Thursday 8 October 2009

Salam 07

Palestine: Its significance for Muslims

P
alestine is part and
parcel of the Muslims’
identity. Each Muslim
has a big role to play
regarding Palestine
and its people. Each should sup-
port the Palestinian cause accord-
ing to his means. Those who are
well-off should give charity, and
those who pay the Zakah aught
to allocate part of it to help their
oppressed Muslim brothers and
sisters in Palestine as well as in
the whole world. Every Muslim
can champion the cause of his
Ummah from the place where he
lives.
In order to shed some light on
the significance of Palestine in
Islam, we’d cite the following:
Palestine in Islamic Faith:
The significance of Palestine
in the Islamic faith is evident
by the frequent references to
it in both the Qur’an and the
hadiths (traditions) of Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon
him). The greatest significance
of Palestine for the Muslims is
that it contains Baitul-Maqdis
(the noble sanctuary), the holi-
est place in Islam outside of the
Hijaz. Both Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa
and the Dome of the Rock are
built in the area of the Baitul-
Maqdis.
Baitul-Maqdis in Palestine was
the center of Isra’ and Mi`raj of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
In the Qur’an Allah says: (Glory
be to the One who took his serv-
ant on a journey by night from
Al-Masjid Al-Haram in Makkah
to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa whose
precincts We have blessed...)
(Al-Israa’ 17: 1)
Baitul-Maqdis in Palestine was
the second Mosque established on
earth after Al-Masjid Al-Haram
in Makkah. In the Hadith, Abu
Dharr said: “Once I asked Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) what was
the first mosque established on
the earth; he said “Al-Masjid
Al-Haram.” Then I asked him:
then, which mosque? He replied:
“Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa.” I then
asked him what was the time
period between the establish-
ment of the two mosques; and he
said: “forty years.” (Reported by
Al-Bukhari)
Baitul-Maqdis in Palestine
was the first Qibla (direction in
which Muslims face when pray-
ing). The Muslims faced towards
Al Masjid Al Aqsa was the second
mosque established on earth forty
years after the establishment
of Al Masjid Al Haram.
Baitul-Maqdis when praying dur-
ing the entire Makkah period of
Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH)
life and for the first 16 months
of the Madinian period, after
which Allah ordered the Qibla to
be changed towards the Ka`ba in
Makkah.
Prayers in Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa
are equivalent to 500 times the
Prayers in any other mosque
except for Al-Masjid Al-Haram
in Makkah and Al-Masjid
An-Nabawi (the Mosque of the
Prophet) in Madinah. In the
Hadith Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) said: “Prayers in
Al-Mas jid Al-Haram are
equivalent to 100,000 Prayers,
and Prayers in my Masjid (in
Madinah) are equivalent to
1000 Prayers, and Prayers in
Baitul-Maqdis are equivalent
to 500 Prayers.” (Reported by
at-Tabarani)
In addition there are sev-
eral verses in the Holy Qur’an
and several hadiths of Prophet
Muhammad (peace and bless-
ings be upon him) that describe
both the significance of Baitul-
Maqdis in Islam and the fact that
Allah has blessed the land around
it. The various Qur’anic revela-
tions and Prophetic statements
concerning the blessed land of
Palestine endeared the land to
the Companions (Sahabah) of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to
such an extent that when `Umar
ibn Al-Khattab entered the region
for the first time he announced
that all the lands of Palestine
would be part of the Islamic Waqf
(endowment) for the Muslim gen-
erations to come. After studying
the various Qur’anic revelations,
Prophetic traditions and practices
of the Companions to the Prophet,
no rational mind could deny that
Palestine as a blessed and holy
land is of extreme importance
and significance to every believer
in Islam.
Palestine in Islamic
History:
The history of Palestine rep-
resents the history of Islam from
the first Prophet of Islam, Adam
(PBUH), to the last Prophet of
Islam, Muhammad (PBUH).
Palestine is the land of Prophets
who were sent with the message
of Islam and hence should not be
ruled by anyone other than those
who uphold the message of Islam
by implementing its laws and
regulations.
Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa was the sec-
ond mosque established on earth
forty years after the establish-
ment of Al-Masjid Al-Haram.
It is a holy site where many of
the Prophets were born or died,
including Prophets Ibrahim,
Lut, Dawud, Sulayman, Musa
and `Isa. While Dawud and
Sulayman were able to cre-
ate Islamic states in Palestine
based on divinely ordained laws,
according to both the Bible and
the Qur’an, their descendants
strayed from the path, trans-
gressed against the laws revealed
by Allah and thus brought upon
themselves Allah’s punishment
which included banishment from
the holy land.
Baitul-Maqdis was the site
of Isra’ and Mi’raj of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) during the
Makkan period of his message.
Palestine was brought under
Muslim control at the time of
`Umar ibn al-Khattab, the sec-
ond caliph of Muslims. Palestine
was then made part of the Islamic
state being ruled by Islamic law.
The new laws were welcomed
not only by the Muslims but
also by the Jews and Christians
of Palestine who had formerly
been living under the tyrannical
Byzantine yoke.
The Byzantines were per-
secuting the Christians of the
area because the Palestinian
Christians belonged to a dif-
ferent Christian sect. The
The Jews know that Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa is symbolic of the Islamic nature of the land and want to remove any
trace of Islamic civilization from Palestine.
Muslims, however, guaranteed
all Christians freedom of reli-
gion regardless of their sect.
In 1099 AC, Palestine was
invaded by the European
Crusaders and subsequently occu-
pied for nearly a century. During
the occupation massacres and
great injustices were committed
against the Muslim, Jewish and
native Christian residents of the
area. The only law applied in the
holy land blessed by Allah was the
law of force and persecution.
In 1187 AC Palestine was lib-
erated by the Muslims under
the leadership of Salah Ad-Din
Al-Ayyubi (Saladin) who brought
back Islamic law to the area.
In 1917 the British government
issued the Balfour Declaration
which declared Palestine to be a
homeland for Jews. At the time
Jews made up approximately 8%
of the population of Palestine and
owned approximately 2.5% of the
land.
In 1918 the British and their
Arab nationalist allies defeated
the Ottomans. The British dis-
membered the Ottoman Empire
and occupied Palestine. The
British immediately began a cam-
paign of immigrating European
Jews to Palestine.
In 1948 the Jews claimed the
establishment of a state for them-
selves over the land of Palestine
and called it Israel. Hundreds
of thousands of Muslims were
forced out of Palestine under
the military pressure of Jewish
terrorist groups such as the
Irgun, Levi, and Haganot which
were financed and armed by the
British army.
In 1967 Israel attacked Egypt,
Jordan and Syria and occupied
more land including, for the first
time, Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa. Since
that time Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa has
been the target of several attempts
by the Jews to destroy or burn
it, including several attempts to
bring about its collapse through
underground excavations. The
Jews know that Al-Masjid
Al-Aqsa is symbolic of the Islamic
nature of the land and want to
remove any trace of Islamic civi-
lization from Palestine.
Based on Palestine’s Islamic
history and significance in the
Islamic faith, and after the
failure of all non-Islamic meth-
ods to free Palestine from Zionist
occupation, the Islamic solution
is re-emerging as a powerful and
popular means to liberate the
occupied lands. Islam is a religion
of peace secured by divine justice.
Only Islam offers respect to all
divinely revealed religions as it is
the only religion which recognizes
all the Prophets from Adam to
Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him). It is the only reli-
gion which recognizes and believes
that all the Prophets brought the
same essential message and thus
all people deserve the freedom
to worship as they please with-
out persecution or harassment.
For this reason, it has histori-
cally proven itself to be the only
tolerant religion with regard to
the peace and sanctity of the
Holy Land. Only Islam can bring
back peace to the Holy Land and
security for the unrestricted and
unharassed worship of Allah, the
All-Mighty, by all who believe in
Him whether Muslim, Christian,
or Jew.
www.islamonline.net

To live within our means

Excessive spending and growing debt prompted President Obama
to ask Americans to live within their means, and last month as he
signed a bill that makes it tougher for credit-card issuers to raise
Setting an example of piety
fees and interest rates.
