# Roman Emperor Who Almost Became Muslim & Conquest of Jerusalem | Al-Aqsa: Past, Present, and Promise

**Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman
**Series:** Al-Aqsa - Past, Present, and Promise
**Published:** 2025-01-22
**YouTube:** https://youtu.be/k1OHaAvk6fo
**URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/al-aqsa-past-present-and-promise/roman-emperor-who-almost-became-muslim-and-conquest-of-jerusalem-alaqsa
**Topics:** History

## Description
The Roman Emperor Heraclius is a significant figure in the life of the Prophet ﷺ and the history of the da‘wah in Palestine. The Prophet ﷺ wrote a letter to inviting him to Islam. He was convinced that Islam was the truth and that the Muslims would soon rule in Palestine. So why didn’t he become...

## Transcript
**[0:00]** Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Once again. A'udhu billahi minash shaitanir rajim. Bismillahir rahmanir raheem. Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen. Wa la udwana illa ala al-zalimeen.

**[0:15]** Wa al-aqibatu lil mutaqeen. Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik ala abdika wa rasulika Muhammadin Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallim tasliman kathira. Where we left off, dear brothers and sisters, is the return of the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam

**[0:31]** from that momentous, miraculous journey of Al-Isra wal Mi'raj. And the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam standing in the courtyard of the Haram in Mecca and showing, or being shown rather, an image of Al-Quds

**[0:48]** and explaining to everyone around him what he saw on that night. Every corner, every pillar of Jerusalem, as he said Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, rufi'at li. It was presented to me and I was able to explain to the people of Mecca every single place that I had witnessed,

**[1:06]** even things that happened on the way from Jerusalem, from Al-Quds back to Mecca on that night. As time goes on, the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam finds what Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala has promised him in the Hijrah.

**[1:21]** The Muslims move to Medina. They continue with their Qibla towards Al-Aqsa. They continue facing Jerusalem in prayer until Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala switches the Qibla for them 16 or 17 months into Al-Medina.

**[1:36]** And if you go to the playlist of this series, you'll actually find that I recorded when I was in Umrah at Masjid Al-Qiblatain. The history of that Masjid and the history of that switch of the Qibla to explain how exactly it happened and some of the wisdoms that the scholars mentioned

**[1:51]** of the changing of the Qibla towards Mecca. But let's go back to a Jerusalem lens. And I want you to think about the da'wah to Palestine. And it sounds weird because you don't imagine Palestine

**[2:06]** as a non-Muslim place. But if you're thinking in terms of the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam's seerah, you always start from this place of how did the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam initiate the da'wah to the people of that land. What was it like when the letter of the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam arrived?

**[2:23]** What was it like when the first messengers of the Messenger Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam arrived to that land? What was the political climate? And what took place in terms of magnificent prophecies? And you can see how Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala is moving the world

**[2:38]** all to fit the call of the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And that takes us back to the Romans and the Persians. And we spoke two lectures ago about Heraclius and Kisra. Heraclius, the leader of Rome,

**[2:55]** and Kisra, the leader of Persia. And these two empires that are embroiled and their stories intertwined with the story of the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And as we mentioned, the promise of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala came true.

**[3:10]** And the Romans were defeated in the nearest land. And they, after their victory, will be victorious in a few years. To Allah belongs the command before and after. And on that day, the believers will rejoice in the victory of Allah. He will help whom He wills. And He is the Almighty, the Merciful. Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala gave victory to the Romans over the Persians.

**[3:28]** What did that victory actually look like? So first you have beating the Persians back into their own territories. And reclaiming what was lost in those few years. Where Heraclius took the kingdom of Rome.

**[3:43]** The same year that the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam received revelation. 610. And Kisra capitalized on the political instability of the Byzantines. And started to plunge deep into Roman territory. So part of that was beating the Persians out of Roman territory.

**[4:02]** And now even penetrating into Persian territory. But there is going to be a specific focus on the year 629. And Subhanallah, it's magnificent when you read history from their perspective.

**[4:19]** And then compare it to the books of Sira. Where we read about history from the lens of the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and the Muslims. So focus becomes on the year 629. Heraclius who started off as a leader.

**[4:35]** Who was immediately undermined because the Persians almost defeated the Roman Empire. Now is rising to fame amongst his people. Because this is his first real political win. He's a scholar of the Bible. He's an astrologer.

**[4:51]** So he's someone who actually has some pretty peculiar views. Related to Western Christianity. And is actively participating in some of the debates about the divinity of Jesus, of Isa alayhi salam. And now his reputation is growing.

**[5:08]** His name, Heraclius. Not Hercules, the Greek mythology of Hercules. Heraclius. And his name also by the way is Qaysar. He's referred to as Qaysar. Qaysar means Caesar. And if you read in the books of the Romans.

**[5:23]** They say because Julius Caesar was the first C section. Caesarian. And so that's where they say that the word came from. And it became the imperial title. And this became a way that the Caesar would say that I came from the stomach of my mother.

**[5:38]** While everyone else came from a dirty place. And I am elevated above you. And I'm a miraculous birth. Because this was the first time this was known in the history of man. Of course that's in the books of the Romans. So they would pass on the title of Qaysar, Caesar. So he's referred to as Qaysar and Heraclius by his name.

**[5:58]** Why is the year 629 so special? Read it from their perspective. The darkest day in Jerusalem was a decade before that. Where Kisra marched into Jerusalem. And massacred 90,000 Christians.

**[6:15]** And flooded the streets of Jerusalem with blood. Now they had rescued what was known as the true cross. Which is the cross that they believed that Isa that Jesus peace be upon him was crucified upon.

**[6:30]** So this is Heraclius's big moment a decade later. To have the cross that they believe that Jesus himself was crucified on. Come back to Jerusalem. And he's thinking about the ceremony of victory in receiving the true cross once again.

**[6:47]** So Heraclius puts on this massive glorious ceremony. And he dons the imperial robes of the Romans. Of Caesar, of Qaysar. And he puts on a parade of triumph.

**[7:02]** And as he ascends his horse. By the way I'm talking about from Christian history now. I'm not reading this from Islamic history. From Christian history. As he ascends the horse. He initially comes out carrying the cross in a sign of victory.

**[7:17]** And then he is told by the patriarch. That it would be more befitting if you cast your robes aside. And you walked barefoot. And you carried the cross. The way that Jesus peace be upon him is depicted to have carried the cross.

**[7:34]** And carry it back to the sepulcher. And so it would be a display of humility instead. And he follows that advice. So Heraclius puts on this display. Whether it's sincere or not.

**[7:50]** It's besides the point of humility. And the people who have been subjected to the tyranny of Kisra. The most pompous ruler in the world. Are now seeing a display of humility. A deeply devout ruler from the Byzantines.

