Omar Suleiman – The Blessed Land Of Al-Sham Palestine Lebanon Syria Jordan Ep. 2 Al-Aqsa
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The shale is important in shaping the image of the Prophet's shale to deter evil and protection from evil attacks. It is crucial in shaping the image of the Prophet's shale to deter evil and protection from evil attacks. It is important in shaping the image of the Prophet's shale to deter evil and protection from evil attacks, and everyone should be careful and not let anyone convince them to be strong.
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As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.
Audhu billahi min ash-shaytani r-rajim.
Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim.
Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen.
wa al-'udwana illa a'la al-dhalimeen.
wa al-'aqeebatu lil-muttaqeem.
Allahumma salli wa sallim wa baraka ala abdika
wa rasulika Muhammadin salallahu alayhi wa sallam wa
ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallim tasliman kathira.
I want to welcome you all back, walhamdulillah,
to the second lecture in our series on
the virtues of al-Aqsa.
We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to
liberate it on our hands and to allow
us to pray within it while it is
free.
Allahumma ameen.
And inshallah ta'ala tonight we will continue
with the overview of fadha'il ash-shaam,
of the virtues of the area known as
ash-shaam.
And there is a hadith from Abu Umama
radiyallahu ta'ala anhum, who says that we
said to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam,
tell us about the beginning of your affair.
حدثنا عن أول الأمر.
What was the beginning of your affair?
فقال صلى الله عليه وسلم, دعوة أبي إبراهيم.
The prayer of my father Ibrahim.
وبشارة عيسى.
And I was the glad tidings of my
brother Isa.
So I am the da'wah to Abi
Ibrahim, I am the prayer, the answer to
the dua of my father Ibrahim alayhi salam.
وبشارة عيسى.
And I am the glad tidings that was
given by my brother Isa alayhi salam.
ورؤيا أمي التي رأت حين وضعتني وقد خرج
لها نور أضاء لها منه قصور الشام.
And he says, and I was the glad
tidings, or rather I was the light of
my mother.
That my mother saw when she was giving
birth to me that lit up the palaces
of ash-shaam.
And so I want you to imagine the
birth of the beloved sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
What happened to the heavens and the earth
as not just any human being was born
into this world, but the best human being,
the best of Allah's creation that would ever
grace the face of the earth sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam.
And his mother in this lonely place, not
surrounded by guards, not surrounded by the royals
of this earth, but surrounded by the highest
of the angels that are witnessing that birth.
And in that room, merely a woman, a
freed slave girl named Baraka Um Ayman radiyallahu
ta'ala alha.
And as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
is exiting her womb, she sees a light
from Makkah.
And at the end of that light, the
palaces of ash-shaam.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala liberate every
single part of it.
Allahumma ameen.
Al-Hafidh ibn Kathir rahimahullah says that in
that was a sign that the light of
the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would stick
in that area in a way that it
would not stick on any other area on
the face of the earth.
Subhanallah, if you think about a light being
cast, or you think about sprinkling something on
an area, and the land that holds, that
the grasp of ash-shaam to the light
of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would
be greater than the grasp of any other
area to the light of the Prophet sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam.
And so he was a light sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam that lit up ash-shaam.
And then Abi Darda radiyallahu ta'ala anhu
narrates a vision of him sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam.
Qala sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, bayna ana na
'imun idh ra'aytu amuda al-kitabi ihtumila
min tahti ra'si.
He said, one day I was sleeping.
And this time it's not the vision of
the mother of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam, it's the vision of the Prophet sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam himself.
He said, and I saw amuda al-kitab,
the pillar of the book being carried from
beneath my head, a transfer from the Prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
And he said, fadanantu anahu madhubun bihi.
And I thought that it was being taken
away.
Fa atba'tuhu basari.
My eyesight followed where the pillar was being
taken.
I followed it with my gaze.
Fa umida bihi ila ash-shaam.
And so it continued until ash-shaam, until
it reached ash-shaam.
So imagine the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
seeing the physical pillar of the book being
taken from him sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and
his vision following it until it lands in
ash-shaam.
And he said sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, ala
wa inna al-eemana kheena taqa'ul fitanu
bi ash-shaam.
And in one narration he said it three
times, that verily faith, when fitna strikes, will
remain in ash-shaam.
Verily faith, when fitna strikes, when tribulation occurs,
will remain in ash-shaam.
Once again, a book, a light.
But this time as the ulama say, the
fact that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
saw the pillar of the book meant that
shaam would always remain a place of the
Qur'an, a place of ahlul Qur'an,
the people of the Qur'an.
And the people of the Qur'an are
the most beloved people to Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala.
And in Gaza alone, a small part of
ash-shaam, there were over 50,000 hufadh
before the genocide.
And to give you a little bit of
perspective into that, that of the greatest tragedies
of the first battle after al-Islam, which
was the battle of al-Ridda, or the
battles of al-Ridda, the battles of apostasy
from Musaylim al-Kaddhab, was the amount of
companions that memorized the Qur'an that were
killed, the amount of hufadh that were killed
by Musaylim.
And in this land, the Qur'an forever
remains embedded in the hearts and the minds
of the people, taught and studied, and inspiring
towards action as the Qur'an is meant
to do.