Many have seen this as a call to cut back on wants and focus on Sometimes, the those who set a good precedent
receive the blessings of all those
needs in an effort to resolve financial problems. Today bankruptcies, who follow suit. He was, in effect,
house foreclosures and job losses have hit historic highs nationwide.
Tent cities are springing up in every state, occupied by folks just
worst thing we congratulating that man for tak-
ing the initiative.
like the family next door. Through no fault of their own, they have
lost their jobs and then their homes. In some cases, crushing debt can do is fail to We also learn from the story
that we do not have to be famous
leads to tragedy. I am reminded of the news story about a dad in celebrities or prominent people
Middletown, Md., who had about $460,000 in mortgage and credit-card
debt. In April, he killed his family, then committed suicide. In one of
do a good deed for our initiative to count. We
do not even know the name of
several suicide notes, he made reference to his financial difficulties
and depression. out of shyness the man who brought the first
bag of silver. All we know is that
Overspending and borrowing huge sums has made consumers slaves he was a native of Madinah.
of interest payments. Eliminating debt is a bitter pill but good medi-
cine. The charging of high interest rates, known as “usury” in the
or fear of being Nevertheless, he set a precedent
that was immediately followed by
Abrahamic faiths, is prohibited in Islam.
Muslims have never been allowed to benefit from or to pay interest. seen by others. the two most eminent citizens of
the Muslim community – Abû
God says in the Quran: Bakr and `Umar.
And remember: whatever you may give out in usury so that it BY DR ABD AL-WAHHÂB Therefore, we should never feel
might increase through other people’s possessions will bring you no AL-TURAYRÎ that we are too unimportant or
increase in the sight of God whereas all that you give out in charity, insignificant to set a public exam-

O
seeking God’s countenance, will be blessed by Him: for it is they, they ne day, close to noon-
who thus seek His countenance that shall have their recompense time, while the Prophet
multiplied! (Ar-Rum 30:39) (peace be upon him) was
Money comes without instructions, so prioritizing our spending is sitting and conferring with his
worth some daily reflection. In the current recession, living within our Companions, a group of desert
means has become more important than ever. But it doesn’t have to dwellers approached. Their pur-
mean giving up things that make life pleasant and fulfilling. pose was none other than to rep-
My parents’ generation worked hard and prospered while enjoying resent their people to the Prophet
a lifestyle focused on saving and living simply. They used to tell me, (peace be upon him) and declare
“a simple life is a good life; but only if you can enjoy it.” I understand their faith in Islam. The Prophet
the relevance of those words more today. (peace be upon him) regarded
Being more frugal allows people to opt out of a high-stress lifestyle them. It was obvious from their
and leads ultimately to contentment, depth of experience and even appearance that they were from a
joy. Frugality doesn’t mean poverty; it means enjoying what’s really log way off and that their journey
important in life while getting a good value for the things you need. had been a hard one. They had no
Money management is one of the most important life disciplines shoes on their feet. Their clothes
today. The concept is not complicated. Make a list of wants and a list were scant and threadbare, and
of needs. Recognize which is which. Spend no more than you have amounted to nothing more than
coming in. If you can, spend less, and save some for emergencies. scraps of bound cloth. They had
Finding ways to limit major expenses and cut costs at home can no possessions with them and
be as easy as turning out a light or lowering the thermostat on the were starving.
hot-water heater - especially during the summer. Cutting food costs The Prophet’s face became
doesn’t mean slashing nutrition. It helps to make a weekly menu for strained with sorrow and concern.
dinners at home together and to brown-bag it for lunch. He looked at them with compas-
Islam has always discouraged living beyond one’s means, because it sion. Then he stood up, turned
can lead to excessive borrowing. In a perfect world, financial systems and went into his house. After a
would be based on values such as honesty, credibility and transparency while, he returned and instructed
rather than greed and excess. Bilâl to call the people to prayer.