**[8:05]** Carrying the cross on his back. Barefoot. And Sophronius. Who is a very important name. Sophronius the patriarch. He writes a poem in ceremony. And he says, Jerusalem was bathed in golden light. As the emperor crowned in splendor.

**[8:21]** Carried the victorious cross upon his back. The banners of Rome waved high. Incense filled the air. And hymns of praise resounded from the mouths of thousands. With each step the city rejoiced. For the cross once lost had been restored.

**[8:37]** So you can imagine the environment in Jerusalem. The environment in Quds. The environment in Bayt al-Maqdis in Palestine. Where the cross has been restored. The glory of the Romans seems to rise. And this new leader seems extremely popular.

**[8:53]** Because of what he was able to achieve. After being immediately undermined. When he took the throne. Why did I say focus on the year 629? SubhanAllah this is probably one of the most astounding characters in the seerah. That we don't study is Heraclius.

**[9:08]** 628 is Sulh Hudaybiyyah. The treaty of Hudaybiyyah. Where the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam enters into. A ceasefire of sorts. A negotiation with Mecca. That allows for the messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.

**[9:25]** To now spread his da'wah beyond. So for 10 years. A truce for 10 years. Mecca and Medina as political centers will not fight. This enables the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. To do his da'wah.

**[9:40]** And so the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam sends letters to every leader in the world. That he can access. He sends a messenger to them. That fits them. Calling them to Islam. With very friendly terms. The prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was not declaring war on people.

**[9:55]** The prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was inviting rulers. Inviting leaders around the world. To embrace Islam. And so we'll come to the hadith of Heraclius. And if you were to open up Sahih Al-Bukhari. And this shows you how central this story actually is to our faith.

**[10:11]** Because Imam Al-Bukhari was brilliant in the way that he categorized his hadiths. The 6th or 7th hadith of the very first chapter. Bad'ul Wahi. The beginning of revelation. I believe it's the 7th hadith in the book. It's the last one of the first chapter.

**[10:26]** Is the hadith of Heraclius. Why? Because 628 Hudaybiyyah happens. Rihlatul Saif. The summer travel. The trade to Al-Sham. Resumes.

**[10:42]** Abu Sufyan is the one who leads the caravans. Remember Badr was to try to recover the lost goods from the caravan of Abu Sufyan. So Abu Sufyan can take a break from attacking the Muslims. And can now go back to Sham in the summer. Yemen in the winter.

**[10:57]** So in his first trade route he goes out to Al-Sham. That display that I told you about of Heraclius carrying the cross. According to Christian sources or western historical sources. Took place in March 629.

**[11:13]** So it's perfect timing. Where this is all happening. And the narrator explains that Ibn Nadhur was the governor of Ilya. Which was the Roman name for Jerusalem. And Heraclius was the head of the Byzantines of Al-Sham.

**[11:32]** And while Heraclius was visiting Ilya, he was visiting Jerusalem. He woke up in a really bad mood. Very sad. And so some of the priests asked him, why did you wake up in this mood? You're at the peak of your game.

**[11:47]** What's wrong? And Heraclius was a scholar. He was also an astrologer. He was someone that studied the stars. He was someone that studied the scripture. He's always looking into dreams. He's looking into every sign. And he said that I saw a vision as I was looking into the stars.

**[12:05]** That the leader of the circumcised has appeared. The leader of the circumcised has appeared. And that to him refers to the person that will take his throne. Okay?

**[12:20]** So he said that I saw that this has happened. So it's very similar if you go back to the story of Isa Alayhi Salam. The massacre of the innocents, right? Where Herod sees a dream that someone is going to take his kingdom. Similar to Pharaoh seeing a dream that someone is going to take his kingdom. So he thinks that practicing circumcision is a practice of the Jews.

**[12:39]** So he says, who practices circumcision? They say it's the Jews that practice this. So they say you might as well just go ahead then and kill every single one of them that you can find. Now why does this match the Roman behavior at the time? Because the Byzantines hated the Jews.

**[12:56]** The Romans hated the Jews. There was bitterness between them. The Jews were allied to the Persians. And so the easy answer was, do what we always do. Just kill every single one of them. So that you can, by process of elimination, make sure that none of them will unseat you.

**[13:13]** While they're having this conversation, this is all in the subtext of Al-Bukhari by the way. In the 7th hadith in Al-Bukhari. While they're having this conversation, the messenger from the king of Ghassan comes with the letter from the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam to Heraclius.

**[13:30]** And so they're sitting and they're discussing what to do about this vision that he just had. And Heraclius, as he comes to learn, there's a man who's claiming prophethood and he has a letter. And is calling you to his faith, calling you to his way.

**[13:47]** And he requires, he said, does this prophet and his people, do they act upon this practice of circumcision? And it's confirmed that they do. So Heraclius says to himself that the power of the Arab, the mulk of the Arab, that their era has appeared.

**[14:06]** Something big is about to happen. And so what does he do? He leaves Jerusalem initially and he goes to Homs. And in Homs, he calls all of Uthma'a al-Rum. He calls all of the leaders of the Romans, especially the religious scholars amongst them.

**[14:24]** And he gathers them in a palace in Homs, in Syria. ثُمَّ أَمَرَ بِأَبْوَابِهَا فَغُلِّقَتْ And then he says close all the doors, I have to talk to you about something. So he speaks to his generals, he speaks to his priests.

**[14:39]** And before he had this meeting, it says in the subtext of Ibn Nadhur of Al-Bukhari that he spoke to a scholar, who some of the scholars say is Sophronius, the patriarch. And basically confirmed that this is the prophet of Allah ﷺ.

**[14:55]** That Muhammad ﷺ matches all of the signs that are present of the one that is to come. So he calls out to his people in this castle of his and he says, يَا مَعْشَرَ الرُّومِ هَلَّكُمْ فِي الْفَلَاحِ وَالرُّشْدِ وَإِنْ يَثْبُتَ مُلْكُكُمْ فَتُبَايِعُوا هَذَا النَّبِيُّ

**[15:14]** He said listen, he's speaking to them in a way that they understand. Oh people of Rome, يَا مَعْشَرَ الرُّومِ If you want prosperity and guidance, my advice to you is to follow this prophet. Very interesting. Qaysar, the Caesar, speaking to his generals and priests and saying,

**[15:33]** listen, I know my scripture, the patriarch knows his scripture, let's follow this prophet because if you follow him, and the prophet ﷺ, his letter said as much, you keep your kingdom and you enter into rightful guidance.

