# Syria, the Umayyad Mosque, and the Messiah’s Return | Al-Aqsa: Past, Present, and Promise

**Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman
**Series:** Al-Aqsa - Past, Present, and Promise
**Published:** 2024-12-12
**YouTube:** https://youtu.be/eV3S51exOZs
**URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/al-aqsa-past-present-and-promise/syria-umayyad-mosque-messiah-return-al-aqsa
**Topics:** History

## Description
The city of Damascus in Syria, and the Umayyad Mosque within it, are immensely significant in the history — and future — of the ummah. This is the city where Yahya (as) was buried, the Prophet ﷺ traded, Bilal (ra) and Abu Darda (ra) settled, in which Salah al-Din Ayyubi (rh) was raised, and where...

## Transcript
**[0:00]** As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani r-rajim, Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen. Wa a'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani r-rajim, Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen.

**[0:16]** Wa a'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani r-rajim, Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen. Wa a'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani r-rajim, Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen. Wa a'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani r-rajim, Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen. Alhamdulillah. You know, subhanAllah, a few weeks ago, when we were talking about the blessings of Ard-Ash-Sham, little did we know what we would be seeing today of the scenes from Ash-Sham.

**[0:39]** May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala liberate all of its people and all of the mustada'afeen, all of the oppressed ones, wherever they may be, in Ash-Sham or elsewhere. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give victory to the believers as He promised. That victory belongs to the believers. Allahumma ameen.

**[0:56]** And I couldn't help but think that tonight we needed to pivot a bit, inshaAllah ta'ala, and talk about Syria. But talk about it as it relates to the story of Jerusalem, as it relates to the story of Palestine, and particularly the image of the Umayyad Mosque, the great mosque, the great masjid of Damascus, which is loaded with history and one of the greatest masajid in the history of Islam.

**[1:26]** And some of the scenes that we are seeing out there and how it ties into the past, the present, and the promise of Al-Aqsa. And I start from the premise of this, that in our history, Syria, or what is now considered part of Syria, has always been the gateway to Palestine.

**[1:44]** Damascus has always been the gateway to Al-Quds. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala liberate every inch of it. Allahumma ameen. And I want us to begin also with a recognition. You know, many of us watch these scenes with cautious optimism.

**[2:01]** Like we've seen this movie before. We've seen the Muslims celebrate, and only for that celebration to be deflated quickly. We're confused about the various players in the region, and who's behind this and who's behind that.

**[2:17]** And what calculations are the Zionists making, and who's doing this and who's doing that. And I want you to recognize for a moment that there is a du'a for that. There is a du'a for confusion. Allahumma arina al-haqqa haqqa warzuqna at-tiba'a. Wa arina al-batila batila warzuqna ijtinaba.

**[2:33]** O Allah, show us the truth as truth, and allow us the ability to follow it. And show us falsehood as falsehood, and give us the ability to avoid it. There is a du'a for every sentiment that we might have. Man arada bil-islami wal-muslimina khayra.

**[2:49]** Whoever wishes good for Islam and the Muslims, then give them tawfiq. Wafiqhum. Give them success. And whoever desires for them evil, then drown them in their plots. All of this is present. And even if you know none of these du'as,

**[3:04]** then at least make du'a from your heart. And let your sentiments be reflected. That as we see the scenes of joy of our brothers and sisters rising from the dungeons of Bashar al-Assad and his father Hafez al-Assad. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala complete the joy of our brothers and sisters

**[3:20]** for they have suffered for so long. And when we say, uqbal Palestine, uqbal al-Quds. Next time, bi-idhnillahi ta'ala, we'll be celebrating Palestine, we'll be celebrating al-Quds. Know that that is the sentiment of so many people that are in those dungeons or who recovered their family members from those dungeons.

**[3:37]** And so I say to all of our brothers and sisters from Syria, I know many of them are here, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala replace your joy with even more joy. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow victory to be followed by victory and joy to be followed by joy. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala do away with the plots of those

**[3:54]** who wish harm upon the believers in Syria and otherwise. Allahumma ameen. On a personal level, subhanAllah, I say this, I've never been to Syria pre the massacres and the atrocities we've seen over the last decade and a half. I had the opportunity, subhanAllah, to just enter through Dar'a

**[4:10]** from the Jordanian border in the refugee camps for the small time that that border was not held by Bashar al-Assad. My mother, may Allah have mercy on her, on her birth certificate, 1951, she was born in Damascus because of the Nakba in 1948.

**[4:26]** And so may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to gather in Damascus and may Allah allow us to gather in al-Quds. Allahumma ameen. Now with all that being said, Syria is the gateway to Palestine and al-Masjid al-Umawi has always been the gateway to Masjid al-Aqsa

**[4:44]** in many, subhanAllah, miraculous ways. And it just so happens that the story that we left off from last week happens to connect to this in an incredible way. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions, yu'izzu man yasha' wa yudhillu man yasha' wa yuhyi al-arda ba'da mawtiha

**[5:02]** in different verses, that Allah 'azza wa jal gives honor to whom He wills and He humiliates whom He wills, and Allah gives life to dead lands. And one of the reflections on this idea of Allah giving life to dead land

**[5:17]** is a place that is also noted for death and destruction. A place where life no longer resides. The spirit of the ummah is brought back from that place and Allah 'azza wa jal allows for there to be a spring, a true spring of life.

**[5:34]** And in this situation we talked about Yahya 'alayhi as-salam. And by the way, Gaza will one day, bi-idhnillahi ta'ala, celebrate and we will celebrate with it. And when they say we will rebuild, it will be rebuilt and life will come from those very places that have been marked by death

**[5:49]** because that is the promise of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We talked about Yahya 'alayhi as-salam. And one of the ways that the story continues with the promised Messiah and with the last prophet of Bani Israel who was killed and the last prophet of Bani Israel who was spared.

**[6:07]** It just so happens that when Yahya 'alayhi as-salam was beheaded because he refused to succumb to the corruption of Herod and Tepas and Salome that his head was brought back to Damascus.

**[6:24]** Either as a sign of victory or denomination or later on his relics and his head as a form of reverence by those who considered themselves to be Christians. But if I was to tell you subhanAllah that the story continues

**[6:39]** that the head of Yahya 'alayhi as-salam, Yahya who was named by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Yahya the one who is given life. And one of the reasons is that he is a shaheed, that he is a martyr. Bal ahya and the shuhada never die.

