Prologue
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My young sibling, let me tell you a little story about a place you should never forget; a place that shines like the sun and fills its surroundings with lots of blessings. Above it, angels that we cannot see with our eyes have spread their wings until the end of time.
So, sit back while I tell you a little story of Palestine…
The land of Palestine sits to the east of the Mediterranean Sea. Its neighbours are Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. It is the most important part of a large group of areas, including Syria called al Shām.
Within Palestine sits a pure and beautiful place, beating like a heart and spreading its light further than the eye can see. It earns the charming name ‘al Quds’ …
Within al Quds is an ancient Masjid. Here, every Prophet since Adam ‘alayhi asalām has walked and worshipped the Creator of the heavens and earth, Allāh. Some Prophets even reconstructed and decorated it for the pleasure of the people of each generation.
This Masjid is called ‘al Masjid al Aqsa’. But why? Well, ‘Aqsa’ means ‘the Masjid furthest away’. Let me explain more. We know that Allāh revealed his final book, the Qur’ān, in Arabia. At the time, in Arabia, al Masjid al Haram in Makkah was the closest Masjid to the people living there. Further than this was the Prophet’s Masjid in Madinah, which had not yet been built while even further was al Masjid al Aqsa, so it was called the ‘furthest Masjid’ – al Aqsa!
Notice how its name ties the three Masjids together, like they are one. The three are like the closeness of your fingers when you lock your hands together. Whenever we look at the beautiful Ka’bah, or visit the Prophet’s wonderful Masjid in Madinah, we should remember al Aqsa, visit it, and keep it bright in our hearts and minds.
Here, at al Aqsa, the final Prophet Mohammad, sallah Allāhu ‘alayhi wasalam led all the Prophets in Salāh on the mighty journey of Isrā’ and Mi’rāj. This shows that he is the final Prophet and Imām of the Prophets before him.
His people, you and me, must now follow the footsteps of the good Muslims before us and protect al Quds, making sure that it remains a pure, and peaceful place of worship.
Today, this wonderful Masjid is in big trouble. In the year 1967, before most of us were born, a group of people took over the Masjid after taking over the surrounding area about twenty years earlier. They brought their tanks, guns and soldiers with them. Over many sad and difficult years, they killed and forced out thousands of people from their homes and those protecting the Masjid.
These cruel people called themselves ‘Zionists’. They pretended to be the old followers of Prophet Ibrahim and his grandson ‘Ya’qoub’, who was also called ‘Isrā’īl’ and changed the name of the land from Palestine to ‘Israel’.
Today, Zionists are trying to control who goes in and out of the Masjid. Some have even made plans to destroy it and build something else in its place. The Muslims in Palestine and the few who remain in al Quds are trying their best to protect it for you and me, but they are all alone in their struggle and desperate for help. And I think you can help.
You see, the Zionists will do anything to wipe away al Aqsa from your memory and are doing all they can to make sure you know as little as possible about it. Once that happens, they can destroy al Aqsa, then erase it from history and no one will even know or care!
We need to make sure this never happens! And we need to always keep al Aqsa fresh in our hearts and minds, doing anything we can to protect it from these evil plans.
So here, my young sibling, before I begin my little story of Palestine, I will tell you a few things about al Aqsa that I want you to cherish and remember forever. Who knows, maybe you will be the hero who brings peace back to al Aqsa and its surroundings in sha’ Allāh!
Why is al Aqsa so Important?
Imagine this. On one night, the final Prophet of Allah, Mohammad sala Allāhu ‘alayhi wasalam was given a ride called ‘al Buraq’ and taken by the angel Jibrīl from Makkah to this very place in Palestine, al Quds.
This was one of the most extraordinary and miraculous events in the Prophet’s whole life. In al Quds, he found all the Prophets present, from Adam to ‘Isa, peace be up them all. Allāh had allowed them to return to earth, gathering in al Aqsa to meet the Prophet Mohammad sala Allāhu ‘alayhi wasalam during their very short stay.
More than one hundred thousand Prophets stood there lined up, waiting for his amazing arrival. When he arrived, he got off his mount and stepped forward, standing in front of the gathering. They lined up in straight rows behind him like a single body and he prayed two units (Rak’as) of Salāh inside al Masjid al Aqsa.
Angel Jibrīl wanted to tell Prophet Mohammad sala Allāhu ‘alayhi wasalam in a very clear way that the Masjid is now his to protect along with his followers, after the passing of all the Prophets before him and their followers.
After this marvellous event, angel Jibrīl took the Prophet into the heavens to meet Allāh, the angels, the Prophets and to see Paradise and Hell and other many other extraordinary things beyond our imagination.
It is said that the Prophet sala Allāhu ‘alayhi wasalam stood on the rock beneath this golden dome when he was raised into the heavens!
In Makkah, the Muslims faced al Masjid in al Aqsā for every Salāh! In fact, Muslims prayed towards this Masjid for about 14 years and five months, before the direction of Salāh, the Qiblah was eventually changed to al Masjid al Haram in Makkah. The earliest Muslims knew well what this meant. For 14 years, every Salah reminded them that they should never lose focus on al Aqsa and it remained forever etched in their minds!
Now let me ask you… If you were travelling one day and the time for Salāh arrived, what should you do? You should pray, wherever you are. Because any clean part of the earth is like a Masjid if you cannot reach a Masjid in time.
But the Prophet taught us that there are three Masjids, and only three on earth that you should try your best to travel to. They are:
1 – Al Masjid al Harām – in Makkah
2 – Al Masjid al Nabawī – in Madinah
And
3 – Al Masjid al Aqsa – in al Quds!
This remarkable Masjid is like the third sibling of the two great Masjids that are crowded all year round! Today, sadly few people go to al Masjid al Aqsā… Will you be one of them?
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