Final Quranic example

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

I want to share one more example from Quran which shows that Al Quds is a land made sacred by Allah.



"We placed other prominent towns between them, the towns that We had blessed and had set well-measured stages between them. Move back and forth between them, night and day, in perfect security". (Surah Saba' 34: 18)

This ayah in Surah Saba' refers to the people of Saba' (in Yemen). They used to travel via Arabia to get to Syria and Egypt to trade. The part of the ayah mentioning towns that We had blessed refers to Al Quds and other cities of al-Sham.

It's clear from the ayaat that I've quoted in the last few posts that the land of Palestine, and Al Quds in particular, is uniquely blessed by Allah. Although we sometimes think of Al Quds as being a blessed land because of the events and people (especially Prophets) associated with it, these ayaat show that even without any events or people associated with it Al Quds would still be blessed. This is because Allah in His Wisdom chose this land for His blessings. As Muslims this is enough of a reason for us to love Al Quds. The events and prophets later associated with Al Quds should only increase that love even more.

In the next post I'll be putting up some ahadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him) which also emphasise the importance of Al Quds, inshaAllah.

Blessed Land: Example Four

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم



"And We subdued the strongly raging wind to Solomon which blew at his bidding towards the land We blessed. We know everything". (Surah Al-Anbiya 21: 81)

Sulayman (as) ruled over Palestine with Al Quds as his capital. Allah refers to the whole area which Sulayman (as) travelled in as the land which We had blessed. Therefore this ayah is yet another clear indication that Al Quds is a land blessed by Allah.

Blessed Land: Example Three

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم



"And We made those who had been persecuted inherit the eastern and western lands which We had blessed. Thus your Lord's gracious promise was fulfilled to the Children of Israel, for they had endured with patience; and We destroyed all that Pharaoh and his people had wrought, and all that they had built". (Surah Al-A'raf 7: 137)

This ayah from Surah Al-A'raf tells us that the blessings Allah showered on Al Quds extend to Palestine in general, as Allah refers to blessing the land both east and west of Al Quds.

The ayah also refers to how Allah rewards those who believe and are patient and steadfast. The persecution mentioned in the ayah is the suffering of Banu Isra'il at the hands of the Egyptian Pharaoh, who also ruled over Palestine. But as he was a tyrant and a disbeliever in Allah, Allah took away this blessed land from him and made the true believers, Banu Isra'il at this time in history, inherit it. Allah also refers to how he destroyed the great buildings of Pharaoh and his people, showing that victory is for the believers.

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