**[15:48]** You enter into divine rightful guidance. When he says that, he senses from his generals right away that they're about to kill him. He senses the commotion and the discomfort in the room and he senses that things are about to go south. Now SubhanAllah Najashi, رضي الله عنه, in Abyssinia, Christian leader as well,

**[16:08]** he knew what his generals would do, so he kept it secret. And he benefited the Muslims to the side while concealing his actual iman. Najashi is a mu'min, is a believer. Heraclius is saying we should embrace this prophet

**[16:23]** and goodness will come to us as a result. When he saw the commotion, I'm still reading from the subtext of the 7th hadith of Bukhari by the way. When he saw the commotion, and he saw that they were about to turn on him, he says, إني قلت مقالتي آنفاً أختبر بها شدتكم على دينكم.

**[16:45]** He said, listen, I just said that to test you in your faith. I wasn't serious. I was testing you to see how much you would hold on to your own religion. فسجدوا له ورضوا عنه. And so they prostrated towards him and they were pleased with him. So he managed to convince them in the moment

**[17:01]** that actually I'm just kidding. I'm testing you in your faith. We stay upon our faith of Christianity. There is a new call that we should be aware of. There's a prophet who's gathering power. A man who claims prophethood that's gathering power and we should be aware of this. But at the same time I was just testing you in your faith.

**[17:17]** Move on to the summer of 629. Abu Sufyan, and this is the hadith from Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما), Abu Sufyan was in Jerusalem trading from Mecca. And then he's called by a messenger and told that Heraclius wants to see him.

**[17:36]** So Heraclius calls Abu Sufyan and two of his companions. And while they enter into the palace of Heraclius in Iliyya. So you can imagine the pacing. Jerusalem to Homs, back to Jerusalem now. Heraclius says, which one of you is closest in relationship to the man who claims to be a prophet?

**[17:58]** Meaning in terms of lineage. So Abu Sufyan says, I am the closest to him in Quraysh. I'm the closest relative to him. But then Heraclius throws an angle at Abu Sufyan that he doesn't know how to deal with. Heraclius says to the other two companions, he said stand behind him.

**[18:15]** I'm going to ask him some questions. And he tells a lie signal to me and I'm going to take his head off. So he has to tell the truth. No deception. And then he goes on in the very famous hadith and he has a translator. Abu Sufyan mentions the translator between them.

**[18:31]** And Abu Sufyan says, I was afraid that one of my companions might betray me and expose me as a liar if I told that lie. And so he said that he then proceeded to ask me these questions. He says about this prophet of yours, what's his family status amongst you?

**[18:48]** And he said he belongs to a noble family amongst us. He says has anybody else ever claimed to be a prophet like him before him in that area? I said no. He says, are his ancestors a king? I said no. Meaning, was he handed this through some sort of power grab? No.

**[19:06]** Do the nobles or the poor people follow him? Abu Sufyan says it's the poor people who follow him. He says, are his followers increasing or decreasing? Abu Sufyan says, bal yazidun, they keep on increasing. And I asked him, Heraclius asked him, does anybody who embraces this religion

**[19:26]** leave the religion out of dissatisfaction with the religion? Notice he didn't say leave the religion. He said leave the religion out of dissatisfaction with the religion. And Abu Sufyan says no. Meaning some people might leave the religion out of persecution, but it's not like people were changing their minds because they lost certainty.

**[19:44]** The more you got to know the prophet, the more certain you became in your faith. The more yaqeen they had in their faith. So that's not happening. He said, have you ever accused him of telling lies before this claim of prophethood? He said no. He said, was he ever known to break a promise? I said no.

**[20:02]** And he said, but right now, Abu Sufyan said, the one opening I had, he said, but right now we have a sulh with him, we have a truce with him, so let's see how he acts. Meaning if he's going to break a promise, we're going to see right now because we're testing him with this truce that we just entered. And he said, have you ever had a war with him? I said yes.

**[20:19]** He said, what was the outcome of the battles? He said, sometimes he wins and sometimes we win. And Heraclius said, what does he order you to do? He said, he tells us to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship anything beside him, and to renounce all that our ancestors used to worship.

**[20:36]** He orders us to pray, to speak the truth, to be modest, and to keep good relationships with our kith and kin. Now when Heraclius heard this, Abu Sufyan said, Heraclius, turn towards the translator,

**[20:51]** and he said to him, tell him, I asked him, or I asked you about his family, and your reply was that he belonged to a noble family, and all of the prophets of Allah came from noble families.

**[21:06]** And I asked you whether anybody else claimed what he has claimed, and you replied in the negative. And had it been in the affirmative, I would have thought that he's just copying a false prophet before him. And I asked you if it was a kingdom that he came from, and you said no,

**[21:25]** because if he was from a kingdom, I would have thought that this was just a power grabber, he's trying to take back his ancestral kingdom. And I asked you, was he ever accused of lying, and you said no. And then I asked you if the rich or the poor follow him, and you said it's the poor that follow him,

**[21:40]** and all of the prophets are followed by the poor initially. And I asked you if his followers are increasing or decreasing, you said they're increasing, and that is the way of faith, that despite all of the persecution, they keep increasing in numbers.

**[21:56]** And I asked you whether he has ever betrayed, and you said no, he's never betrayed, and the prophets never betray. And then I asked you what he ordered you to do, and you said that he ordered you to worship Allah alone, and he ordered you to not worship the idols, and he ordered you to pray, and to speak truth, and to be modest.

**[22:15]** And then he says, this is where the political shift comes, and the interesting psyche of Heraclius comes. Qala fa-in kaana ma taqoolu haqqan, fa sayamliku mawdi'a qadami hatayn. Heraclius says to Abu Sufyan, if what you have said about him is true,

**[22:32]** it's only a matter of time before he will possess the land that is right under my two feet. Wa qad kuntu a'lamu anahu khaarij lam akun adhunnu anahu minkum. I knew a prophet was coming, I just didn't think he was going to be from you guys.

**[22:49]** I didn't see him coming from the Arabs. Thumma da'a bi kitabi rasoolillahi sallallahu alayhi wasallam alladhi ba'atha bihi dihya ila a'adhimi busra. Then Heraclius said, give me the letter that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam sent me.

**[23:06]** And that was a letter that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam sent with Dihya (رضي الله عنه), who Jibreel Alayhi Salam used to look like, the most beautiful man amongst the sahaba, to the leaders of Busra, where the light of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam initially shined,

**[23:24]** the gate post of Ash-Sham. So he said, bring me the letter. And then Heraclius, in front of Abu Sufyan, he reads the letter. He says, min muhammad abdullah warasoolihi ila Heraclius a'adhim alroom.

