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The Place of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Muslims' Hearts
Author : His Grace Shiekh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh
Date Added : 27-05-2014

 

 

His Grace, The Mufti-General of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan: Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh

All praise be to Allah, peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions:

Allah, The Exalted, has privileged Al-Aqsa Mosque with a special religious place in the hearts of all Muslims deriving from the very essence of their belief. Therefore, the Prophet`s Night Journey and Ascension (Isra` and Miraj) suffice as a miracle blessing that holy site. Allah, The Almighty, Says in the Holy Quran (What means): "Glory to (God) Who did take His servant for a Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless,- in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (all things)." [Al-Isra`/1].

 

Al-Isra` is taking the Messenger of Allah for a journey from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to the farthest Mosque in Jerusalem.

 

Al-Miraj is when the Prophet travelled upwards to the Heavens from the farthest Mosque to the gate of Heaven which is above Jerusalem because Heaven has many gates, but for honoring Al-Aqsa` Mosque (the farthest Mosque), the Prophet was ascended from it.

The religious status of Al-Aqsa mosque makes Muslims proud of their religion, hold on to their rights, and have faith in their Lord.

 

The Prophet was ascended through the different levels of Heaven from Al-Aqsa mosque, then to the Lute-tree which is said to be the end of worldly knowledge, and beyond which none may pass. During the Miraj, or the Ascension, Prophet Mohammad saw things that he could only dream of. He demonstrated to people how to be true believers, and not to question the Unknown, or the Unseen because none knows them but He (Allah). Allah, The Almighty, Says in the Holy Quran (What means): "The (Prophet’s) (mind and) heart in no way falsified that which he saw. Will ye then dispute with him concerning what he saw? For indeed he saw him at a second descent, Near the Lute-tree beyond which none may pass: Near it is the Garden of Abode. Behold, the Lute-tree was shrouded (in mystery unspeakable!) (His) sight never swerved, nor did it go wrong!" [An-Najm/11-17].

 

During the Miraj Night, the Prophet saw the wonders of Allah`s Kingdom….He saw the much-frequented Fane and the Lute-tree near which is the Garden of Abode to which the Angels, the spirits of the martyrs and the righteous find rest. In addition, the Prophet (PBUH) saw the Archangel Gabriel (PBUH) in his heavenly image.

 

Al-Miraj started from Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, which enjoys a privileged status in the Islamic Faith:

First: The pledge of allegiance took place in Jerusalem where the Prophet (PBUH) led the other Prophets in prayer and they welcomed Him, pledged allegiance to Him, and blessed His Message. It was a divine gathering in which the values of all prophets came together as mentioned in the Prophet's (PBUH) Hadith: "My similitude in comparison with the other prophets is that of a man who has built a house completely and excellently except for a place of one brick. When the people enter the house, they admire its beauty and say: 'But for the place of this brick (how splendid the house will be!). [Agreed upon].

 

Allah, The Almighty, has mentioned this pledge of allegiance in His Holy Book (What means): "Behold! God took the covenant of the prophets, saying: "I give you a Book and Wisdom; then comes to you an apostle, confirming what is with you; do ye believe in him and render him help." Allah said: "Do ye agree, and take this my Covenant as binding on you?" They said: "We agree." He said: "Then bear witness, and I Am with you among the witnesses." [Al-Imran/81].

 

Second: Al-Aqsa Mosque is the first Qibla for Muslims: It is the direction towards which a Muslim offers his/her prayers, acts of worship, and calls on Allah with love and reverence to derive from Him the strength and the determination. Thus, is there a place that is more that are more sacred, glorified, or better than the direction (Qibla) towards which one offers prayers in obedience to his/her Lord?

 

Allah, The Almighty, Says (What means): "We see the turning of thy face (for guidance to the heavens: now Shall We turn thee to a Qibla that shall please thee. Turn then Thy face in the direction of the sacred Mosque: Wherever ye are, turn your faces in that direction. The people of the Book know well that that is the truth from their Lord. Nor is God unmindful of what they do." [Al-Baqarah/144]. Therefore, Al-Aqsa mosque is the Muslim`s first Qibla towards which the Prophet (PBUH) offered prayers for sixteen or seventeen months until the divine injunction came down to offer prayers in the direction of the Holy Kabah.

 

Three: Al-Aqsa Mosque (the farthest Mosque) is the second mosque built on earth after the sacred Mosque, and the third of the two Holy Haram's as regards its sanctity. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) says: "Do not set out on a journey except for three Mosques i.e. Al-Masjid-AI-Haram, the Mosque of Allah's Apostle, and the Mosque of Al-Aqsa, (Mosque of Jerusalem). [Agreed upon].

 

Four: Its ground and precincts are blessed for Allah Says (What means): "Whose precincts We did bless." [Al-Isra`/1]. Bilad Al-Sham: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine- is a sacred land whose sanctity is part of Al-Aqsa Mosque`s. Rewards for offering acts of worship are multiplied in Al-Aqsa Mosque. The prophet (PBUH) said: "The merit of offering prayer in the sacred Mosque compared to other mosques: One prayer in the sacred Mosque equals a hundred thousand prayers, one prayer in My Mosque(Prophet`s) equals a thousand prayers, and one prayer in Al-Aqsa Mosque of Jerusalem equals five hundred prayers." [Al-Tabarania, Al-Baz`zar, and Al-Baihaqi in: “Sho`ab Al-Emaan].

