An Explanation from the Permanent Committee concerning the Killing, Confinement, and Expulsion that is occurring in Jerusalem and Bayt-ul-Maqdis

All praise is for Allah, Lord of all the worlds. May peace and blessings be upon the noblest of the Prophets and Messengers, our Prophet Muhammad as well as upon his family and all of his companions. To commence:

Without a doubt Jerusalem and the Bayt-ul-Maqdis (the whole area that houses al-Masjid al-Aqsaa and the Dome of the Rock) is a blessed place. The Quran mentions this blessing in more than one place such as the statement of the Most High:{Glorified is He above all that they associate with Him, Who took His slave for a journey by night from al-Masjid al-Haraam (in Makkah) to al-Masjid al-Aqsaa, the neighborhood whereof We have blessed.} al-Israa: 1

And His statement: {And We rescued him (Abraham) and Lot to the land which We have blessed for mankind and Jinn.} al-Anbiyaa: 71

And His statement: {And to Solomon, (We subjected the) wind strongly raging, running buy His command towards the land which We had blessed. And of everything We are the All-Knower.} al-Anbiyaa: 81

Al-Masjid al-Aqsaa is the second mosque erected in the earth after al-Masjid al-Haraam. It is related by Aboo Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said, “I asked the Messenger of Allah which mosque was erected first in earth? And he said it was al-Masjid al-Haraam. Then I asked him which one was next and he said it was al-Masjid al-Aqsaa. I asked him how many years were between both and he said there was forty years.” It was related by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.

It is one of three mosques that should be traveled to for prayer. It was related by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim from Aboo Hurayrah that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: (Only three mosques should be traveled to; al-Masjid al-Haraam (in Makkah), the Prophet’s Masjid (in Madeenah), and Masjid al-Aqsaa (in Jerusalem).)

It is one of the mosques where prayer in it is multiplied, as in the narration of Aboo ad-Dardaa: (Prayer in Bayt-al-Maqdis is worth five hundred prayers.) Related by al-Haafith in al-Fath 3/67 and al-Bazzaar said that its chain of narrators were good.

Based on this and due to the benefit and prestige that Bayt-ul-Maqdis (the whole area that houses al-Masjid al-Aqsaa and the Dome of the Rock) and Jerusalem hold in the Islamic legislation and within the hearts and souls of the Muslims and the deep-rooted feeling of responsibility, the Permanent Committee for Knowledge-Based Research and Legal Islamic Rulings of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has followed, and will continue to follow every harm that has occurred and that continues to occur. (Harms such as) aggressions and oppressive practices that increase day by day; eviction of the people from their homes, expulsion of thousands from their properties, and confiscation of their homes, farms, and dwellings all to establish their illegal seizures of what they call settlements.

(As well as) assaulting those who pray and worship, establishing a wall of separation, strictly restricting commerce, the withdrawal of identities, arrests, lowering levels of services, shutting down charitable organizations, and afflicting the residents with various means of obstacles.

No doubt this is a crime, oppression, and injustice concerning the right of al-Quds (Jerusalem), al-Masjid al-Aqsaa, and the Palestinians. These painful incidents require the Muslim rulers to take a stand with their Palestinian brothers, to cooperate with them and assist them, striving to prevent the Jews from their persistent enmity and attacks on al-Masjid al-Aqsaa, and ending their oppressive occupation; everyone according to his place and location in establishing responsibility and the removal of blame.

Therefore we advise our Muslims brothers in Palestine and Jerusalem to fear Allah the Most High and to return to Him, the Glorified, just as we advise them to unite upon the truth and to abandon division and disputes in order to turn the opportunities against the enemy who has exploited (the land and its people) and who will continue to exploit it with more transgression and dysfunction.

We ask Allah by His Beautiful Names and Lofty Attributes to remove the affliction from this nation and to strengthen His religion, to elevate His word and aide those who love Him, to disappoint the enemies and make their plots stay (stuck within their) throats, and to protect the Muslims from their evil. Indeed He is the Supporter of that and the One who is able to do so. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family, companions, and those who follow them until the Day of Judgment.

The Permanent Committee for Knowledge-Based Research and Legal Islamic Rulings:
President; ‘Abdul-‘Azeez bin ‘Abdillah Aali ash-Shaykh, Member; Saalih bin Fawzaan al-Fawzaan, Member; Ahmad bin ‘Alee Sayr al-Mubaarkee, Member; Muhammad bin Hasan Aali ash-Shaykh, Member; ‘Abdullah bin Muhammad Khunayn, Member; ‘Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Mutlaq.

Taken from Majallat-ul-Buhooth-il-Islaamiyyah (the Islamic Research Magazine), Edition number 91, from pgs. 379 – 382, covering the months of Rajab, Sha’ban, Ramadhaan, and Shawwaal 1431 A.H. 
Translated by Thomas Maldonado