**[6:54]** That the head of Yahya resides in that masjid that you've been seeing on your TV. That masjid that you've been seeing on your screen. Then follow along the story. Yahya 'alayhi as-salam was martyred in Palestine.

**[7:11]** His head, his relics end up in that masjid in Damascus. What is now a masjid in Damascus. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says about him sayyidan wa hasuran wa nabiyan min as-salihin. That he was a sayyid, a leader.

**[7:28]** And he was a man of modesty who could not be compromised. And he was a prophet from amongst the righteous. The imagery of the head of a prophet being brought back to Syria. Being brought back to Damascus and stored in that place.

**[7:45]** It just so happens that when Al-Husayn radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu was martyred. That he too, his head was brought back to Damascus. Where Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah resided at the time.

**[8:02]** He was martyred obviously in Iraq. And his head is brought back to Damascus. And of course there are some that mark the place in Egypt. But it makes more sense historically. That that is where the head of Al-Husayn was taken back to. And when I think about body parts in different graves.

**[8:19]** You know it occurs subhanAllah when you go to a place like Srebrenica in Bosnia. Where every year they still have janazahs. They still have funerals. They are still recovering the body parts of the genocide in Bosnia. Next year marks 30 years of Srebrenica.

**[8:36]** And every year as they find a hand or they find an arm. Then they open a grave and they pray janazah. And they make a grave for that arm, for that foot, for that ear. Whatever they can recover of the body parts of a person. And one day that will be Gaza as well.

**[8:53]** That the body parts will be recovered in different places. But Allah 'Azza wa Jal keeps the spirit whole. And they pray janazahs on them. And so the head of Yahya was brought back. The head of Husayn was brought back. And of course the Prophet ﷺ spoke in incredible words.

**[9:13]** About these different people, these different figures. Husayn was a sayyid as al-Hasan was a sayyid. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala blessed the son of Zakariya 'alayhi salam to be a sayyid. To be a master, a leader amongst men. The last shaheed of Bani Israel.

**[9:30]** The last shaheed prophet of Bani Israel. Is Yahya 'alayhi salam. And think about the continuity of the story. How Allah 'Azza wa Jal plans. Where the head of the last shaheed prophet of Bani Israel is.

**[9:46]** The last prophet of Bani Israel. His cousin 'Isa 'alayhi salam will descend in that very same place. Because the Prophet ﷺ mentioned the white minaret in Damascus. That that is the place of the nuzul of 'Isa 'alayhi salam.

**[10:03]** The place of the nuzul, the descent of 'Isa 'alayhi salam. And if you think about 'Isa 'alayhi salam. The last imagery he had of Yahya 'alayhi salam in this life. Was the beheading of Yahya 'alayhi salam. Was the martyrdom of Yahya 'alayhi salam.

**[10:18]** And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala making Damascus and that masjid. A central place where one prophet's head. Representing the atrocity against him. Remains. And his cousin the Prophet 'Isa 'alayhi salam descends.

**[10:34]** Allah controls life and he controls death. And the Prophet ﷺ said. That. Al-Hasan wa al-Husayn. Sayyida shababi ahl al-jannah. That Hasan and Husayn.

**[10:50]** May Allah be pleased with them. Are the masters of the youth of al-jannah. Illa ibn al-khala. 'Isa ibn Maryam. And Yahya ibn Zakariya. Except for the two righteous cousins. 'Isa and Yahya. And this hadith is sahih.

**[11:05]** Ibn Hibban. So think about this. Because it gives you some further context too. Inna allaha astafa. Right. That Allah chose al-Ibrahim and al-Imran. But he chose the family of Imran. So al-Hasan wa al-Husayn are the masters of all of the youth of paradise.

**[11:20]** Except for. 'Isa and Yahya the two righteous cousins. Fatima radiya allahu ta'ala anha. When the prophet ﷺ told her. That aren't you pleased to be. Sayyidatu nisa' al-jannah. That you are the queen, the leader, the master of the women of paradise.

**[11:36]** She in her adab, in her knowledge. Of the virtue of this family. Said. Then where is Maryam bint Imran? Where is Maryam 'alayhi as-salam? And the prophet ﷺ said. Except for her. You are the master of the women of paradise. Except for Maryam.

**[11:52]** Al-Hasan wa al-Husayn are the masters of the youth of paradise. Except for Yahya and 'Isa. The two righteous cousins. And when the prophet ﷺ. Ascends on the night of al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj. And he mentions.

**[12:07]** And we will go into great detail of al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj. The second heaven. And it is the second heaven. As many of the ulama mention. In the first heaven he met Adam 'alayhi as-salam. In the second heaven. That 'Isa and Yahya are there. Because 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam will return to this earth.

**[12:23]** And so he is in the lowest heaven. It is not in terms of darajat. In terms of degrees. We will talk about this. The closest heaven to the earth. Above as-sama' ad-dunya. Above the heaven directly above it. And he said ﷺ.

**[12:39]** Fa-itha ana bi-ibnayil khala. 'Isa ibn Maryam. Wa Yahya ibn Zakariya. Salawatullahi 'alayhima. Farahaba wada'uli bikhayr. He said ﷺ. And his cousins. 'Isa and Yahya are together in that heaven.

**[12:55]** And he said. And so they greeted me. And they made du'a for me in good. SubhanAllah. Jerusalem to Damascus. The head of Yahya remains there. 'Isa will descend there.

**[13:11]** And 'Isa will return to Jerusalem. A connection that is made. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions about Yahya 'alayhi as-salam. Salamun 'alayhi yawma wulida wa yawma yamutu wa yawma yub'athu. Hayya. Peace be unto him. The day he was born.

**[13:27]** The day that he will die. And the day that he will be brought back to life. And he says about 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam. Or 'Isa says about himself. Wasalamu 'alayya yawma wulitu wa yawma amutu wa yawma ub'athu. Hayya. Peace be unto me. The day that I was born.

**[13:43]** The day that I shall die. And the day that I will be brought back to life. A connection there. After 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam. I want you to think also. About the road to Damascus. That Paul claims a vision.

**[13:59]** On the road to Damascus. And he forms a very different version of 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam. Than Jerusalem. It's actually called. The road to Damascus. Right? That's where Paul conceives of what modern day Christianity actually is. Because he claims to have a vision.

