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AS the Zionist entity tries to tighten its stranglehold on Bayt al-Maqdis, a grassroots global initiative has been launched to promote the love of the city’s enduring sacred symbol, Masjid al-Aqsa. FARID SAYED reports.
Organisations from over 50 countries have pledged their support to the campaign, declaring Aqsa Week from Thursday, February 24. All initiatives, posts and events for Aqsa will be shared with the global hashtag, #LoveAqsa, as well as the South African #hashtag, #SaLovesAqsa.
Aqsa Week, which runs until March 2, has been timed to coincide with the end days of Rajab during which period Prophet Muhammad (SAW) undertook the celestial journey of Me’raj from Masjid al-Aqsa.
The South African organising committee of the initiative points out that the campaign, expressing love and concern for the first qiblah of the believers and the second mosque to be established on earth, aims to draw attention to the ongoing dangers faced by the masjid and the Palestinians living in its environs.
Aqsa Week will also serve to promote ‘sound knowledge regarding Masjid al-Aqsa’, according to a statement by the committee.
In his meticulously researched book, Masjid al-Aqsa: A Journey Through Time, Hafidh Ebrahim Moosa, co-ordinator of the Palestine Information Network and a member of the Aqsa Week organising committee, citing the work of the chief qadi and chronicler of al-Quds, Mujir al-Din al-Hanbali, writes: ‘When the term “Masjid al-Aqsa” is used, it is primarily a reference to the blessed land of the compound, more than an indication to any of the specific buildings that currently exist upon the land.’
He adds that there is a ‘misunderstanding’ that only the Musallah al-Qibli is ‘considered to constitute Masjid al-Aqsa’ to the exclusion of the Dome of the Rock.
It is also hoped that the campaign will ‘activate and encourage sustainable long-term awareness, and meaningful initiatives for the cause of Masjid al-Aqsa’.
The focus will also be on reigniting ‘the sense of personal responsibility and love for a symbol of unity’ as it is held sacred by all the Abrahamic faiths.
Aqsa Week is being supported by a number of religious and civil society organisations, including the Muslim Judicial Council, Jamiatul Ulama South Africa, Africa4Palestine, Al Quds Foundation, United Ulama Council of South Africa, the Palestine Information Network, and the KZN Palestine Solidarity Forum.
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A series of talks, webinars, spiritual gatherings, co-ordinated Friday khutbahs, and school and madrasah programmes have been planned by the co-ordinating committee. There will also be independent programmes within the broader objectives of the campaign.
For updates on programmes to mark Aqsa Week visit our Facebook page:
For further information contact Moulana Abdul Khaliq Allie on 083 408 1071; Moulana Ebrahim Bham on 083 786 2859; or Hafidh Ebrahim Moosa on 082 678 6377.
This article was first published in the February 2022 print edition of Muslim Views.
