live in Al Quds are also blessed, as long as they obey the comands of Allah i.e. live Islam.
Example Two (first was the ayah in the last post):
After Musa (as), by the Mercy of Allah, led Banu Isra'il (the Children of Israel) away from the oppression of Pharaoh in Egypt he told his followers to enter the Holy Land. This land is described in Quran as Palestine in general and Al Quds (Jerusalem) more specifically. The Quran reveals what Musa (as) instructed Banu Isra'il:
"My people! Enter the holy land which Allah has ordained for you; and do not turn back for then you will turn about losers". (Surah Al- Ma'idah 5: 21)
There’s a very significant word in the ayah above. Musa (as) referred to Al Quds as the holy land and not the promised land. So unlike the Jewish tradition, which considers Al Quds to be the promised land for Jews alone, Muslims accept Allah's decree that the blessings of Al Quds are not limited to any one group. In fact in Quran Allah says that the blessings of Al Quds are for " 'al Alameen"- which means for all creatures for all time. This makes it clear that whoever is true to Allah and His commands they are the rightful inheritors of Al Quds, in whichever time they live. No group has the right to Al Quds through claiming it is singularly promised to them. Instead, the obedient slaves of Allah are the ones who have the right to live in this blessed land. As the ones who believe in Allah's last messenger, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and His last scripture Al Quran, today these slaves of Allah are the Muslims.
The next post will share the next example, inshaAllah
I'm now going to start presenting other ayaat (verses) of Quran in which Allah Almighty has said that He has made Al Quds a blessed land. The word 'blessed' is going to come up again and again in the verses, but what does it mean?
Barakah in arabic means blessings and when we say Allah has blessed Al Quds, we mean that Allah has showered spiritual and physical blessings on that place so all of mankind can benefit. As a result the people who live in Al Quds are also blessed, as long as they obey the comands of Allah i.e. live Islam.
Example Two (first was the ayah in the last post):
After Musa (as), by the Mercy of Allah, led Banu Isra'il (the Children of Israel) away from the oppression of Pharaoh in Egypt he told his followers to enter the Holy Land. This land is described in Quran as Palestine in general and Al Quds (Jerusalem) more specifically. The Quran reveals what Musa (as) instructed Banu Isra'il:
"My people! Enter the holy land which Allah has ordained for you; and do not turn back for then you will turn about losers". (Surah Al- Ma'idah 5: 21)
There’s a very significant word in the ayah above. Musa (as) referred to Al Quds as the holy land and not the promised land. So unlike the Jewish tradition, which considers Al Quds to be the promised land for Jews alone, Muslims accept Allah's decree that the blessings of Al Quds are not limited to any one group. In fact in Quran Allah says that the blessings of Al Quds are for " 'al Alameen"- which means for all creatures for all time. This makes it clear that whoever is true to Allah and His commands they are the rightful inheritors of Al Quds, in whichever time they live. No group has the right to Al Quds through claiming it is singularly promised to them. Instead, the obedient slaves of Allah are the ones who have the right to live in this blessed land. As the ones who believe in Allah's last messenger, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and His last scripture Al Quran, today these slaves of Allah are the Muslims.
The next post will share the next example, inshaAllah
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Only one besides Al Ka'bah
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Where to start when discussing how important and blessed Al Aqsa Sanctuary is? Here's a good place: Masjid Al Aqsa (meaning the whole Sanctuary as discussed earlier) is the ONLY masjid along with the Holy Ka'bah in Makkah to be mentioned BY NAME by Allah in the Quran. This occurs in the verse which I quoted in an earlier post:
“Holy is He who carried His servant by night from the Holy Masjid (in Makkah) to the further Masjid (in Jerusalem) whose surroundings We have blessed that We might show him some of Our signs. Indeed He alone is All-Hearing, All-Seeing”. (Surah Al- Isra 17: 1)
The journey which this ayah is referring to is when the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) travelled miraculously from Makkah to Al Quds, and from Al Quds through the seven heavens to meet Allah. The journey itself will be covered in detail when we arrive to that point in history. There are two reasons for mentioning the ayah here.