**[14:15]** And he says about the road to Damascus. That's where modern day Christianity actually is. Because he claims to have seen a vision of Christ. Professing. Things about himself. That were not known to the actual followers of Christ. The followers of 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam. That resided in Jerusalem.

**[14:31]** And in Al-Quds. Those who were actually the followers of 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam. There was a rejection. Of the doctrine of Paul. Which was being taught outside of Jerusalem. That's well documented historically. And so 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam's followers remain. His true committed followers remain.

**[14:47]** Around Al-Quds. And here you have. Paul claiming a vision. On the way to Damascus. About 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam. And a new doctrine of 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam. Coming forth. That of the benefits of 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam. Then descending in Damascus.

**[15:04]** And then making his way to Jerusalem. Is that he paves the way. Between Damascus and Jerusalem. Establishing the doctrine of Tawheed. Establishing the monotheism that he was sent with. As well as justice. As we left off last week.

**[15:21]** The year 251. The Roman Emperor Decius. Kills Alexander. And this is a man that was known for persecuting the Christians. And he establishes shrines of paganism in Damascus.

**[15:36]** Similar like those in Jerusalem. To Jupiter and to other Roman gods. And this is the time of Ashab al-Kahf. The time of the sleepers in the cave. And it makes sense because. In the year 315.

**[15:51]** Constantine turns it into a Christian city. And we know of course that the sleepers of the cave. Ashab al-Kahf came out. A hundred years later. Or some hundred years later. The Prophet ﷺ says.

**[16:08]** Inna allaha nazara ila ahlil ard. Famaqatahum arabahum wa ajamahum. Illa baqaya min ahlil kitab. That shortly before Allah sends the Prophet ﷺ.

**[16:24]** He looked towards the earth. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Was repulsed by the state of the people of the earth. The Arab and the ajam. All of the people of the earth. Illa baqaya min ahlil kitab.

**[16:41]** Except for a handful of the true followers of the people of the book. I want you to come now. As we get closer to the time of the Prophet ﷺ. The hadith of Salman al-Farisi radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu.

**[16:59]** Where Salman al-Farisi was born around the exact same time as the Prophet ﷺ in Persia. And as he becomes exposed to Christianity. Salman al-Farisi radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu undertakes this dangerous escape from Persia.

**[17:14]** And he makes his way to Damascus. He makes his way to Ash-Sham. And in Damascus he meets the first teacher that he was pointed to. Who turned out to be corrupt. And then he goes on the long journey around areas of modern day Iraq and Turkey.

**[17:30]** And comes back once again to Ash-Sham. And his very last teacher was in Damascus. So he starts off his journey in Damascus. And he ends once again in Damascus. What's the tie to the hadith that Allah 'azza wa jal looked to the state of the world.

**[17:47]** And Allah 'azza wa jal was repulsed by the people. Except for a small group of Ahlul Kitab. You read in the sharh of the hadith. You read in the explanation of the hadith that the scholars will say. That those followers were primarily in Ash-Sham.

**[18:02]** A few people that were holding on to the true teachings. The true doctrine of Jesus peace be upon him. The true doctrine of 'Isa 'alayhi salam. And that's proven by the hadith of Salman al-Farisi radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu. As he's looking around the world trying to find the pure message of monotheism.

**[18:20]** Preached by all of the prophets. Uncorrupted by the empires of the time. Untainted. And he finds himself once again there in Damascus. And he finds this righteous man. That is worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala properly.

**[18:35]** That teaches about 'Isa 'alayhi salam as he is to be taught about. And as he is passing away. Salman al-Farisi radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu in Ash-Sham in Damascus. Sits next to his teacher on his bed.

**[18:50]** And he said I took him by the hand. And I said to him rahimakAllah. May Allah have mercy on you. Oh Sunni give me advice oh my teacher. And every teacher before that teacher pointed Salman al-Farisi radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu to another teacher.

**[19:05]** But this teacher points Salman al-Farisi radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu. Somewhere else. He tells him that oh my son. I do not know of a single person in the world that still follows our way.

**[19:21]** And worships Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala the way that we do. I can't send you to another teacher. I can't send you to another peer. They're all dead. I don't know of anyone else who follows the pure message of 'Isa 'alayhi salam at this point. Who follows the way of tawheed and monotheism as we know it.

**[19:39]** But he said I give you the glad tidings of a prophet that will come on the way of Ibrahim 'alayhi salam. Qala rasulan ismuhu ahmed. And he gave him the glad tidings his name is Ahmed.

**[19:55]** And he said that he will appear in the land of the Arabs. And he will be between the two harras. He will migrate to a place between the two lava fields. Which of course if you look at al-Madinah it is situated between those two harras.

**[20:10]** In fact if you look at the story of al-khandaq the trench. How did Salman al-Farisi radiyallahu anhu know the geography of Madinah? Because it was described to him by this place. And so when you build a trench, a khandaq, between you and the enemy. You can construct it between the two harras and you are protected.

**[20:26]** Because of those two places. You're protected from all directions. So he said he'll appear in this land. Between which there are palm trees. And he will have the characteristics that will not be hidden. He will eat of what is given to him as a gift.

**[20:41]** But he will not eat of what is given to him as charity. And between his shoulder blades is khatamun nabuwa. The seal of prophethood. And he tells him to go to that land if he can. So the whole story of Salman al-Farisi radiyallahu anhu.

**[20:56]** Finding the prophet ﷺ in Madinah. And testing him with these three tests. Came out of a conversation that he had in Damascus. With one of the last surviving people of the book in the purest manifestation. Those whom Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala was pleased with.

**[21:13]** In the era of Jahiliyyah where the prophet ﷺ mentioned. That in this era where the truth is so lost. A person who died between 'Isa 'alayhi salam and the bi'atha. The advent of Muhammad ﷺ. Would be judged accordingly because the truth was so obscured.

**[21:30]** From these people. Except for these few gems. These righteous gems. That were trying to hold on to the way of 'Isa 'alayhi salam. The prophet ﷺ is born. And I'm going to retell the hadith I mentioned.

**[21:45]** In lecture number two but a little bit differently. When they said to the prophet ﷺ. Akhbirna an-nafsik. Tell us about yourself oh messenger of Allah. How would you describe yourself? And he said ana da'wa tu-abi Ibrahim. I am the du'a of my father Ibrahim 'alayhi salam. And so imagine Ibrahim 'alayhi salam standing in the desert of Mecca.

