Omar Suleiman – Syria The Umayyad Mosque And The Messiahs Return Ep. 4 Al-Aqsa Series
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the importance of knowing the timing of war and the return of Islam to Earth, as well as protecting one's religion and the Holy Spirit for peace. They also touch on protecting people from evil influence and the potential for freedom of speech, specifically mentioning a praying recitation for the Prophet servicing a group of believers in the mountains of Jerusalem. The focus is on protecting one's religion and the Holy Spirit for peace.
AI: Summary ©
As-salāmu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakātuhu.
A'ūdhu bi-llāhi mina sh-shayṭāni r
-rajīm.
Bismi-Llāhi r-Rahmāni r-Rahīm.
Al-ḥamdu li-Llāhi rabbil-'ālamīn.
Wa la-'udhwān illā ʿalá ad-dhālimīn.
Wa la-'aqībatu li-l-muttaqīn.
Allāhumma ṣalli wa sallim wa barik ʿalá ʿabdika
wa rasūlikā Muḥammadin ﷺ wa ʿalá ālihi wa
sahbihi wa sallim fī al-ṣīmīn kathīrā.
Alhamdulillah.
You know, subhanAllah, a few weeks ago, when
we were talking about the blessings of Ard
-Ash-Sham, little did we know what we
would be seeing today of the scenes from
Ash-Sham.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala liberate all
of its people and all of the mustada
'afeen, all of the oppressed ones, wherever they
may be, in Ash-Sham or elsewhere.
And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give
victory to the believers as He promised, وَالْعَاقِبَةُ
لِلْمُتَّقِينَ That victory belongs to the believers.
Allahumma ameen.
And I couldn't help but think that tonight
we needed to pivot a bit inshaAllah ta
'ala, and talk about Syria.
But talk about it as it relates to
the story of Jerusalem, as it relates to
the story of Palestine, and particularly the image
of the Umayyad Masjid, the Umayyad Mosque, the
great mosque, the great masjid of Damascus, which
is loaded with history and one of the
greatest masjid in the history of Islam.
And some of the scenes that we are
seeing out there and how it ties into
the past, the present, and the promise of
Al-Aqsa.
And I start from the premise of this,
that in our history, Syria or what is
now considered part of Syria, has always been
the gateway to Palestine.
Damascus has always been the gateway to Al
-Quds.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala liberate every
inch of it.
Allahumma ameen.
And I want us to begin also with
a recognition.
Many of us watch these scenes with cautious
optimism.
Like we've seen this movie before.
We've seen the Muslims celebrates and only for
that celebration to be deflated quickly.
We're confused about the various players in the
region, and who's behind this, and who's behind
that, and what calculations are the Zionists making,
and who's doing this, and who's doing that.
And I want you to recognize for a
moment that there is a du'a for
that.
There is a du'a for confusion.
اللهم أرينا الحق حق وارزقنا اتباع وأرينا الباطل
باطل وارزقنا اجتناب Oh Allah, show us the
truth as truth, and allow us the ability
to follow it.
And show us falsehood as falsehood, and give
us the ability to avoid it.
There is a du'a for every sentiment
that we might have.
من أراد بالإسلام والمسلمين خيرا Whoever wishes good
for Islam and the Muslims, then give them
tawfiq, وفقهم, give them success.
And whoever desires for them evil, then drown
them in their plots.
All of this is present.
And even if you know none of these
du'as, then at least make du'a
from your heart, and let your sentiments be
reflected.
That as we see the scenes of joy
of our brothers and sisters rising from the
dungeons of Bashar al-Assad and his father
Hafidh al-Assad.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala complete the
joy of our brothers and sisters for they
have suffered for so long.
And when we say, عقبال فلسطين, عقبال القتص,
next time, bi-idhnillahi ta'ala, we'll be
celebrating Palestine, we'll be celebrating al-Quds.
Know that that is the sentiment of so
many people that are in those dungeons or
who recovered their family members from those dungeons.
And so I say to all of our
brothers and sisters from Syria, I know many
of them are here.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala replace your
joy with even more joy.
And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow
victory to be followed by victory, and joy
to be followed by joy.
And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala do
away with the plots of those who wish
harm upon the believers in Syria and otherwise.
Allahumma ameen.
On a personal level, subhanAllah, I say this,
I've never been to Syria pre the massacres
and the atrocities we've seen over the last
decade and a half.
I had the opportunity, subhanAllah, to just enter
through Dar'a from the Jordanian border in
the refugee camps for the small time that
that border was not held by Bashar al
-Assad.
My mother, may Allah have mercy on her,
on her birth certificate, 1951, she was born
in Damascus because of the Nakba in 1948.
And so may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
allow us to gather in Damascus.
And may Allah allow us to gather in
Al-Quds.
Allahumma ameen.
Now with all that being said, Syria is
the gateway to Palestine.
And Al-Masjid Al-Umawi has always been
the gateway to Masjid Al-Aqsa in many,
subhanAllah, miraculous ways.
And it just so happens that the story
that we left off from last week happens
to connect to this in an incredible way.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions, يُعِزُّ مَن
يَشَاءُ وَيُذِلُّ مَن يَشَاءُ وَيُحْيِي الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا
in different verses, that Allah azazal gives honor
to whom He wills, and He humiliates whom
He wills, and Allah gives life to dead
lands.
And one of the reflections on this idea
of Allah giving life to dead land is
a place that is also noted for death
and destruction.
A place where life no longer resides.
The spirit of the ummah is brought back
from that place, and Allah azazal allows for
there to be a spring, a true spring
of life.
And in this situation, we talked about Yahya
alayhi as-salam.
And by the way, Gaza will one day,
bi-idhnillahi ta'ala, celebrate and we will
celebrate with it.
And when they say we will rebuild, it
will be rebuilt, and life will come from
those very places that have been marked by
death, because that is the promise of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
We talked about Yahya alayhi as-salam.
One of the ways that the story continues
with the promised Messiah, and with the last
prophet of Bani Israel who was killed, and
the last prophet of Bani Israel who was
spared.
