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Being praised by Al-Haqq (Allah The Just):
Your Excellency the Minister of Al-Awqaf and the representative of the President who sponsors this ceremony, Your Excellency the Governor of Damascus, dear noble scholars and dear brother:
Praise be to Allah, who has led us, by Islam, out of the depths of darkness and illusion unto the lights of knowledge, and has brought us, by faith, out of the muddy shallows of lusts unto the heavens of His Proximity. May Allah's Blessings and Peace be upon our Master, Prophet Muhammad, the faithful and the honest, whose reasoning is praised by Allah when He says:
﴾Your companion (Muhammad, peace be upon him) has neither gone astray nor has erred.﴿
Allah praised his tongue, when He says:
﴾Nor does he speak of (his own) desire.﴿
Allah praised Shari'ah rulings about which he was informed:
﴾It is only an Inspiration that is inspired.﴿
Allah praised his Companion (Gabriel):
﴾He has been taught (this Qur'an) by one mighty in power [Jibrael (Gabriel)].﴿
Allah praised the heart of the Prophet, peace be upon him:
﴾The (Prophet's) heart lied not (in seeing) what he (Muhammad, peace be upon him) saw.﴿
Allah praised his sight in the following Ayah saying:
﴾The sight (of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) turned not aside (right or left), nor it transgressed beyond (the) limit (ordained for it).﴿
Allah praised his character:
﴾And verily, you (O Muhammad, peace be upon him) are on an exalted standard of character.﴿
The reasons behind Al-Isra' (The Night Journey):
Dear believing brother in the Arab Muslim world, the Exalted Haqq (i.e. Allah) says in Surat Al-Isra':
﴾Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allah) [above all that (evil) they associate with Him] [Tafsir Qurtubi, Vol. 10, Page 204] Who took His slave (Muhammad, peace be upon him) for a journey by night from Al-Masjid-al-Haram (at Makkah) to the farthest mosque (in Jerusalem), the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad, peace be upon him) of Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.). Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.﴿
Truly, He is the All-Hearer (as He hears the supplication of His servants), and He is the All-Seer (as He is aware of all their conditions). The tenth year of Al-Bi'thah (the advent of Muhammad's Mission, peace be upon him) was a painful one. In that particular year his wife Khadijah died. She was the women's Siddiqah (who followed the Prophet, peace be upon him, and she was the first and foremost to believe in him). She looked after the Prophet, peace be upon him, in the time of distress and she soothed him during the days of hardship by putting her own self and money at his disposal. Also in that year, his uncle Abu Taleb died, and it is worth mentioning that Abu Taleb was noble enough to protect the Prophet, peace be upon him, and he showed heroism in defending him. After his death Quraish was able to hurt the Prophet, peace be upon him, more than any other time when his uncle was alive. In addition to that, the Prophet, peace be upon him, headed, in that year, to Ta'ef longing to guide its people and seeking their support, but its people rejected his Da'wah (call to Allah) in a very bad way; they mocked him and left him to be dealt with by street urchins and the riff raff of the town.
The endurance of the Prophet, peace be upon him, during hardships was beyond man's scope, and had he not been a Prophet, peace be upon him, he could not have put up with that. The time of distress made the Prophet, peace be upon him, complain to Allah about his weakness, helplessness and the treatment of contempt and humiliation from people, given complaining to Allah is the most exalted act as a servant to Allah, and invoking Allah is one of the greatest pious acts.
Dear brother, truly Allah is the All-Hearer and the All-Seer, and whoever resorts to Allah instead of resorting to His creations, Allah will make him a way out of any plotting against him by the people of the heavens and the earth. Allah took his Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, in body and soul, for a journey by night from Al-Masjid-al-Haram (at Makkah) to the farthest Masjid (in Jerusalem), and the Prophet, peace be upon him, ascended to the heavens (in Mi'raj) as well:
﴾Then he [Jibrael (Gabriel)] approached and came closer* And was at a distance of two bows' length or (even) nearer* So did (Allah) convey the Inspiration to His slave [Muhammad through Jibrael (Gabriel)]* The (Prophet's) heart lied not (in seeing) what he (Muhammad, peace be upon him) saw.﴿
﴾Indeed he (Muhammad, peace be upon him) did see, of the Greatest Signs, of his Lord (Allah).﴿
Dear brother, Isra' and Mi'raj were the curing balm to the old soul's scars of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and this journey was meant to cast certainty in his heart by giving him a Divine Guarantor of the future of Da'wah. Also, it was meant to compensate the Prophet, peace be upon him, for the cruelty and ruthlessness of people on earth by giving him a warmly welcome in heaven by its chiefs (angels) on high. Furthermore, in the journey of Isra' and Mi'raj, the Prophet, peace be upon him, sensed the Divine Providence, and he was uniquely honored by being called "the Master of Adam's sons" and "the master of Prophets and Messengers, peace be upon them". He saw the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth, he witnessed the destiny of people after death and he saw of the Greatest Signs of his Lord (Allah).