**[23:41]** From Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam to Heraclius, the great one of Rome. From Muhammad, the messenger of Allah, to Heraclius, the great one of Rome. Salamun ala man ittaba'al huda. Peace be on to those who follow rightful guidance. fa inni ad'uuka bidia'ayatil islam.

**[23:56]** What proceeds, I call you to the call of Islam. Aslim taslam. Submit and you will find salam. Aslim taslam. yu'tika allahu ajraka marratain fa inta walayta fa inna alayka itma al-arisiyeen.

**[24:12]** If you embrace Islam, Allah will give you twice the reward. Your Islam and the Islam of all of your people. And if you turn away, then you will bear your own sin and the sin of al-arisiyeen. Al-arisiyeen are the poor people amongst the Romans.

**[24:28]** The peasants amongst the Romans. wa ya ahl al-kitabi ta'alaw ila karimatin sawa'in baynana wa baynakum anda na'uda illa Allah wa la nushrika bihi shay'a wa la yattakhida ba'duna ba'dan arba'aban min dooni Allah fa inta walaw fa qoolu shahadu bi anna muslimoon.

**[24:45]** SubhanAllah, Abu Sufyan is here in Quran read in Jerusalem by the Caesar of Rome. Say, O people of the book, come to this agreement between us and you that we will not worship anyone besides Allah until the end of the ayah.

**[25:02]** When he said that, Abu Sufyan says, da'araqil sal. If I was there, if I was there with him right now, I would have believed in him and I would be washing his feet.

**[25:19]** An expression of iman, an expression of faith. By the way, the same words were used from Najashi (رضي الله عنه), Tajaf (رضي الله عنه) in private. law la ma'ana fihi minal mulk If I wasn't, if I didn't have a responsibility here with my kingdom, I would have come to him to carry his shoes.

**[25:36]** If I could be, if I knew that I could reach him, he's telling Abu Sufyan in front of his own people. And this is the thing, Abu Sufyan is witnessing this. I would go to him, I would wash his feet as a sign of adoration and obedience.

**[25:51]** Abu Sufyan says that when he said that, falamma qala ma qal, wa faragha min qiraatil kitab, kathiru a'indahu sakhab. When he said that, people started to lose their minds around him. The voices started to get loud, the discomfort, the tension in the palace grew.

**[26:10]** And he says that basically, wartafa'atil aswad, that the voices were raised, an argument took place. And Abu Sufyan said, we were thrown out the palace so they could continue their argument. And Abu Sufyan said, it was at that moment that I told my companions, qultu li ashaabi.

**[26:27]** I said, this man is going to rule the world. We have no chance. We're sitting here trying to fight him in Mecca and Medina. What a surreal experience to see the Caesar of Rome reading to us a letter from him and saying I would wash his feet.

**[26:42]** And he said, at that moment, I knew that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasalam was going to be granted victory until Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala entered certainty into my heart. Now subhanallah, so much to talk about here and decipher.

**[27:01]** But I'm not going to go too far into the lessons. But I just want to point out the way that Imam Al-Bukhari structured the book. What's the first hadith? Always we talk about it. innama al-a'malu binniyat The importance of sincerity. And some of the scholars of Al-Bukhari, in their explanation of Sahih Al-Bukhari, they say that it is a ishara, it's a sign.

**[27:23]** That what gets in the way of sincerity is prosperity. What gets in the way of sincerity is the fear of losing this dunya. Subhanallah, think about the journey of this man, Heraclius. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala just gave him an improbable victory.

**[27:39]** He started off his kingdom on the run from Kisra, a brutal tyrant. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala humbled him, humiliated him. And then Allah gave him victory. And he had that moment in front of his people where he grew in their eyes.

**[27:54]** And he's a scholar of religion. And he knows that this prophet is the prophet of Allah. What got in the way of him and clarity with the truth was his castle. He couldn't believe in the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam publicly because he didn't want to lose his palace.

**[28:09]** It was all about his throne, it was all about his dunya. And so the lack of ikhlas, the lack of sincerity in what he knew was the truth is what stopped him from affirming the truth. But imagine the turn in history if Heraclius, Azeem al-Rum, would have embraced Islam.

**[28:26]** And that would have been one of the stories. A man who actually embraced Islam. This also has to factor into the prophecy to come that when Umar (رضي الله عنه) would enter into al-Bayt al-Maqdis, on his watch there was a sense of prophecy.

**[28:44]** They knew that something was coming. He told Abu Sufyan, one day these two feet, the land under these two feet will belong to that man salallahu alayhi wa sallam. And it's also important to pay attention to that.

**[28:59]** The other man that's with him, Sophronius, was an incredibly well-versed theologian from Damascus. He was an elder in the church, he was the patriarch of Jerusalem, he's a saint in the Eastern Orthodox and some of the Catholic traditions.

**[29:17]** He's the sermonizer of Jerusalem. And he knows that something big is about to happen, that a shift is about to come with the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam and the Muslims. And it would in fact be that in the year 633, Sophronius would assume the role of rule over Jerusalem, the patriarch of Jerusalem,

**[29:35]** the same year that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam passed away. So there's a recognition of Umar (رضي الله عنه) that's to come as well. The circumstances under which Jerusalem will go to this Prophet of Allah, who Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has sent. Move on, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam sent, as we said, the letter to Kisra.

**[29:54]** He sent the letter to Heraclius. Kisra was the man, subhanAllah, who when the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam sent him the letter, he had an opposite reaction. He read the letter, he said, How dare he say from Muhammad Rasool Allah to Kisra, Azeem al-Rum, like he should have switched the to and the from.

**[30:18]** How dare he put his name above my name in the letter. Who does this man think he is? And Kisra is a man who's just been rattled by a sudden defeat by the Romans and he wants to prove his power due to his insecurity. And so what does he do?

**[30:33]** He tears up the letter. He threatens the messenger of the messenger salallahu alayhi wa sallam. And he says that I'm going to kill the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam for even daring to call me to Islam, even daring to address me in this way. So what does he do?

**[30:48]** He sends to Baazam, who was the governor of Yemen. And he tells Baazam, the governor of Yemen, who operates under the Persian Empire. He says, send two of your best hitmen to Medina and kill this man who sent me this letter.

**[31:04]** He actually set up a plot to kill the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. Baazam commissions his two men. The two men are on their way to Medina. Abdullah ibn Hudhafa, the messenger of the messenger salallahu alayhi wa sallam, returns back to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam and he says, what happened with the letter?

**[31:21]** He said he tore it up. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, mazzaqallahu mulka, may Allah tear up his kingdom. The two hitmen arrive in Medina. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam immediately has them apprehended. They come to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam and the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam says, I just got news, more or less, I just got the news that Kisra has been killed by his son.