So first it was a vision from his
mom, then it was a vision from him
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, then it was a
vision of the companions.
As Salman al-Farisi radiyallahu ta'ala anhu
says, that while we were in the trench,
in the khandaq, I was digging the trench,
and I was trying hard to strike through.
And then suddenly, my axe hit a large
stone, and I couldn't get through.
And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam took
that axe, and he struck that stone.
And when he struck that stone, he recited,
تَمَّتْ كَرِمَةُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدَّدْ لَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَرِمَاتِهِ
وَهُوَ السَّمِعُ الْعَلِيمُ That verily the word of
your Lord has been fulfilled, in truth and
in justice, none can change His word, and
He is the All-Hearing and the All
-Knowing.
And he said that, when he said that
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and when he struck
the stone, a light appeared from the stone.
And then he struck it again sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam, and another light appeared.
And then he struck it a third time,
alayhi salatu was salam, and another light appeared.
And I said to him, بِأَبِي أَنْتَ وَأُمِّي
يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ May my father and my
mother be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of
Allah.
What is this light that I saw?
And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,
أَوَقَدْ رَأَيْتَ ذَلِكَ يَا سَلْمَانَ Did you really
see it, O Salman?
And he said, Yes.
أَيُّهَا الَّذِي بَعْتَكَ بِالْحَقِّ I swear by Him
who sent you by the truth.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, that
verily the first strike رُفِعَتْ لِي مَدَائِنُ كِسْرَىٰ
وَمَا حَوْلَهُ Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala raised
for me in that light the palaces of
Kisra and that which was around it.
Salman al-Farisi radiyallahu ta'ala anhu fled
Persia in search of iman, in search of
faith.
And the very same palace from the very
same place that he fled which led him
in his journey to being next to the
Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in a ditch.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was seeing
that palace from that same spot and saying
Allah azzawajal has gifted it to me and
that which is around it.
And he said sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, that
the second time I struck that I saw
the palaces of Kisr, Heraclius in the Byzantines
and everything that is around it, meaning the
area of Ash-Sham.
And he said the third time I struck
it that I saw the palaces of Habesha
and Yemen.
And subhanAllah as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam made dua or as he saw these
things and as he recited the ayah of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, a word of
affirmation, at a time when Islam was going
to end, when the Muslim community was going
to be genocided, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
showed the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam all
of the consequential places in the world coming
to Islam, the light of Islam reaching it.
It really puts into perspective يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطُفِئُوا نُورَ
اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَا الْمُشْرِكُونَ
That verily, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala وَلَوْ
كَرِهَا الْكَافِرُونَ Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says
that verily, they seek to extinguish the light
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with their
mouths.
But verily, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has
preserved His light even if the disbelievers hate
it.
And in that moment, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam saw Ash-Sham.
Along with his companions.
And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was
asked by the companions to make du'a
that they would be amongst them, amongst those
people that would take the light of Islam
to those places.
And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did
so.
And from that small ditch, all of these
men went on to take Islam to Persia,
to Yemen, to Syria, to Palestine, to Iraq,
to all of these different places by the
promise of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Fulfilled by the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam.
The ulema mentioned that of the wisdoms of
the palaces being shown is that Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala would give the Prophet sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam the authority as well as
the hearts of the people of those places.
So, Islam would spread in the political sense,
in the authoritative sense.
But also the hearts of those people would
embrace the light of Islam.
And they would come to the Prophet sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam as believers.
On top of that, what makes this incident
so beautiful is that the main architects of
the oppression of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam who were trying to suppress the light
of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam on the outside would become part of
the reason by which the light of Islam
would spread to the places that the Prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam saw.
Who would have thought that Khalid ibn al
-Walid radiyallahu ta'ala anhu stalking the believers
from the outside of the trench, looking for
a single hole to penetrate would be the
one at whose hands the battle of Yarmouk
would unfold.
And the first victories of the openings of
Al-Sham would take place at his hand,
radiyallahu ta'ala anhu.
And so, Al-Sham was a light.
Al-Sham was a place that the mother
of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam saw,
that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam saw,
that the companions saw, and they knew that
the light of Allah would enter into those
places.
And through that transformation that the Prophet sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam prophesied of the hearts and
the people, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala solidified
Islam in those places.
Now before I go any further when speaking
about the virtues of Al-Sham and its
people, I remind you of the hadith of
the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam where he
said, The
Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that, O
people, your lord is one, and your father
is one, and verily there is no virtue
of an Arab over a non-Arab, or
of a non-Arab over an Arab, or
of a white man over a black man,
or a black man over a white man,
except by taqwa, except by piety.
These hadith that we are going to cover
today are not meant to assign to a
people that which they earn by virtue of
their birth.
The hadith that we will cover today are
not meant to inspire a tribalism that Islam
actually came to eliminate.
But rather they are to remind us that
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has spread His
light, and Allah azawajal has given opportunities to
people to grasp onto that light.
And those that act in accordance with that
light realize the virtues of the various places
and positions and rankings that the Prophet sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam mentioned, which is why, subhanallah,
I was looking at this hadith and it
always is inspiring.