Accordingly, the miracle of Isra' and Mi'raj is the most important event in the Islamic Da'wah, and it was preceded by Al-Bi'thah and followed by Al-Hijrah (emigration of Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his followers from Makkah to the city of Madinah) and Al-Fath (gaining supremacy over Makkah by the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his Companions).
What are the lessons learned from Isra' and Mira'j?
Dear audience, spectators and listeners, what are the lessons which we, as Muslims, can learn from the incident of Isra' and Mira'j (the Night Journey and Ascention to theHeavens), given the Quran mentions that event in a whole Surrah (Surrat Al-Isra'a) which will be reauthord till the Day of Resurrection?
In Isra'a and Mi'raj there are immense denotations, glorified guidance and deep preachments which are far from being counted. This journey teaches us that ((O people, this worldly life is a place of crookedness and is not a place of straightforwardness. It is a place of grief and is not a place of joy. Whoever recognizes this will not feel joy at [the achievement of] some hope or feel grief at wretchedness. Allah has meant for the worldly life to be a place of trial, and has meant for the Hereafter to be a place of ramification. Hence, He has made the adversity of the worldly life a reason for the reward in the Hereafter, and He has made the reward of the Hereafter a compensation for the adversity of the worldly life. Almighty Allah takes to give and afflicts to reward.))
The event of Isra' and Mi'raj teaches us that there is profound wisdom behind calamities and plights, one of which is that they draw whoever is afflicted with them to the Almighty Allah, they exalt him to the rank of being a servant of Allah and they make him resort to Allah's Help. Moreover, the event of Isra' and Mi'raj teaches us that obstacles and hardship should never stop us from a continuous heading towards Allah uprightly and steadily. The event of Isra' and Mi'raj teaches us that since Allah is the Commander of the world, He will definitely be our Guarantor, our Protector and the One Who grants us victory.
Furthermore, the event of Isra' and Mi'raj teaches us that had it not been for Jihad (striving) and endurance, Allah would not have been worshiped on earth, Islam would not have been spread in east and west and we would not have been able to gather in this place in order to worship Allah Alone, to glorify Him and to invoke Him. Last but not least, the event of Isra' and Mi'raj teaches us that relief is within hardship, victory is within endurance and remedy is within distress.
Salah was ordained during Al-Isra' and Al-Mi'raj:
Dear believing brother everywhere, in addition to the lessons that we can learn from Isra' and Mi'raj, we should be aware of the fact that the Almighty Allah honored the Prophet, peace be upon him, by ascending him to His Kingdom, so that he would acquire the most exalted ranks of closeness. Also, Allah honored the Prophet's nation by enjoining Salah in that journey, so that it will be the personal Mi'raj of each Muslim to the Lord of the heavens and the earth. Salah is our means to draw closer to Allah, and thus it was enjoined in the closest place (to Allah) at all. Salah was enjoined as a direct Revelation from the Lord to the Prophet, peace be upon him, while he was Near Sidrat-ul-Muntaha [lote-tree of the utmost boundary (beyond which none can pass)], near which there is the Paradise of Abode, where the Prophet, peace be upon him, approached and came closer, and was at a distance of two bows' length or (even) nearer.
Salah has been enjoined because it is:
((Salah is the skeleton of all the religion, whoever keeps it and gives it its rights he would have kept the faith, and whoever destroyed it or forgot it then he had destroyed the faith.))