**[31:44]** Mazzaqallahu mulka, may Allah tear up his kingdom. This arrogant ruler of Persia has just been killed. The news would have been divine because there's no way to receive the news of Persia. But at this moment, Kisra was just killed, not by the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam, but by his own son, an internal coup and a rebellion that would tear up an already fragile Persian kingdom.

**[32:06]** So what happens, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam says, go back to Badan in Yemen and tell him, aslim taslim, embrace Islam and you will find salam. And he said, there is a time when Islam will come to Yemen, proceed Islam reaching you by reaching Islam and become a conduit for Islam instead.

**[32:29]** Badan accepts Islam. And Subhanallah, starts to set the stage in Yemen for Islam before Mu'adh ibn Jabal (رضي الله عنه) comes and takes the job and solidifies Islam in that region.

**[32:46]** And Allah would decree that Badan would die of an illness a year before the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. And his son would be a shaheed fighting a false prophet in Yemen, al-Aswad al-Ansi. So he embraced the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam.

**[33:02]** He died as a Muslim at the advice of the Messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wa sallam. Set the stage in Yemen, so Islam is spreading in Yemen. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala decrees that the Persian empire is being torn up due to internal dynamics before the Muslims will come and will finish the Persian empire.

**[33:20]** And listen to this hadith of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. This hadith is in Sahih Muslim. Abu Huraira (رضي الله عنه) says that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, قَدْ مَاتَ كِسْرًا فَلَا كِسْرًا بَعْدَهُ

**[33:35]** Kisra will die and there is no Kisra after him. وَإِذَا هَلَكَ كَيْسَرُ فَلَا كَيْسَرَ بَعْدَهُ And when Caesar perishes, there will be no Caesar after him.

**[33:51]** And he said salallahu alayhi wa sallam, وَالَّذِي نَفْسِ بِيَدْهِ لَتُنْفَقُنَّ كُنُوزَهُمَا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ He said salallahu alayhi wa sallam that I swear by the one whose hand is my soul that you will spend the treasures of Kisra and Kisr in the path of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

**[34:12]** So the Prophet ﷺ is commenting on the political dynamics in these places from Medina with his small set of followers. The prophecy continues to unfold. The Muslims defeat the Persians first.

**[34:29]** And they were considered the more arrogant of the two empires. And then the Romans as well. And this is post battle of Qadisiyyah, the most important battle with the Persians. You now have the battle of Al-Yarmouk in Ash-Sham.

**[34:47]** The Muslims have defeated the Persians and the Muslims are in the heart of Byzantine territory. Khalid (رضي الله عنه) is advancing. Abu Ubaidah (رضي الله عنه) is advancing. Heraclius is on the run.

**[35:02]** The same man that didn't embrace the faith is on the run with his own. And subhanAllah it's even narrated that he said after Yarmouk, subhanAllah think about this. He said farewell Syria, you will never be ours again.

**[35:19]** After Yarmouk, this is it. And subhanAllah you gotta think about this. Like this wasn't his first go at defeat. He was run out from the Persians before. He's saying this one feels different. This is divine prophecy.

**[35:35]** This is not a ruthless arrogant tyrant. This is divine prophecy taking place and so he bids farewell to Syria. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect our Syria. Allahumma ameen. He bids farewell to it as he leaves the area of Ash-Sham and he says you will never be ours again.

**[35:50]** And he withdraws to Constantinople. The same place, Istanbul today. The same place that he withdrew when the Persians were advancing upon him. So it was the heart of the Byzantine Empire. So he withdraws to Constantinople.

**[36:05]** Amr ibn Al-As (رضي الله عنه) is in Rafah. And he conquers into Egypt. The Copts, also part of the Christian Empire. So Jerusalem is being surrounded from all different directions now.

**[36:22]** With defeat of the Roman Empire. And the Sahaba that are popping up in the land of Palestine. But they don't want to spill blood in Al-Bayt Al-Maqdis, in Al-Aqsa. And so there's a prompting that takes place, a negotiation that takes place.

**[36:39]** Which is to surrender the city without bloodshed. And when is Jerusalem ever surrendered without bloodshed? Surrender the city without bloodshed, maintain the sanctity of this place. We don't have to go down that route. The siege around Al-Quds lasts for about four months.

**[36:57]** So you have the Dawah from the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. And now you have the prophecy coming true. Sophronius, who is in Jerusalem, he offers terms of surrender. And he offers to pay a Jizya.

**[37:13]** And he says that the only condition is that the Khalifa himself will come and sign a pact. And accept the keys to the city. Now Subhanallah, when this takes place, the Sahaba are kind of in a bind here.

**[37:28]** What do we do here? Do we surrender Jerusalem? Or do we just fight him anyway? Or do we go ask Umar (رضي الله عنه) to come? Shurahbil Ibn Hasanah, Shurahbil (رضي الله عنه) says, just bring Khalid (رضي الله عنه) and tell him he's the Khalifa. He looks like Umar (رضي الله عنه).

**[37:44]** And maybe we can just pull it off, just to get it over with. But that wasn't going to work. And Sophronius, when he meets Amr ibn al-As, some of the narrations mention that he asked him what his name was. And when Amr asked him for the keys of Jerusalem, he said that we know of the one that will take the keys that he'd have three letters in his first name.

**[38:05]** So Amr, Umar, there's something there. But he said you're not the one. There's something missing about Amr ibn al-As that did not allow Sophronius to hand over the keys to him. And so Umar (رضي الله عنه) was back in Al-Madinah.

**[38:22]** And I have a much more detailed lecture on the conquest of Jerusalem through Umar (رضي الله عنه). I'm just going to mention for the sake of the flow of the lecture. Umar (رضي الله عنه) is back in Al-Madinah. And there is precedence for treaties that were unprecedented before,

**[38:39]** where churches are being protected in Syria. They're being protected in Egypt. Christians are being given the right to worship. Khalid (رضي الله عنه), Abu Ubaidah (رضي الله عنه), Amr ibn al-As (رضي الله عنه), are all making good on their promises of covenant under the direction of Umar ibn al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه).

**[38:55]** So there is hope that there is going to be a historic type of protection that's offered to the inhabitants of Jerusalem with this surrender. But Umar (رضي الله عنه) takes shura.

**[39:10]** He asks Uthman (رضي الله عنه) what he should do. Uthman (رضي الله عنه) says, it's too risky for you to go out, don't go out. Ali (رضي الله عنه), he actually says that it's important for you to go out, because this is a historic occasion and it's unlike any other conquest.