Firstly, as I said at the beginning of this post, to show the great status of Al Quds as Masjid Al Aqsa was mentioned by name in the Quran. Secondly, when the disbelievers in Makkah heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) talking about his journey to Al Quds they mocked him and found the concept unbelievable. Even though the Prophet was able to answer questions of theirs which only someone who had been to Al Quds would have been able to answer, they simply refused to believe such a journey could be possible in the space of one night. For the Muslims though, both then and now, it is part of faith to believe that the Prophet (peace and blessings be on him) went on this journey by the qadr of Allah. Therefore Allah has connected Masjid Al Aqsa, and Al Quds with it, with a key tenet of Islamic belief; anyone who doesn’t believe the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) actually went to Al Quds is not a believer. For Allah to link a place with imaan (faith) in this way is a clear sign of its importance.
Where to start when discussing how important and blessed Al Aqsa Sanctuary is? Here's a good place: Masjid Al Aqsa (meaning the whole Sanctuary as discussed earlier) is the ONLY masjid along with the Holy Ka'bah in Makkah to be mentioned BY NAME by Allah in the Quran. This occurs in the verse which I quoted in an earlier post:
“Holy is He who carried His servant by night from the Holy Masjid (in Makkah) to the further Masjid (in Jerusalem) whose surroundings We have blessed that We might show him some of Our signs. Indeed He alone is All-Hearing, All-Seeing”. (Surah Al- Isra 17: 1)
The journey which this ayah is referring to is when the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) travelled miraculously from Makkah to Al Quds, and from Al Quds through the seven heavens to meet Allah. The journey itself will be covered in detail when we arrive to that point in history. There are two reasons for mentioning the ayah here.
Firstly, as I said at the beginning of this post, to show the great status of Al Quds as Masjid Al Aqsa was mentioned by name in the Quran. Secondly, when the disbelievers in Makkah heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) talking about his journey to Al Quds they mocked him and found the concept unbelievable. Even though the Prophet was able to answer questions of theirs which only someone who had been to Al Quds would have been able to answer, they simply refused to believe such a journey could be possible in the space of one night. For the Muslims though, both then and now, it is part of faith to believe that the Prophet (peace and blessings be on him) went on this journey by the qadr of Allah. Therefore Allah has connected Masjid Al Aqsa, and Al Quds with it, with a key tenet of Islamic belief; anyone who doesn’t believe the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) actually went to Al Quds is not a believer. For Allah to link a place with imaan (faith) in this way is a clear sign of its importance.
Symbols of Allah
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
“…Whoever holds in honour the Symbols of Allah, such honour is an indication of the piety of heart”. (Surah Al-Hajj 22: 32)
When we say we are Muslims we mean we have submitted ourselves to our Lord and Creator, Allah. Everything that Allah has made lawful (halaal) we accept for ourselves and whatever He, in His wisdom, has prohibited for us (haraam) we keep well away from. Every Muslim loves Allah, but loving Allah completely means loving every person and every place connected with Allah and His religion of Islam. That is why the most beloved person to us all, even before our relatives and friends, is the blessed Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). That is why we love Makkah and Madinah even if we have never been there, because the former has Allah’s House (al Ka’bah) and the latter is the city of Allah’s most beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And that is why we should all love Al Quds, because the blessed Al Aqsa Sanctuary is there.
The ayah (verse) I have started this blog post with tells us how important it is to love the symbols of Allah. It does not say symbol, as in singular, but uses the plural. We cannot call ourselves Muslims and then pick and choose which symbols of Allah we want to love. We cannot rave about Makkah and Madinah, for example, and then conveniently forget to attach importance to any other place associated with Islam. In the verse Allah tells us that if we honour all His symbols- and what is honouring if not loving?- that is a reflection that our hearts are sincere. Everyone knows that Makkah and Medinah are important and if you read the last post you know that the Al Aqsa Sanctuary is important, but with the latter do we know why? Where did Allah say it was important? What did He say about it?
In the next post we’ll start looking at the ayaat in Quran where Allah talks about Al Aqsa specifically, inshaAllah.
“…Whoever holds in honour the Symbols of Allah, such honour is an indication of the piety of heart”. (Surah Al-Hajj 22: 32)
When we say we are Muslims we mean we have submitted ourselves to our Lord and Creator, Allah. Everything that Allah has made lawful (halaal) we accept for ourselves and whatever He, in His wisdom, has prohibited for us (haraam) we keep well away from. Every Muslim loves Allah, but loving Allah completely means loving every person and every place connected with Allah and His religion of Islam. That is why the most beloved person to us all, even before our relatives and friends, is the blessed Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). That is why we love Makkah and Madinah even if we have never been there, because the former has Allah’s House (al Ka’bah) and the latter is the city of Allah’s most beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And that is why we should all love Al Quds, because the blessed Al Aqsa Sanctuary is there.