The religion, in its gist, is establishing a connection with the Creator and being charitable to the creations. People are of two kinds: a miserable one, because of being disconnected from Allah, deviated from His Method and bad to His creations, and a happy one, because he is connected with Allah, adherent to His Shari'ah rulings (Islamic Law) and good to His creations.Salah has been enjoined, because it exalts man and shifts him from the world of illusions to the world of reality, from the materialistic world to the world of values, from wallowing in the muddy shallows of lusts to enjoying the heavens of the Divine Proximity, from being consumed in trivial matters to being concerned about crucial ones and from avoiding sins to pursuing exaltedness. Salah makes whoever performs it move to a different (more elevated) level, rank and position.
Dear brother, due to the human nature, man has been molded to be irritable, and the irritable man is usually impatient and niggardly, because he is very keen on his safety and the safety of his possessions. This weakness, in the psychological side of man's nature, makes him turn to the Almighty Allah, so that he will gain happiness as he seeks Allah's Help and draws closer to Him. Had man been created strong, he would have depended on his power (dispensing with Allah), and so he would have become miserable. This explains why Allah excludes Al-Musalleen (the ones who offer Salah) from having this natural human weakness. Allah says:
﴾Verily, man (disbeliever) was created very impatient* Irritable (discontented) when evil touches him* And niggardly when good touches him*- Except those devoted to Salat (prayers)﴿
Imam Al-Manawi reported in his book "Al-Ithafat Al-Sunniayh" a Hadith reported by Al-Baihaqi and narrated by Abi AdDarda' that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said that Allah says:
((Myself, Mankind and Jinn are in a great serious state. I create them, then they worship other gods that they make for themselves; I bless them with My Bounties, then they thank someone else for what I sent them; My Mercy descends to them while their evil deeds ascend to Me; I endear them with My Gifts even though I have no need for any of them, while they alienate themselves from Me with their sins even though they are desperate for My Help. Whoever returns to Me, I accept him no matter how far he is; and whoever turns away from Me, I approach him and call on him. My dear people are those who are with Me (i.e. whoever would like to be with Me, let him supplicate to Me and remember Me). Whoever thanks Me, I grant him more blessings; whoever obeys Me, I raise him and endear him more. Whoever disobeys Me, I keep the doors of My Mercy open for him; if he returns to Me, I bestow him with My Love since I love those who repent and purify themselves for My Sake. If he does not repent, I will be his doctor, as I will treat him by putting him in hardship to cleanse him from his own mischief. Whosoever does a good deed, will have (reward) ten times like it and I add more; and whosoever does an evil, will have the punishment like it or I will forgive (him) and I am more merciful with My slaves than a mother with her child.))
Dear brother, Salah, as it is meant by Allah, is deemed more elevated than being mere gestures, moves or reciting the Quran; it is our means to draw close to the Almighty Allah:﴾Fall prostrate and draw near to Allah! ﴿
As we draw nearer to Allah, we become more devoted. Also, Salah means being conscious (of what you are doing and saying) while connected with Allah:
﴾O you who believe! Approach not As-Salat (the prayer) when you are in a drunken state until you know (the meaning) of what you utter﴿
Since man is conscious whenever he performs Salah, he becomes present-minded as well:
((Allah does not accept the Prayers of an individual until his heart achieves in it what his body has achieved.))
((Ritual prayer is the ascension (mi'raj) of the believer.))
This ascension comes with Munajat (talking to Almighty Allah secretly).
((If the performer of Salah were aware of Allah's Mercy that covers him, he would never come to the end of the prayer.))
A poet said:
If you had seen the beauty that they [the righteous] have seen,
you wouldn't have gone to someone other than Him (Allah).
If your ears had heard [deeply] the good speech (of Allah),
you would have taken off the dress of arrogance and came [humbly] to Him.
If you had been close enough to feel His Breeze,
then you would have wished to drop dead rather than miss being close to Him
If you had tasted [what is equal to a] grain of His Compassion,
then you wouldn't have blamed the one who's willing to die for His Love.
If you caught a glimpse of His Radiance you would have left all creations for His Sake.
He, who comes to Allah willingly, will be exalted,
and off his shoulders Allah shall remove all burdens, hardship and bending.
