# Pay Attention to the Masjid Al-Aqsa Shutdown | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #11

**Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman
**Series:** Pause and Reflect
**Published:** 2026-03-13
**YouTube:** https://youtu.be/140Rpi80rEM
**URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-11-pay-attention-to-masjid-al-aqsa-shutdown
**Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia

## Summary
In this Ramadan reflection, the speaker draws a powerful parallel between contemporary political scandals — specifically referencing the Epstein files and the war on Iran as a potential distraction — and historical patterns of elite corruption described in the Quran. He focuses on the ayah from Surah Al-Isra [Al-Isra 17:16]: 'And when We wish to destroy a town, We command its elite, and they commit wickedness therein, so the word is justified against it, and We destroy it with complete destruction.' The speaker presents three scholarly interpretations of this verse: (1) Allah commanded the elite with righteousness and they disobeyed; (2) Allah allowed their evil to consume them as a precursor to destruction; and (3) Allah gave them wealth, power, and means, which they used to indulge their lowest desires until destruction came. He connects this Quranic principle to historical examples, including how Allah exposed Al-Walid ibn Mughirah's illegitimate birth when he tried to humiliate Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), how Prophet Yahya (ﷺ) was martyred for refusing to legitimize the corrupt desires of Herod Antipas, and how Fir'awn's regime was built on exploitation and moral depravity. The speaker emphasizes that the pattern of corrupt elites using distraction, deflection, and war to cover their scandals is timeless. He concludes with hope, noting that in the Quran, the exposure and destruction of corrupt elites are divinely linked — when they feel most invincible and most exposed, that is precisely when Allah's punishment arrives. He calls on believers to recognize these signs and to make du'a for the oppressed.

## Transcript
**[0:00]** How much did Fir'aun care about Masjid al-Aqsa? Is there any indication in the Qur'an at all that Fir'aun actually cared about Masjid al-Aqsa? I mean, he's a tyrant, and he's all about power and authority. Is there anything that he actually cared about

**[0:15]** Masjid al-Aqsa or the Holy Land? No. In fact, in this juz, in Surah az-Zukhruf, أَلَيْسَ لِي مُلْكُ مِصْرٍ Right? All he cared about, don't I have the kingdom of Egypt? And that's an indication that all Fir'aun saw was his own authority,

**[0:32]** his own throne, and the only thing he really cared about in terms of regional dynamics and geography was what it meant to protect his throne. Of course, there's no equivalent to that today. But you know, in the past, if you can imagine, a ruler who only cares about his throne,

**[0:47]** and he only cares about his own power, and so nothing is really holy to Fir'aun. He really doesn't venerate anything except himself. Nothing is really sacred, it's his throne. أَلَيْسَ لِي مُلْكُ مِصْرٍ I have this... I have Misr, I have Egypt, I have these rivers that flow under me. No one threaten my power

**[1:04]** as long as I remain in my authority. Nothing is sacred to Fir'aun. Musa, alayhi as-salam. Did Musa, alayhi as-salam, care about al-Aqsa? Yes. I know you're afraid to answer questions, but it's okay.

**[1:19]** Musa, alayhi as-salam, cared deeply about Masjid al-Aqsa. Was Musa, alayhi as-salam, born in Jerusalem? Does Musa, alayhi as-salam's origin trace to that land? Did Musa, alayhi as-salam, ever see it? Did he ever even see a picture of it?

**[1:35]** No. But subhanAllah, look at the depth of pain in his heart, and I want you to imagine this. Musa, alayhi as-salam, who never saw al-Masjid al-Aqsa, who never saw al-Bayt al-Maqdis, who never saw any of it, he only knew of it what Allah 'azza wa jal told him of it.

**[1:51]** The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, says in hadith in Bukhari that when he was passing away, سَأَلَ اللَّهَ أَن يُدْنِيَهُ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ الْمُقَدَّسَةِ رَمْيَةً بِحَجَرٍ He asked Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to bring him as close to the Holy Land as possible,

**[2:07]** to the point of it just being a stone's throw away. And the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said, that if you were with me, I would show you where Musa, alayhi as-salam, is, تحت كثيب الأحمر, under the red dune, right outside of al-Bayt al-Maqdis. It's actually deeply profound when you think about it.

**[2:23]** How much Musa, alayhi as-salam, loved a place that he'd never been to and he did not originate from, for one simple reason. That the 'ulama mentioned that one of the signs of iman is تعظيم ما عظمه الله, is that you venerate what Allah venerated,

**[2:39]** that you honor what Allah honored. That is a sign of iman. The lack of iman is the opposite. And so I want us to actually take a step back because it's the last 10 nights, and masha'Allah, imaniyyat, and we're talking about faith, and we're talking about rahmah, and all of these things are very important,

**[2:54]** and we're seeing the images of al-Masjid al-Haram, so full, record numbers of people, the millions of people that are there in the haram. You're seeing all of these sweet pictures of the people around the world worshiping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And let's just take a step back and sit with the idea

**[3:12]** that Masjid al-Aqsa is closed. For the first time in recent memory, I've read enough to know that I'm not sure, but 1967, I don't know if it's precedented, that you have in al-'ashr al-awakhir,

**[3:29]** in the last 10 nights, no prayer in Masjid al-Aqsa. Can you imagine the angels circling the earth looking for the gatherings of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's mercy, looking for the people worshiping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And we talked about the familiarity.

