بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على رسوله الكريم وسيد المرسلين وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين

[The detailed work of al-Imām Abī ʿAbdullāh Shihāb al-Dīn al-Tūrbishtī al-Ḥanafī, Maṭlab al-Nāsik fī ʿIlm al-Manāsik, contains sections on the virtues of the Levant and its people, its importance now, in the past, and in the end of times, followed by a section on al-Aqṣā, a translation of which may similarly follow. All of these shed light on the spirit of the Levantine peoples, particularly the Palestinians, in light of current events, for where many others would break apart in the advent of such atrocities—in the face of the loss of families, bloodlines, destruction of homes and one’s homeland as well as all that he had ever known—the Palestinian, as Taha Abderrahmane succinctly indicates, remains to be the embodiment of the Perfect Man (al-Insān al-Kāmil) in our age, proclaiming God’s praise and treading forward with duty regardless of what befalls him. This is not detached from the blessings the Levantine lands have been imbued with. As such, there may hardly ever be a more appropriate time to recount their virtues and significance—not to succumb to the civilizational weakness of the ummah and romanticize the anguish of our brethren, but to remember the nobility of the land we fight for, its inhabitants, and the sacrifices of those who have entrusted the torch to us that we must carry. May we be proven worthy.]

God, the Exalted, said, “Exalted is He who took His Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ] by night from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, whose surroundings We have blessed.”¹Al-Isrāʾ, 1 This verse indicates the virtue of al-Aqṣā from two perspectives.

One, [it refers] to the night journey undertaken by the Messenger ﷺ from the Ḥarām thereto so that he may fulfill his particular position in the most perfect of manners, complete his ﷺ status as the noblest of the Prophets, and so that for him the two virtues may be gathered and a qiblah from the two may be preferred.

Two, it is an indication to the blessings dedicated for its surroundings, for the blessing being connected to the general surroundings are closer and more complete in relation to the meaning than for the case to be restricted to the mosque alone, and so there is an exhortation towards the affirmation of the blessings that are perpetuated from it to the worlds.

Then we understand from the meaning of the statement that the most beneficial of these blessings and exalted in welfare is the foundation upon the earth of the Mosque, which necessitates the perpetuation of blessings in its surroundings. It is as the root, and the surroundings as the ancillary, and as such the latter follows in being blessed, as is the case for the surroundings of the Ḥaram in relation to the Bayt al-Ḥaram.

And which land may be more blessed than the one which God has chosen for his faithful servants? There is not a place therein where so much as a fingertip may reach except that a Prophet had prostrated thereupon or glorified God. None has preceded it in attaining this status except Masjid al-Ḥarām.

From the time of the one who spoke to God—Moses, peace be upon him—it was a station of prayer till the time of the abrogation [of the Mosaic prophethood]. Seventeen months following the emigration, Muḥammad ﷺ faced it, before which he prayed therein with the Prophets during the night of Isrāʾ. It is blessed from every aspect, and so, then, we do not say that today it retains the same honor it did as the days prior. Rather, it has become even more honorable by the virtue of the Messenger ﷺ turning to it, being taken thereto during the night journey, and praying in it. The virtues of the two Sanctuaries are even greater in nature, but these do not decrease from its virtue, but attest to and increase its noble nature.

It is more noble to supplicate to God, the Exalted, by being in its vicinity and praying therein, seeking closeness to Him by visiting it. The Messenger ﷺ particularly designated it as a place of visitation along with the two Sanctuaries.

It was narrated from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, may God be pleased with him, that the Messenger ﷺ said, “Do not undertake a journey except to three mosques: Masjid al-Ḥarām, my own Masjid, and Masjid al-Aqṣā.”² Al-Tirmidhī, 326

He, may God be pleased with him, said, “The Ḥarām was mentioned, as was the Aqṣā in the Book, in the form of adjectives. As for what has come in the Sunnah, they are majorly in the form of annexations, like the saying ‘congregational mosque (Masjid al-Jāmiʿ) and ‘truth of certainty’ (ḥaqq al-yaqīn), indicating the mosque on a given day in which a congregation is held or the truth of certainty belonging to a specific matter. The Ḥarām is the Mosque of the greater nation, whilst al-Aqṣā is the mosque of a smaller portion.”

