Muslim Brotherhood General Guide Muhammad Badi:
In his October 11, 2012 Friday sermon, posted on the website of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), the movement’s General Guide, Muhammad Badi’, focused on the topic of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. He stated that the Muslims, rather than the Jews or Christians, are the sons of Abraham, and that “the world will not know happiness, security and stability until it is under the guardianship of Islamic shari’a.” He went on to say that the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is just as valuable to the Muslims as the Ka’ba in Mecca, and that Jerusalem is Muslim land. Hence, nobody has the authority to give up any part it, and every Muslim is obliged to wage jihad in order to restore it to Muslim rule. Finally, Badi’ stated that the Jews’ tyranny in Palestine would eventually “lead them to perdition,” and Allah would “free the world of their filth and corruption.” He stressed that the goals of ending this tyranny and recapturing the holy places will not be achieved though UN resolutions or through negotiations, because the Zionists understand nothing but force. These goals will thus be achieved only through jihad and sacrifice.
The following are excerpts from the sermon:
“Islam is the religion that Allah chose for all of mankind… As for… Abraham, the Father of the Prophets, the Jews and Christians have tried to claim him as their own and to [claim] the honor of being associated with him, and then Allah informed them firmly that we [Muslims are the ones who] have the honor of claiming him, and that he is the father who gave us the name ‘Muslims’…
“[As stated in Koran 5:97,] Allah made his Holy House [the Ka’ba] a support for the people. It is the pillar upon which the world is founded. The world will not know happiness, security and stability until it is under the guardianship of the Islamic shari’a. [For] Allah guaranteed the existence of the shari’a, in order to protect the people every time war, occupation and the usurpation of the nations’ resources sap their strength. [He did this] out of compassion for the people in light of the tyranny and dictatorship of the rulers, for Islam is the [people’s] only means to obtain equality, honor and social justice…”
The Muslims Will Never Negotiate Over Jerusalem And Al-Aqsa; Every Sacrifice Is Worthwhile For Their Sake
“The Holy Mosque and the Al-Aqsa Mosque are equally valuable, so one cannot be separated from the other. Whenever the Holy Mosque is evoked, Al-Aqsa is also evoked, for it is said: ‘Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from the Holy Mosque to Al-Aqsa Mosque’ [Koran 17:1]… Al-Aqsa is second only to the Holy Mosque among the mosques worth visiting[2]… Al-Aqsa is the very life of the Muslim nation, not just a historical [monument] that the strong winds of time shall erode or that the Muslims shall gradually forget as the occupation continues. For Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa are planted deep in the Muslims’ [hearts], and the love and sanctity [of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa] flow in their veins and fill their hearts. [The Muslim nation] will never consent to negotiate over them, and any sacrifice it must make for them, in blood or money, is considered a small price to pay. By Allah, we love them more than our own souls, and no Muslims would hesitate to sacrifice his soul for them.”
Waging Jihad To Restore Jerusalem Is A Duty Incumbent Upon All Muslims
“Oh people of the world, know that the importance we ascribe to Al-Aqsa stems from many fundamental truths, including:
“1. It was the first qibla, [i.e., the direction] in which the Muslims and the Prophet [prayed] for almost 16 months after the hijra…
“2. It is the gateway to Paradise, to which the Prophet traveled and through which he ascended to heaven.
“3. The Prophet Muhammad prayed there, leading the [other] prophets in prayer…
“4. Al-Aqsa is one of the three mosques that [the Muslims] are commanded to visit, which gives every Muslim in the world a right to visit it and make pilgrimage to it, just as he visits the Holy Mosque [in Mecca] and the Mosque of the Prophet [in Medina]. This obligates the Muslims to make sure that the area [of Al-Aqsa] is under their rule and control, so that the way to Al-Aqsa is safe and open to [Muslim] visitors and so nobody prevents them [from coming]. If others have holy sites in this area that they make pilgrimage to, then Islam respects [these holy sites] and preserves them, for Islam is the only religion that allows other religions to exist under its rule without imposing upon their followers anything that is contrary to their beliefs. Islam recognizes these religions and allows their followers to perform their rituals.