It just so happens that when Yahya alayhi
as-salam was beheaded, because he refused to
succumb to the corruption of Herod Antipas and
Salome, that his head was brought back to
Damascus.
Either as a sign of victory or denomination,
or later on, his relics and his head
as a form of reverence by those who
considered themselves to be Christians.
But if I was to tell you, subhanAllah,
that the story continues, that the head of
Yahya alayhi as-salam, Yahya, who was named
by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Yahya, the
one who is given life.
And one of the reasons is that he
is a shaheed, that he is a martyr.
But Yahya and the shuhada never die.
That the head of Yahya resides in that
masjid that you've been seeing on your TV,
that masjid that you've been seeing on your
screen.
Then follow along the story.
Yahya alayhi as-salam was martyred in Palestine.
His head, his relics end up in that
masjid in Damascus, what is now a masjid
in Damascus.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says about him,
سَيِّدًا وَحَصُورًا وَنَبِيًا مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ That he was
a sayyid, a leader.
And he was a man of modesty who
could not be compromised.
And he was a prophet from amongst the
righteous.
The imagery of the head of a prophet
being brought back to Syria, being brought back
to Damascus and stored in that place.
It just so happens that when al-Husayn
radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu was martyred, that he
too, his head was brought back to Damascus.
Where Yazid ibn Muawiyah resided at the time.
He was martyred obviously in Iraq, and his
head is brought back to Damascus.
And of course there's some that mark the
place in Egypt.
But it makes more sense historically that that
is where the head of al-Husayn was
taken back to.
And when I think about body parts in
different graves, you know, it occurs subhanAllah when
you go to a place like Srebrenica in
Bosnia, where every year they still have janazahs,
they still have funerals, they are still recovering
the body parts of the genocide in Bosnia.
Next year marks 30 years of Srebrenica.
And every year as they find a hand
or they find an arm, then they open
a grave and they pray janazah.
And they make a grave for that arm,
for that foot, for that ear, whatever they
can recover of the body parts of a
person.
And one day that will be ghazah as
well.
That the body parts will be recovered in
different places.
But Allah عز و جل keeps the spirit
whole.
And they pray janazahs on them.
And so the head of Yahya was brought
back.
The head of al-Husayn was brought back.
And of course, the Prophet ﷺ spoke in
incredible words about these different people, these different
figures.
Al-Husayn was a sayyid, as al-Hasan
was a sayyid.
And Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى blessed the son
of Zakariya عليه السلام to be a sayyid,
to be a master, a leader amongst men.
The last shahid of Bani Israel, the last
shahid prophet of Bani Israel is Yahya عليه
السلام.
And think about the continuity of the story,
how Allah عز و جل plans.
Where the head of the last shahid prophet
of Bani Israel is the last prophet of
Bani Israel.
His cousin Isa عليه السلام will descend in
that very same place.
Because the Prophet ﷺ mentioned the white minaret
in Damascus, that that is the place of
the nuzul of Isa عليه السلام, the place
of the nuzul, the descent of Isa عليه
السلام.
And if you think about Isa عليه السلام,
the last imagery he had of Yahya عليه
السلام in this life was the beheading of
Yahya عليه السلام, was the martyrdom of Yahya
عليه السلام.
And Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى making Damascus and
that masjid a central place where one prophet's
head representing the atrocity against him remains.
And his cousin, the Prophet Isa عليه السلام,
descends.
Allah controls life and he controls death.
And the Prophet ﷺ said that الحسن والحسين
سيدة شباب أهل الجنة That Hasan and Hussain,
may Allah be pleased with them, are the
masters of the youth of al-jannah, except
for the two righteous cousins, Isa and Yahya.
And this hadith is sahih in Ibn Hibban.
So think about this because it gives you
some further context too.
اِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى That Allah chose al-Ibrahim
and al-Imran.
But he chose the family of Imran.
So al-Hasan and al-Hussain are the
masters of all of the youth of paradise
except for Isa and Yahya, the two righteous
cousins.
Fatima رضي الله تعالى عنها When the Prophet
ﷺ told her that aren't you pleased to
be سيدة نساء الجنة That you are the
queen, the leader, the master of the women
of paradise.
She in her adab, in her knowledge of
the virtue of this family said, then where
is Maryam bint Imran?
Where is Maryam عليها السلام?
And the Prophet ﷺ said, except for her.
You are the master of the women of
paradise except for Maryam.
Al-Hasan and al-Hussain are the masters
of the youth of paradise except for Yahya
and Isa, the two righteous cousins.
And when the Prophet ﷺ ascends on the
night of al-Israa wal-Mi'raj and
he mentions, and we will go into great
detail of al-Israa wal-Mi'raj, the
second heaven.
And it is the second heaven as many
of the ulema mentioned.
In the first heaven he met Adam عليه
السلام.
In the second heaven, that Isa and Yahya
are there because Isa عليه السلام will return
to this earth.
And so he is in the lowest heaven.
It's not in terms of darajat, in terms
of degrees.
We will talk about this.
The closest heaven to the earth, above as
-samaa al-dunya, above the heaven directly above
it.
And he said, فَإِذَا أَنَا بِإِبْنَيِّ الْخَالَ عِيسَ
بْنَ مَرْيَمْ وَيَحْيَا إِبْنِ زَكَرِيَّ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمَا
فَرَحَّبَا وَدَعُوا لِي بِخَيْرٍ He said, I saw
the righteous cousins, Isa and Yahya are together
in that heaven.
And he said, and so they greeted me
and they made du'a for me in
good.
Subhanallah, Jerusalem to Damascus.
The head of Yahya remains there, Isa will
descend there, and Isa will return to Jerusalem.
A connection that is made.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions about Yahya
a.s. سَلَامٌ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ وُلِيدَ وَيَوْمَ يَمُوتُ
وَيَوْمَ يُبْعَثُ حَيَّا Peace be on to him
the day he was born, the day that
he will die, and the day that he
will be brought back to life.
And he says about Isa a.s. سَلَامٌ
Or Isa says about himself, سَلَامٌ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ
وُلِيدَ وَيَوْمَ يَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ يُبْعَثُ حَيَّا Peace be
on to me the day that I was
born, the day that I shall die, and
the day that I will be brought back
to life.