There is another facet of this to uncover, which is that the Arabs connected larger ideas to singular words when there were two different words to denote a particular concept. As such, they would use “al-Aqṣā” to denote the mosque, but this carries the larger meaning of the larger compound as was mentioned by the Messenger ﷺ and his companions.

Masjid al-Aqṣā is an Islamic name. It has come in some ḥadīths in the form of Masjid al-Īliyāʾ. We have cited this facet in the first chapter of our book, and such is how it was known prior to the advent of Islām. It was also referred to by Uri Shalem, by the People of the Book, in Hebrew. It was said that it means “House of Peace” (bayt a-salām)—this is how it was known to the Arabs. Al-Aʿshā said,

Wealth has been carried—

To the ends of Amman, Homs, and Uri Shalem.

Abū Naṣr al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Sajzī called it Uri Salem—with an “s” (sīn), and the “l” appended with an “-e/-i” (kasrah)—as if he was Arabizing it. From a ḥadīth from ʿAṭāʾ, it was mentioned in some books, “Give Uri Shalem the glad tidings of the rider of the donkey.” (This is in reference to the Messenger ﷺ when he journeyed during the night of Isrāʾ.) As was narrated from Kaʿb, “Paradise is in the Seven Heavens, centered by Bayt al-Maqdis, for which it was called Uri Shalem (the Complete Light).”³It was cited by Abū Mūsā al-Madīnī in al-Majmūʿ al-Mughīth fī Gharīb al-Qurʾān, 1:108, and Ibn al-Athīr in al-Nihāyah fī Gharīb al-Ḥadīth, 1:80

He said, God be pleased with him, that the d (dal) Bayt al-Maqdis is pronounced only slightly, followed by an -i vowel (kasrah). It was named such for it had been purified—cleansed—of sins. It was also said that it was to be pronounced as Bayt al-Muqaddas.

It was narrated from Anas bin Mālik that the Messenger ﷺ said, “I arrived in an animal larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule, which would place its hooves [when it ran] as far as its sight [went]. I mounted it, and Jibrīl, peace be upon him, was with me, and so we left. He told me to dismount and pray [after a point], and so I did. He asked, ‘Do you know where you prayed? You have prayed at the center of emigration (Madīnah). He said again [later], ‘Dismount and pray.’ I did so, and he asked [again], ‘Do you know where you have prayed? You have prayed at the Ṭūr of Mount Sinai where God [the Exalted] had spoken to Mūsā, peace be upon him.’ [We traveled some more] and then he asked [once more], ‘Do you know where you have prayed? You have prayed at Bethlehem where ʿĪsā, peace be upon him, was born.’ I entered Bayt al-Maqdis afterwards, and the Prophets were gathered before me, peace be upon them, and Jibrīl walked me to lead them [in prayer].”⁴ Sunan al-Nasāʾī, the Book of Prayer, 450

If it is asked that the statement that “I prayed where the emigrants stepped [foot] in” contradicts the ḥadīth of Jarīr—“Indeed, God, the Exalted, revealed to me, “Whichever of these lands you settle in will be the place of your emigration: Madīnah, Bahrain, or Qinnasrīn.”⁵Al-Tirmidhī in his book on the Virtues of the Messenger ﷺ; al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī in al-Mustadrak, 3:3; al-Ṭabarānī in Muʿjam al-Kabīr, 2417; some others have narrated the report as well from Jarīr bin ʿAbd-Allāh, may God be pleased with him.—why is it that the first report involves specification and the latter choice?”