**[22:03]** Think geography. In a barren desert. Making du'a for a child of his to uphold. To uphold the truth of monotheism. And to establish the prayer. And as a result of the prayer of Ibrahim 'alayhi salam.

**[22:20]** At the end of his prayer was Muhammad ﷺ. And at the end of every prayer of the nation of Muhammad ﷺ. Is salah Ibrahimia. Salah upon Ibrahim 'alayhi salam. And so the image of Ibrahim 'alayhi salam in a barren desert in Mecca.

**[22:35]** Wa bushra 'Isa. And I am the glad tidings of my brother 'Isa 'alayhi salam. Imagine the scene of 'Isa 'alayhi salam. And his few followers cornered in his home in Palestine.

**[22:50]** And it is there that he gives them the glad tidings of the Prophet ﷺ to come. And even if you read in the Quran. The last page that 'Isa 'alayhi salam is mentioned upon. SubhanAllah it's so beautiful. The last page that 'Isa 'alayhi salam is mentioned upon.

**[23:09]** Is in Surah As-Saf. Ya Bani Israel. Inni rasool Allah ilaykum musaddiqal lima bayna yadayya minat tawrati wa mubashshiram birasoolin ya'ti min ba'di ismuhu Ahmad. O Bani Israel. I am a messenger of Allah to you.

**[23:24]** Who confirms to you. That which came before you of the Torah. And who gives you the glad tidings of a rasool after me. A messenger after me. Whose name is Ahmad. Ahmad. The same name that Salman al-Farisi radiya Allahu anhu's teacher told him in Damascus.

**[23:39]** Ahmad is coming to you. And if you read in the Bible today. The biblical references to the paraclete. The spirit of truth. Who bears witness of 'Isa 'alayhi salam. And who will prove through being tested that he is not a false prophet.

**[23:56]** He will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself. But whatsoever he hears. That he shall speak. And he will show you things to come. Yahya 'alayhi salam. Even in biblical reference today. If you read in the first book of John. Verses 19 to 21.

**[24:11]** He's asked are you the Christ? And he says no. Are you Elijah? He says no. Are you that prophet? And he says no. Which is a sign of another prophet to come. And something very beautiful that the ulama mention of the geography here.

**[24:27]** And of the chronological order here. 'Isa 'alayhi salam. Gives the glad tidings. The bushra. The glad tidings of the coming of Muhammad ﷺ. And Muhammad ﷺ gives the glad tidings.

**[24:42]** Of the coming of 'Isa 'alayhi salam. In the final hours. In the final years of this earth. And so they both give the bushra. Of one another. And the imagery from Mecca. To Palestine. Back to Mecca.

**[24:58]** Back to Damascus. Back to Palestine. At the end of the affair. And then the prophet ﷺ mentions. That when my mother was pregnant with me. She saw a light shining from her womb.

**[25:13]** And illuminating the palaces of bushra in Ash-Sham. So Ibrahim 'alayhi salam made the du'a from Mecca. 'Isa 'alayhi salam gave the bushra from Ash-Sham. And now the light shines between Mecca and Ash-Sham.

**[25:28]** And we mentioned the hadith. We mentioned the hadith. I saw the angels in a dream. They took the pillar of the book. And they went to Ash-Sham. And when the affliction occurred. Then faith in Ash-Sham. The hadith that is authentic.

**[25:43]** Where the prophet ﷺ mentioned. That the angels took the pillar. From beneath my head. And they established it in Ash-Sham. And so when fitan takes place. Then stick to Ash-Sham. Because faith remains in Ash-Sham. I want to give you another imagery now of the angels.

**[26:00]** The idea of the angels. Now we talked about the angels. Spreading their wings over Ash-Sham. And the connection to 'Isa 'alayhi salam. But 'Isa 'alayhi salam will also descend on the wings of angels. And we know that of the significance of the wings of angels as well.

**[26:18]** Is that the angels spread their wings over what gatherings? This is the part where I ask you a question. The angels spread their wings over what gatherings? The gatherings where Allah is remembered.

**[26:33]** We pray that this be one of them. Allahumma ameen. And so the scholars mentioned that of the blessings of Ash-Sham. The halaqat of Quran. The circles of Quran. The circles of remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala throughout time. The populating of ilm.

**[26:48]** Of knowledge. That maintains the wings of Ash-Sham. So much so that 'Isa 'alayhi salam would descend upon its wings. That the prophet ﷺ saw the angels taking the pillar there. So there's something angelic about Ash-Sham in this regard as well.

**[27:06]** Now you come also to the prophet ﷺ himself. The prophet ﷺ never visited Jerusalem as a child. But he did visit Syria twice. Rihlat al-Syif.

**[27:21]** The journey of the summer. He goes to Syria. And I want you to start making connections on your own. The first time he's taken, he's taken as a child by Abu Talib.

**[27:37]** On that trade route. And Abu Talib has an incident with him in the city of Busra. Which is the same city that the prophet ﷺ explicitly mentioned his light touching.

**[27:54]** His mother seeing the light touching Busra. And Busra is a road that connects Damascus to the Red Sea. It's right outside of Damascus. It's a historic Roman city. Right outside of Damascus.

**[28:09]** And it was historically the trade route. Because it connects the Red Sea to Damascus. And it's in the southern most part of it. And it's here that we have the narration of the Christian monk Bahira. Who when the prophet ﷺ arrives as a child with Abu Talib.

**[28:30]** Bahira is a Christian monk that is waiting in Busra. Trying to analyze the caravans of the Arabs. To see if he would see this awaited prophet.

**[28:48]** They know him like they know their own son. Think about this ayah by the way. What does Allah mean by that? When you see your child there is no one more recognizable to you in this world than your own child.

**[29:03]** You see him and you know that's your child. SubhanAllah people know the scent of their child. People can identify their children in ways that no other human being can identify another human being. When a mother sees or smells or senses her child. She knows that's her child.

**[29:19]** Allah says they know him ﷺ like they know their own son. So when they see him. Whether it is a rabbi in Medina. Or a priest in Syria. They are stunned because they know right away.

**[29:34]** That's him. That's him ﷺ. And so Bahira is a monk that is waiting to see. Who will arise from the caravans of the Arabs on the trade route. And he notices this cloud of dust.