A connection there.
After Isa a.s. I want you to
think also about the road to Damascus.
That Paul claims a vision on the road
to Damascus, and he forms a very different
version of Isa a.s. than Jerusalem.
It's actually called the road to Damascus.
That's where Paul conceives of what modern day
Christianity actually is because he claims to have
seen a vision of Christ, professing things about
himself that were not known to the actual
followers of Christ, the followers of Isa a
.s. that resided in Jerusalem.
And in Al-Quds, those who were actually
the followers of Isa a.s., there was
a rejection of the doctrine of Paul which
was being taught outside of Jerusalem that's well
documented historically.
And so Isa a.s. followers remain, his
true committed followers remain around Al-Quds.
And here you have Paul claiming a vision
on the way to Damascus about Isa a
.s. and a new doctrine of Isa a
.s. coming forth.
Many of the scholars mentioned that of the
benefits of Isa a.s. then descending in
Damascus and then making his way to Jerusalem
is that he paves the way between Damascus
and Jerusalem, establishing the doctrine of Tawheed, establishing
the monotheism that he was sent with, as
well as justice.
As we left off last week, the year
251, the Roman emperor Decius kills Alexander.
And this is a man that was known
for persecuting the Christians.
And he establishes shrines of paganism in Damascus
similar like those in Jerusalem to Jupiter and
to other Roman gods.
And this is the time of Ashab al
-Kahf, the time of the sleepers in the
cave.
And it makes sense because in the year
315, Constantine turns it into a Christian city.
And we know of course that the sleepers
of the cave, Ashab al-Kahf, came out
a hundred years later or some hundred years
later.
The Prophet ﷺ says, إِنَّ اللَّهَ نَظَرَ إِلَىٰ
أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ فَمَقَتَهُمْ عَرَبَهُمْ وَعَجَمَهُمْ إِلَّا بَقَايَ مِنْ
أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ That shortly before Allah sends the
Prophet ﷺ, he looked towards the earth.
And Allah ﷻ was repulsed by the state
of the people of the earth, the Arab
and the Ajam, all of the people of
the earth.
إِلَّا بَقَايَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ Except for a
handful of the true followers of the people
of the book.
I want you to come now as we
get closer to the time of the Prophet
ﷺ, the hadith of Salman al-Farisi رضي
الله تعالى عنه Where Salman al-Farisi was
born around the exact same time as the
Prophet ﷺ in Persia.
And as he becomes exposed to Christianity, Salman
al-Farisi رضي الله تعالى عنه undertakes this
dangerous escape from Persia.
And he makes his way to Damascus.
He makes his way to Ash-Sham.
And in Damascus, he meets the first teacher
that he was pointed to who turned out
to be corrupt.
And then he goes on the long journey
around areas of modern day Iraq and Turkey.
And comes back once again to Ash-Sham.
And his very last teacher was in Damascus.
So he starts off his journey in Damascus.
And he ends once again in Damascus.
What's the tie to the hadith that Allah
عز و جل looked to the state of
the world.
And Allah عز و جل was repulsed by
the people.
Except for a small group of Ahlul Kitab.
You read in the sharh of the hadith,
you read in the explanation of the hadith
that the scholars will say that those followers
were primarily in Ash-Sham.
A few people that were holding on to
the true teachings, the true doctrine of Jesus
ﷺ, the true doctrine of Isa ﷺ.
And that's proven by the hadith of Salman
al-Farisi رضي الله عنه.
As he's looking around the world trying to
find the pure message of monotheism preached by
all of the prophets, uncorrupted by the empires
of the time, untainted.
And he finds himself once again there in
Damascus.
And he finds this righteous man that is
worshiping Allah ﷻ properly.
That teaches about Isa ﷺ as he is
to be taught about.
And as he is passing away, Salman al
-Farisi رضي الله عنه in Ash-Sham, in
Damascus, sits next to his teacher on his
bed.
And he said, I took him by the
hand.
And I said to him, رحمك الله.
May Allah have mercy on you.
O Sunni, give me advice, O my teacher.
And every teacher before that teacher pointed Salman
al-Farisi رضي الله عنه to another teacher.
But this teacher points Salman al-Farisi رضي
الله عنه somewhere else.
He tells him that, O my son, I
do not know of a single person in
the world that still follows our way and
worships Allah ﷻ the way that we do.
I can't send you to another teacher.
I can't send you to another peer.
They're all dead.
I don't know of anyone else who follows
the pure message of Isa ﷺ at this
point, who follows the way of tawheed and
monotheism as we know it.
But he said, I give you the glad
tidings of a prophet that will come on
the way of Ibrahim ﷺ.
قَالَ رَسُولًا إِسْمُهُ أَحْمَدٌ And he gave him
the glad tidings.
His name is Ahmed.
And he said that he will appear in
the land of the Arabs and he will
be between the two harras.
He will migrate to a place between the
two lava fields, which of course if you
look at al-Madinah, it is situated between
those two harras.
In fact, if you look at the story
of al-Khandaq, the trench, how did Salman
al-Farisi رضي الله عنه know the geography
of Madinah?
Because it was described to him by this
place.
And so when you build a trench, a
khandaq, between you and the enemy, you can
construct it between the two harras and you
are protected because of those two places.
You're protected from all directions.
So he said he'll appear in this land
between which there are palm trees.
And he will have the characteristics that will
not be hidden.
He will eat of what is given to
him as a gift, but he will not
eat of what is given to him as
charity.
And between his shoulder blades is Khatam al
-Nabuwwah, the seal of prophethood.
And he tells him to go to that
land if he can.
So the whole story of Salman al-Farisi
رضي الله عنه finding the prophet Salaam in
Madinah and testing him with these three tests
came out of a conversation that he had
in Damascus with one of the last surviving
people of the book in the purest manifestation,
those whom Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى was pleased
with.
In the era of Jahiliyyah where the prophet
Salaam mentioned that in this era where the
truth is so lost, a person who died
between Isa عليه السلام and the bi'atha,
the advent of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم
would be judged accordingly because the truth was
so obscured from these people, except for these
few gems, these righteous gems that were trying
to hold on to the way of Isa
عليه السلام.