We respond that the difference comes due to history [and timing], which does not imply a deficiency on any part. It can be said thus that he was inspired before the Isrāʾ for what was mentioned in the ḥadīth of Jarīr, before or after which the night of Isrāʾ was clarified to him. He had been informed about his migration but was unable to stay in Madīnah. He made it easy for his companions, as appeared in his saying: “I was shown your place of migration. I was shown a salty land with palm trees situated between two volcanic stones.”⁶A part of a report narrated by al-Bukhārī in his Ṣaḥīḥ in Kitāb al-Kafālah

From what supports this is that a group of anṣār (Helpers) met with the Messenger ﷺ, who spoke to them about the situation. They said, “When we return to our people, we will convey this ḥadīth.” The following year, twelve men came and pledged allegiance to him upon Islām—this was the first pledge of al-ʿAqabah. They promised to arrive the following year with the rest of their people and take him to their homeland. The year came, [the promise was fulfilled,] and this was the second pledge of al-ʿAqabah. The majority of the people of knowledge held that the Isrāʾ was after the first pledge of al-ʿAqabah and before the second. There are also those who say that it was prior to the hijrah by a year, or a year and two months, or sixteen months. Further positions were not mentioned to us.

If the ḥadīth of Abū Mūsā is asked about, wherein the Messenger ﷺ said, “I saw in my dream that I emigrated from Makkah to the land where dates grow, and I was afraid that it was al-Yamāmah or Hajr, when it was [in fact] the city of Yathrib.”⁷A part of the ḥadīth narrated by al-Bukhārī in his Ṣaḥīḥ in the Book of Virtues/Signs of Prophethood in Islām, 3422 We say that this report does not contradict the previous one, as he said, “I was afraid (fa-dhahaba wahlī, literally meaning “my fear turned to…”).” This is not based on an opinion or anything of the sort, but is a grammatical matter that is not concerned with the knowledge of Prophethood in any form.

“When it was [in fact] the city of Yathrib”—there are differences concerning what led to his fear, so the reality was clarified to him. It is the same whether it was explained to him during the dream or whilst he was awake.

It was narrated from Dhū-l-Aṣābiʿ that he said, “O Messenger of God [ﷺ], if we are tested with remaining after you [have passed], what do you command us to do? He responded, ‘Upon you is Bayt al-Maqdis. Perhaps God [the Exalted] may provide you with offspring who visit it [frequently].’”⁸ Al-Ṭabarānī, Muʿjam al-Kabīr, 4237

With a chain tracing back to al-Ṭabarānī, it has also been narrated via Dhū-l-Aṣābiʿ that he asked, “O Messenger of God [ﷺ], should we be tested with remaining after your passing, where do you command us [to go]? He replied, “Upon you is Bayt al-Maqdis. Perhaps offspring will be made for you who will visit the Masjid frequently and be delighted.”⁹Ibid, 4238

It was narrated from Dhū-l-Aṣābiʿ that he said, “O Messenger of God [ﷺ], if we are tested with remaining after you [have passed], what do you command us to do? He responded, ‘Upon you is Bayt al-Maqdis. Perhaps God [the Exalted] may provide you with offspring who visit it [frequently].’” [PC: Cole Keister (unsplash)]

As for the virtues of prayer therein, we have mentioned several aḥādīth prior.

Regarding the virtues of praying in Bayt al-Maqdis, we have also mentioned several reports. Among those is what has been narrated from Abū-l-Dardāʾ, may God [the Exalted] be pleased with him, that the Messenger ﷺ said, “Prayer at the Masjid al-Ḥarām is similar to a hundred thousand prayers, at my Masjid a thousand, and at Bayt al-Maqdis five hundred.”¹⁰Mu“jam al-Kabīr; it has likewise been narrated in al-Haythamī’s Majmuʿ al-Zawāʾid, 7:7

It was also  narrated from Abū-l-Dardāʾ that the Messenger ﷺ said, “The virtue of prayer in the Masjid al-Ḥarām, compared to prayers outside of it, is a hundred thousand [of such]; in my Masjid, it is like a thousand; and in Bayt al-Maqdis, it is like five hundred.”¹¹Al-Bazzār, Musnad, 4142