When the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,
اللهم بارك لنا في شامنا اللهم بارك لنا
في يمنينا Where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam said three times, Oh Allah bless our
Sham, Oh Allah bless our Sham, Oh Allah
bless our Sham and bless our Yemen, and
bless our Yemen and bless our Yemen.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was not
Shami.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was not
Yemeni.
But the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam called it
our Sham and our Yemen, which means that
if you love Al-Aqsa, it is your
Aqsa.
If you love Al-Sham because Allah Azzawajal
loves it, then you are Shami, it is
your Sham.
If you love Yemen, Al-Imanu Yamani, faith
is Yemeni, then Yemen becomes yours.
All of these things are acquired by you
by virtue of being from the Ummah of
Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam and your genuine sincere
attachment.
There could be a Fajr, Fasiq, a wicked
person who lives right next to Al-Masjid
Al-Aqsa and who excludes themselves by virtue
of their wickedness from all of the Fadhal,
from all of the virtues of the people
of Al-Aqsa.
And there could be a person who lives
in any part of the world who will
never set foot physically before death in that
land.
But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grants them
the virtues of attachment to that place.
The deen transcends all of these different barriers
and subhanallah of the wisdoms of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala and what is transpiring right
now.
I have never seen more people embrace Islam
in my entire life than I have after
Gaza.
And I think to myself how beautiful it
will be when Al-Aqsa is liberated bi
'idhnillahi ta'ala.
And not only will it be the people
of Palestine that return home with their keys,
but it will be the people who said,
La ilaha illallah Muhammadun Rasulullah for the first
time after being exposed to the cause of
Palestine, now enjoying the fruits of Palestine in
this life.
It will be people from all over the
world that will be entering into Al-Aqsa
with tears of joy in their eyes, and
they will claim it as their own.
This is a deen that transcends all of
these things.
This is our Sham, this is our Yemen.
So what is our Sham anyway?
And how do we actually come to terms
with the geographical location of a Sham?
And so if you were to say to
someone today, a Sham, you would hear greater
Syria.
And indeed a Sham includes Syria, may Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala liberate it.
Palestine, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala liberate
it.
It includes Lebanon and it includes Al-Urdun.
So it includes Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan
in the broadest sense.
Historically speaking, it also seemed to extend to
include some of the other areas.
And so some of the northern part of
Al-Iraq like Mosul would actually be included
in a Sham according to many of the
scholars.
Tabuk was included as part of a Sham
according to many of the scholars.
Some of the scholars mentioned some of the
regions of Turkey and Syria that are included
in a Sham.
And so it's a general region that the
Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is referring to.
A Sham has multiple meanings, or multiple linguistic
roots.
Some of the scholars mentioned that it could
be referring to Sham as in the son
of Nuh alayhi wasallam.
So when they say Sham, that where Nuh
alayhi wasallam, when his ship landed, when the
Ark of Noah settled on the mountain, that
the people spread into different regions.
And so this was the area of a
Sham.
That's one interpretation of the word a Sham.
Some of the scholars mentioned a Sham refers
to الرائحة طيبة, a good smell.
The smell of its frequent vegetation, and its
fruits, and its olives, and its fig, and
all of the beautiful vegetation of a Sham.
That it has a blessed air because of
all of what sprouts from the land of
a Sham.
That it gives off a smell.
And so it was referred to by its
vegetation.
And most of the scholars mentioned that Sham
refers to simply the left or the north.
Okay?
So if you think of how the Arab
actually would function from the Kaaba, you have
a Sham, الشمال, which is رحلة الصيف.
Okay?
The place where they would go in the
summer.
And then you have Yemen, coming from the
right, where you would go for your summer
trade.
Okay?
رحلة الشتاء, or sorry, your winter trade.
الشتاء والصيف.
Right?
So the winter trade would be to Yemen,
and the summer trade would be to a
Sham.
And if you ever forget that in Tafsir,
you just ask yourself, where would you rather
be in the summer?
Would you rather be in Yemen or would
you rather be in a Sham?
And if it's the winter, where would you
rather be?
In Yemen or a Sham?
Just think about the climate.
It's a good way for you to remember
when you're reading لإله في قريش.
And so if you're centering yourself from the
Kaaba, from Mecca, then you are looking in
these directions.
And that's a very easy way to remember
that.
And it's very important because if you think
about a Sham, you have to think about
how it interacts with all of the regions
that are around it.
So when the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, in
some narration he says, He's not talking about
the Westerners here.
He's talking about them, the people of a
Sham.
Imam Ahmed Rahimullah said, when you hear الغرب,
then you're talking about a Sham.
And when you hear أهل المشرق, who are
you talking about?
العراق.
Okay, so you have to think about how
the East and the West and all of
these things interact in the Arab imagination at
that time.
And the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam used to
name cities by directions.
Okay, just like by the way, the Arabs
used to call Basra, Al-Hind.
Because it was in the direction of Al
-Hind.
So they would name cities by the directions,
Tabuk Al-Sham.
Everything was named by the direction that it
functioned.
And if you look in a map, then
you can always see that.
And then of course you have, Egypt.
And subhanAllah, Egypt and Palestine always have a
history together.