He, who deviates from Allah's Method, will go astray in his endeavor and belief,
and shall deserve deprivation and shall never achieve his wishes
Dear brother, Salah will never be closeness, devotedness, consciousness, present-mindedness, ascension or Munajat unless it is based on being acquainted with the Almighty Allah. How can you offer Munajat to Whom you don't know? Salah will not be all the above unless it is preceded by uprightness on the Path of Allah and follow the Prophetic Sunnah, for how would you be able to draw close to Whom you disobey? Ignorance is a barrier (between you and Allah) and disobedience is a veil (it veils you from Him). If you ponder over the creation of the heavens and the earth, you will be able to get acquainted with Allah, and if you apply His Orders in the Quran and in the authenticated Sunnah, you will worship Him as you should be, and only then you will fulfill the purpose of your existence.
﴾And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone). ﴿
((When a servant turns back to Allah, a caller calls those in the heavens and the earth to congratulate him as he has reconciled with Allah.))
Dear brother, Salah is considered an accurate standard to measure how much you know Allah and how devotedly you worship Him.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
((The parable of the enjoined Salat is that of a scale; he who gives full measure gets full measure.))
Giving full measure means fulfilling all the requirements of Salah, and who does so will reap the Divinely promised fruits of Salah, but what are these fruits? They are the purification of the soul as Salah purifies the soul of whoever offers it and refrains him spontaneously from Fahsha'a (evil deeds) and Munkar (i.e. all that is prohibited by Islamic law), and so it becomes an internal control not an external one. Allah says:
﴾Verily, As-Salat (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahsha' (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed, etc.) and the remembering (praising, etc.) of (you by) Allah (in front of the angels) is greater indeed [than your remembering (praising, etc.) Allah in prayers, etc.]. ﴿
Remembering Allah is the greatest thing in Salah. Umar Ibn Al-Khattab once said to a shepherd whom he wanted to try, "Sell me this sheep and take its price!" He said, "It is not mine." Umar then said, "Tell its owner that it died or that a wolf ate it, and take its price!" the man said, "I swear by Allah that I need its price badly, and if I say to its owner that it died or a wolf ate it, he will believe me, but how can I escape A Allah's Punishment, then?" Abstaining from taking illegal money is one of the fruits of Salah.
Dear brother, in addition to being purity, Salah is light for the believer as the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
((Salah is light…))
((Salah is purity))
Concerning this point, the Almighty Allah says:
﴾Is he who was dead (without Faith by ignorance and disbelief) and We gave him life (by knowledge and Faith) and set for him a light (of Belief) whereby he can walk amongst men, like him who is in the darkness (of disbelief, polytheism and hypocrisy) from which he can never come out?﴿
This light is one of the fruits of Salah, and with that light, the believer will have a clear vision, and when he has a clear vision, his deeds will become right. In fact, Salah it not only purity and light, but it also gives a sense of satisfaction in the soul. Hence, the soul will never gain happiness nor will the heart be at ease unless man is connected with Allah:
﴾And perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) for My Remembrance. ﴿
﴾Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest﴿
((The Prophet, peace be upon him, at times of sorrow and grief used to offer prayers.))
Also, the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to say:
((O Bilal, give us comfort by it (i.e. prayer).))
((Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated: "We would be engaged in conversation with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny), but with the arrival of the time of prayers it would appear as if he neither knew us nor we knew him."))
Our Master Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas said, "There are three situations in which I consider myself as a real man, and other than them I am just one of the common people… I never get myself preoccupied with something while am praying until I finish my prayer."
The great status of Salah:
Dear brother, the best saying is what was reported in a Qudsi Hadith which was narrated by Ad-Dailami. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said that the Almighty Allah says:
((Not all those who pray are considered true devoted Muslims. I accept the Salah of the one who humbles himself during it to My Greatness, who refrains from fulfilling forbidden lusts, who never insists on disobeying, who feeds the hungry, cloth up the needy, who is merciful to whoever is distressed, who provides shelter to the wayfarer… All this he does (only) for Me. (I swear) By My Might and Majesty, he has a light that is more radiant than the light of the sun. I give him dignity in the presence of ignorance and light in darkness. I answer his Du'a whenever he makes Du'a to Me, I fulfill his needs whenever he asks Me and I fulfill his oath whenever makes oath to Me. I protect him by My Vicinity, and the Angels guard over him. His example in My creation is like Firdous in Jannah whose fruits are always ripe, and it state never changes.))
