Virtues of Al Quds

Tuesday, 24 May 2011

I've just realised...

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

...that this blog is now a year old. The first post was in March 2010 and here we are now coming towards the end of May 2011.

In that time the blog has had almost 6,000 hits, including readers from the UK, the States, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Canada, the UAE, Indonesia, Australia, Africa, Germany, Russia, Egypt, the Palestinian Territories and Israel. Of those, the overwhelming majority are from the UK and US. I'm not sure why Blogger thinks I would be remotely interested in which operating system readers are using, but it was nice to see that Virtues of Al Quds has made it onto someone's ipad mashaAllah :).

I pray that those of you who are reading this blog- whoever and wherever you are, however many you are and whatever each of you believes- you are benefiting from it. And I pray that your benefiting in turn leads to benefiting Al Quds, all of Palestine and its people. May Allah bring peace to this land and its inhabitants. Aameen.

Tuesday, 10 May 2011

Sulayman continued: Rebuilding Masjid Al Aqsa

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Sulayman (as) undertook a very important task during his lifetime; he rebuilt and expanded Masjid Al Aqsa. Although the Jewish people claim that Sulayman (as) was the one to originally build the masjid, which they call ‘Solomon’s Temple’, Muslims believe he in fact rebuilt what was originally constructed before his time.

After rebuilding Masjid Al Aqsa Sulayman (as) made three special supplications to Allah. A hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) reveals what these supplications were:

“When Solomon completed the building of Bait ul Maqdis [i.e. Masjid Al Aqsa], he asked Allah for three favours, of which he was given only two, and we hope that the third favour will be for us. Solomon asked for judgement that could correspond to the Judgement of Allah, and Allah accepted his prayer in this request. He also asked for a kingdom which nobody could be given after him, and this prayer was also accepted. He also asked Allah that anyone who leaves his home only for the purpose of prayer in his mosque, all his sins may be forgiven to become like the day he was born. We hope that this one Allah may grant it to us.” (Ahmad)

While Sulayman (as) was personally granted the acceptance of the first two of his supplications, the third dua was made for all believers who would come after him. This is why Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said that we (Muslims) hope that this dua is fulfilled for us if we go to Masjid Al Aqsa sincerely for the purpose of praying there.

Monday, 25 April 2011

Show your Solidarity!

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

New page added- get shopping!!

N.B. I'm linking to a non-profit organisation so the purpose of this page is not for me to line my pockets. Just saying :)

What is it like to live in Gaza?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

New documentary added to the Audio/Visual page:

Focus on Gaza: A Crime of War?

Sulayman continued: The Kingdom of Sulayman

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

As I mentioned in the last post on Sulayman (as), Allah سبحانه وتعالى blessed him with a kingdom unlike that given to anyone before him. Part of the uniqueness of this kingdom was due to those who Allah سبحانه وتعالى subjected to the command of Sulayman (as).

One example of this lies in the remarkable workers Allah سبحانه وتعالى granted Sulayman (as) to construct his kingdom. Unlike anyone before him, Sulayman (as) was given the power to have the Jinn (from among the devils) working under his command. Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in the Quran:

And [We subjected] the wind for Solomon. Its outward journey took a month, and its return journey likewise. We made a fountain of molten brass flow for him, and some of the jinn worked under his control with his Lord’s permission. If one of them deviated from Our command, We let him taste the suffering of the blazing flame. They made him whatever he wanted- palaces, statues, basins as large as water troughs, fixed cauldrons. We said, ‘Work thankfully, family of David, for few of my servants are truly thankful.’ (Surah Saba': 12- 13)

And the jinn––every kind of builder and diver. And others chained in fetters. (Surah Saad: 37- 38)

The natural work of the shayateen (devils) was to cause fitnah in the earth, but Allah سبحانه وتعالى subdued and humiliated them to be under the command of prophet Sulayman (as). Under his control they served him in many different roles including building and construction work. The verses from Surah Saba’ also reveal that another amazing gift given to Sulayman (as) by Allah سبحانه وتعالى was a fountain of molten brass from which he could have objects moulded and constructed.

The Jinn did not only serve as workers under Sulayman (as), but they also formed part of his formidable army. Modern day militaries are divided into different sections such as the air force and infantry and the army of Sulayman (as) was no different. Allah سبحانه وتعالى describes the mighty forces granted to Sulayman (as) in the Quran:

Solomon’s hosts of jinn, men, and birds were marshalled in ordered ranks before him (Surah An-Naml: 17)

What an overwhelming sight the armies of Sulayman (as) must have been for those who beheld them, with their ranks of jinn, men and birds unified together to serve under his command!

Both the workers and soldiers put under the command of Sulayman (as) reflect that the kingdom granted to him by Allah سبحانه وتعالى was not only great in what it encompassed, but also who. The Quran details one episode in the life of Sulayman (as) which serves as an example of how both the man and his forces were acknowledged by others to be supreme in the land. The story narrates the dealings of Sulayman (as) with the people of Sheba and particularly their Queen Bilqis. It can be read in Surah Naml of the Quran.

The last few posts have outlined some of the blessings given to Sulayman (as) by Allah سبحانه وتعالى . In the next and final post on this noble Prophet I will cover his role in reconstructing Masjid Al Aqsa, inshaAllah.