“5. Jerusalem and Palestine are Muslim soil and land that was conquered by the first Muslims – especially Jerusalem. The Second Caliph ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab received the keys to the city and prayed in it, and all the [Christian] priests and monks placed the Tomb of the Sepulcher under his protection. He acted as the tolerant verses [of the Koran instructed him to], and this was recorded in the annals of history. He refused to pray in the Tomb of the Sepulcher, out of fear that one day Muslims would say ”Umar Al-Farouq prayed here’ and would turn the church into a Mosque. So he came out of the church and prayed outside it.
“This land remained under Muslim rule almost until today. The Muslims seldom lost control of it, except on a few widely-separated occasions, and [only] for a few decades [at a time], after which they quickly recaptured it, and all the people were pleased and happy with the just and tolerant [rule] of Islam.
“In light of all the above, there is a general consensus among Muslim scholars that Jerusalem is Islamic, that nobody has the right to give up any part of it, and that waging jihad to recapture it is a duty incumbent upon all Muslims, Arab or non-Arab – for all [Muslims] are required to defend the holy places, chief among them [Al-Aqsa]. The world, and especially the Zionists, must not forget the words of [the 35th Ottoman Sultan] ‘Abd Al-Hamid, who said that neither he nor any other king, sultan or emir was authorized to give up or sell even an inch of Palestine, even in return for [all] the treasures of this world, because it is Islamic waqf for ever.”
The Solution Is Not Negotiations Or UN Resolutions, Only Jihad
“Oh world, oh Muslims everywhere, oh Zionists who are usurping and attacking our holy places, [know that] Allah will punish the Zionists for every drop of blood they have spilled upon the beloved soil of Palestine, even if a long time has passed. [They will be punished for] the massacres in Deir Yassin, in the Cave of the Patriarchs, and in Kana in South Lebanon, for the [spilled] blood of the Sinai War hostages and for the blood [they have spilled] in the Golan Heights, Gaza and [West] Bank. There isn’t a foot of Palestinian soil that has not been watered with the blood of the martyrs, and Allah does not forget this blood, for it is said: ‘And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them for a day when eyes will stare [in horror]’ [Koran 14:42]. Even if Allah delays [their punishment], they will not escape Him, [and he will punish them] after they go too far, just He did to others before them…”
“Oh Muslims, Allah enabled his worshippers, the believers, to fend off oppression and discrimination and promised them victory… It is time for the Muslim nation to unite as one for the sake of Palestine and Jerusalem, since the Jews have [imposed] tyranny over this land, spread corruption in the world, spilled [the Muslims’] blood, tramped their honor and their sanctities, and defiled even what is holy to the Jews themselves. They escalated their tyranny by turning Al-Aqsa into a house of prayer for Jews, [because] they want to share it with the Muslims. If we agree to this, their next step will be to destroy [Al-Aqsa] and build their temple in its place. This deception [of theirs] will lead them to perdition: what they planned for others will be done unto them, and Allah will free the world of their filth and corruption. How different is their crime from [the act of] ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab, who preserved the honor of the beloved Al-Aqsa mosque.
“The Muslims must know and the believers must be certain that [the goals of] regaining the holy places and protecting [our] honor and lives from the Jews will never be achieved through UN documents or through negotiations – for the Zionists know only force, and they will not repent their evil ways unless forced to do so. This will be achieved only through holy jihad, through considerable sacrifice and through all forms of resistance. When [the Jews] realize that we [mean to] take this road and raise the banner of jihad for the sake of Allah and set forth into the arena of jihad, it will prevent them from oppressing you…”
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Endnotes:
[1] Ikhwanonline.com, October 11, 2012.
[2] This claim is based on a particular, less common version of a well-known Hadith. The standard Muslim belief is that Al-Aqsa is the third most holy mosque, after those in Mecca and Medina.