Sometimes Egypt is Umm Al-Dunya, sometimes it's
not Umm Al-Dunya.
Depends on the time period that it's in.
But you'll always find there's a Nabi, there's
a Prophet, either fleeing from Palestine to Masr,
or from Masr to Palestine.
There's always an interaction between these two regions.
And so you find Ibrahim and Musa, alayhimu
s-salam, and they are fleeing from Egypt
to Palestine.
And you find Yaqub and Yusuf, alayhimu s
-salam, fleeing from Palestine to Masr, to Egypt.
And so there's always some sort of an
interaction between those two places.
Now I don't want to dwell too much
on the point, but there is something deeply
profound about this.
Beyond simply that we ask Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala to inspire Masr to its greatness,
to its full potential, and to allow it
to be a source, bi-idhnillahi ta'ala,
of strength for our brothers and sisters in
Palestine.
Allahumma ameen.
But beyond that, is that the sunnah of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala shows between these
two places, in that prosperity never dwells all
across.
The sunnah of Allah is that prosperity visits
lands in time periods.
So that at one point, a place is
a place of refuge, the next generation finds
it to be a place of disaster.
At one point, a place is a place
of barakah, a place of much blessing.
At another point, it's a place of trial
and tribulation.
The sunnah of Allah is that His worldly
benefits and prosperity travels through His earth.
And that is of course a sign that
if you are in a land of prosperity,
don't get too comfortable because Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala can switch that prosperity to adversity
in any moment.
And if you are in a land of
adversity, how many lands of adversity became places
of prosperity in the blink of an eye.
So it's the sunnah of Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala that it travels through these different
places.
Al-faqr, wal-ghina, al-amr, wal-khawth.
Poverty and wealth, and safety, and fear, and
hardship.
Now within Al-Sham, you have of course
the idea of Al-Bayt Al-Maqdis, you
have Jerusalem, you have Al-Quds, which is
a place where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
has referred to as Al-Ard Al-Muqaddasah.
Now I want to mention something from a
Quranic feature.
That if you're reading the Quran, one of
the things that's important to note is that
you don't judge the value of something by
how often its name is mentioned.
Okay?
So there is a wisdom when Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala specifies a name, there is
a very specific wisdom.
Otherwise, things are meant to have a historical
interpretation, but then a timeless application.
العبرة بعموم اللفظ لا بخصوص السبب Right?
So you take the lesson not to refer
to the specific, even linguistic elements, right?
Or the specific of a reason for revelation.
You look at the way that it covers
all different things.
And so for example, what is greater, Masjid
al-Nabawi, the Masjid of the Prophet sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam, or Masjid al-Aqsa?
Alright, now you guys are really tired.
Which one do you get more virtue for
praying in?
The Masjid of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam.
Is the Masjid of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam mentioned by name in the Qur
'an?
No, it's not.
Masjid Quba is not mentioned by name in
the Qur'an.
Masjid al-Ustisah ala taqwa, a masjid that
was established upon piety.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala leaves the mention
to be general enough to where when you
are establishing your masjid, you ask yourself, is
it being established upon taqwa or not?
So that you can take the full value
and virtue of it.
So when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala specifies
something, there is a reason for it.
And Allah knows best, of the wisdoms that
the ulema mention, is that so that no
one can claim the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam his Isra ul-Mi'raj was from
Masjid al-Haram to somewhere else.
Ila al-Masjid al-Aqsa.
Allah azawajal specified al-Masjid al-Aqsa, so
that no one could divorce al-Aqsa from
al-Islam by claiming some sort of archaeological
nonsense, and making up a narrative that disconnects
us from our holy place.
And so it is specified so that there
is no room for ambiguity that Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala took his Prophet sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam from al-Masjid al-Haram ila
al-Masjid al-Aqsa.
Allah says, الذي باركنا حوله Whose surroundings we
have blessed.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions also in
surah al-A'raf, أورثنا القوم الذين كانوا
يستضعفون مشارق الأرض ومغاربها Allah azawajal says that
we have caused the people who have been
oppressed to inherit the eastern regions of the
land and the western ones.
And when Allah says مغاربها, after saying its
western ones, He says, التي باركنا فيها That
which we have blessed from within.
Allah azawajal mentions about لُوط عليه السلام ونجيناه
ولُوطاً إلى الأرض التي باركنا فيها للعالمين That
verily we rescued or we gave refuge to
him and to Lut عليه السلام to the
land that we have blessed for the worlds.
باركنا فيها للعالمين And the scholars mention that
of the function of that is that not
only is the land blessed within and without,
in it of itself and everything that is
around it, but of the function of it
is that it serves as a blessing للعالمين,
it serves as a blessing to the entire
world.
Those who are physically in its proximity and
those who are not, the best of Al
-Sham, the scholars mentioned therefore, is Al-Bayt
Al-Maqdis.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala liberate it
and that which is around it.
And then, this is where it gets interesting.
Then you have some scholars that make the
argument of Damascus.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala liberate it
as well.
Allahumma ameen.
And grant the people ease and sakinah and
tranquility there.
And then you have another group of scholars,
they said the best of it is the
part that's أَقْرَبْ إِلَىٰ عَدُوِ اللَّهِ That's closest
to the enemy of Allah.
