By:Dr. Muhammad Najeeb Qasmi Sambhali
Putting his extremism and anti-Muslim policies into practice, Trump on 06th December 2017 announced to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the Palestinian capital Jerusalem, disregarding all international laws, resolutions and the international community’s unanimous pertinent decisions taken on the matter. According to Trump’s announcement from now onward the Israeli Capital will be Baitul Maqdis (Jerusalem) instead of Tel Aviv, despite the fact that Baitul Maqdis (Jerusalem) is still a Palestinian city on the world map, to which Israel has no right, having unjustifiably occupying the city since 1967. Israel, after announcing to make Baitul Maqdis (Jerusalem) the capital, out of its stubbornness, moved all government offices including Parliament House, Supreme Court, Prime Minister Office, and President House to Jerusalem. However, no single country of the world has so far accepted Baitul Maqdis (Jerusalem) as capital of Israel due to the oppressive actions of Israel, for a long period of 37 years since then. Accordingly, no country has its embassy in Baitul Maqdis (Jerusalem), and all the embassies are located in Tel Aviv. Pursuant to the US embassy in Baitul Maqdis (Jerusalem) Act of 1995, the US embassy in Israel was to be moved to Baitul Maqdis (Jerusalem) by 31st May 1999. However,a long period of 22 years elapsed without implementation of this act, and each time it was postponed for six months. The last time it was postponed on 1st June 2017 by Trump himself. On the 1st December 2017 instead of postponing it for another six months, Trump, under Israeli pressure, has eventually announcedon 06th December 2017 to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. This decision has attracted worldwide unrest.The United Nations Organization has already refused to endorse this decision. Muslim rulers should also bury all their mutual differences and exert their pressure on the US through international and regional agencies, to withdraw its decision.
The most famous city of Palestine is Al-Qudus which is also called Baitul Maqdis and Israel calls it (Jerusalem). This is regarded as a holy city by Muslim, Jews and Christians the three biggest nations having divine scriptures. It is the same holy city where the first Qibla of Muslims is located, toward which Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) and his companions faced while offering their Prayers for 16 or 18 months. The first Qibla (Direction to which Muslims turn in prayer) was built 40 years after Makkah Mukarramah was built. This is the third holiest mosque after Al-Masjid Al-Haram at Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) has encouraged the Muslim to visit it. It is the same city that houses the Al-Masjid Al–Aqsa to which Muhammad (PBUH) was taken in a night journey from the holy city of Makkah Al-Mukarrama in which he (PBUH) led all the prophets in the prayer.
In the16th year of Hijrah (637 G) during the caliphate period of Umar Farooq (May Allah be pleased with him), this holy city (Baitul Maqdis) was conquered and an Islamic state was established. In the caliphate period of Abdul Malik, a splendid Mosque named Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa (at the site of the ancient Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa) and Qubbah Al-Sakhrah was built. In 1099, four hundred and sixty two years after the conquest of Jerusalem, on the occasion of the first crusade, the Christians conquered the city in which 70,000 Muslims were martyred. However, within 88 years, in the year 1188, Salahuddin Ayyubi (May Allah have mercy on him) freed Jerusalem from the clutches of Christians. During the period from 1238-1244 also this city was taken back from Muslims. This city has been in the possession of Muslims from 637 till 1917 excluding a period of 100 years. The majority of this city’s population has always been Muslim. However, after the First World War with the decline of Ottoman caliphate, the British captured this territory as well as Palestine. This was followed by the gradual process of settling Jews from around the world and announcement of an illegitimate Jewish state which has been posing a threat to the safety and security of the whole region since then. When the Western powers exerted their pressure on the last caliph of the Ottoman caliphate Abdul Hameed Thani to give the Palestine to Jews or allowing them to settle there, he replied saying what has now become a historical sentence: “I will not give even an inch of Palestine to Jews, because the Palestine does not belong to me rather it belongs to the Muslim nation (ummah), and the Muslim nation has sacrificed with its lives to safeguard this land”. During the period from 1948 to 1967, Jerusalem has been a part of Jordan. In 1967 after theIsrael-Arab war with the full support of western countries Israel occupied Jerusalem also along with other Palestinian lands. In this way, Muslim lost that holy city where Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa the first Qibla of Muslims is located.
Just as the Muslims have aspecial reverencefor Al-Quds , Jews and Christians also revere it being the holy land for them. Ibrahim (AS) and his nephew Lut (As) had migrated from Iraq to Jerusalem. Out of two sons of Ibrahim (AS), Is’haq (AlaihisSalam) and all the prophets after him (Yaqoob, Sulaiman, Musa, Isa and others AlaihimAssalam) hailed to this land. Christians believe that Isa (Alaihis Salam) was born in this city. According to Jewish belief the place of worship built by Sulaiman (Solomon’s Temple) is also located in the same city. The last prophetMuhammad (PBUH), is from the progeny of Ismail (AlaihisSalam), the second son of Ibrahim (Alaihis Salam), who inhabited the city of Makkah. Prior to the Muslims’ conquest of the city of Jerusalem during the caliphate period of Umar Farooq (May Allah be pleased with him), this city had witnessed multiple wars between the Jews and Christians killing thousands of souls.
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