**[39:29]** And so it's befitting and inshaAllah ta'ala you'll be protected and we can protect Medina as well. Umar (رضي الله عنه) takes the request of Abu Ubaidah to come, and the advice of Ali to go and some of the other senior companions.

**[39:44]** He doesn't take an army, he doesn't take a posse. He goes out subhanAllah with one servant and a camel, wearing his imama. He's not wearing his full armor or anything like that. He has a thawb with 17 patches in it.

**[40:02]** 17 patches in it, because of how beat up it is. And just enough for the journey, and he makes his way towards Jerusalem. SubhanAllah how relevant history is today. As he's arriving towards Al-Bayt Al-Maqdis, before he gets there, he stops in the area of Al-Jabiya,

**[40:20]** which is today the Golan Heights. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala free it from occupation. Allahumma ameen. So Umar (رضي الله عنه) actually stops in what is today the Golan Heights, and starts to coordinate with his other commanders from the sahaba, the entrance into Al-Bayt Al-Maqdis.

**[40:40]** And that's where we find that momentous occasion, where on his way to Jerusalem. Now Jerusalem is set, and there is a lot of curiosity, there is a lot of uncertainty, because these people have been traumatized by the Persian Empire. They've been through a massacre not too long ago, less than two decades ago,

**[40:59]** at the hands of another ruler. What's this going to look like? So you have the Muslims that are lined up, you have the inhabitants of the city that are lined up, everyone is waiting to see how Umar (رضي الله عنه) is going to behave. And we know the famous story, that he took turns with his servant,

**[41:14]** he said, half the time of the journey you're on the camel, half the time I'm on the camel. The half that he was on the camel happened to be the half that they were entering into Jerusalem. He said to Umar (رضي الله عنه), let's switch, Umar said no. Justice, it's al-adl. We said half-half, you stay on the camel.

**[41:30]** On top of that, Allah tested Umar (رضي الله عنه), Umar fell into a mud puddle. So the already 17 stitched thawb is now covered in mud, and they don't have Clorox or anything to get the stain down at the time. Umar (رضي الله عنه) has to walk into Jerusalem with a thawb of 17 patches

**[41:51]** to receive the keys to the most glorious city from the Roman Empire of all people, right? With this look. And he doesn't bat an eyelid. Remember subhanAllah, 10 years before that, Heraclius put on the display of humility with the bare feet and shedding the imperial robes.

**[42:12]** This was just Umar being Umar, living out the ethics of Islam, what the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam taught him. And so before he comes, we know the famous story, Abu Ubaidah (رضي الله عنه) goes out to him and he says, come on, really?

**[42:27]** Like, ya ameer al mu'mineen, couldn't you switch this up a bit just for the occasion? And Umar (رضي الله عنه) said, I wish someone other than you said it. Nahnu qawmun a'azzanaAllahu bil-Islam, wa nibtaghayna al-izzati lighayrihi athallanAllahu.

**[42:42]** We're a people who Allah honored through Islam. And if we seek it through anything else, Allah will humiliate us. So he was upset with Abu Ubaidah (رضي الله عنه) saying that to him. He said, let's proceed. Now here's the thing. Sophronius is waiting with the keys of the city to hand over the keys to Umar (رضي الله عنه) and it's a stunning sight.

**[43:04]** What a change from Kisra, Azeem al-Fars, to this coming to Jerusalem. And prophecies are of two types because I want to give you a framework. As it relates to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, there are prophecies of faith, prophecies of character, prophecies of name, prophecies of appearance, prophecies of geography.

**[43:30]** If you look at the prophecies about the messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. So when it came to his name, Ismuhu Ahmad. When it came to the geography, they knew that he would arise in that land. That's why the biblical scholars, the tribes of Bani Qurayza and Bani Nadhir and Qaynuqa are waiting there.

**[43:49]** They know that it's coming in that area as the hadith of Salman al-Farisi (رضي الله عنه). External signs, you have the seal of prophethood on the back of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Faith, is he preaching a faith that is consistent with the prophets that came before him? Character is described thoroughly in the scriptures before.

**[44:08]** Sophronius seems to have something about the person who received the keys of Jerusalem. His character, but also the letters in his name being three letters or even the amount of stitches in his garment, is something that some of the books mention.

**[44:23]** But he's carefully analyzing Umar (رضي الله عنه). And I give a hadith from Abdullah bin Amr al-As as an example here. Where he mentions that, shall I tell you how the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was mawsoof fi tawra. He was described in the tawra.

**[44:39]** And he says that it was the same type of description as the Quran. That there was something in there where it would be said,

**[45:07]** And then he goes on to say, till he says la ilaha illallah. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala opens the doors for him.

**[45:23]** So he says that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was described in the Bible as a man that would be sent as a warner, as a bearer of glad tidings. As the Prophet and servant of Allah. Someone who is not arrogant or harsh hearted.

**[45:39]** Someone who doesn't raise his voice in the aswaq. Not in the marketplaces. Someone who would not leave this world until Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave victory to him. And he made straight the crooked in regards to the affairs of the religion. And brought forth la ilaha illallah with victory.

**[45:56]** So that was the way the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was described. You have to think, Umar (رضي الله عنه) has a description to him. So when Umar (رضي الله عنه) comes in, the patriarch cries as he hands him the keys and he says, A leader like you will never be defeated.

**[46:12]** A leader like you will never be defeated. And he says, to a person like this, the keys of Jerusalem are given. That you are what we expected you to be. Subhanallah, you then have what Umar (رضي الله عنه) does.

**[46:29]** He takes the keys and he takes some of the belongings of power. Now keep in mind, Sophronius, historically, when he knew that the Muslims were closing in, he actually sent the cross and he sent some of the most famous relics of Christianity to Constantinople

**[46:46]** to be protected just in case the Muslims would do to them what the Persians did. What does Umar (رضي الله عنه) do? Umar (رضي الله عنه) receives the keys to the sepulcher. Umar (رضي الله عنه) holds it in the family of Al-Nusayban.

**[47:02]** To guard the churches, to hold on to the keys. And until now, those keys are maintained by a Muslim family. The keys to the holiest churches in Christianity. Umar (رضي الله عنه) signs the pact of Umar, Al-Umariya.

**[47:20]** Which is the protection of Christian churches and Christian sites. The protection of their right to worship. Just governance for all of the religious communities. And on top of that, Umar (رضي الله عنه) brought back the Jews that were expelled from Jerusalem to Jerusalem.

**[47:36]** Because of the bitterness between the Christians and the Jews, between the Romans and the Jews, due to the Roman and Persian dispute. Umar (رضي الله عنه) situates 70 families, Jewish families, back in Jerusalem. Giving them their protection as well.