The prophet Salaam is born.
And I'm going to retell the hadith I
mentioned in lecture number two, but a little
bit differently.
When they said to the prophet Salaam, أخبرنا
عن نفسك, Tell us about yourself, O Messenger
of Allah.
How would you describe yourself?
And he said, أنا دعوة أبي إبراهيم.
I am the dua of my father Ibrahim
عليه السلام.
And so imagine Ibrahim عليه السلام standing in
the desert of Mecca.
Think geography in a barren desert making dua
for a child of his to uphold the
truth of monotheism and to establish the prayer.
And as a result of the prayer of
Ibrahim عليه السلام, at the end of his
prayer was Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم.
And at the end of every prayer of
the nation of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم
is Salaah Ibrahimiyyah, Salaah upon Ibrahim عليه السلام.
And so the image of Ibrahim عليه السلام
in a barren desert in Mecca.
وَبُشْرَىٰ عِيسَىٰ And I am the glad tidings
of my brother Isa عليه السلام.
Imagine the scene of Isa عليه السلام and
his few followers cornered in his home in
Palestine.
And it is there that he gives them
the glad tidings of the Prophet صلى الله
عليه وسلم to come.
And even if you read in the Qur
'an, the last page that Isa عليه السلام
is mentioned upon.
SubhanAllah, it's so beautiful.
The last page that Isa عليه السلام is
mentioned upon is in Surah As-Saff.
يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلِ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ مُصَبِّقًا
مِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاتِ وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي
مِنْ بَعْدِ إِسْمُهُ أَحْمَدٌ O Bani Israel, I
am a messenger of Allah to you who
confirms to you that which came before you
of the Torah and who gives you the
glad tidings of a Rasul after me, a
messenger after me, whose name is Ahmad.
Ahmad, the same name that Salman al-Farisi
radiyallahu anhu's teacher told him in Damascus.
Ahmad is coming to you.
And if you read in the Bible today,
the biblical references to the paraclete, the spirit
of truth who bears witness of Isa Alayhi
Salaam, and who will prove through being tested
that he is not a false prophet.
He will guide you into all truth, for
he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever
he hears, that he shall speak and he
will show you things to come.
Yahya Alayhi Salaam, even in biblical reference today,
if you read in the first book of
John, verses 19 to 21, he's asked, are
you the Christ?
And he says, no.
Are you Elijah?
He says, no.
Are you that prophet?
And he says, no.
Which is a sign of another prophet to
come.
And something very beautiful that the ulama mention
of the geography here and of the chronological
order here.
Isa Alayhi Salaam gives the glad tidings, the
bushra, the glad tidings of the coming of
Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
And Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam gives the glad
tidings of the coming of Isa Alayhi Salaam
in the final hours, in the final years
of this earth.
And so they both give the bushra of
one another.
And the imagery from Mecca to Palestine, back
to Mecca, back to Damascus, back to Palestine
at the end of the affair.
And then the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam mentioned
that when my mother was pregnant with me,
she saw a light shining from her womb
and illuminating the palaces of bushra in Al
-Sham.
So Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam made the dua from
Mecca.
Isa Alayhi Salaam gave the bushra from Al
-Sham.
And now the light shines between Mecca and
Al-Sham.
And we mentioned the hadith, I saw the
angels in the dream, they took the pillar
of the Book and they went with it
to Al-Sham.
And when the trial came, the faith was
in Al-Sham.
A hadith that is authentic where the Prophet
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam mentioned that the angels took
the pillar from beneath my head and they
established it in Al-Sham.
And so when fitan take place, then stick
to Al-Sham because iman, faith remains in
Al-Sham.
I want to give you another imagery now
of the angels, the idea of the angels.
Now we talked about the angels spreading their
wings over Al-Sham in the connection to
Asiya Alayhi Salaam.
But Isa Alayhi Salaam will also descend on
the wings of angels.
And we know that of the significance of
the wings of angels as well, is that
the angels spread their wings over what gatherings?
This is the part where I ask you
a question.
The angels spread their wings over what gatherings?
The gatherings where Allah is remembered.
We pray that this be one of them.
Allahumma ameen.
And so the scholars mentioned that of the
blessings of Al-Sham, the halaqat of Qur
'an, the circles of Qur'an, the circles
of remembrance of Allah SWT throughout time, the
populating of ilm, of knowledge that maintains the
wings of Al-Sham so much so that
Isa Alayhi Salaam would descend upon its wings,
that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam saw the
angels taking the pillar there.
So there's something angelic about Al-Sham in
this regard as well.
Now you come also to the Prophet Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam himself.
The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam never visited Jerusalem
as a child.
But he did visit Syria twice.
The journey of the summer.
He goes to Syria.
And I want you to start making connections
on your own.
The first time he's taken, he's taken as
a child by Abu Talib on that trade
route.
And Abu Talib has an incident with him
in the city of Busra, which is the
same city that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
explicitly mentioned his light touching.
His mother seeing the light touching Busra.
And Busra is a road that connects Damascus
to the Red Sea.
It's right outside of Damascus.
It's a historic Roman city right outside of
Damascus.
And it was historically the trade route because
it connects the Red Sea to Damascus.
And it's in the southern most part of
it.
And it's here that we have the narration
of the Christian monk Bahira.
When the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam arrives as
a child with Abu Talib, Bahira is a
Christian monk that is waiting in Busra trying
to analyze the caravans of the Arabs to
see if he would see this awaited Prophet.
يَعْرِفُونَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ They know him like
they know their own son.
Think about this ayah by the way.
What does Allah mean by that?
When you see your child, there is no
one more recognizable to you in this world
than your own child.
You see him and you know that's your
child.
Subhanallah, people know the scent of their child.
People can identify their children in ways that
no other human being can identify another human
being.
When a mother sees or smells or senses
her child, she knows that's her child.
Allah says, they know him Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
like they know their own son.
So when they see him, whether it is
a rabbi in Medina or a priest in
Syria, they are stunned because they know right
away, that's him.