With a chain tracing back to Aḥmad al-ʿAssāl, it was narrated from Abū Dharr, may God [the Exalted] be pleased with him, who said, “I said, O Messenger of God ﷺ, is prayer at your Masjid more virtuous than prayer at Bayt al-Maqdis? He replied, ‘A prayer in my Masjid is better than four prayers there (i.e. Bayt al-Maqdis)—a blessed place for prayer. It is the land of gathering and resurrection.’”¹²Al-Ṭabarānī, Musnad al-Shāmiyyīn, 2714

If it is said that this report contradicts what has preceded, we respond that these reports, if they are taken from Saʿīd bin Bashīr Abī ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, the leader of Banī Naṣr from the people of Damascus, then many of the aʾimmah of the text[-ual sciences] have spoken regarding this, saying, “He had a poor memory and atrocious handwriting.”¹³Ibn Abī Ḥātim, al-Jarḥ wa-l-Taʿdīl, 6:4 On Saʿīd bin Sālim al-Qaddāḥ—Abū ʿUthmān al-Khurāsānī—they narrated, “He would make several mistakes in narrations, and would bring reports the opposite way.”¹⁴Ibid

The matter is thus as Abū Dharr had narrated, which is the first of the reports mentioned. God [the Exalted] had increased it in its virtue by mentioning it beside, and subordinating it to, the virtue of the mosque of Madīnah.

If it is asked, “Why is the matter not settled in the heart?” We respond that the matter is based upon sayings on the virtues of prayer in the mosque of the Messenger of God ﷺ, which is equivalent to a thousand prayers offered elsewhere. This is all based on authentic textual evidence as opposed to statements that lack such decisive proof, and God [the Exalted] knows best.

If it is then asked, “Did the authentic texts not establish that prayer in the mosque of the Messenger ﷺ is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere save for the Ḥarām, which implies that prayer al-Aqṣā and other masājid are of the same value? How is this contradiction resolved?”

We respond that it has been established in the reports of Abū-l-Dardāʾ and Abū Dharr, and it is possible to resolve [the apparent contradiction] between the two, which is to affirm that prayer in al-Aqṣā would have resembled prayers elsewhere save for the Two Sanctuaries if not for what we have already established [in terms of it being equivalent to five hundred prayers in typical circumstances]. God [the Exalted] is aware of its authenticity.

It was narrated from ʿAbd-Allāh ibn ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, that the Messenger ﷺ said, “Sulaymān, the son of Dāwud, when he created Bayt al-Maqdis, asked God [the Exalted] for three things: judgment that would correspond to God’s own, and it was granted to him; for a kingdom unlike which none will arise thereafter, and it was granted to him; that the one who enters his mosque does not do so except to pray therein, and leaves it sinless as the day he was born.”¹⁵Sunan al-Nasāʾī, Book of Masājid, 693

It was narrated from ʿAbd-Allāh bin ʿUmar that he heard the Messenger ﷺ say, “Sulaymān, the son of Dāwud, asked God [the Exalted] for three things. He was granted two of them, and I hope the third came to him as well. He asked his Lord for judgment that would correspond to His own, and he was granted such; he asked for a kingdom unlike which none would have, and he was granted such; and he asked that when a man leaves the mosque—meaning, Bayt al-Maqdis—having intended nothing but prayer therein, leaves so sinless as the day he was born. We hope this was granted as well.¹⁶Al-Ṭabarānī, Muʿjam al-Kabīr, 14554

He said, may God be pleased with him, this (i.e., the issue of leaving Bayt al-Maqdis sinless after prayer) matter is connected to hope, for he was not inspired with an answer with regard thereto, nor was he made certain regarding it. However, even if this affair was not clarified specifically, it was still done so on a general level due to his saying that “[the supplication of] every Prophet is answered.”¹⁷A part of a ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah, may God, the Exalted, be pleased with her, and its verification has preceded