**[47:52]** And the story goes on and on, of course, subhanAllah, which, you know, if you remember this, and I've said it many times, I'll just mention it in brief. When Sophronius is giving Umar (رضي الله عنه) the tour of the city of Jerusalem, of Al-Bayt Al-Maqdis. And the call for prayer is made there in the church of the Holy Sepulcher.

**[48:12]** It's the time for dhuhr. And Umar (رضي الله عنه) is offered by the patriarch who is seeing the beauty of the justice of Umar to pray there. Umar (رضي الله عنه) says, no, no, no. If I pray here, Muslims are going to come later on and say, this is a masjid.

**[48:27]** They're going to say, Umar prayed here and they're going to take it from you. Let me step out and pray. And subhanAllah, if you just look at the image, Umar (رضي الله عنه) stepped out and he prayed. And that is Masjid Umar, right next to the church of the Holy Sepulcher.

**[48:43]** That is the fath, that is the opening, the basira of Umar (رضي الله عنه) to where he could see. Now I want to say this subhanAllah to really conclude here in terms of the prophecy and in terms of how this is all coming forward in some of the lessons. In that same place, you now have Bilal (رضي الله عنه) calling the adhan in Jerusalem as he called it in Mecca and Medina.

**[49:05]** The first mu'adhin in Mecca, the first mu'adhin in Medina, and now the first mu'adhin in Jerusalem. You have Khalid and Abu Ubaidah and Amr ibn al-As and Abdurrahman ibn Auf and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqas and the greatest of the companions all present in that moment.

**[49:26]** And when Bilal (رضي الله عنه) was told to make the adhan and he didn't want to make the adhan, Umar said to him, This is one of the days of Allah. This conquest of Jerusalem is one of the days of Allah. And Bilal (رضي الله عنه) makes that adhan leaving the sahaba weeping in this regard.

**[49:49]** I want to give you a sight. The most miraculous salah in jama'ah was the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam leading all of those prophets in salah a decade prior. And now you have Umar (رضي الله عنه) leading hundreds if not thousands of the companions in salah in al-bayt al-maqdis.

**[50:14]** And think about how improbable that sounded in Mecca during the time of Al-Isra wal-Mi'raj. Like if you were to say in Mecca in the year 620 that less than two decades from now, about 16, 17, 18 years from now,

**[50:32]** all of us are going to be praying in Jerusalem, having conquered the Roman Empire, and praising and declaring the greatness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, while we're being suffocated in the streets of Mecca, people would have laughed and called you crazy.

**[50:47]** And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala just as he made the miracle of Al-Isra wal-Mi'raj, the gathering of the prophets was followed by the gathering of the sahaba. And there's another thing about that milk that was given. Remember in the night of al-Isra wal-Mi'raj, Jibreel alayhi salam presented the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam a glass of milk and a glass of wine.

**[51:06]** And the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam drank the glass of milk. And that was a sign of fitrah. And milk represents in a dream al-ilm, faith, knowledge. And the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam once had a dream that Umar (رضي الله عنه) was catching the milk from his hands.

**[51:28]** That he was catching the milk from his hands. And so subhanAllah imagine that in that same place where Jibreel alayhi salam gave the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam that drink of milk as he led the prophets in prayer, Umar (رضي الله عنه), an extension of the light of the Messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wa sallam, is leading the salah in that very same place.

**[51:49]** Umar (رضي الله عنه) cleaned up the place as did the companions because it was essentially relegated to what was almost a dumpster at this point. When it came to where the dome of the rock is today. And of the fadha'il of Umar (رضي الله عنه) is that the first time the Muslims could pray in public in Mecca was when Umar became Muslim.

**[52:10]** And this is now the first time they're praying in public in Jerusalem is behind Amirul Mu'mineen, Umar (رضي الله عنه). So he led the salah there in Jerusalem. He read surah Saad. And in it were the verses of Dawud alayhi salam.

**[52:26]** And then in the second rak'ah Umar (رضي الله عنه) read what surah? Surah al-Isra. The prophecy continues. Imagine the early Muslims who heard that surah revealed in Mecca and now Umar (رضي الله عنه) was reading that in tears.

**[52:42]** Thinking about what this meant in the moment. I want to give you some of the narrations in this regard. Al-Waleed ibn Muslim (رضي الله عنه). He said that 10,000 eyes that beheld the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam died in Ash-Sham.

**[53:01]** 10,000 eyes that saw the Messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wa sallam. What a beautiful way to describe it. Died in Ash-Sham. Whether it is Bilal and Ammar or Ibn Mas'ud and Abu Dharr. The initially persecuted Muslims that either died in Ash-Sham or visited Ash-Sham or visited that place.

**[53:20]** This became the gathering place. And if you think about the day of judgment. The people will rise from Al-Madina. The Sahaba will rise from their graves and they will proceed to Ard-Sham. These companions already proceeded their companions to Ard-Sham.

**[53:38]** And if you think about the amount of Sahaba that visited this place. And if you class them, the early Muslims like I said like Bilal and Ammar and Ibn Mas'ud and Abu Dharr. The weak ones and the oppressed ones. Or you have Abdullah ibn Abbas and Abdullah ibn Umar.

**[53:54]** The scholars from the children of the companions. Abdullah ibn Umar (رضي الله عنهما). As we said he would travel from Madina to Al-Quds to pray two rak'ahs in Masjid Al-Aqsa. And he wouldn't even take a sip of water out of fear of losing out on the reward.

**[54:09]** That is mentioned in the hadith of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. From the du'a of Sulaiman alayhi salam. That no one will come to this place and pray two rak'ahs seeking only the pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And be denied the forgiveness of their sins. It's the place where Al-Abbas, waleed al-nabi salallahu alayhi wa sallam.

**[54:28]** Who they used to call the father of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. The uncle, the messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wa sallam. With all of his haybah, with all of his glory came into Jerusalem. And they thought he was the khalifa when he entered by the way. When Al-Abbas entered into Al-Quds, he had so much haybah, so much awe.

**[54:45]** I mean this is the family of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. That the people of Jerusalem thought that must be Umar bin al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه). Imagine Al-Abbas proceeding into Jerusalem. You have a weak hadith from Umm Salama (رضي الله عنها) in Abu Dawud.

**[55:00]** That whoever puts on the ihram from Jerusalem and makes his way to Hajj or Umrah. Will be forgiven for all of their sins and guaranteed Jannah. And Abu Dawud says may Allah have mercy on Al-Waqi' ibn Jarrah. He went to Al-Aqsa and he did ihram and he went to Umrah. Again, just so he could try to gain the reward.