That's him Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
And so Bahira is a monk that is
waiting to see who will arise from the
caravans of the Arabs on the trade route.
And he notices this cloud of dust that
is overshadowing one of the caravans and that
the trees are prostrating towards, centering this young
boy Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam that is taking a
nap under this tree.
And so he comes to the Prophet Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam, he sees this boy Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam, he notices the seal on the back
of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam and he
asks, who is entrusted with this young man?
Who is his wakil?
And so they point him to Abu Talib.
So he says to Abu Talib, who are
you?
And he said, I am his father.
Now, al-am, sunu al-walid.
The paternal uncle is like the father.
And he is like his father in that
sense.
And so he says to him, the monk
says to him, that you're not his father
because this young boy would not have his
father alive.
So Abu Talib says, what are you saying?
And he says that there is not a
single tree or stone that this young man
passed by except that it prostrated towards him.
And they would not do that except for
a nabi, except for a prophet.
He tells him that this young man is
going to be a sayyid in this world.
He says, where are you taking him?
He says, I'm taking him to the cities
to buy and sell.
And he says to him, don't do so
because if they know who he is, they
might hurt him.
And Abu Talib says, so what do you
advise me to do?
He says, take him back to Mecca and
protect him.
This is the first entrance of the Prophet
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam into Syria.
Take him back to Mecca and protect him.
And it's amazing, subhanAllah, that when Bahira recognizes
that he's a prophet of Allah, his first
instinct is to protect him from those who
will hurt him.
And it really ties into when Waraqa radiyallahu
ta'ala anhu recognizes the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam, what does he say to him?
I wish I was with you.
إذ يخرجك قومك when your people run you
out.
Why?
Because لم يأتي رجل قط بمثل ما جئت
به إلا عوديا.
No man has ever come with what you
have come with except that he will be
taken as an enemy.
I wish I could be with you, O
Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, and protect you when
that day comes.
This is the narration that shows up in
many of the books of tariq as the
first journey of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
to Syria.
The second one happens when?
After the death of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam's father, after the death of his grandfather,
the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is still a
young man.
And he wants to help Abu Talib who's
taking care of him.
And Abu Talib was a poor man.
So Abu Talib asks the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam to help him take care of his
business.
So the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam points to
Ajyad and he tells the companions that I
can see myself still in that area collecting
the coins of the people as I was
shepherding sheep for Abu Talib.
Imagine the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam just shepherding
sheep on the outskirts of Mecca.
So he was too young to take out
the caravans to Syria, but he's still helping
out by working for Abu Talib and helping
bring in some of the finances to that
house.
And along the way, the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam becomes a shepherd for a woman named
Hala.
And Hala was the sister of who?
Come on, y'all.
Khadija radiAllahu ta'ala Anha.
And so Khadija radiAllahu ta'ala Anha is
used to the people robbing her caravans or
not being very honest as they take her
massive caravans to Asham, to Syria, and to
Yemen.
And so as the conversation goes, Hala recommends
the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam to Khadija radiAllahu
ta'ala Anha.
She meets the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam two
times.
She makes an offer to the Prophet Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam, a business proposition to the shepherd
Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, because he was ameen,
because he was known for being trustworthy, to
enter into this contract of mudaraba, where he
would go Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam and he would
care for her caravans, and he would become
a partner in the investment of Khadija radiAllahu
ta'ala Anha.
And she sends with the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam to Syria, her servant Maysara.
Maysara accompanies the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam to
Syria for the second time.
And he witnesses the strange things about the
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam that the Prophet Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam witnessed as a child.
That everywhere the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam went,
creation interacted with him in a very specific
way.
That he said that, I would see the
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam rest under a tree,
and the branches of the tree would extend
themselves to shade him from the sun Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam.
And when he walked, it appeared like an
angelic presence appeared over him to shade him
from the sun Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam as the
angels have their wings spread over Sham, and
they have their wings spread over our beloved
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
And then he witnesses the ethics of the
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
When people were buying and selling and they
would swear by their false gods.
And because they knew the Arabs, and they
knew that the Arabs worshiped the latul uzza,
the idols, they would tell the Prophet Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam, swear by latul uzza.
The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said, I don't
swear by them, and I don't worship them.
And Maysara knew that Khadijah radiyallahu ta'ala
anha was also a woman who did not
used to worship the idols.
So he witnesses the ethics of the Prophet
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, the mannerisms of the Prophet
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam in Syria interacting with the
people.
Imagine your Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam walking the
streets of Syria before he was a Muslim,
or before he was a Nabi, before he
received prophethood, before he received the wahi from
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Walking the streets of Damascus, he doesn't know
who he is Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, and the
people don't know who he is.
And they're interacting with the Messenger Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam in these places.
And in one of the incidents, he sees
as the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is under
this tree.
A monk who asks him, who is this
man that is with you?
And he says, Muhammad ibn Abdillah, from Ard
al-Haram, Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, the son
of Abdullah, from the sanctified land.
And the monk responded and said, هذه الشجرة
لا يجرس تحتها إلا نبي This tree that
he is sitting under, no one rests under
that tree except for a Prophet.
May Salah says, I swear by Allah that
there was a cloud, that never left him.
Wherever the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam sat, the
cloud followed him.
Even when we raced it, it shaded him
the whole way, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
And May Salah gives the imagery that I
was riding behind the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam,
on his animal.
And I could see what appeared of the
angelic presence shading him, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, the
entire way.
And when the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam came
back from Syria, to our mother Khadija, رضي
الله تعالى عنها, he gave her everything in
full, not cheating her with one bit, Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam, because he was indeed, الصادق الأمين.
And so it was that trip to Syria,
that initiated the marriage to Khadija, رضي الله
تعالى عنها, because it was the testimony of
May Salah, of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam's
behavior, in Al-Sham, that caught the heart
of our mother Khadija, رضي الله تعالى عنها.
You fast forward to the light of the
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, that he's now seen
in Al-Sham.
And the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam recognizing this
blessed place as a gateway to the world.
And in the year 634, it's Damascus that
is conquered under Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, رضي
الله تعالى عنه, or the first entrance into
Damascus, under Khalid bin Walid, رضي الله تعالى
عنه, and Abu Ubaidah Al-Jarrah, رضي الله
تعالى عنه.