**[29:53]** That is overshadowing one of the caravans. And that the trees are prostrating towards. Centering this young boy ﷺ. That is taking a nap under this tree. And so he comes to the Prophet ﷺ.

**[30:12]** He sees this boy 'alayhi salatu wasalam. He notices the seal on the back of the Prophet ﷺ. And he asks who is entrusted with this young man? Who is his wakil? And so they point him to Abu Talib. So he says to Abu Talib, who are you?

**[30:27]** And he said I am his father. Now al-'am, simul walit. The paternal uncle is like the father. And he is like his father in that sense. And so he says to him, the monk says to him.

**[30:42]** That you are not his father because this young boy would not have his father alive. So Abu Talib says, what are you saying? And he says that there is not a single tree or stone that this young man passed by. Except that it prostrated towards him.

**[30:57]** And they would not do that except for a nabi. Except for a prophet. He tells him that this young man is going to be a sayyid in this world. He says where are you taking him? He says I am taking him to the cities to buy and sell. And he says to him, don't do so because if they know who he is, they might hurt him.

**[31:15]** Abu Talib says, so what do you advise me to do? He says take him back to Mecca and protect him. This is the first entrance of the Prophet ﷺ into Syria. Take him back to Mecca and protect him. And it's amazing subhanallah that when Bahira recognizes that he is a prophet of Allah.

**[31:33]** His first instinct is to protect him from those who will hurt him. And it really ties into when Waraqah radiyallahu ta'ala anhu recognizes the Prophet ﷺ. What does he say to him? I wish I was with you. I wish I was with you.

**[31:49]** When your people run you out. Why? Because No man has ever come with what you have come with. Except that he will be taken as an enemy. I wish I could be with you. Oh Muhammad ﷺ.

**[32:05]** And protect you when that day comes. This is the narration that shows up in many of the books of tarikh. As the first journey of the Prophet ﷺ to Syria. The second one happens when? After the death of the Prophet ﷺ's father.

**[32:23]** After the death of his grandfather. The Prophet ﷺ is still a young man. And he wants to help Abu Talib. Who is taking care of him. And Abu Talib was a poor man. So Abu Talib asks the Prophet ﷺ to help him take care of his business.

**[32:41]** So the Prophet ﷺ points to Ajyad and he tells the companions. That I can see myself still in that area. Collecting the coins of the people. As I was shepherding sheep for Abu Talib. Imagine the Prophet ﷺ.

**[32:56]** Just shepherding sheep on the outskirts of Mecca. So he was too young to take out the caravans to Syria. But he is still helping out. By working for Abu Talib. And helping bring in some of the finances to that house.

**[33:12]** And along the way the Prophet ﷺ. Becomes a shepherd for a woman named Hala. And Hala was the sister of who? Come on y'all. Khadija radiyaAllahu ta'ala anha.

**[33:27]** And so Khadija radiyaAllahu ta'ala anha is used to the people robbing her caravans. Or not being very honest as they take her massive caravans to Ash-Sham, to Syria and to Yemen. And so as the conversation goes.

**[33:42]** Hala recommends the Prophet ﷺ to Khadija radiyaAllahu ta'ala anha. She meets the Prophet ﷺ two times. She makes an offer to the Prophet ﷺ. A business proposition to the shepherd Muhammad ﷺ. Because he was Amin.

**[33:58]** Because he was known for being trustworthy. To enter into this contract of Mudaraba. Where he would go ﷺ and he would care for her caravans. And he would become a partner in the investment of Khadija radiyaAllahu ta'ala anha. And she sends with the Prophet ﷺ to Syria.

**[34:14]** Her servant Maysara. Maysara accompanies the Prophet ﷺ to Syria for the second time. And he witnesses the strange things about the Prophet ﷺ. That the Prophet ﷺ witnessed as a child. That everywhere the Prophet ﷺ went.

**[34:32]** Creation interacted with him in a very specific way. That he said that I would see the Prophet ﷺ rest under a tree. And the branches of the tree would extend themselves. To shade him from the sun ﷺ.

**[34:47]** And when he walked it appeared like an angelic presence. Appeared over him to shade him from the sun. ﷺ as the angels have their wings spread over Sham. And they have their wings spread over our beloved Prophet ﷺ. And then he witnesses the ethics of the Prophet ﷺ.

**[35:06]** When people were buying and selling and they would swear by their false gods. And because they knew the Arabs. And they knew that the Arabs worshipped the Lat ul Uzza, the idols. They would tell the Prophet ﷺ, swear by Lat ul Uzza. The Prophet ﷺ said I don't swear by them and I don't worship them.

**[35:23]** And Maysara knew that Khadija radiyallahu ta'ala anha was also a woman who did not used to worship. The idols. So he witnesses the ethics of the Prophet ﷺ. The mannerisms of the Prophet ﷺ in Syria. Interacting with the people. Imagine your Prophet 'alayhi salatu wasalam walking the streets of Syria.

**[35:40]** Before he was a Muslim. Or before he was a Nabi. Before he received Prophethood. Before he received the Wahyi from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Walking the streets of Damascus. He doesn't know who he is ﷺ. And the people don't know who he is. And they are interacting with the Messenger ﷺ.

**[35:58]** In these places. And in one of the incidents. He sees as the Prophet ﷺ is under this tree. A monk who asks him. Who is this man that is with you? And he says Muhammad ibn Abdullah.

**[36:14]** In Ard al-Haram. Muhammad ﷺ the son of Abdullah. From the sanctified land. And the monk responded and said. This tree that he is sitting under.

**[36:29]** No one rests under that tree. Except for a Prophet. Maysara says I swear by Allah that there was a cloud that never left him. Wherever the Prophet ﷺ sat. The cloud followed him. Even when we raced it. It shaded him.

**[36:44]** The whole way ﷺ. And Maysara gives the imagery. That I was riding behind the Prophet ﷺ. On his animal. And I could see what appeared of the angelic presence shading him. ﷺ.

**[36:59]** The entire way. And when the Prophet ﷺ came back from Syria. To our mother Khadija. Radiyallahu ta'ala anha. He gave her everything in full. Not cheating her with one bit. ﷺ. Because he was indeed.

**[37:14]** Al-Sadiq al-Amin. And so it was that trip to Syria. That initiated the marriage to Khadija radiyallahu ta'ala anha. Because it was the testimony of Maysara. Of the Prophet ﷺ behavior. In Ash-Sham.