**[55:18]** So think of all the people that went there from Mecca. And then made their way back for Umrah. And this was also narrated by Sa'd ibn Abi Waqas (رضي الله عنه). The site where Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنه) was seen in Masjid Al-Aqsa. Praying Salatul Fajr and then staying until Ad-Duha.

**[55:35]** Remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and then getting on his camel and making his way back to Medina. Not to speak to anyone else. Mu'adh (رضي الله عنه), he would do i'tikaf in that masjid. Three days fasting and praying. And then turning to his companions and saying,

**[55:51]** Now we can hope that Allah has forgiven us for everything in the past. So let's pay attention to what is in the future. Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) came to Al-Bayt Al-Maqdis. Tamim ibn Aus al-Dari (رضي الله عنه), the Palestinian companion. Tamim (رضي الله عنه) came from Palestine and came back to Palestine.

**[56:09]** And is buried in Palestine in Jibreen which is occupied Khalil. Ubadah ibn Samit (رضي الله عنه), the Qadi of Palestine. Who is buried in the Bab ur-Rahma cemetery where multiple companions are buried.

**[56:25]** And the list goes on and on and on. I'm gonna give you two that I thought were relevant to this lecture about prophecy inshaAllah ta'ala. And then we'll conclude for the night. Who is the wife of the Prophet ﷺ that was a Jewish convert? Who is the wife of the Prophet ﷺ?

**[56:41]** Our mother that was a Jewish convert. We say it with pride. I know it's cold but I can hear you. Safiyyah bint Huyayy (رضي الله عنها). A woman who was mocked with her lineage.

**[56:57]** Bint al-Yahudi, right? They called her the Jewish woman to try to mock her. Safiyyah (رضي الله عنها), our mother who embraced Islam and came from that. And the Prophet ﷺ said that you are the daughter of Musa alayhi salam,

**[57:13]** the niece of Harun alayhi salam and the wife of Muhammad ﷺ. There is no shame in what you have. Imagine Safiyyah (رضي الله عنها) when she visited Al-Bayt al-Maqdis. She was extremely moved.

**[57:28]** Her father was a rabbi, was a leader of his people and was supposedly waiting for her husband Muhammad ﷺ to arise as a prophet. And as a result of his rejection, ended up in Medina and dying upon disbelief.

**[57:47]** Whereas she is now in Jerusalem with the Muslims. Safiyyah (رضي الله عنها). She went around Palestine. And she starts to recount all of what she learned when she was Jewish before she became Muslim.

**[58:02]** And she stood on the mountain of olives. And she said this is where we were told is the place of Yom al-Fasr. The place where the people of Jannah will go and the people of hellfire will go. And this is the place where the Messiah would rise.

**[58:19]** She starts to recount what she learned before she became Muslim as a Jewish woman. And who was the chief rabbi of Medina before Islam? Abdullah ibn Salam (رضي الله عنه). Husayn ibn Salam. Abdullah ibn Salam (رضي الله عنه) also came to Jerusalem.

**[58:36]** And in fact subhanAllah, he was one of the troops of Umar (رضي الله عنه) who opened the area of Al-Jabia which is Golden Heights and then proceeds to Al-Bayt al-Maqdis and can walk around Jerusalem. The former chief rabbi of Medina as a Muslim who came there fi sabila Allah

**[58:55]** and can talk about the rich prophecy and the rich lineage and rich history of that place. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to be a continuation of that prophecy. And as Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless those 10,000 eyes to set sight on the Prophet ﷺ

**[59:14]** and then to die in a sham. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us the ability to see our Prophet ﷺ on the day of judgment while he is pleased with us. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us a noble death. And may Allah azawajal include in our life story the opening of Al-Bayt al-Maqdis.

**[59:30]** May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala remove from us the barriers between us and these noble promises. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive us when we let our sins hold us back from the good that is in front of us. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us from being blinded by our prosperity or our wealth the way that Heraclius was blinded.

**[59:50]** And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala open our hearts the way that he opened the hearts of the likes of Umar (رضي الله عنه). And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give peace and victory to the people of Al-Bayt al-Maqdis. Allahumma ameen. BarakAllahu feekum. InshaAllah ta'ala we'll see you all next week.

**[1:00:05]** Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. Al-Fatiha.

## Other Episodes in "Al-Aqsa - Past, Present, and Promise"
- [When Will Palestine Be Free? Signs of the Day of Judgment | Al-Aqsa: Past, Present, and Promise](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/al-aqsa-past-present-and-promise/when-will-palestine-be-free-signs-of-day-of-judgment-al-aqsa.md)
- [Zionism 1,000 Years In the Making | Al-Aqsa: Past, Present, and Promise](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/al-aqsa-past-present-and-promise/zionism-one-thousand-year-in-the-making-al-aqsa.md)
- [Salahuddin: The Legend Who Liberated Jerusalem | Al-Aqsa: Past, Present, and Promise](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/al-aqsa-past-present-and-promise/salahuddin-the-legend-who-liberated-jerusalem-al-aqsa.md)
- [Isra and Miraj: The Greatest Journey Through the Heavens | Al-Aqsa: Past, Present, and Promise](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/al-aqsa-past-present-and-promise/isra-and-miraj-the-greatest-journey-through-the-heavens-al-aqsa.md)
- [Isra wal Miraj, Surah Rum, and the Year of Grief | Al-Aqsa: Past, Present, and Promise](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/al-aqsa-past-present-and-promise/isra-wal-miraj-surah-rum-and-year-of-grief-al-aqsa.md)
- [Syria, the Umayyad Mosque, and the Messiah’s Return | Al-Aqsa: Past, Present, and Promise](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/al-aqsa-past-present-and-promise/syria-umayyad-mosque-messiah-return-al-aqsa.md)
- [The Prophets, the Messiah, and the Promised Land | Al-Aqsa: Past, Present, and Promise](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/al-aqsa-past-present-and-promise/the-prophets-the-messiah-and-the-promised-land-al-aqsa.md)
- [The Switch of the Qiblah: Story of Masjid Qiblatayn | Al-Aqsa: Past, Present, and Promise](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/al-aqsa-past-present-and-promise/switch-of-the-qiblah-story-of-masjid-qiblatayn-al-aqsa.md)
- [The Blessed Land of Al-Sham: Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan | Al-Aqsa: Past, Present, and Promise](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/al-aqsa-past-present-and-promise/the-blessed-land-of-al-sham-palestine-lebanon-syria-jordan-al-aqsa.md)
- [Why is Quds (Jerusalem) So Special? | Al-Aqsa: Past, Present, and Promise](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/al-aqsa-past-present-and-promise/why-is-quds-jerusalem-so-special-al-aqsa-series.md)