Dear noble brother, the prayer is the pillar of religion, the tight bond of true faith, the best and foremost of all man's righteous deeds that bring him near to the Lord All Mighty. Besides, it is the paramount act of obedience and spiritual enhancement. Also, it is the only repeated daily pillar of Islam, from which no Muslim is exempt. It is the basis of all acts of submission, the origin of all the deeds that bring man near to Allah, and the source of all acts of obedience. It is the basic and foremost pillar of Islam and the first thing that man will be questioned about on the Day of Resurrection and will never prosper without. Regarding this point, Allah says:﴾Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness. ﴿
According to scholars, submissiveness is not one of the virtues of Salah, but rather it is one of its Furood (obligatory acts).
The (high) rank of Masjid Al-Aqsa:
Dear Arabs and Muslims, Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, whose neighborhood is blessed by Allah, is the place of worship of the previous Prophets, peace be upon them, and it is the place where the seal of Prophets (Muhammad, peace be upon him) journeyed to from Makkah. Furthermore, this Masjid is mentioned by Allah in detailed Ayat in the Quran, and Surat (Al-Isra') is continuously reauthord by Muslims. Masjid Al-Aqsa is the first of the two Qiblas, is the second Masjid and is the third of the two holy Sanctuaries.
Muslims are supposed to go out to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa after going out to Al-Masjid Al-Haram and Al-Masjid An-Nabawi (the Masjid of the Prophet, peace be upon him, in Al-Madinah). This exalted position of Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa is derived from having its neighborhood blessed (by Allah) with all the blessings of the worldly life and the Hereafter. Moreover, it is exalted because it is the Masjid to where the Prophet, peace be upon him, journeyed in Isra' and from where he ascended to the heavens in Mi'raj.
Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa is considered a symbol of the Islamic character, but how can we travel to it given the roads to it are not safe and are occupied by enemies? How can we travel to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa as long as its sacred premises are subject to seizure and violation by the enemies of Allah and Haqq (the truth), who took over the land, stole the natural resources, violated sacred places, corrupted beliefs, voided values and forged history. Those enemies are the Zionists.
I would like to refer to a strong indication in the anniversary of Al-Isra' and Al-Mi'raj, to the Arabs, who conveyed the message of Islam, and to all Muslims in east west. This indication tells them that it is an obligation upon Muslims to maintain the Divine Blessings of Masjid Al-Aqsa and its neighborhood, and as long as it is a subject of oppression, they should turn back to their Lord, so that they would be able to liberate that sacred Masjid from the invaders and imposters. By liberating it, they would revive the biographies of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, and Salah Ad-Deen Al-Ayoobi.
As for you dear revolutionists in the occupied lands, may Allah bless your arms and guard your hands for being the symbols of scarify and devotion. You set a good example in that respect and you manifest the best meanings of self-glory and honor by making your enemies restless.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab wrote to Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas and his soldiers, "I order you to fear Allah in all situations as Taqwa (piousness) is the best weapon against the enemy, and beware of sins as they are worse to you than your enemy. You gain victory because of your enemy's disobedience to Allah, but if you are sinners like them, they gain victory over you with their power."
Supplication:
O Allah, make us do well in the religion which is our dignity and give us help to overcome our own desires in order to deserve victory over our enemies, for victory is only granted by You. O Allah, if You assist us, then who can defeat us, but if You abandon us, us, then who can support us?
Dear brother, Imam Dar Al-Hijrah "Malik" said, "If I have an answered Du'a, I will save it to the rulers, because in their piety lies the piety of the entire Ummah.
O Allah, guide Muslim rulers all over the world to that which pleases you. O Allah, bring them together, unify their word and make them support one another to serve the truth, goodness and guidance. O Allah, grant them victory over Your enemy and theirs, You are the Ever-Powerful and the Firm. O Allah, guide our Presedent to the goodness of this country and people and grant him a good retinues. O Lord of Worlds. O Allah, teach us what is useful for us, let us make use of what You have taught us and advance us in knowledge.
