All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds, and may His peace and blessings be upon our Master Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
The place: From the Sacred Mosque in Makkah to the Farthest Mosque in Jerusalem; the first of the two Qiblas and the third of the Harams. The blessed land of Prophets and Messengers (PBUT). Whatever is between the two Mosques, including Jordan, is a blessed land since Allah, The Almighty, Said (What means): "whose precincts We did bless" [Al-isra`/1]. The sanctity of this place has joined the two Mosques for a divine wisdom, and that is warning and awakening the Muslim Ummah from the state of inadvertence that it has been going through. This is in order for the Farthest Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa) to remain alive in the heart and conscience of every Muslim so that it continues to be an integral part of his/her creed. Thus, whenever they turn to the Sacred Mosque in prayer, they remember their first Qibla (Al-Aqsa Mosque) and the place from where their Prophet (PBUH) had embarked on his nocturnal journey. This will eventually drive them to liberate it from the yoke of the Jewish occupation. This was manifested in Saladin`s capture of the city of Jerusalem. With Allah`s permission, Al-Aqsa Mosque will be restored and the Muslim Ummah will keep trying to achieve that no matter how costly the price will be. This deep belief in Al-Aqsa can`t be shaken by any international resolution. It is simply recharged whenever the verse (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," [Al-Isra`/1] is recited.
At the night of Isra`, belief was manifested in its purest forms for the Prophet (PBUH) has chosen the natural thing. He (PBUH) said: "I entered the mosque and prayed two Rak'ahs in it, and then came out and Gabriel brought me a vessel of wine and a vessel of milk. I chose the milk, and Gabriel said: You have chosen the natural thing." [Moslim]. Choosing milk over wine proves that Islam was the natural thing because it indicates righteousness. Milk is a delicious drink for the drinkers, and so is Islam.
At the mosque, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) led other prophets in prayer to establish the oneness of God for he (PBUH) is the Master and the leader of the Prophets. Abu Hurairah (May Allah Be Pleased with him) reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying: "I shall be pre-eminent among the descendants of Adam, the first from whom the earth will be cleft open the first intercessor, and the first whose intercession will be accepted." [Moslim]. This reflects that the Muslim Ummah has been entrusted with leading humanity and will always be.
Anas Bin Malik and Ibn Hazm said: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: 'Allah, The Almighty and Sublime, enjoined fifty prayers upon my Ummah, and I came back with that until I passed by Musa, peace be upon him, who said: 'What has your Lord enjoined upon your Ummah?' I said: 'He has enjoined fifty prayers on them.' Musa said to me: 'Go back to your Lord, the Mighty and Sublime, for your Ummah will not be able to do that.' So I went back to my Lord, the Mighty and Sublime, and He reduced a portion of it. Then I came back to Musa and told him, and he said: "Go back to you Lord, for your Ummah will not be able to do that.' So I went back to my Lord, the Mighty and Sublime, and He said: 'They are five (prayers) but they are fifty (in reward), and the Word that comes from Me cannot be changed." [1] I came back to Musa and he said: "Go back to your Lord.' I said: 'I feel too shy before my Lord, the Mighty and Sublime." [Agreed upon].
This is how obligatory prayer was directly prescribed by Allah, The Exalted, to be the backbone of religion and the beginning of the acts of worship and the rope between the slave and his Lord.
However, in the morning after Isra`, people were divided into two groups. One believed what the Prophet (PBUH) had gone through, but the other didn`t, and so disbelieved. In simple words, this event distinguished the pure from the impure.
I pray that Allah, The Almighty, makes this anniversary an incentive for the Muslim Ummah to liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque, and I also pray that He blesses Jordan with safety and stability along with the rest of the Islamic countries. And all perfect praise be to The Lord of The Worlds.