This is a profound explanation that Al-Hafidh
Ibn Rajab rahimahullah gives.
That because Ard Al-Sham is Ard Al
-Ribat, because it's the place, the frontier against
the enemy, that the most valuable of it,
after Al-Maqdis is the part that's closest
to the enemy of Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala, he says that when Umar Ibn Abdulaziz
rahimahullah took his khilafah, he established himself not
in Damascus, but he chose to establish himself
instead in Qinasrin.
Qinasrin is an ancient city which was at
Bab Halab, was at the gate of Aleppo,
of Halab.
And it was the closest frontier to the
Byzantines.
And Umar Ibn Abdulaziz rahimahullah saw that the
closer you are to the enemy, the most
blessed you are in Ard Al-Sham.
Because it is Ard Al-Ribat, it is
the place of holding down the frontier, holding
down the fort against the enemy of Allah.
It's the land of prophets.
And we will talk about that, bi-idhnillahi
ta'ala, in the next lesson, as we'll
focus only on the prophets.
But I just want you to think in
Ramadan, or maybe when you open your Mus
'haf as an exercise, as you start to
read through Surah Al-Isra, Surah Al-Kahf,
Surah Maryam, that entire thing, the entire surroundings
are based around the story of Al-Aqsa,
the story of the Holy Land and Al
-Sham.
It's also a place where the scholars mention,
Al-Aja'ibu fi-Sham.
Miracles have happened in Al-Sham.
It's a land of miracles, not just for
the prophets.
So focus on this insha'Allah ta'ala
for a moment.
The scholars mention that the dead rose to
life in Al-Sham.
And the dead will rise to life in
Al-Sham.
What is this referring to?
Think of it this way.
The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam mentioned that Bani
Israel, كان فيهم العجائب.
That miraculous things, many miracles used to happen
amongst them.
And so the stories of prophets raising the
dead to life, almost all exclusively, are situated
amongst the prophets of Bani Israel.
The dead that are rising to life.
Sometimes 700, 500 or less.
But the point is that this is a
place where the dead rose to life.
This is a place where Uzair Alayhi Salaam,
went to sleep for a hundred years.
This is a place where Ashabul Kahf, the
cave of the sleepers, which according to the
strongest historical analysis, would be that it is
today in Al-Urdun.
And what is located in Al-Urdun, around
the area of Al-Muqabilain, where you have
the cave of the seven sleepers.
They say seven, the cave of the sleepers.
But these were people who went to sleep
for a very long time.
And then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala brought
them back to life.
And so this is a place where the
dead rise to life.
And what's profound about that is that every
single one of us will go to Ash
-Sham, either now or later.
Because it is Ard-ul-Mahshar, it's the
place of assembly.
And so the dead will rise and proceed
to Ash-Sham.
And I want you to think of the
visual, when you think of the light that
is coming from Mecca to Ash-Sham, Medina
to Ash-Sham.
The visual of the Day of Judgment.
When the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says
that I am the first one who will
rise from his grave, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
Imagine the site in Al-Medina, Tanshaq-ul
-Ard, the earth splits.
And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam rises
from that place.
And Abu Bakr and Umar radiyallahu anhuma rise.
And Ashab-ul-Baqi' the thousands of family
and companions of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam rise from Al-Medina.
And Khadija radiyallahu anha rises from Mecca.
And they proceed towards Ash-Sham.
Ard-ul-Sham.
Subhanallah, think about that light once again traveling.
All of us will rise from the dead
back to life, and proceed to Ard-ul
-Sham.
So it's the place of Al-Aja'ib.
It's the place where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam ascended to the heavens.
And it's the place where Isa alayhi wa
sallam will descend from the heavens.
Because we know that Isa alayhi wa sallam
will descend first to Damascus, where the white
minaret is, which is the first masjid that
was built there.
The Umayyad Masjid was the first masjid that
was built in the Futuhat, in the expeditions
into Ash-Sham.
He will descend there, and then he will
proceed towards Al-Bayt al-Maqdis, towards Jerusalem.
So it's the place where the prophets rise,
and the place where the prophets descend.
So it's a place where miracles happen.
And in that, by the way, is a
sign, subhanallah, that a person should not despair
because when miracles are to show themselves on
this earth, they will show themselves first in
Ash-Sham.
And we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
to show us miracles in regards to our
brothers and sisters in Ash-Sham.
Allahumma ameen.
Imam Ahmed rahimahullah, he says, and if you
combine the Ahadith, where the Prophet shallallahu alaihi
wa sallam talks about the places to which
a person should flee, then obviously you have
Al-Haramayn, Mecca and Al-Madinah.
And there is no doubt that the Fada
'il of Madinah, the virtues of Madinah are
many.
When the Prophet shallallahu alaihi wa sallam mentions
staying in Al-Madinah.
But he said it is Madinah and Ash
-Sham as well.
And he mentions the multiple narrations in that
regard.
Ya Rasulallah, ayna ta'muruni?
O Messenger of Allah, where should I go?
Should I stay here in the Prophet's place
and point it towards Ash-Sham?
