---------------------- Forwarded by razman/westport on 21/10/99 13:26
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Islamic News and Information Network <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> on 21/10/99
02:06:37
To: Islamic News and Information Network <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
cc: (bcc: razman/westport)
Subject: Islamic Association For Palestine (IAP) Statement Regarding
Al-Isra wal Miraj And The Islamic Significance of Masjid Al-Aqsa In
Jerusalem
Assalamu'alaikum,
The following statement is from the office of the Islamic Association For
Palestine (IAP). We have also attached this statement as a word file if
you would like to print it out and post it in your mosque. Please
distribute freely.
Yahya
Al-Isra wal Mir'aj And The Islamic Significance of Masjid Al-Aqsa In
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Jerusalem
^^^^^^^^^
ACTION REQUESTED:
PLEASE DEDICATE THE FRIDAY KHUTBA OF NOVEMBER 5 OR NOVEMBER 12, 1999 TO
THE ISSUE OF THE DANGERS FACING AL AQSA AND THE RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE OF
AL ISRA WAL M'IRAJ.
Masjid al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock, known together as Haram al
Sharif, hold great spiritual significance for Muslims all over the world
regardless of nationality, ethnicity or language. In the last and very
trying days of the Meccan phase of Prophet Muhammad's life, while sleeping
in his home, he was awoken by the angel Gabriel and miraculously
transported from Mecca to Jerusalem. He then ascended into the heavens
from the place of the Haram al Sharif where Masjid-ul-Aqsa and the Dome Of
The Rock now stand. There in the heavens he enjoyed the company of the
prophets who went before him and also stood in the presence of almighty
Allah. This important journey is known in the Arabic language is al-Isra
wal Mi'raj, the night journey. Although the actual date of this incident
has not been established in authentic Islamic narrations, many Muslims
believe it to have taken place on the 27 of Rajab, the seventh month in
the Islamic calendar, which corresponds to Friday November 5, this year.
The Prophet Muhammad said: "Do not prepare yourself for a journey except
to three Mosques, i.e. Al-Masjid-AI-Haram, the Mosque of Aqsa (Jerusalem)
and my Mosque." In addition, Islam teaches that the reward for praying in
Masjid al-Aqsaa will be multiplied over the reward for praying in any
other mosque, apart from Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabi (The
Prophet's Mosque) in Madina. Islam teaches that prayer in Masjid al-Aqsa
is worth five-hundred times more than other prayers." Also, it is stated
in the Qur'an that the area around this sacred Mosque in Jerusalem is
blessed by Allah. Allah states: "Glory to (Allah) 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 ). (17:1)"
But there are real and present dangers facing Masjid al Aqsa. During the
first Zionist conference in Basl in 1897, Theodore Herzl made the
following statement: "If I ever control Jerusalem, I will definitely
remove all the holy places except the Jewish ones." In the war of 1948
the Jews occupied 80% of Jerusalem and in 1967 took what was left of the
city. Israel has been unceasingly working toward Judiazing the city to
ensure that it stays in Jewish hands forever. Presently, only 13.5% of the
city remains for Palestinian neighborhoods. This constitutes a grave
danger for the Haram al Sharif and Masjid al Aqsa in particular. There
have been repeated attempts to destroy this mosque. Here we give just a
few more recent examples of this:
* Michael Rohan, an Australian tourist attempted to destroy Al Haram Al
Sharif on 21 August 1969 by setting fire to the Mosque. His attempt
resulted in the burning down of Saladin's pulpit and 1,500 square metres
of the southeast part of the Mosque. The total damage was estimated at
about one third of the total area, which is about 4,400 square metres. The
Israeli forces cut off the water supply and prevented the fire engines
from arriving on time to extinguish the fire.
* The gift presented to the head of the Greek Church, Archbishop Maxim
Soloum, on 29 December 1996, which was a silver statue of Jerusalem minus
Al-Aqsa and replaced by the Temple.
* Israeli TV broadcast a documentary showing that Al-Aqsa would soon
collapse as the result of an earthquake which will strike the area within
two years. Moreover, the excavations will help in this process, having
already weakened its foundations, and because geologists have confirmed
that the area is one of the most active for earthquakes to take place.
* The publication of a new book in occupied Palestine entitled, The
Daydreams, in which Israeli writers presented four hypotheses to destroy
Al-Aqsa and rebuild their Temple.
* Some extremist Israelis indicated that the birth of the Red Cow, as it
was described in the Bible, in a colony near Haifa, was a Heavenly sign
that the rebuilding of the third Temple in Jerusalem has come nearer.
Although they consider it a miracle, they have to wait until the Cow
becomes three years old, then they will start to build their Temple.
* Sheikh Ra'ed Salah, the mayor of Um Al-Fahem and Chairman of the
Committee of Protecting and Defending Al- Aqsa, revealed that a Jewish
attempt to enter Al-Marwani Mosque, located in the eastern basement of
Al-Aqsa, was stopped through a gate in the south wall of Al-Aqsa in the
last week of Ramadan last year.
* In another escalation, the office of the premier allowed the Jews to
pray in Al-Aqsa under the pretext that this has never been prohibited. In
addition, this move was synchronized with the building of the new
settlement on Abu Ghneim and the continued excavations under Al-Aqsa,
which began with the Israeli occupation in 1967. In this context, Sheikh
Ra'ed Salah and Najeh Bkeirat, the chief of the Islamic Heritage
Committee, found several tunnels under Al-Aqsa were threatening to
collapse its foundations. One of these tunnels starts in the southwest of
Al-Aqsa along with the west wall, 4 metres away, at a height of 6-9 metres
and a distance of 30 metres. It ends with small stones which have been
recently built and could be removed easily. Consequently, it will be quite
easy to enter the heart of the holy mosque. The largest tunnel lies under
the so-called Single Door (al-Mefred), while the other two tunnels lie
under the Double Door. Both of them lead to the eastern basement under
Al-Aqsa. Therefore, the excavations on the western and southern sides of
Al-Aqsa and Bab Al-Rahma Cemetery have led to the following:
- The removal of more than 100 tombs and shrines of the Prophet's
Companions and Followers in the cemetery located west of Al-Aqsa.
-There were several cracks and collapses in the walls of Al-Aqsa,
especially on the south wall, which the documentary tape revealed that the
Jews were using it as a place to store their papers, including their hymns
and carols, as part of their rituals. This means that they have started
using it the same way they do the Wailing Wall (Al-Buraq), and they intend
to change it into a place for their prayers as occurred with Al-Buraq wall
previously.
- Changing the features of the area around the Mosque, in addition to the
intensive building boom, which could be considered as part of building the
third Temple. Moreover, the Israeli Archeology Authority is building a
rest house (a bar) near the windows of Al-Aqsa Holy Mosque.
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IAP (The Islamic Association for Palestine)
P.O. Box 743533 - Dallas,Texas 75374-
Tel 972/669-9595 - Fax 972/669-9597-
Website: www.iap.org - E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Lotus Manuscript 1.0