He said, God [the Exalted] be pleased with him, the addition (ziyādah) in this narration— according to what we have narrated from the book of al-Nasāʾī—is not reliable, due to the position of ʿAbd-Allāh bin Muḥammad bin Saʿīd bin Abī Maryam al-Miṣrī. Ibn ʿAdī, regarding him, said, “He was neglectful and did not know what left his head or would purposefully lie.”¹⁸Ibn ʿAdī, al-Kāmil fi Ḍuʿafāʾ al-Rijāl, 4:255

It was narrated from Maymūnah, the freed slave of the Messenger ﷺ, that she said, “O Messenger of God [ﷺ], instruct us regarding Bayt al-Maqdis.” He replied, “Go there and pray therein”—the land was in a state of war at the time–“and if you cannot do it, then send oil so that its lamps may be lit.”¹⁹Sunan Abū Dāwud, Book of Prayer, 407

He [Ibn Mājah] said, may God [the Exalted] be pleased with him, that in some chains of the report, it has been narrated as follows: “Go there and pray, for prayer therein is as a thousand prayers elsewhere.”²⁰Sunan Ibn Mājah, 1407; al-Ṭabarānī, Muʿjam, 55; Musnad Abū Yaʿlā, 7088

It was narrated from Abū Hurayrah, may God [the Exalted] be pleased with him, that the Messenger ﷺ said, “Whoever passes away in Bayt al-Maqdis, it is as though he has passed away in the heavens.”²¹Luwayn al-Maṣṣīṣī, Juzʾ fīhi Ḥadīth, 92

Abū Jaʿfar Luwayn said, “What is meant in the report is not Bayt al-Maqdis itself, but the city in which it is located.”

Our master said, “In the chain (isnād) of this ḥadīth is Yūsuf bin ʿAṭiyyah Abū Sahl al-Ṣaffār al-Baṣrī, who is weak. Even if the report is proven, the implication of the saying that ‘it is as though he passed in the heavens’ carries a tone of reverence of the place and its loftiness and the safety of the Muslims who pass away therein, for the people of the Heavens are not amongst the punished due to their own elevated nature and the particularization of the place that has been indicated.”

Then we mention that it is the greatest of frontiers of Islām—a House wherein the Prophets had worshipped [God, the Exalted]—where the Muslims had gathered to overpower their enemies, for which much blood was shed at the beginning of the sincere servants of God [the Exalted]. But when the Commander of the Faithful, ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, arrived, they became afraid, their hearts trembled, and their thoughts became troubled. Unable to find a way out, they requested safety in a state of subjugation. Terror had filled them—they departed, with God [the Exalted] having weakened their foundations, broken their supports, and disappointed their hopes.

Following their end came [new] generations—a time of seizing a novel opportunity—a group from Banī ʿUbayd camped there and took control, making clear the faults in their defenses and the futility of their hopes. God [the Exalted] then willed that their capabilities should be weakened and their structures destroyed after ninety years of rule by the King and mujāhid Nūr al-Dīn Muḥammad bin Sanqar [al-Zengī], may God sanctify his martyrdom and elevate his soul. He was a pillar of the Abbasid Caliphate—may God [the Exalted] raise its position and increase its supporters—who unsheathed his sword with his battalions whose mention extended to the horizons, rising [in the lands] with the dawn of Islām [in the lands], till the Holy Land was freed of the filth [it possessed prior], save for the Holy House (al-Bayt al-Muqaddas), as it was difficult for him due to the protection surrounding it and impenetrability. He thus took control of its highs and lows for fifteen years. Then he, God have mercy on him, passed away after much service, his memory being remembered in verses:

I said, “May God allow their souls to thrive”—

As though I saw them, and only them.

So whoever passes from good attains [further good],

And whoever is absent, through his remembrance is still present.

After his rule, al-Nāṣir Yūsuf bin Ayyūb stood to power, may God reward him for the good he brought for Islām, and so he took what he took, and so did they. He restricted their capacity to breathe for seven years, until they were finally uprooted and the truth was established in their place.