There's a famous Hadith from Ibn Hawala radiyallahu
ta'ala anhu.
Ibn Hawala says, Qala Rasulallah shallallahu alaihi wa
sallam sayaseerul amru ila an takoonu junoodan mujannada.
He said, shallallahu alaihi wa sallam, that the
affair will proceed and then you will end
up in groups.
Qala jundun bil-Sham, wa jundun bil-Yaman,
wa jundun bil-Iraq.
A group in Ash-Sham, a group in
Yaman, and a group in Al-Iraq.
Ibn Hawala said, Khirli ya Rasulallah, in adraktu
thalik.
Tell me O Messenger of Allah, where should
I go?
If I find myself in that situation.
Qala sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, alayka bil-Sham,
fa innaha kheeratullahi min ardihi.
He said, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, upon you
is Ash-Sham, because it is the chosen
land of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Subhanallah, we don't have in our vocabulary the
idea of a chosen people based upon lineage.
You have a chosen land by which those
people who choose righteousness, become worthy.
So you have a chosen land from Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So the Prophet shallallahu alaihi wa sallam said,
yajtabi ilayha kheeratuhu min ibadihi.
Allah azawajal will drive towards it the best
of His ibad.
Qala fa amma in abaytum, and he said,
and if you are unable to go so,
to do so.
Qala fa alaykum bi-yamanikum.
Then upon you is your Yemen, and satisfy
yourself even with a little bit of water
from its bodies in Al-Yemen.
And he said, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, in
conclusion of this, fa inna allaha tawakkala li
bi-Shami wa ahlihi.
He said, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, that Allah
has guaranteed for me the protection of Al
-Sham and its people.
This is such a profound narration, because first
and foremost, as Imam al-Rajab rahimahullah says,
that Imam Ahmad rahimahullah said that all of
the ahadith point to this idea that the
beginning of the affair is Mecca, the end
of the affair is in Al-Sham.
Like the light of the Prophet shallallahu alaihi
wa sallam came from Mecca and ended in
Al-Sham.
And so we're all on this continuum to
where we should find ourselves trying to focus
on Ard Al-Sham.
And the end of times in this life
will be in Al-Sham.
And the beginning of times in the next
life will be in Al-Sham.
And the majority of the companions of the
Prophet shallallahu alaihi wa sallam will be found
in Al-Sham.
The majority of the companions of the Prophet
shallallahu alaihi wa sallam will be found in
Al-Sham.
Even to the point, if you just think
of the plague of Amwas alone, Ta'un
Amwas, and how many of the sahabah died,
it's an indication of how many of them
went out to Al-Sham, acting upon the
advice of the Prophet shallallahu alaihi wa sallam.
And he said shallallahu alaihi wa sallam in
another hadith, أَلَا إِنَّ عُقْرَ دَارِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الشَّامِ
He said shallallahu alaihi wa sallam, that verily,
the heartland of the believers is Al-Sham.
What a way to refer to it.
It's the heartland of the mu'mineen, of the
believers once again.
Not for a person who's born Shami.
It's the heartland of the believers.
And he said shallallahu alaihi wa sallam, as
we mentioned, that faith will always remain in
Al-Sham.
And the scholars mentioned a few things here,
that there will always be a strong religious
commitment that guards the borders of the Muslims
and the creed of Islam.
So some of the scholars mentioned that both
the protection of the Muslims through the people
of Al-Sham as well as the creed
and the way of Al-Islam.
Because they are a people of clarity, and
their scholarship throughout history produced what was necessary
to protect Islam from heresy.
And indeed, as Ibn Rajab rahimallahu mentioned, that
the ghuloo, that extremism in the religion was
squashed from the scholars of Al-Sham, just
like the enemies of Allah were squashed by
the warriors of Al-Sham.
That faith always remains in Al-Sham.
And the protection of Al-Iman, the protection
of faith, always remains in Al-Sham.
And the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam mentioned, this
gift, إِلَىٰ قِيَامَ السَّاعَةِ until the final hour,
which means it is not time bound.
Now someone might say, but wait a minute,
sometimes the religious commitment of the people weakens.
And let me tell you by the way,
what differentiates us from a tribalist in Jahiliyyah,
is that you should hold your people accountable
to the virtues that highlight their potential.
And so if you are a scholar in
Al-Sham, and if you listen to the
scholars in Gaza, and you listen to the
khutbas that are being given in the Rabwah,
they have the right to talk to their
own, and to say, let us rise to
be the people that are worthy of victory.
It's difficult for me in the comfort of
my room, in my home, to say if
only the people of Palestine were more righteous,
mashallah.
So easy for you to say outside, and
to say, well this is all happening to
them, because a guy smoked a cigarette on
the shore of Gaza.
Not my place.
But for a person from within Gaza, for
a person within Palestine, for a person in
Damascus, for a person in Halab, to say,
let's strengthen our imam, because nothing good or
nothing but good comes out of the strengthening
of our imam.
Let us be worthy of what the Prophet
shallallahu alaihi wasallam said of us, that is
warranted and that is part of nasiha, that's
part of how we strengthen our goodwill.
