“Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.” [Quran Chapter 17: Verse 1]  

As-salamu Alaikum / Peace be Upon You:  

It is with great sorrow and pain that we are witnessing violence inside Masjid Al-Aqsa. The masjid, the third holiest place in Islam and where one unit of prayer is worth 500 times more than anywhere else, has a special spot in all of our hearts. It is the first qibla where the early Muslims turned to face when they stood to pray. It is the mosque where the noble Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) led other prophets in prayers during his mystical journey (Isra and Mi’raj). To see the police storm the masjid with tear gas, shock grenades and rubber bullets during nightly prayers on one of the blessed nights of the holy month of Ramadan breaks all of our hearts. More than 170 Palestinians have been injured and over 80 have been hospitalized.  

The violence comes after weeks of tension in Jerusalem and, especially in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where settlers have been forcefully evicting Palestinians from their homes. At a time when virtually no news network is covering this sad situation, I encourage all of you to learn from reputable sources the facts of the rising tension in the Holy Land.   

On this night of Power, Layl-at-ul-Qadr, we implore The Most Glorious One, The One who is with perfect Power, Al-Majeed, to bring peace to the Holy Land, to restore security in Jerusalem and to alleviate the sorrow of its residents.  

Ameen!  

Hyder Ali
MAPS President