The ayah (verse) I have started this blog post with tells us how important it is to love the symbols of Allah. It does not say symbol, as in singular, but uses the plural. We cannot call ourselves Muslims and then pick and choose which symbols of Allah we want to love. We cannot rave about Makkah and Madinah, for example, and then conveniently forget to attach importance to any other place associated with Islam. In the verse Allah tells us that if we honour all His symbols- and what is honouring if not loving?- that is a reflection that our hearts are sincere. Everyone knows that Makkah and Medinah are important and if you read the last post you know that the Al Aqsa Sanctuary is important, but with the latter do we know why? Where did Allah say it was important? What did He say about it?
In the next post we’ll start looking at the ayaat in Quran where Allah talks about Al Aqsa specifically, inshaAllah.
Monday, 22 March 2010
Which bit is blessed?
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
“Holy is He who carried His servant by night from the Holy Masjid (in Makkah) to the further Masjid (in Jerusalem) whose surroundings We have blessed that We might show him some of Our signs. Indeed He alone is All-Hearing, All-Seeing”. (Surah Al- Isra 17: 1)
When most people hear the words Masjid Al Aqsa they probably, wrongly, think of the central image at the top of this blog. This is in fact Masjid Qubbat al-Sakhra or the famous Dome of the Rock masjid which dominates the landscape of Al Quds (Jerusalem). Some might be the wiser and think of the black domed masjid, the building which we today refer to as Masjid Al Aqsa. Al Aqsa and Al Quds are mentioned directly or indirectly over 70 times in the Holy Quran, but neither of these two buildings existed during the time of the Quran’s revelation. So what was Allah referring to when He referred to Masjid Al Aqsa, which He has blessed and made pure?
The answer is the land itself and its surroundings where these two masaajid (mosques) are located. Within Al Quds (Jerusalem) there is an area referred to as the ‘old city’, where historical events occurred. The place which Allah refers to as Masjid Al Aqsa in the verse I have started this blog post with, is the land on the southeast corner of the old city. This land, which is approximately 35 acres in size, is al Haram al Sharif or al Aqsa Sanctuary. Both the black domed and gold domed masaajid are located in this sanctuary, along with 42 other monuments or buildings. While the masaajid are of great importance, the sanctuary itself- the land- is even greater as that is what Allah has made pure and blessed. When Al Quds was Islam’s first Qiblah (direction of prayer for the Muslims) it was towards this sanctuary that the Muslims prayed. When the Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him) was taken to Al Quds as part of the miraculous Journey of Al Isra and Al Mi’raj (to be covered by later posts inshaAllah), it was to this land that he was brought to lead all the Prophets in Salaah (prayer).
This distinction is really important to bear in mind. As Muslims we are not simply attached to the bricks and mortar of our masaajid in Al Quds but it is the Al Aqsa Sanctuary in its entirety, which Allah has blessed for all time, that we are most attached to. InshaAllah I will finally get on to talking about the blessings in the next blog post. Needed to get all that introduction out of the way so we all know what we’re talking about :)
“Holy is He who carried His servant by night from the Holy Masjid (in Makkah) to the further Masjid (in Jerusalem) whose surroundings We have blessed that We might show him some of Our signs. Indeed He alone is All-Hearing, All-Seeing”. (Surah Al- Isra 17: 1)
When most people hear the words Masjid Al Aqsa they probably, wrongly, think of the central image at the top of this blog. This is in fact Masjid Qubbat al-Sakhra or the famous Dome of the Rock masjid which dominates the landscape of Al Quds (Jerusalem). Some might be the wiser and think of the black domed masjid, the building which we today refer to as Masjid Al Aqsa. Al Aqsa and Al Quds are mentioned directly or indirectly over 70 times in the Holy Quran, but neither of these two buildings existed during the time of the Quran’s revelation. So what was Allah referring to when He referred to Masjid Al Aqsa, which He has blessed and made pure?