**[37:30]** That caught the heart of our mother Khadija. Radiyallahu ta'ala anha. You fast forward. To the light of the Prophet ﷺ. That he is now seen. In Ash-Sham. And the Prophet ﷺ recognizing.

**[37:45]** This blessed place. As a gateway to the world. And in the year 634. It's Damascus that is conquered. Under Abu Bakr al-Siddiq radiyallahu ta'ala anhu.

**[38:00]** The first entrance into Damascus. Under Khalid bin Walid radiyallahu ta'ala anhu. And Abu Ubaidah al-Jarrah radiyallahu ta'ala anhu. And so the Sahaba start to arrive. In that city. And they would never leave Damascus.

**[38:15]** Bilal radiyallahu ta'ala anhu resides in Damascus. Abu Darda radiyallahu ta'ala anhu. Who learned the Quran directly from the messenger of Allah. Operates the Halaqat of Quran in Damascus. And is buried in Damascus with his blessed wife.

**[38:32]** Umm Darda radiyallahu ta'ala anha. Khalid bin Walid radiyallahu anhu is in Homs. Umar bin Abdul Aziz rahimahullah ta'ala is in Idlib. And his grave was desecrated by these forces of evil. Years ago radiyallahu ta'ala anhu.

**[38:48]** The blessed souls start to congregate in that area. Mu'adh bin Jabal radiyallahu ta'ala anhu says, Al-Shamu safwatullahi min biladihi. That Sham is the chosen land of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Ilayha yajtabi safwatahu min ibadihi.

**[39:03]** That it is there that his chosen servants start to gather. The blessed souls start to gather. And Imam Al-Awza'i rahimahullah ta'ala. He says that Damascus in particular, Damascus is Darul Mu'mineen.

**[39:19]** Is the land of the believers. Walaha fadlun ala ghayriha min biladil muslimeen. And it has a virtue over all other lands of the Muslims. Fast forward. And many of us saw on our screens.

**[39:36]** The masjid, the Umawi masjid. And we saw the scenes of people gathering in the Umawi masjid. I can't tell you subhanallah the goose bumps. That I felt watching this all unfold.

**[39:52]** What's the history of that place? And how does it connect to Al-Aqsa? Abdul Malik bin Marwan, when he had Jerusalem under his power, he wanted to erect a structure that would recognize the glory of Al-Aqsa.

**[40:10]** And the entire compound of Al-Aqsa. And so that golden dome of the rock, which is part of Al-Aqsa, the Al-Aqsa compound, was erected by Abdul Malik bin Marwan. And he then started to construct Masjid Al-Qibali.

**[40:25]** Within Al-Aqsa. The area, the green dome where you see within Al-Aqsa. And he dies in the process of that construction. And his son Al-Waleed bin Abdul Malik actually carries forth and finishes the construction of that place in Al-Aqsa.

**[40:41]** And we will talk about it in detail inshallah ta'ala in the days to come. But what's the connection? Al-Waleed bin Abdul Malik is also the one who then constructs the great mosque of Damascus. Masjid Al-Umawi which you've been watching on your screens.

**[40:59]** And subhanAllah this is considered a marvel of Islamic architecture. And some will say the first gathering place of its kind. After Al-Masjid Al-Haram. That it was known as a place where the sahaba,

**[41:15]** where the scholars would gather for years to come. So he completes the construction of this masjid in the year 715. And in that same area where he completes it, this land or this particular site, just like the site of Al-Aqsa,

**[41:33]** held some of the relics of the prophets of old. It held some of the contested pagan idols that they used to erect in these places. It held so many different contradictions just like Al-Aqsa, the area of Al-Aqsa,

**[41:49]** has held for all of these centuries, for all of these decades. And so he looks at it and he wants to construct in this place, the masjid, the centerpiece. And because he is looking to compete with the Christian influence in the city,

**[42:06]** the Byzantine influence in the city, he constructs it with this majestic feel of the scenes of Al-Jannah, the gardens of Jannah. And so if you look at the paintings within that masjid, and you look at the mosaics in that masjid,

**[42:21]** they're meant to represent the scenes of gardens. Because the believers obviously did not draw the pictures of the prophets, they did not draw the pictures of anyone of old. And he wanted this to represent a place for Islam

**[42:38]** for all times to come. Bilal radiyaAllahu ta'ala, so the son who saw the completion of the construction of Al-Aqsa, sees the completion of the construction of this masjid. Bilal radiyaAllahu ta'ala,

**[42:54]** who gave the adhan in Medina, and then Mecca, and then Jerusalem, settled in Damascus, and would give the adhan in that masjid. Think of the scenes of it, as you're looking at that white pillar.

**[43:11]** Afterwards, as Al-Hafidh ibn Kathir, who resided, he says that Al-Jami' Al-Umawi, that this masjid, min a'adhamil masajid wa ashrafiha, is from the greatest and the most noble of all of the masajids.

**[43:26]** And Imam Al-Nawawi, he refers to it as one of mawad'il baraka. And he makes du'a for it. And he says that this place was maw'ilil ulama wa ushaqil ibadah, that this place became the center of scholars,

**[43:44]** and the worshippers of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, those who loved Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from His servants. And Imam Al-Dhahabi rahimahullah ta'ala praised it as a centerpiece of the majesty of al-Islam, the gateway to the world. Think about then,

**[44:00]** a little child named Salahuddin Al-Ayubi rahimahullah ta'ala. He grew up partly in that masjid. Salahuddin rahimahullah ta'ala memorized Quran in that masjid, Al-Masjid Al-Umawi. He used to play with the other kids in that masjid.

**[44:15]** He used to practice the crafts of war in that masjid as he was learning about Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, and the imperative to rescue it from the hands of the enemies. And then think about Imam Al-Ghazali rahimahullah ta'ala,

**[44:30]** worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in the corner of that masjid, writing the opening pages of some of his most magnificent works. And then to keep himself humble, he would sweep the floors of that masjid

**[44:46]** to remind himself of his place before Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That masjid holds something deeply significant as Damascus holds something deeply significant to what is to come. Now mind you, subhanallah, that Syria, the land of Syria, if you were to take the aggregate of believers in that area, for the first almost three centuries of Islam, the majority were not Muslims.

**[45:15]** Because Islam did not force people to convert to Islam, and so Christian communities thrived and maintained their Christianity. And their practice was preserved, their religion was preserved, their way was preserved, their rights were preserved under Muslim rule.