It has reached me from him, may God have mercy on [his soul], that when he conquered the land and ordered the washing of the rock from impurities, he used his beard instead of a broom [out of reverence]. It is no wonder that God, the Exalted, raised his status when he humbled himself before His Majesty, and honored through him the Ayyūbids. Any breach against the religion, through their presence, remained closed, and schemes of the misguided repelled, until weakness befell them through the sight of what al-Malik al-Kāmil witnessed.²²Al-Malik al-Kāmil Muḥammad ibn al-Malik al-ʿĀdil Muḥammad bin Ayyūb, Abū al-Maʿālī Nāṣir al-Dīn, was an Ayyūbid Sultan who passed away in the year 635 AH. See: Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-Aʿyān, 5:79 By God’s grace, he was astute, using his cunning to shield his shortcomings, and being a steed that raced past to be unable to recover from faltering. He retained some things, and yet others eluded him. The words of the poet proved true²³Maḥmūd al-Warrāq. The verses were taken from his Dīwān, 106.:

Seeing is for the eyes that remain dormant [on the visible],

And witnessing is for that which is not present.

The fury of the dīn and the bed of humiliation were unleashed upon al-Quds, a place of mercy. A poor man from the Ḥijāz walked to Bayt al-Maqdis after the days of the formation of the heinous truce—not out of necessity—and there he saw the foul ones—the bearers of defilement—treading within the purified Mosque. He turned his eyes towards the guard posts, which had now become pens for pigs and seats for those worse than pigs. The zeal of Islām stirred within him as did the generosity of faith, and so he sang:

O king whose aspirations

Have struck the domes of glory above the highest stars

We have laid forth what we have out of concern for the kings of the Levant, the guardians of the truth, in the event that their hearts soften towards the enemies of God [the Exalted] and the enemies of His Messenger ﷺ, and out of compassion for them to wear the armor of shame and be clothed therein. God [the Exalted] honored them by honoring the religion and elevated their rule by elevating His Word. Were honor sought through anything other than those, God [the Exalted] would have turned away from them, their power leaving them, and the earth becoming narrow for their presence despite its vastness.

Whoever ponders upon these words will come to know that it is a reminder for the intelligent and an exhortation towards the negligent. We ask God [the Exalted] to grant us and them success in fulfilling the right of that land and the re-establishment of its sanctity, for it is a place designated for His worship, the exaltation of His Name—a place rendered for sending forth His Revelation, blessed by the Holy Spirit, characterized by an increase in rewards for prayer and iʿtikāf therein for iḥrām (for ḥajj) on one’s path to Masjid al-Ḥarām. We have previously mentioned a ḥadīth narrated from Umm Salamah, may God be pleased with her, from the Messenger ﷺ in the chapter on times (bāb al-mawāqīt).

There were those who had assumed iḥrām from the muhājirīn and the fuqahāʾ from within their population. Amongst them was ʿAbd-Allāh bin ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him; from the anṣār was present Muʿādh bin Jabal; and from the tābiʿīn Kaʿb al-Aḥbār and others. We have previously mentioned others from various generations.

My heart gives in due to the dissipation of this virtue. Although I hail from the Ḥijāz, this intention had come to my heart when I had only been a child. I was light on my feet and able to walk well, and yet I was not taken. Now, I grieve over the loss of that blessing, as I am in my sixties, or have at the very least struck my sixtieth year, and I do not despair that my Lord will grant me the capacity to fulfill this long-cherished desire, enabling me to reach that noble station. It is the place described to quench the thirst of those devoted to God [the Exalted], and to fill with hope the souls of those who were neglectful prior. It is hardly surprising [that it occupies such a status], given that its soil was made more virtuous through one Prophet after another—particularly through the friend of the Most Merciful, may God’s salutations be upon him.

Upon him, from the beloved, every day—

The peace of God when peace is remembered.

I was afraid to seek the landmarks of our faith—

The days of your reign in the lowest of the earth.

Are you not from a noble people?

Blessed roots bring a blessed nature to the tree.

You erected the banners of guidance to crush disbelief,

With a dangerous spear and sharp blade.

They came to destroy what has been established.

I have determined—not the eyes of envy—

That you have seated the enemies of the Messenger,

Raising their sons to the status of the [believers] who prostrate.