That's part of how we strengthen our position
with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So if the religious commitment weakens sometimes as
a whole, and indeed there are periods of
religiosity, and indeed you have a salih wal
fasid, even in Gaza you have a righteous,
and you have a wicked person.
Know that what the Prophet shallallahu alaihi wasallam
is saying, that even in that case, there's
always a level of religiosity that dwells in
Al-Sham.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala preserve it
and its people.
And he said in another hadith, sallallahu alaihi
wasallam, qala tuba li-sham, tuba li-sham,
glad tidings to Al-Sham.
faqulna li-ayyi thalika ya rasool Allah Why,
O Messenger of Allah?
qala li-anna malaikatu ar-rahman basitatun ajnihataha
alaiha.
He said, because the angels of Ar-Rahman
have their wings spread over Al-Sham.
I wanna share with you all something personal,
subhanallah.
That there was a brother from Syria.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give victory
to its people, the forgotten people of Syria.
And he mentioned to me, he said, this
hadith caused him doubt.
He said, you know, how are the angels'
wings spread over Al-Sham when there's so
much atrocity in Al-Sham?
How do we reconcile the idea of the
wings of the angels being spread over Al
-Sham with the atrocities that are taking place
in Al-Sham?
And there are few things to mention here.
Number one, can you imagine how many shuhada
are rising through the heavens from Al-Sham
at this very moment?
If there was an activity monitor of the
heavens right now, where you could see looking
at a map, where the light is rising
to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Can you think of a place that would
have more light than that?
You know, subhanAllah, there was a Zionist that
was gloating on Twitter, or X, or whatever
you call it now, a few days ago.
And he was showing a map of Gaza
with the lights, or Gaza before and Gaza
after, where there are no lights there.
And this is our moment of Uhud, where
the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam speaks back,
where Umar radiyallahu anhu speaks back and says,
قَتْلَانَا فِي الْجَنَّ وَقَتْلَاكُمْ فِي الْنَّارِ You guys
just don't get it.
That the light of the heavens from that
place is more so than it has ever
been before, of the righteous souls that are
rising to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
The angels of Ar-Rahman have their wings
spread over Ash-Sham.
The du'as, the ibadah of the people
of Ash-Sham.
The prophets that are buried in Ash-Sham.
But, here's something else.
Wasn't it that when Asiya alayhi salam was
being tortured by Fir'aun, that the angels
spread their wings over her?
Bearing witness.
That didn't mean that the body of Asiya
was not subjected to the torture of Fir
'aun.
That meant that the soul was sufficed with
its full delight.
That Allah azawajal put into Asiya the iman,
the faith and the perspective that was required
of her in that moment, that would allow
her to attain a rank that otherwise would
be unattainable.
How sad that a person would die or
would be killed in that brutal fashion in
Ash-Sham today, and they don't die on
iman.
Can you imagine the state of such a
person?
They don't die on la ilaha illallah, but
they die openly questioning Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala.
May Allah protect the people with their iman
first and foremost.
And that's why I'm gonna say, may Allah
azawajal give them thabat with their iman.
Give them firmness with their iman.
Because we want them to have that iman.
رَبَّنَا أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْهِمْ صَدْرًا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَهُمْ Right?
You're making that dua for them, that Allah
pour upon them that faith, that Allah pour
upon them that patience.
And so I want you to think of
all of these people in Ash-Sham as
Asiyas, where the angels bear witness with their
wings.
And even they, that beautiful creation of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala, even they are not
queued into the full plan of Allah azawajal.
Because when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala created
Adam a.s., قَالُوا أَتَجْعَلُوا فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ
فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاءِ Right?
And the answer was, إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا
تَعْلَمُونَ I know that which you don't know.
The angels asked, but what about this and
what about that?
I know that which you don't know.
So even the angels in humble submission to
Allah azawajal spread their wings out over the
people of Gaza.
Spread their wings out over the people of
Ash-Sham.
But indeed, if there was a visual of
the mala'ika, then their wings are spread
out over the people of Ash-Sham.
And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,
and it's not just them where the indicator
lights are.
قَالَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ إِذَا فَسَدَ أَهْلُ الشَّامُ
فَلَا خَيْرَ فِيكُمْ If the people of Ash
-Sham are corrupted, then there is no good
in you anymore.
Subhanallah, as the ulama mentioned, it's as if
Ash-Sham is the barometer of the ummah.
That it is the indicator of the state
of the ummah, the people of Ash-Sham.
Particularly here in regards to their struggle, it's
as if they are the barometer of the
ummah.
When the ummah is in weakness, you see
it in Ash-Sham.
When there's corruption, you can see it.
You can always look to Ash-Sham to
be the diagnostic check for the state of
our ummah.
Both in terms of its religiosity, as well
as its political state.
And so if a single part of it
is under occupation, it's a sign of where
we are.
When it is under oppression, it's a sign
of where we are.
When the ummah can't move for it, it's
a sign of our paralysis.
And so both in regards to their deen,
their overall religious commitment, as well as the
political state.
إِذَا فَسَدَ أَهْلُ الشَّامُ فَلَا خَيْرَ فِيكُمْ We
also know that the end of empires, as
Al-Hafidh ibn Rajab rahim Allah says, the
end of empires is in Ash-Sham.