And so the Sahaba start to arrive in
that city, and they would never leave Damascus.
Bilal, رضي الله تعالى عنه, resides in Damascus.
Abu Darda'a, رضي الله تعالى عنه, who
learned the Qur'an directly from the Messenger
of Allah ﷺ, operates the Halaqat of Qur
'an in Damascus, and is buried in Damascus
with his blessed wife, Umm Darda'a, رضي
الله تعالى عنها.
Khalid bin Walid, رضي الله عنه, is in
Homs.
Umar bin Abdulaziz, رحمه الله تعالى, is in
Idlib.
And his grave was desecrated by these forces
of evil years ago, رضي الله تعالى عنه.
The blessed souls start to congregate in that
area.
Mu'adh bin Jabal, رضي الله تعالى عنه,
says, الشام صفة الله من بلاده.
That Sham is the chosen land of Allah
ﷻ.
عَلَيْهَا يَجْتَبِي صَفَّتَهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ.
That it is there that his chosen servants
start to gather, the blessed souls start to
gather.
And Imam al-Awza'i, رحمه الله تعالى,
he says that Damascus in particular, Damascus, is
دار المؤمنين, is the land of the believers.
وَلَهَا فَضْلٌ عَلَى غَيْرِهَا مِن بِلَادِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ.
And it has a virtue over all other
lands of the Muslims.
Fast forward.
And many of us saw on our screens
the masjid, the Umayyad masjid.
And we saw the scenes of people gathering
in the Umayyad masjid.
I can't tell you, subhanAllah, the goose bumps
that I felt watching this all unfold.
What's the history of that place?
And how does it connect to al-Aqsa?
Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, when he had
Jerusalem under his power, he wanted to erect
a structure that would recognize the glory of
al-Aqsa and the entire compound of al
-Aqsa.
And so that golden dome of the rock,
which is part of al-Aqsa, the al
-Aqsa compound, was erected by Abd al-Malik
ibn Marwan.
And he then started to construct masjid al
-Qibali within al-Aqsa, the area, the green
dome, where you see within al-Aqsa.
And he dies in the process of that
construction, and his son al-Walid ibn Abd
al-Malik actually carries forth and finishes the
construction of that place in al-Aqsa.
And we will talk about it in detail,
inshaAllah ta'ala, in the days to come.
But what's the connection?
Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik is also
the one who then constructs the great mosque
of Damascus, masjid al-Umawi, which you've been
watching on your screens.
And subhanAllah, this is considered a marvel of
Islamic architecture.
And some will say the first gathering place
of its kind after al-Masjid al-Haram,
that it was known as a place where
the sahaba, where the scholars, would gather for
years to come.
So he completes the construction of this masjid,
in the year 715.
And in that same area where he completes
it, this land, or this particular site, just
like the site of al-Aqsa, held some
of the relics of the prophets of old.
It held some of the contested pagan idols
that they used to erect in these places.
It held so many different contradictions, just like
al-Aqsa, the area of al-Aqsa, has
held for all of these centuries, for all
of these decades.
And so he looks at it, and he
wants to construct in this place, the masjid,
the centerpiece.
And because he is looking to compete with
the Christian influence in the city, the Byzantine
influence in the city, he constructs it with
this majestic feel of the scenes of al
-jannah, the gardens of jannah.
And so if you look at the paintings
within that masjid, and you look at the
mosaics in that masjid, they're meant to represent
the scenes of gardens.
Because the believers, obviously, did not draw the
pictures of the prophets.
They did not draw the pictures of anyone
of old.
And he wanted this to represent a place
for Islam for all times to come.
So the son, who saw the completion of
the construction of al-Aqsa, sees the completion
of the construction of this masjid.
Bilal radiyallahu ta'ala anhu, who gave the
adhan in Medina, and then Mecca, and then
Jerusalem, settled in Damascus, and would give the
adhan in that masjid.
Think of the scenes of it, as you're
looking at that white pillar.
Afterwards, as al-Hafidh ibn Kathir rahimallah ta
'ala, who resided, he says that al-Jami'
al-Umawi, that this masjid, min a'adham
al-masajid wa ashrafiha, is from the greatest
and the most noble of all of the
masajids.
And imam al-Nawwi rahimallah ta'ala, he
refers to it as one of mawadi al
-baraka.
And he makes dua for it.
And he says that this place was maw
'il al-'ulama wa ushaq al-'ibada.
That this place became the center of scholars
and the worshippers of Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala, those who loved Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala from His servants.
That imam al-Dhahabi rahimallah ta'ala praised
it as a centerpiece of the majesty of
al-Islam, the gateway to the world.
Think about then, a little child named Salah
ad-Din al-Ayubi rahimallah ta'ala.
He grew up partly in that masjid.
Salah ad-Din rahimallah ta'ala memorized Quran
in that masjid, al-Masjid al-Umawi.
He used to play with the other kids
in that masjid.
He used to practice the crafts of war
in that masjid as he was learning about
al-Masjid al-Aqsa and the imperative to
rescue it from the hands of the enemies.
And then think about al-imam al-Ghazali
rahimallah ta'ala worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala in the corner of that masjid.
Writing the opening pages of some of his
most magnificent works.
And then to keep himself humble, he would
sweep the floors of that masjid to remind
himself of his place before Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala.
That masjid holds something deeply significant as Damascus
holds something deeply significant to what is to
come of that place.
Now mind you, subhanAllah, that Syria, the land
of Syria, if you were to take the
aggregate of believers in that area, for the
first almost three centuries of Islam, the majority
were not Muslims because Islam did not force
people to convert to Islam.
And so Christian communities thrived and maintained their
Christianity.
And their practice was preserved, their religion was
preserved, their way was preserved, their rights were
preserved under Muslim rule.
But the osmosis takes place of Islam into
that land and the prophecies of the Prophet
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam in that land.
And Islam starts to spread throughout that land.
Move on to the hadith where the Prophet
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam talks about the fitan, the
times of trials and tribulations and connecting that
land to al-Aqsa, connecting that land to
the end of times.