Respect the Sharīʿah, for it has changed—

The Law of the Canon has been altered.

Many a covenant was taken from Prophets—

All blasphemed by wine and swine, O Promised One.

My grief lies for the Purified House, for it

Has housed many infidels.

Be honored upon Islām, lest you meet [the fate] of those

Who strut proudly in the mosque.

If you do not fear the gloating of the envious,

The stubbornness of the tyrant, and the power of the aggressor,

Beware the tears of the Muslims and their grief,

And the supplications of the pious.

Remember when you stood in regret, seeking forgiveness

In a day now past from the Prophet Muḥammad.

The Cross has united its supporters—

So O Nation of Islām, does [Islām] have its supporters?

Blessed is the one destined to be the neighbor of that noble Prophet and his noble children.

As for the virtues of the Holy Land and its abundance of characteristics—which the one who spoke to God [the Exalted] asked to be brought to him within a distance of a stone’s throw—[we will mention the following].

It was narrated from Abū Hurayrah, may God be pleased with him, “He asked God that the Holy Land be brought to him within the distance of a stone’s throw.” He added, “The Messenger ﷺ said, ‘If I were able, I would have shown you his grave which lies beside the road, beneath a red dune.’”²⁴ʿAbd al-Razzāq, Muṣannaf; this source builds on al-Qurṭubī, al-Mufhim li-mā Ashkala min Talkhīṣ Kitāb Muslim, 6:222

The road to Al-Aqsa [PC: Levi Meir Clancy (unsplash)]

So in conclusion, we return to what we had begun with in the opening. Thus, we say, with a tongue entwined with humility and need, rather than one with eloquence and freedom: O God, by Whose grace good deeds are completed, by whose Words bones are scattered, by Whose signs the heavens and the earth are cut open, and by Whose Names the mountains are set firm: we praise You whilst acknowledging our inability to ever be able to do so sufficiently, and thank You whilst noting our deficiency in doing so. We ask you to send your blessings upon the one who guided us to You—the Prophet of Mercy, Muḥammad , with the purest of blessings and the most perfect of greetings, and to bestow him with the highest of ranks.

[Bestow such as well] upon his family who followed what he legislated and followed the light which was revealed to him—we ask that you bestow upon us from the radiance of Your Glorifications what delivers us from the darkness of ignorance, and guide us thereto [as You protect us from] missteps. Teach us the greatest of ways with which we may glorify You by which we may attain safety from misery and attain Your pleasure on the Day of Meeting. Allow us to taste the coolness of Your forgiveness and the sweetness of Your love, from what we find from You in the essence of life and the delight of subsistence, and not be rendered needy from any other than You—not rendered humiliated by any except You and be fearful or hopeful of any other; in distress except through Your exaltation; in abundance except by Your Face; and in annihilation except in You.

Reward our parents and those who guide us with a reward that fulfills their right on our behalf, and do with us and them as befits You; fulfill our hopes, for we have extended to You the hands of supplication, O Guider of the perplexed, and the Face of those who ask; O God, assist the nation of Islām by filling their schisms and uniting their spread, for the rupture has spread far and wide.

Preserve, O God, Your Prophet Muḥammad, peace and blessings be upon him, in every branch of his fountainhead and tree—the bringer of guidance with the party of truth. O God, support him with a support… from which stem the signs of victory and triumph. O God, this House—the stronghold of Your religion and the nest of Your friends, is from Your creation and subtlety. Help the builders [of nations built in Your Name], the helpers of those who call to You, and soldiers who fight for You. Break, O God, those who seek to break us, and strike them with a crushing force to break their faces and backs. Do not, O God, allow the party of Satan and tyrants to attain victory over those who have witnessed and held firmly to the truth in Your path. Indeed, You are Most Noble and Merciful (al-Karīm al-Raḥīm). Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and salutations be upon our Prophet Muḥammad and his family.

Related:

– The Glorious Virtues of Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa

– 8 Things You Didn’t Know About Masjid Al-Aqsa