Whether your children ask you or not, you must tell them why we love Palestine.
We love Palestine because:
This Palestine has been the abode and headland of the Prophets.
And the first Qibla of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the Qibla of all the Prophets before him has been Bait-al-Maqdis, which is in Palestine.
Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) migrated to Palestine.
Allah Ta’ala saved Hazrat Lut (peace be upon him) from the punishment that had befallen his people at that place.
Hazrat Dawood (peace be upon him) lived on this land and built his mihrab here.
Hazrat Sulaiman used to sit in this country and rule the whole world.
The famous story of the ant, in which an ant said to the rest of his fellows, “Go into your burrows, you ant,” took place in a valley in the city of Ashkelon in this country, which was later named “Wadi al-Naml – Ants.” “Valley of” was placed.
The arch of Hazrat Zakaria (peace be upon him) is also in the same city.
Hazrat Musa (peace be upon him) told his companions about this country to enter this holy city. He called this city holy because of its being free from polytheism and being the abode of Prophets.
Many miracles took place in this city, including the blessed birth of Jesus from the womb of a virgin Bibi Hazrat Maryam.
When his people wanted to kill Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him), Allah Ta’ala took him up to heaven from that city.
One of the signs of the resurrection will be the return of Jesus to the earth near the White Tower in this city.
Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) will kill Dajjal at Bab Lud in the same city.
Palestine is a mixed land.
It is from this city that Yajood and Majood will start fighting and rioting in the land.
One of the stories that happened in this city is the story of Taloot and jaloot.
Palestine also has the honor of being the first Qibla of Muslims after the obligation of prayer. After the Hijra, Hazrat Jibreel (peace be upon him) directed the The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) from Masjid al-Aqsa (Palestine) to Baitullah Ka’ba al-Mashrafah (Makkah) during the prayer. The mosque in which this incident took place is still called the Masjid Qiblatin.
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was brought here from Makkah to Bait al-Maqdis (Palestine) before he was taken to heaven on the night of Ascension(Shab-e-Mairaj).
Following the example of Sarkar Du Alam, the Prophets, peace be upon them, offered prayers here. Thus, Palestine once again became the abode of all the prophets.
Sayyidna Abu zarr says that I asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, which was the first mosque built on earth? So he said: Masjid al-Haram (i.e. Kaaba). I asked second one? (When the mosque was built) he said: Al-Aqsa Mosque (i.e. Bait al-Maqdis). I then asked how much distance was there between the two of them? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Forty years, and wherever you find time for prayer, you should pray there, so that is the mosque.”
Despite the dire need of military and manpower to deal with the temptation of apostasy and many other problems to Hazrat Abu Bakr after the departure of Habibna, may God bless him and grant him peace, he sent the army prepared by him to the land of Syria (Palestine). It is also an unforgettable fact.
In the golden era of Islam Farooqi, leaving aside the conquests around the world, just for the victory of Palestine, Sayyiduna Omar himself went and offered prayers here, highlighting the greatness of this city.
The re-conquest of this city by Saladin Ayyubi on Friday 27th Rajab 583 Hijri is also a sign.
Bait al-Maqdis used to be called Quds before the Qur’an, when the Qur’an was revealed, it was named Al-Aqsa Mosque. Quds is due to the sanctity of this city which distinguishes it from other cities. More than 5000 Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) sacrificed their lives for the acquisition of this city and to save it from the oppression and tyranny of the Romans. And the chapter of martyrdom is not closed till today, the series is still going on. This city is thus a city of martyrs.
The importance of Masjid Al-Aqsa and Balad al-Sham is exactly the same as Haramain al-Sharifin. When this verse of the Holy Qur’an was revealed (والتين والزيتون وطور سينين وهذا البلد الأمين), then Ibn Abbas says that We made the land of Syria from “التين” figs, the land of Palestine from “الزيتون” from olives, and وطور سينين from the mountains of Egypt. He reasoned from the mountain on which Hazrat Musa (peace be upon him) used to speak to Allah.
And from this holy verse of the Holy Qur’an (ولقد كتبنا في الزبور من بعد الذكر أن الأرض يرثها عبادي الصالحون) it was argued that the Ummah of Muhammad is actually the inheritor of this holy land.
The greatness of Palestine can also be estimated from the fact that every prayer offered here is rewarded 500 times.
May Allah protect the lives and property of the Muslims of Palestine and grant them victory soon, Amen