An authentic hadith from Abu Darda radiAllahu ta
'ala anhu, that's narrated by Ahmed bin Abu
Dawud.
The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said, اِنَّ فُسْطَاطِ
الْمُسْلِمِينَ يَوْمَ الْمَلْحَمَةِ بِالْغُوطَةِ إِلَى جَانَبِ مَدِينَةٍ
يُقَالُ لَهَا دُمَشْقٍ مِنْ خَيْرِ مَدَائِنِ الشَّامِ The
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said that the encampments
of the Muslims on the day of the
great battle will be in al-Ghuta, which
is, I mean he's talking to people Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam in Makkah, in Madinah.
He says, will be in a city of
al-Ghuta besides a city called Damascus, which
is one of the best cities in Al
-Sham.
So the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam praised Damascus
in particular and he praised this area in
particular.
And he said, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, اِذَا وَقَعَتَ
الْمَلَاحِمُ When the great battles occur, in a
hadith from Abu Huraira radiallahu ta'ala anhu,
قَالَ بَعْثَ اللَّهُ مِنْ دِمَشْقِ بَعْثًا مِنَ الْمَوَالِ
اَقْرَمَ الْعَرَبِ فَرَسًا He said, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam,
when the great battles occur, Allah will send
forth from Damascus a group of mawali, who
are the most honored of the Arabs in
their war and in their weaponry.
And he said, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, وَأَجْوَدَهُمْ سِلَاحًا
يُؤَيِّدُ اللَّهُ بِهِمُ الْدِينِ So they have the
greatest skill, most noble in war, the greatest
skill with their weaponry.
And Allah Azawajal would support the religion through
them.
An authentic hadith in Al-Hakim as well.
And then he said, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, as
he referred to the end times of Ad
-Dajjal.
He said, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, that if I
am here while he emerges, then I will
fight with him on your behalf.
Subhanallah.
Our Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam used to stand
in the front in the battles.
Who didn't used to lead from behind, who
used to lead from the front, Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam.
He said, if I am with you when
Ad-Dajjal appears, then I will be fighting
with you against him.
But if I am not amongst you, then
everyone will have to fight for themselves.
And Allah Azawajal will be the protector of
every Muslim.
And he said, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, to protect
yourself, then recite the opening verses of Al
-Kahf.
Because it will be a protection against his
fitan.
And subhanallah, you think about all of the
different connections between Ashabul Kahf, the sleepers of
the cave, and the time of fitan, the
time of trial and tribulation, where time doesn't
make sense, where deception is all over, where
you have to flee with your religion.
And the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is saying,
hold tight to those opening verses of Al
-Kahf.
And then he goes on to say, Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam, that he will stay on earth
for 40 days.
One day will be like a year, one
day like a month, one day like a
week, and the rest of his days like
your normal days.
And the sahaba say, Ya Rasulullah, what do
we do when one day is like a
year?
How do we calculate our salawat?
And the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam says, estimate
your timings accordingly.
This was the priority of the sahaba, that
when time becomes this way, how do we
pray?
Our prayers and the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
said, estimate your times amongst you, and continue
your salawat.
And then he says, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, at
that point, Yanzil Isa Ibn Maryam Alaihi Wasallam
Inda Al-Manarati Al-Bayda Sharqiyya Dimashq.
He said, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, that on that
day, at the end of it all, Jesus,
the son of Mary, may Allah send his
peace and blessings upon them both, will descend
at the eastern most part of Damascus, at
the white minaret.
An authentic narration in Tabarani as well.
What do I want you to take from
this?
I want you to put yourself in the
scene of those days as they come.
The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam mentions multiple ahadith
that at the end of times, the Dajjal
will lay siege to a group of the
believers in the mountains of Eilat, which as
we said, is Jerusalem.
And they will call upon Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala asking for help, and that shows
you a sign that At-Ta'if Al
-Mansura, that the last bastion of believers remain
around the area of Al-Quds.
And that amongst them will be Al-Imam
Al-Mahdi.
And that he will gather them from that
area, and he will flee towards Damascus.
And that's where you have Al-Malahim, that's
where you have battles, that's where you have
so much that occurs and that unfolds before
us.
اِذْ صَاحَ فِيهِمُ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّ الْمَسِيحَ قَدْ خَلَفَكُمْ
فِي أَهْلِكُمْ That verily, the Dajjal has appeared
amongst your family members.
And the Muslims at that time as the
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is describing it to
us, are in the greatest fitna that they've
ever been in.
They've lost family members at this point, they're
feeling absolutely hopeless, they've been run from their
homes, and they are gathering and encamped within
this masjid that you've been seeing subhanAllah on
your screen, where the white minaret is.
And at that point, Fajr time comes as
they're besieged in that masjid.
And the Mahdi who is a descendant of
the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is about to
lead them in salah.
So they make the adhan, they line up,
the iqamah is made, and then it happens.
That white minaret that you see today, the
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam mentions to us that
Isa Alaihi Wasallam comes descending in that exact
place.
And he has two yellow dyed garments, and
so think of like a cream like thawb
of beautiful garments.
And his hands are on the shoulders of
two angels as he's descending from the heavens.
And some of the scholars mentioned Gabriel and
Michael in their sharh of this.
And some of the scholars say that he
would say at that point again, as he
said in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa, I'm
a servant of Allah.
I'm nothing but a mere servant of Allah.
His hair is just at his earlobes, it
dangles and it's wet as it was even
on the day of Al-Isra and Al
-Mi'raj.
And that is a sign of his anointment.
As if the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam mentioned
as if he just got out of the
bath.
And as he's descending in this beautiful way,
I want you to imagine the believers about
to pray Fajr in that masjid and looking
at him descend, and the awe of knowing
that this prophecy just came true.
فَإِذَا رَأَيْتَمُوهُ فَعْرِفُوهُ The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
said, so when you see him, know him.
So you're about to pray Fajr, suddenly you're
looking around, there's amazement.
The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said, كَيْفَ أَنْتُمْ
إِذْ نَزَلَ ثِيْكُمْ أُبْنُ مَرْيَمْ وَإِمَامُكُمْ مِنْكُمْ How
will it be when Isa Alayhi Salaam descends
amongst you, and your imam is from you.
