PALESTINE IN ISLAMIC THOUGHT

Recommended Common Jumu’ah Lecture

Prepared by the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa

Palestine in general, and Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Masjid have always been prominent in Islamic thought
throughout its history. This has been due to several factors and reasons.

The first reason: Its Sacredness and Sanctity in Islamic Teachings

Its sanctity is matched only by Makkah and Madinah. In the Qur’ān there are many verses implying that the
Land of Palestine, the city of Jerusalem, the entire environs are set apart as blessed, as they have received
special divine blessings. The land around Masjid Al-Aqsa is referred to 70 times as the blessed land in the
Qur’ān amongst which are the following verses:
• “Glory be to the One who took His Slave for a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Furthest
Mosque, whose precincts We have blessed – in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: He is
the One Who hears and sees (all things).” (Sūrah Bani Isra’īl or Surat al-Isra’, 17:1) Thus, Ibn Abbās Radhi-
Allâhu ‘anhu states that “whose precincts we have blessed” refers to Palestine and Jordan.
• [Mūsa said:] “O my people! Enter the holy land which God has assigned you, and turn not back
ignominiously, for then you will be overthrown, to your own ruin.” (Sūrah al-Maidah, 5:23) The ‘holy
land which Allāh has assigned you’ is thus clearly the land of Palestine. Ibn Abbās, however, takes it more
restrictively as referring to Jerusalem and the surrounding area.
• “By the fig and the olive, and the Mount of Sinai, and this secure city. We have indeed created man in
the best of moulds.” (Sūrah at-Tīn, 95:1-4) Qatadah interprets the fig and the olive as a figurative
expression for Jerusalem. There seems to be little doubt that the ‘City of Security’ is Makkah. Mount
Sinai is also a place, the place where the Tawrah was given to Mūsa Alayhis-Salâm. This might suggest
that the opening elements of the adjuration also should refer to a place or places where revelation was
given, i.e. Jerusalem
• “We made the son of Maryam and his mother a Sign: We gave them both shelter on high ground,
affording rest and security and furnished with springs.” (Sūrah al-Mu’minūn, 23:50) In the parallel
passage in Sūrah Maryam, 19:22, the ‘high ground’ [rabwah] is called ‘a remote place’. Ad-Dahhak and
Qatadah both maintain that it is al Quds.
• The niche [mihrab] of Zakariyya mentioned in the Qur’ān (Chapter 3, Verse 37) is also in Jerusalem.
• The place where Hadrat Maryam was devoted to the service of Allāh by her parents as per their
dedication at the time of her conception was Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. (Sūrah al-Imran, 3:5 and Sūrah
Maryam 19:16)

These are just a few examples amongst many of the sacredness of Palestine in the Qur’ān.

Ahādith
• Virtues of praying in Masjid Al Aqsa are exalted. Up to 500 times more virtuous than any Masājid other
than Baitullah and Masjid Nabawi Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam (Hadith: Abū Darda; Al Bukharī). Also it is a
Masjid where specific travel could be made to.
• Second Masjid to be established on Earth. (Hadīth: Abū Dhar -Sahīh Muslim)
• He who performs Hajj and Umrah from Masjid Al-Aqsa, Allāh will forgive his past minor sins. (Mishqāt)

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• It is the first Qiblah of Muslims.
• The incident of Mir'aj has further linked Masjid al Aqsa to the hearts and minds of Muslims
• Maimunah bint Sa’d Radhi-Allâhu ‘anha asked the Prophet Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam, ‘Tell us about
Bait al-Maqdis.’ He said, ‘It is the land of gathering and resurrection. Go there and offer prayer. Your
prayer will be considered as a thousand prayers.’ She asked, ‘What if we cannot go there, or if there is
nothing to carry us there?’ He said, ‘You should send some oil as a gift for its lamps, for whosever offers
a gift to it will have the reward of offering prayer there.’ (Abū Dawūd)

Thus due to these teachings throughout Islamic History, there was a profound attachment to this holy land
starting from the time ‘Umār Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu when he rode triumphantly into Al-Quds. He entered
Jerusalem on foot without bloodshed and massacre.

It is related that ‘Umār Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu asked Sophronius, the city patriarch, to take him to the sanctuary
of David as soon as he was through writing the terms of surrender. They were joined by four thousand
Companions of the Prophet Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhum.