I do not advocate that everybody take scissors to their credit cards, Then the Prophet led the Muslims
but I do believe it’s best to avoid extravagance - an idea many faiths in the Noon Prayer.
espouse. Afterwards, he stood at the
Being aware of how we live, making good use of our resources and pulpit and recited verses of the
expressing concern for those less fortunate is paramount today as we Qur’ân which exhort to goodwill
work to rebuild our nation and give meaning and purpose to our lives. and charity. Then he said: “A man
The Creator has blessed us with everything we have, so we are should donate some of his gold
obligated to be intelligent and responsible in using these resources or silver, or a container of flour,
sensibly. Happiness is not about money and possessions; it’s about being or a container of dates…” until
responsible and accountable while living a righteous life. he finally appealed “…or even if
www.islamicity.com but half a date.” In this way, he
encouraged all the Muslims to
give what they could.
He then took his seat and
waited for his Companions to
help out their brothers who had
come to them in such straitened
circumstances. No one acted
immediately. The minutes of inac-
tion seemed long and heavy. The
Prophet’s displeasure with such
a response could be seen on his
face.
Then a man from the natives
of Madinah came forward with a
large purse full of silver so big he
was barely able to carry it in both
his hands. He said: “Messenger
of Allah! This is for the sake of
Allah.”
By taking the initiative, he
broke the heavy spell of silence
and inactivity, for right then, Abû
Bakr stood up and made a dona-
tion. Then `Umar came forward
with charity. Then everyone came
forward with what they could give
of food, clothing, and money. The
Prophet’s face shone with joy as
looked at the pile of food and
clothing that had been placed
before him.
However, his attention was
drawn more strongly to that man
who had been the first to give and
in doing so broke the impasse of
hesitation. The Prophet (peace be
upon him) then said: “Whoever
sets a good precedent in Islam will
have the blessing for doing so as
well as the blessing for everyone
who acts upon it thereafter, with-
out their blessings being dimin-
ished in the least. And whoever
sets an evil precedent in Islam
will have the sin for doing so as
well as the sin of everyone who
acts upon it thereafter, without
their sis being diminished in the
least.” [Sahîh Muslim: (1017)]
From this event, we can draw
valuable lessons regarding the
importance, in Islamic work,
of taking initiative and of set-
ting practical and conspicuous
examples.
We can see the effect the native
of Madinah had on everyone else
by his taking the initiative and
bringing that bag of silver to the
Prophet (peace be upon him).
The people had been hesitat-
ing. However, after the people
saw someone make a conspicu-
ous donation, they all rushed to
follow suit. It may be true that
some of them may have given sub-
stantially more than he did, but
it was his setting the precedent
that got them to do so. This is the
reason why the Prophet (peace
be upon him) informed him that
ple. That unnamed man did not
get intimidated by the presence
of those community leaders. He
was not shy to be the first person
to do something good. By being
bold, he received the blessings
of Abû Bakr, `Umar, and all the
other important – and sometimes
extremely wealthy – people who
gave their donations after him.
In fact, taking the initiative is
often what makes people success-
ful. If we look at the lives of great
leaders, people of influence, and
reformers, we find that those lives
are a series of positive initiatives.
This is how they became so influ-
ential, and this is why they were
able to have an enduring legacy.
Doing a good deed in public to
set a good precedent is not the
same as doing it for personal
fame. It is something we do purely
for Allah’s sake. It is not showing
off to do a good deed conspicu-
ously with the sincere intention
of teaching people what is right,
or for setting a good example, or
for publicizing a public welfare
program to make it a success. It
is, in fact, a good way of calling
people to Allah.
Sometimes, the worst thing we
can do is fail to do a good deed out
of shyness or fear of being seen by
others. Al-Fudayl b. `Iyâd said:
“Abandoning good deeds because
of the people is showing off.”
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