The answer is the land itself and its surroundings where these two masaajid (mosques) are located. Within Al Quds (Jerusalem) there is an area referred to as the ‘old city’, where historical events occurred. The place which Allah refers to as Masjid Al Aqsa in the verse I have started this blog post with, is the land on the southeast corner of the old city. This land, which is approximately 35 acres in size, is al Haram al Sharif or al Aqsa Sanctuary. Both the black domed and gold domed masaajid are located in this sanctuary, along with 42 other monuments or buildings. While the masaajid are of great importance, the sanctuary itself- the land- is even greater as that is what Allah has made pure and blessed. When Al Quds was Islam’s first Qiblah (direction of prayer for the Muslims) it was towards this sanctuary that the Muslims prayed. When the Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him) was taken to Al Quds as part of the miraculous Journey of Al Isra and Al Mi’raj (to be covered by later posts inshaAllah), it was to this land that he was brought to lead all the Prophets in Salaah (prayer).
This distinction is really important to bear in mind. As Muslims we are not simply attached to the bricks and mortar of our masaajid in Al Quds but it is the Al Aqsa Sanctuary in its entirety, which Allah has blessed for all time, that we are most attached to. InshaAllah I will finally get on to talking about the blessings in the next blog post. Needed to get all that introduction out of the way so we all know what we’re talking about :)
Saturday, 20 March 2010
The House of Purification
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
As mentioned earlier, Bayt al Maqdis is a name which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions used for Al Quds. Why did they refer to this place as the house of purity or purification? It is because of the rich links between Al Quds and the Messengers of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon them all). Al Quds is a land which was uniquely honoured by the presence of many Prophets, sent by Allah to purify mankind through their call (dawah) to true faith. Among the Prophets who either lived, visited or preached their message in this blessed land are:
- Ibrahim (Abraham)
- Ishaq (Isaac)
- Yaqoob (Jacob)
- Yusuf (Joseph)
- Musa (Moses)
- Dawood (David)
- Sulayman (Solomon)
- Zakariyyah (Zachariah)
- Yahya (John)
- Eesa (Jesus)
- Muhammad
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all.
As well as these noble Prophets, another amazing personality resided in this blessed land. Sayyidatuna Maryam (as), the Mother of Isa (as) and named as the best woman amongst creation by Allah in the Quran, also lived and worshipped in Masjid al Aqsa.
InshaAllah I'll talk about the lives of the Prophets in Al Quds in more detail in later posts. Before that I'll cover why the land itself is specifically blessed, Allah willing.
As mentioned earlier, Bayt al Maqdis is a name which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions used for Al Quds. Why did they refer to this place as the house of purity or purification? It is because of the rich links between Al Quds and the Messengers of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon them all). Al Quds is a land which was uniquely honoured by the presence of many Prophets, sent by Allah to purify mankind through their call (dawah) to true faith. Among the Prophets who either lived, visited or preached their message in this blessed land are:
- Ibrahim (Abraham)
- Ishaq (Isaac)
- Yaqoob (Jacob)
- Yusuf (Joseph)
- Musa (Moses)
- Dawood (David)
- Sulayman (Solomon)
- Zakariyyah (Zachariah)
- Yahya (John)
- Eesa (Jesus)
- Muhammad
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all.
As well as these noble Prophets, another amazing personality resided in this blessed land. Sayyidatuna Maryam (as), the Mother of Isa (as) and named as the best woman amongst creation by Allah in the Quran, also lived and worshipped in Masjid al Aqsa.
InshaAllah I'll talk about the lives of the Prophets in Al Quds in more detail in later posts. Before that I'll cover why the land itself is specifically blessed, Allah willing.
Friday, 19 March 2010
Names of Al Quds
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The city of Jerusalem is known by several names by Muslims. The most common amongst arabs, both Muslim and Christian, is 'Al Quds', meaning 'the purest place'. Another name which is used for Jerusalem is 'Bayt al Maqdis', meaning 'the house of purity or purification'. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his Companions used this name. Another name which is also used is 'Madinat al Salam', which means 'the city of peace'.
It should be clear from all these names that Al Quds is an incredibly special place, which future posts will begin to start explaining, inshaAllah (God willing).
The city of Jerusalem is known by several names by Muslims. The most common amongst arabs, both Muslim and Christian, is 'Al Quds', meaning 'the purest place'. Another name which is used for Jerusalem is 'Bayt al Maqdis', meaning 'the house of purity or purification'. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his Companions used this name. Another name which is also used is 'Madinat al Salam', which means 'the city of peace'.
It should be clear from all these names that Al Quds is an incredibly special place, which future posts will begin to start explaining, inshaAllah (God willing).
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