When they reached the area of the Noble Sanctuary they found it covered in rubbish. ‘Umār Radhi-Allâhu
‘anhu proceeded to the west of the sanctuary and unfurled his cloak. He filled it with debris. Those with him
did likewise. They disposed of it and returned again and again, until the whole area where Al-Aqsa Mosque
now stands was cleared. The rock was uncovered and the ground purified. A huge timber Masjid which held
three thousand worshipers was erected on this site, the site of the present day Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The entire area of the Haram ash-Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary, included more than 35 acres. The great rock is
the site of the ascension of the Prophet Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam to heaven on the Night Journey and the
direction of the first Qiblah. It lays in the centre.

Fifty years later, near the end of the 7th century, it was given to the Umayyad Khalifa, Abdul Malik ibn
Marwan, to construct one of the world’s most beautiful and enduring shrines over the rock itself.
Highlighting the skyline of Jerusalem, and the memories of all those who visit the sanctuary. The Dome of
the Rock is a tribute to the Muslims’ love and respect for this site. In the later years, to underline this love
and respect, Suleiman the Magnificent consolidated his domain into the greatest world power of the 16th
century. Drawing on his tremendous resources, he restored and renewed all of Jerusalem, building walls,
gates, towers, and aqueducts.

His most remembered gift to Jerusalem, however, was the breathtakingly beautiful tile work commissioned
for the exterior of the Dome of the Rock. With the incomparable skills of Persia’s master ceramists, 40,000
tiles were fired and put into place, crowned by the inscription of Sūratul Yā-Sīn at the top. The brilliant
application of exquisite aesthetics to celebrate the message of God has made the Dome of the Rock a world
landmark in sacred architecture.

The Noble Sanctuary due to the above facts, became a great centre of learning; scholars came from all over
the world to worship at Al-Aqsa and to study and teach within its precincts.

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Other Points of Distinction
• After ‘Umār ibn Khatab Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu signed an agreement, he refused to distribute the land
amongst the Muslim soldiers and declared it an Islamic endowment [waqf] for the benefit of future
generations. Waqf, by definition, is a property that belongs to Allāh until the Day of Qiyāmah. Islamic
literature is filled with references to Palestine as an Islāmic trust or endowment.
• Approximately four thousand sahabah are buried in this sacred land.
• Imām Ghazalī wrote his Ihya Ulūm-Dīn in the precincts of Masjid Al Aqsa. Imām Shafī, the famous
Muslim jurist hails from Gaza in Palestine.
• This attachment did not diminish even in times of ease and adversity. When the crusaders entered Al-
Quds, with the accompanying bloodshed that characterized their invasion, it did not dim people’s
attachment to the Holy Land. Nurudīn, the able and righteous ruler of Aleppo at such a juncture,
commissioned master craftsmen to build an extraordinary mimbar made from cedarwood which he
resolved to install in Al-Aqsa the day the crusaders were expelled from Al-Quds and forty years after it
was commissioned, it was put in place. On June 21, 1969, an Australian born terrorist, Dennis Michael
Nohan, set this unique mihrab on fire, though it was later partially restored.

The second reason: Why Palestine will be foremost in Islamic thought is that it is the Land of the Prophets
[ambiyā]

• It is an article of Islāmic faith to respect all the Prophets. (Qur’ānic)

• Our faith has restored to these messengers their dignity and integrity, and refuted the outrageous
accusations against many of them. The Qur'ān sympathetically relates the incident of Mūsa Alayhis-
Salâm and Maryam Alayhas-Salâm and her immaculate birth of Īsa Alayhis-Salâm.
• Muslims are proud to call their children with the names of these Prophets.
• Because of our respect for these Prophets, and the fact that they were associated with
Al Quds, and its surroundings, every inch has become an object of reverence.
• It was here where these personalities lived, received revelation [wahy] and on its earth they walked.
Its stones witnessed their experience, persecution and prayers. Thus, Safiyya Radiallāhu anha, after
visiting Masjidul Aqsa, went to the Mount of Olives remarking, “This is the place where Īsa Alayhis-
Salâm was taken up into the Heaven.” (Tafsīr Fathul Aziz)
• One of the reasons why Muslims believe that they are the most appropriate custodians of the land as
they revere all the Prophets and personalities of the previous religions. The same cannot be said of
other faith groups.