**[3:45]** The people that prayed in that masjid last year not being able to pray in that masjid. Masjid al-Aqsa, the first qiblah of the Muslims, the third most sacred place in Islam is empty in these last 10 nights.

**[4:00]** And a serious conversation we have to have with ourselves as a community is like, is that political? Are we bringing this in now? Why is this? Don't bring this into Islam. This is politics. There's a problem with our Islam if it's divorced from Masjid al-Aqsa. It's a bad practice of the deen,

**[4:16]** a fundamental misunderstanding of the deen. And we have to come back to ourselves at an individual level. And I'm gonna keep this very short tonight, bi-idhnillahi ta'ala, in what might be Laylatul Qadr. If when I think about all of my priorities in the world right now, and everything that's happening in the world right now,

**[4:32]** and where Masjid al-Aqsa being shut down ranks on my list of priorities, of things that are important to me right now. There's a barometer there. I'm not saying this to beat people down. I'm saying this so that we can extol

**[4:47]** what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala extolled in our hearts in these sacred nights. So that we can extol His sacred places in these sacred nights, and include this in our du'a, and include our efforts toward this. Musa, alayhi as-salam, also is teaching us

**[5:02]** another manifestation of, اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ Fear Allah as much as you can. Musa, alayhi as-salam, wanted to be as close to al-Aqsa as he could, as close as he could. Fear Allah as much as you can, مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ meant be as close to al-Masjid al-Aqsa

**[5:18]** as you can for him, as close to the Holy Land as you can for him. And so for us, dear brothers and sisters, in these last ten, there should be a renewal of effort, and there should be serious du'a in these last ten, bi-idhnillahi ta'ala. And I want to leave you with this thought as well,

**[5:34]** that every single time, the enemies of Allah make a new incursion into al-Aqsa. Every time they build a new tunnel, every time they post another AI video of al-Aqsa being blown up, every time they make a suggestion about

**[5:51]** the restoration of what never was in the first place, and the removal of what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala honored. Every single time they harass a worshiper, every time they shut a gate, every single time they make a new move of aggression

**[6:08]** against al-Aqsa. They're seeing how much they can normalize with you still remaining numb. It's a test of our numbness. We already know what to expect from Muslim governments.

**[6:23]** A really, really angry statement of condemnation, masha'Allah. That's them. Allah 'azza wa jal will handle them. What about us? Every single one of us at an individual level. Where is your heart right now with al-Masjid al-Aqsa?

**[6:40]** They're testing the ummah to see how much it can tolerate of aggression on al-Aqsa. And this has been what's been happening over the last few years. In a world where you can become numb to genocide and the Epstein files, surely you can start to tolerate

**[6:56]** the idea of the sacred place being taken from us. Laylatul Qadr. Might be tonight. Laylatul Jumu'ah, a sacred night. Renew your du'as, dear brothers and sisters. Renew your intentions. Renew your efforts.

**[7:11]** Keep at it. Keep at it in your capacity. Because this is a sign of iman for us. And who knows, if we are still here next year, what we'll be looking at when we look at that compound.

**[7:26]** When we look at Masjid al-Aqsa. May Allah protect it from our enemies and His enemies. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect it from the aggression upon it. And may Allah 'azza wa jal protect us from being numb to aggression on it. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to see it free. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to be a part of freeing it.

**[7:44]** And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept our du'as for it. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to make du'a in it. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala as He's gathered us in these masajid, gather us in Masjid al-Aqsa while it is liberated. Allahumma ameen. Jazakumullahu khayran. Wa as-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

**[8:04]** Al-Fatihah.

## Other Episodes in "Pause and Reflect"
- [Singling Out the 27th Night for Worship? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #12](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-12-singling-out-the-27th-night-for-worship.md)
- [How Can You Despair of the Lord of Laylatul Qadr? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #10](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-10-how-can-you-despair-of-the-lord-of-laylatul-qadr.md)
- [What If Laylatul Qadr Is The Wrong Night? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #9](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-9-what-if-laylatul-qadr-is-the-wrong-night.md)
- [Sharia Takeovers and Middle East Chaos | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #8](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/ramadan-pause-and-reflect-8-sharia-takeovers-and-middle-east-chaos.md)
- [Why The Epstein Empire Attacked Iran | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #7](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/why-the-epstein-empire-attacked-iran-ramadan-pause-and-reflect-7.md)
- [How Am I Supposed To Feel About Israel vs. Iran? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #6](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/how-am-i-supposed-to-feel-about-israel-vs-iran-pause-and-reflect-6.md)
- [The Only Surah Without Bismillah | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #5](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/the-only-surah-without-bismillah-ramadan-pause-and-reflect-5.md)
- [One Small Sin That Tips the Scale | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #4](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-4-one-small-sin-that-tips-the-scale.md)
- [He Wrote on Himself Mercy | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #3](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-3-he-wrote-on-himself-mercy.md)
- [The Scholars Who Can’t Read | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #2](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-2-the-scholars-who-cant-read.md)
- [The Baqarah Challenge | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #1](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-1-the-baqarah-challenge.md)