Isa Alayhi Salaam enters amongst those believers in
that masjid.
Everyone's looking at him.
Everyone knows exactly who he is.
The Mahdi who is a muslih, who is
a reviver from this ummah, knows exactly who
he is.
And you're speechless.
Because you don't know what to make of
the gravity of the moment that you're in.
Al-Mahdi says to him, يَا رُوحَ اللَّهِ
تَقَدَّمْ صَلِّ لَنَا O spirit who's been sent
by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, O spirit
of Allah, go forth and lead us in
salah.
And Isa Alayhi Salaam says, تَقَدَّمْ أَنْتُ فَصَلِّ
فَإِنَّهَا لَكَ أُقِيمَتْ Now you go forth and
you lead us in prayer because it was
called for you.
The prayer was established for you.
Imagine being the guy praying next to Isa
Alayhi Salaam in the jama'ah and the
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said, and how will
it be when Isa Alayhi Salaam says Allahu
Akbar and prays amongst the muslims, behind a
descendant of Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
Is it a sign that the Mahdi is
greater than Isa?
No, because the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam prayed
behind Abdur Rahman Ibn Auf, prayed behind Abu
Bakr As-Siddiq radiAllahu ta'ala anhu.
But a sign of honor of following in
the way of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
as a reviver of this deen in particular.
And the muslims pray amongst them.
And he stands up after salah in that
place and he addresses the people and he
says, افتحوا الباب, open the doors, and they
opened the door and Dajjal is standing there
with his 70,000 followers.
And the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said that
when Dajjal sees Isa Alayhi Salaam, it's like
salt dissolving in water.
And Isa Alayhi Salaam says, انا لي فيك
ضربة that I have been commanded to strike
you and you will not escape me.
And he will chase him to the gates
as the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said of
a lid in Palestine.
And he will strike him and he will
show the blood on the sword to show
that Dajjal was a liar, was a kaddhab,
that he claimed divinity and he was mere
mortal, a devilish mortal indeed.
Subhanallah, to shake the idea of the invincibility
of Dajjal, this man that convinces people that
he is a god, that he is an
invincible god that cannot be touched.
And Isa Alayhi Salaam shows the blood on
his sword.
From that white minaret in Damascus back to
Palestine, back to Al-Aqsa with the followers
of Isa Alayhi Salaam.
Now I don't want to just give you
this unfolding of events because we will talk
about this inshallah ta'ala at the very
end of this series in a little bit
more depth.
I do want you to recognize the gravity
of the moment that you are witnessing right
now and the scenes that are being seared
into our hearts and our minds.
And this is not to make you apocalyptic
to think well in that case let's just
wait for it all to unfold.
I want you as you see these things
unfold to constantly go back to the promise
of Allah and the prophecy of the Prophet
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
And to recognize that even if our enemies
plot against us which they do, even if
they infiltrate which they do, even if they
plan and they seek to surprise which they
do.
إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْدًا وَأَكِيدُ كَيْدًا وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُوا
اللَّهُ They plan and Allah plans.
They plot and Allah plots.
And so as these events unfold it cannot
be that these images are being seared in
the hearts of the minds of the believers
except for us to start thinking deeply about
how transient this life truly is.
And that we are subhanAllah indeed witnessing something
truly historic in our eyes, in our hearts
and in our minds.
It's also to remind you that just as
Yahya Alayhi Salaam was killed Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala brings back life.
Just as Isa Alayhi Salaam was plotted against
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala brings back Isa
Alayhi Salaam.
Just as people would succumb to despair in
the time of Dajjal.
Some of them either believing that this is
it, we cannot overcome this or that maybe
he is divine.
Allah azawajal will show the blood of a
Dajjal to show that Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala was always in charge.
And that the believers should not despair.
But the believers should ground themselves and what
these people of faith ground themselves.
And I wanna give you one more thing
by the way.
SubhanAllah one of the weirdest things to see
is people sitting around and talking about the
signs of the day of judgment and talking
about the arrival of Mahdi and talking about
Dajjal coming.
Like one of the scenes in my life
that I'll never forget is like people having
a conversation about when's the Mahdi coming, when's
the Dajjal coming, when is this all gonna
happen while they're smoking argila.
It's like so sheikh, he's gonna show up
at that point, he's gonna show up in
Damascus and then what's gonna happen?
These ahadith are not meant to put us
into ghaflah, put us into heedlessness.
They're meant for us to be awake at
all times and to anticipate what Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala has promised will come.
And to know, inna ma'al usri yusra
at all times that verily with hardship comes
ease.
And that just as Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala rescued the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam,
he left Mecca.
And I'll leave you with this final reflection,
he left Mecca, as Ibn al-Jawzi rahim
Allah said, to Medina.
Only to come back stronger to Mecca.
They leave Jerusalem to Damascus only to come
back stronger.
And so when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
causes a people, a righteous people to be
run out of their lands, he only brings
them back وَيَجْعَلُهُمُ الْوَارِثِينَ and he makes them
the inheritors of that land with greater power
and with greater glory.
And one of the most beautiful things that
I heard in these last couple of days,
subhanAllah, I can't shake it that I no
longer have to call myself a Syrian refugee,
I can just say I'm a Syrian now.
And I loved hearing that.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala return all
of those people to their homes in glory
and protect them and protect those that plot
against them.
And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala see
their freedom all the way through.
And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow
it to be a gateway to greater freedom,
to the freedom of our people in Palestine,
to the eventual freedom of Al-Aqsa, even
if our enemies think that an opening has
just been opened for them, may Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala make this an opening for
us.
And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow
us to be amongst those who liberate and
who are liberated by putting themselves in servitude
to Him and embodying the qualities of those
who are worthy, Allahumma ameen.
InshaAllah ta'ala next week, unless something else
happens globally, next week inshaAllah ta'ala we'll
continue now with the story of the Prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam ascending and al-Isra,
al-Mi'raj, and why Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala set the stage for the Prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in that way, and
some of the various wisdoms in that regard.
JazakumAllahu khayran, wa sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, wa
ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'in.
Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.