The end of evil, cruel regimes is in
Ash-Sham.
The crusaders met their defeat in Ash-Sham.
The Mongols met their defeat in Ash-Sham.
All of these little dajjals will meet their
defeat in Ash-Sham.
Until Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives victory
through the hand of Isa alayhi as-salam
over Al-Masih al-Dajjal.
Right there in Al-Quds.
And so it is the place where evil
comes to a halt.
And so what you are witnessing right now
of battle, what you are witnessing right now
of shamatat al-a'dah, of the gloating of
your enemies, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will
certainly turn it upon them, and give victory
to the other people.
Finally, when the Prophet shalallahu alayhi wasalam mentions
Al-Ta'if al-Mansurah, the victorious group,
he mentions them alayhi as-salatu was-salam,
particularly around Aknafi Bayt al-Maqdis, the surroundings
of Jerusalem.
And he says, لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ مَنْ خَذَ لَهُمْ
وَلَا مَنْ خَالَفَهُمْ They are not deterred by
those who betrayed them.
And subhanallah, there is something here that's very
important that I want you to think of
Quds as well.
Quds is the land of the betrayed.
What do I mean by that?
The Prophets fled to Ash-Sham after being
betrayed by their people, after being let down
by their people.
Al-Quds is not the land of betrayal.
Al-Quds is the land of the betrayed,
where the righteous find themselves depending upon Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala alone.
And in that place where you have a
portal between the earth and the heavens, you
have a connection that is unfound anywhere else
to where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
even mentioned them in their specialty, that they
are not deterred by those who betrayed them.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said in
a hadith in At-Tabarani, an authentic hadith,
قَالَ أَوَّلُ هَذَا الْأَمْرُ نَبُوَّةً وَرَحْمًا He said,
the beginning of this affair of mine is
prophethood and mercy.
ثُمَّ يَكُونُ خِلَافَةً وَرَحْمًا And then it will
be khilafah and rahmah and mercy.
ثُمَّ يَكُونُ مُلْكًا وَرَحْمًا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ إِمَارَةً وَرَحْمًا
And then it will be kingdom and leadership
with mercy.
قَالَ ثُمَّ يَتَكَادَمُونَ عَلَيْهِ تَكَادُمُوا الْحِمَارُ Or al
-Humr, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said
that afterwards, يَتَكَادَمُونَ عَلَيْهِ تَكَادُمُوا الْحِمَارُ That afterwards
you will find people fighting over it like
donkeys in regards to the authority, fighting over
it.
And he said sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, so
at that point you stick to your struggle.
And he said, وَإِنَّ أَفْضَلَ جِهَادِكُمْ That verily,
the best of your struggle, الرِّبَاطِ So when
he says, أَفْضَلَ جِهَادِكُمْ الرِّبَاطِ He's referring to
the idea of defending the borders of Islam.
And scholars mentioned subhanAllah of this is that
there will be people that will be fighting
over the throne and people that are forgetting
the core of the matter.
And he's saying that the best of people
are found in those that are defending Islam
at that point, not fighting over leadership.
وَإِنَّ أَفْضَلَ جِهَادِكُمْ عَسْقَلَانِ And he said sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam, and the best of your
رِّبَاطِ, the best of your holding down the
fort, is عَسْقَلَانِ And عَسْقَلَانِ is another name
for Gaza.
SubhanAllah how specific the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam was.
They used to call it in fact, غَزَّةَ
عَسْقَلَانِ I don't want you to think of
قِطَاعِ غَزَّةَ غَزَّةَ is not a strip.
غَزَّةَ refers to a much bigger area than
what it has been relegated to at this
point.
And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam praised
it.
And said that is where you will find
the greatest of الرِّبَاطِ Now in conclusion for
tonight dear brothers and sisters, a land of
بَرَكَة, as the scholars mentioned, in regards to
its دِين and its دُنْيَة.
It is blessed in its area, it is
blessed in its vegetation, it is blessed in
regards to what it guides to from a
spiritual perspective.
Just as a person sits at home, and
subhanAllah the heart can take journeys, that the
body cannot.
Just as Sufyan al-Thawri rahimahullah said, how
many people make tawaf around the Ka'bah
with their hearts without their bodies?
And how many people make tawaf around the
Ka'bah with their bodies but without their
hearts?
Just as a sincere heart, as Imam Ahmad
rahimahullah was asked, what is the distance between
here and the throne of Allah?
And he said a sincere du'a from
a pure heart.
Just as a person can ascend to the
throne of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with
their heart and with their soul through their
sincere prayers.
A person can connect themselves to something across
geographic barriers by recognizing its virtues and by
keeping their focus on it.
And so we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala to liberate every single part of Ash
-Sham.
And we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
to be with the oppressed wherever they are
in Ash-Sham and otherwise.
And we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
that all of those who love Ash-Sham,
whether they are physically part of Ash-Sham
or not, that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
write them from those who have attained the
virtues that are mentioned by the Messenger sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam.
And we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
to forgive us for our shortcomings in regards
to Ash-Sham and its people.
Allahumma ameen.
Jazakumullahu khayran.
InshaAllah ta'ala we will continue two weeks
from now.
Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.