**[45:31]** But the osmosis takes place of Islam into that land, and the prophecies of the Prophet ﷺ in that land, and Islam starts to spread throughout that land. Move on to the hadith where the Prophet ﷺ talks about the fitan, the times of trials and tribulations and connecting that land to al-Aqsa, connecting that land to the end of times.

**[45:55]** There's a hadith from Abu Darda'a radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu, that's narrated by Ahmed and Abu Dawood, the Prophet ﷺ said, wa qad yaqalu fustat al-muslimina yawma al-malhamati bil-ghutati ila janibi madinatin yuqalu laha dimashqa min khayri mada'ini ash-sham

**[46:15]** The Prophet ﷺ said that the encampment of the Muslims on the day of the great battle will be in al-Ghouta, which is, I mean he's talking to people ﷺ in Makkah, in Madinah. He says, will be in a city of al-Ghouta, besides a city called Damascus, which is one of the best cities in al-Sham.

**[46:39]** So the Prophet ﷺ praised Damascus in particular and he praised this area in particular. And he said ﷺ, idha waqa'at al-malahimu When the great battles occur, in a hadith from Abu Huraira radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu

**[46:54]** qala ba'atha Allahu min dimashqa ba'than minal mawaliyyi akrama al-'arabi farasan He said ﷺ, when the great battles occur, Allah will send forth from Damascus a group of mawali, who are the most honored of the Arabs in their war and in their weaponry.

**[47:13]** And he said ﷺ, wa ajwadahum silahan yu'ayyidu Allahu bihimu ad-din So they have the greatest skill, most noble in war, the greatest skill with their weaponry. And Allah ﷻ would support the religion through them, an authentic hadith in Al-Hakim as well.

**[47:31]** And then he said ﷺ, as he referred to the end times of Ad-Dajjal, he said ﷺ that if I am here while he emerges, then I will fight with him on your behalf.

**[47:46]** Our Prophet ﷺ used to stand in the front in the battles, who didn't used to lead from behind, who used to lead from the front ﷺ. He said if I am with you when Ad-Dajjal appears, then I will be fighting with you against him.

**[48:03]** But if I am not amongst you, then everyone will have to fight for themselves. And Allah ﷻ will be the protector of every Muslim. And he said ﷺ to protect yourself, then recite the opening verses of Al-Kahf, because it will be a protection against his fitan.

**[48:20]** And subhanAllah, you think about all of the different connections between Ashab al-Kahf, the sleepers of the cave, and the time of fitan, the time of trial and tribulation. Where time doesn't make sense, where deception is all over, where you have to flee with your religion.

**[48:38]** And the Prophet ﷺ is saying hold tight to those opening verses of Al-Kahf. And then he goes on to say ﷺ that he will stay on earth for 40 days. One day will be like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest of his days like your normal days.

**[48:53]** And the Sahaba say, Ya Rasulullah, what do we do when one day is like a year? How do we calculate our salawat? And the Prophet ﷺ says, estimate your timings accordingly. This was the priority of the Sahaba, that when time becomes this way, how do we pray?

**[49:11]** Our prayers and the Prophet ﷺ said, estimate your times amongst you, and continue your salawat. And then he says ﷺ, at that point, yanzilu 'isa ibn maryam 'alayhi as-salam 'inda al-manarati al-bayda'i sharqiyya dimashq.

**[49:31]** He said ﷺ that on that day, at the end of it all, Jesus, the son of Mary, may Allah send his peace and blessings upon them both, will descend at the easternmost part of Damascus, at the White Minaret.

**[49:47]** An authentic narration in Tabarani as well. What do I want you to take from this? I want you to put yourself in the scene of those days as they come. The Prophet ﷺ mentioned multiple ahadith that

**[50:04]** at the end of times, the Dajjal will lay siege to a group of the believers in the mountains of Elah, which as we said, is Jerusalem. And they will call upon Allah ﷻ asking for help, and that shows you a sign that At-Ta'if Al-Mansurah, that the last bastion of believers, remain around the area of Al-Quds.

**[50:26]** And that amongst them will be Al-Imam Al-Mahdi. And that he will gather them from that area and he will flee towards Damascus. And that's where you have al-manahim, that's where you have battles,

**[50:41]** that's where you have so much that occurs and that unfolds before us. idh saha fihimu ash-shaytanu inna al-masiha qad khalafakum fi ahlikum That verily, the Dajjal has appeared amongst your family members,

**[50:56]** and the Muslims at that time as the Prophet ﷺ is describing it to us, are in the greatest fitna that they've ever been in. They've lost family members at this point, they're feeling absolutely hopeless, they've been run from their homes, and they are gathering and encamped within this masjid that you've been seeing, subhanAllah, on your screen,

**[51:16]** where the white minaret is. And at that point, fajr time comes, as they're besieged in that masjid. And the Mahdi, who is a descendant of the Prophet ﷺ,

**[51:32]** is about to lead them in salah, so they make the adhan, they line up, the iqamah is made, and then it happens. That white minaret that you see today,

**[51:48]** the Prophet ﷺ mentions to us that 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam comes descending in that exact place. And he has two yellow dyed garments, and so think of like a cream-like thawb, of beautiful garments.

**[52:04]** And his hands are on the shoulders of two angels as he's descending from the heavens. And some of the scholars mention Jibril and Mikail, in their sharh of this. And some of the scholars say that he would say at that point again, as he said in the courtyard of al-Aqsa,

**[52:21]** inni abdullah, I am nothing but a mere servant of Allah. His hair is just at his earlobes, it dangles and it's wet, as it was even on the day of al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj. And that is a sign of his anointment,

**[52:37]** as if the Prophet ﷺ mentioned, as if he just got out of the bath. And as he's descending in this beautiful way, I want you to imagine the believers about to pray fajr in that masjid, and looking at him descend, and the awe of knowing that this prophecy

**[52:57]** just came true. fa'idha ra'aytumuhu fa'rifuhu The Prophet ﷺ said, so when you see him, know him. So you're about to pray fajr, suddenly you're looking around, there's amazement.

**[53:13]** The Prophet ﷺ said, kayfa antum idh nazala thikumu ibnu maryama wa imamukum minkum How will it be when 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam descends amongst you, and your imam is from you. 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam enters amongst those believers in that masjid.