 

The previously mentioned are the reasons that bonded Muslims on basis of creed, which is unchangeable neither with time, nor with individuals.

 

We sincerely ask Allah to forgive our sins, fulfill our aspirations and bestow victory upon us, and that is surely no difficult matter to Him.

 

Praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds.

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on one who vowed not to speak to a certain person, then forgot his vow and spoke to him?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
Whoever swears an oath or makes a vow to abstain from something has a choice: if he wishes, he may keep to his vow, or if he wishes, he may offer the expiation of an oath (kaffārat yamīn). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The expiation for a vow is the expiation for an oath.” Narrated by Muslim. This type of vow is called a nadhr al-lajāj (a vow made in stubbornness or anger).
If a person makes a vow and then forgets it, nothing is due from him, for forgetfulness is among the excuses that lift legal responsibility (taklīf) from a Muslim. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “Actions are judged only by intentions, and every person will have only what he intended.” [Narrated by al-Bukhārī]. There is no intention for the one who forgets or errs. It is also based on the report: “Indeed, Allah has pardoned for my Ummah mistakes, forgetfulness, and what they are compelled to do.” Narrated by Ibn Mājah and others, and graded authentic by Ibn Ḥibbān and al-Ḥākim.
It is stated in ʿUmdat al-Sālik (p. 243), one of the books of the Shāfiʿī school: “Whoever swears, [for example], ‘I will not enter the house,’ and then enters it forgetfully, ignorantly, under compulsion, or being carried, he does not break his oath.” And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on combining more than one intention in the prayer, such as combining the *sunnah* of wuḍūʾ with the pre-Dhuhr *sunnah*, or combining the *sunnah* of greeting the mosque (*taḥiyyat al-masjid*) with the pre-Dhuhr *sunnah*?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
Combining two intentions in a single act of worship, which some jurists call the “overlapping of acts of worship”, has several cases and precise rules. These can be consulted in the books of legal maxims, such as al-Manthūr fī al-Qawāʿid al-Fiqhiyyah by al-Zarkashī and al-Ashbāh wa’l-Naẓāʾir by al-Suyūṭī. Among the most important of these rules:
First: If all of the acts of worship that one wishes to combine under one intention are obligatory, the intentions do not overlap. An example is combining the intention of the obligatory ʿAṣr prayer with that of the obligatory Dhuhr prayer. The intentions do not overlap in this case.
Second: If the two acts are specified supererogatory prayers (nawāfil muqayyadah) that are aimed at in themselves because of a particular time, occasion, or cause, or if they are an obligatory prayer and a specified supererogatory prayer, the intentions again do not overlap. An example is the Duha prayer, which may not be combined with, for instance, the regular sunnah of Dhuhr.
It is stated in Bushrā al-Karīm: “Whatever is not, in meaning, an absolute voluntary prayer, such as the Duha sunnah… is not subsumed under another. Rather, if he intends something else along with it… the prayer is not validly entered. This is because combining two obligations, two specified supererogatory prayers, or an obligation and a specified supererogatory prayer invalidates the prayer in cases not built upon overlapping, as ritual purification (ṭahārah) is.”
Third: If the two acts are absolute voluntary prayers (nawāfil muṭlaqah), or one of them is, where the texts of the Sharīʿah show that the aim of the voluntary act is to fill the time with worship, then overlapping of intentions is permissible. An example is the obligatory Dhuhr prayer together with the sunnah of greeting the mosque (taḥiyyat al-masjid). And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on reciting the Noble Qur’an during menstruation?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is impermissible for a woman in menses, a woman in postnatal bleeding, or a person in a state of major ritual impurity to recite any part of the Noble Qur’an with the intention of recitation, even from a mobile phone or a computer, and even if the recitation is from memory. It is narrated on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) “was not prevented, or he said kept back, from the Qur’an by anything except janābah (major ritual impurity).” It was narrated by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī, who said: “Ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.”
Janābah and menstruation are one and the same in that both constitute a major ritual impurity. Just as a woman is commanded by Allah Almighty to pray, fast, and recite the Noble Qur’an during her period of purity, she is likewise commanded to refrain from these during the period of her excuse.
For further reference, see the fatwas: (Fatwas of Shaykh Nūḥ, Fatwa no. 27) and (248). And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on following the actions of the imam in prayer and how this following is achieved?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The follower (ma'mum) is required to follow his imam in the actions of the prayer. This "following" (mutaba'ah) means that the follower performs each action of the prayer after the imam has begun it but before he has finished it. For example, the follower bows (in ruku') after the imam has reached the position of bowing, then rises after the imam has risen. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The imam is only appointed to be followed, so when he says the takbir, say the takbir; and when he bows, then bow; and when he prostrates, then prostrate" (agreed upon, i.e., reported by both al-Bukhari and Muslim).
It is stated in Mughni al-Muhtaj (1/505): "Among the conditions of valid congregational prayer (iqtida') is following the imam in the actions of the prayer... meaning that following the imam is obligatory in the physical actions of the prayer, not in its verbal utterances... Complete following (kamal al-mutaba'ah) is achieved when the follower's beginning of an action comes after the imam's beginning of that same action, while the follower's beginning of the action precedes the imam's completion of it" — end of quote, with slight paraphrasing.
And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

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