Due to this fact, Al-Quds has been an object of pilgrimage for Muslims throughout history and the flow of
pilgrims from other religions remained unhindered during Muslim rule, a fact borne out by history. To
illustrate this point, On entering Jerusalem in 1517, the Ottoman Sultan Selim was entrusted with the keys to
Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock. A delegation of Christian clerics presented him with a scroll containing
the original covenant of Umar, guaranteeing them rights over the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other
Christian Holy places. Selim pressed them to his face and kissed them, confirming his intention to honor
Umar’s word.

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The Description of Palestine
Al Muqaddasi, the 10th century scholar and writer from Jerusalem had written about his travels thus:
This Province is of glorious renown, the Land of Prophets! It is the gathering of the righteous. Here dwelt the
Saints, and here is the First Qibla; also the Place of Resurrection, and of the Night Journey. For this reason is
it called the Holy Land. Its watch-posts are strong, its frontiers are magnificent, and its mountains noble.
Thither went Abraham [Ibrahim] as a pilgrim, and there is his tomb. This is the Land of Job [Ayyub], and
there is his well; in Jerusalem is the oratory of David [Dawūd] and his gate; here are the wonders of Solomon
[Sulaiman] and his cities; the tomb of Isaac [Ishāq], and that of his mother; the birth-place of the Messiah
and his cradle. So likewise the village of Saul [Talūt] and his river; the place of the slaying of Goliath [Jalūt]
and his rampart; Jeremiah’s [Aramaya] cistern and his prison; the place of prayer of Uriah and his house; the
dome of Muhammad and his gate; the rock of Moses [Mūsa], and the hill of Jesus [Īsa], the oratory of
Zacharias [Zakariyya], and the waters of the baptism of John [Yahya]; the place of martyrdom of the
prophets, and the villages of Job. And, too, here are Jacob’s [Yakūb] stations, and the Further Mosque; the
Mount of Olives, and the city of Acre; the place of martyrdom of Siddiqa, and the grave of Moses [Mūsa];
the resting-place of Abraham and his tomb; the city of Ascalon [Askalan], and the spring of Siloam; the
home of Luqman the Sage, and the valley of Kin’an; the cities of Lot, and the Place of the Gardens; Omar’s
Mosque, and ‘Ūthmān’s Almshouse [Baitul Mal].

The third reason: why Palestine is and will be foremost in Islamic thought is that Muslims believe that life
and history is moving purposefully towards a climax known as the Day of Judgment.

Towards this, the Sharī‘ah has given us signs which foretell the hour and the climax. A great deal of these
signs will centre on the precincts of Palestine:
• Maimunah bin Sād Radiallāhu anha asked: “O Prophet of Allāh! Tell us about Baitul Maqdas to which he
replied, ‘It is the land of gathering and resurrection.’” (Abū Dawūd)
• Amongst the first of the major signs of Qiyāmah will be the appearance of Imām Mahdi. He will proclaim
his mission in the land of Palestine, Al-Quds.
• A major sign of Qiyāmah will be the appearance of Dajjal [The Antichrist] when no place will be safe from
his domination except the Holy Cities of Makkah, Madinah and some narrations also relate to Al-Quds.
(Ahmed, Hākim)
• In pursuit of his control over the universe, Dajjal will surround the Muslims, who will take refugee on a
Hill in Jerusalem (Ibn Majah). The compilations of Ahmed and Hākim go on to specify the mountain as
that of Dukhan.
• Īsa Alayhis-Salâm will descend to the Earth as one of the major signs of the end of the time. According to
Muslim tradition, he will initially appear in Damascus and then make his way to Baitul Muqaddas
(Jerusalem) to assist the Muslims who will be taking refuge from Dajjal. (Muslim, Tibrani, Ibn Asakir)
• Īsa Alayhis-Salâm would then kill Dajjal in the town of Lud, probably ancient Lyddia (modern day Lud
near Jaffa. (Tel-Aviv)
• The Call for the Day of Judgment will also take place from Jerusalem. “Listen for the day when the caller
will call out from a place quite near…” (Sūrah Qaf, 50:41) Ibn Kathīr commented: “Quite near means the
Rock of Baitul Muqaddas.”

Thus due to these factors, the sanctity of Palestine will remain in our mind, irrespective of attempts to wipe
it from the memories of the Muslims.