**[53:32]** Everyone's looking at him. Everyone knows exactly who he is. The Mahdi who is a muslih, who is a reviver from this ummah, knows exactly who he is. And you're speechless. Because you don't know what to make of the gravity of the moment that you're in.

**[53:48]** Al-Mahdi says to him, ya ruha Allahi taqaddam salli lana The spirit who's been sent by Allah ﷻ, the spirit of Allah, go forth, and lead us in salah. And 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam says,

**[54:03]** taqaddam anta fasalli fa'innaha laka uqimat Now you go forth and you lead us in prayer, because it was called for you. The prayer was established for you. Imagine being the guy praying next to 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam

**[54:20]** in the jama'ah, and the Prophet ﷺ said, how will it be when 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam says, Allahu akbar and prays amongst the Muslims, behind a descendant of Muhammad ﷺ. Is it a sign that the Mahdi is greater than 'Isa?

**[54:36]** No, because the Prophet ﷺ prayed behind Abdurrahman ibn Auf, prayed behind Abi Bakr as-Siddiq radiyallahu ta'ala anhu But a sign of honor, of following in the way of the Prophet ﷺ as a reviver of this deen in particular.

**[54:51]** And the Muslims pray amongst them. And he stands up after salah in that place and he addresses the people and he says, iftahu al-bab Open the doors, and they open the door and Dajjal is standing there with his 70,000 followers. And the Prophet ﷺ said,

**[55:07]** that when Dajjal sees 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam, it's like salt dissolving in water. And 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam says, inna li fika darbatan That I have been commanded to strike you and you will not escape me.

**[55:22]** And he will chase him to the gates as the Prophet ﷺ said, of a lid in Palestine. And he will strike him, and he will show the blood on the sword to show that Dajjal was a liar, was a kathab. That he claimed divinity,

**[55:37]** and he was mere mortal, a devilish mortal indeed. SubhanAllah, to shake the idea of the invincibility of Dajjal. This man that convinces people that he is a god, that he is an invincible god that cannot be touched.

**[55:53]** And 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam shows the blood on his sword. From that white minaret in Damascus, back to Palestine, back to Al-Aqsa,

**[56:09]** with the followers of 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam. Now I don't want to just give you this unfolding of events because we will talk about this insha'Allah ta'ala at the very end of this series in a little bit more depth. I do want you to recognize

**[56:24]** the gravity of the moment that you are witnessing right now and the scenes that are being seared into our hearts and our minds. And this is not to make you apocalyptic to think, well in that case, let's just wait for it all to unfold. I want you as you see these things unfold

**[56:40]** to constantly go back to the promise of Allah and the prophecy of the Prophet ﷺ. And to recognize that even if our enemies plot against us, which they do, even if they infiltrate,

**[56:55]** which they do, even if they plan and they seek to surprise, which they do. innahum yakiduna kaydan wa akidu kayda wa yamkuruna wa yamkuru Allahu They plan and Allah plans.

**[57:10]** They plot and Allah plots. And so as these events unfold, it cannot be that these images are being seared in the hearts of the minds of the believers except for us to start thinking deeply about

**[57:25]** how transient this life truly is. And that we are subhanAllah indeed witnessing something truly historic in our eyes, in our hearts and in our minds. It's also to remind you that just as Yahya 'alayhi as-salam was killed,

**[57:41]** Allah ﷻ brings back life. Just as 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam was plotted against, Allah ﷻ brings back 'Isa 'alayhi as-salam. Just as people would succumb to despair in the time of Dajjal, some of them either believing that this is it,

**[57:57]** we cannot overcome this or that maybe he is divine. Allah ﷻ will show the blood of a Dajjal to show that Allah ﷻ was always in charge. And that the believers should not despair. But the believers should ground themselves

**[58:14]** and what these people of faith ground themselves in. And I want to give you one more thing by the way. SubhanAllah, one of the weirdest things to see is people sitting around and talking about the signs of the Day of Judgment and talking about the arrival of Mahdi and talking about Dajjal coming.

**[58:29]** One of the scenes in my life that I'll never forget is people having a conversation about when's the Mahdi coming, when's the Dajjal coming, when is this all going to happen while they're smoking argila. It's like, so Shaykh, he's going to show up

**[58:45]** at that point, he's going to show up in Damascus. And then what's going to happen? These ahadith are not meant to put us into ghafla, put us into heedlessness. They're meant for us to be awake at all times

**[59:01]** and to anticipate what Allah ﷻ has promised will come. And to know, inna ma'a al-usri yusra, at all times, that verily with hardship comes ease. And that just as Allah ﷻ rescued the Prophet ﷺ, he left Mecca. And I'll leave you with this final reflection.

**[59:17]** He left Mecca, as Ibn al-Jawzi rahimahullah said, to Medina. Only to come back stronger to Mecca. They leave Jerusalem to Damascus, only to come back stronger. And so when Allah ﷻ causes a people,

**[59:33]** a righteous people, to be run out of their lands, He only brings them back, wa yaj'aluhum al-warithin. And He makes them the inheritors of that land with greater power and with greater glory. And one of the most beautiful things that I heard

**[59:50]** in these last couple of days, subhanAllah, I can't shake it, that I no longer have to call myself a Syrian refugee, I can just say I'm a Syrian now. And I loved hearing that. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala return all of those people to their homes in glory and protect them and protect those that plot against them.

**[1:00:10]** And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala see their freedom all the way through and may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow it to be a gateway to greater freedom, to the freedom of our people in Palestine, to the eventual freedom of Al-Aqsa, even if our enemies think that an opening has just been opened for them, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make this an opening for us.

**[1:00:29]** And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to be amongst those who liberate and who are liberated by putting themselves in servitude to Him and embodying the qualities of those who are worthy. Allahumma ameen. InshaAllah ta'ala next week, unless something else happens globally, next week,

**[1:00:47]** but inshaAllah ta'ala we'll continue now with the story of the Prophet ﷺ ascending and in al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj and why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala set the stage for the Prophet ﷺ in that way and some of the various wisdoms in that regard. JazakumAllahu khayran wa salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.

## 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)
- [Roman Emperor Who Almost Became Muslim & Conquest of Jerusalem | Al-Aqsa: Past, Present, and Promise](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/al-aqsa-past-present-and-promise/roman-emperor-who-almost-became-muslim-and-conquest-of-jerusalem-alaqsa.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)
- [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)