The Virtues of the Sacred Land of the Masjid al-Aqsa Compound and What Surrounds It

• Based on the work by Shaykh Diya al-Din al-Maqdisi
• Translated by Shaykh Jamaal Diwan

From the translator’s introduction:

What follows is a partial translation of a collection of narrations on the virtues of the Holy Land by Shaykh Diya al-Din al-Maqdisi. Collections such as these were made to increase the love in the hearts of the believers for sacred places and times, as well as righteous actions. This particular one was compiled in the period shortly after the liberation of al-Quds under Sultan Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, by a scholar who took part in the struggle against the Crusaders. We present this humble effort as a guide to be read in these days wherein hardship and oppression are befalling the people of al-Quds.

Those who wish to do so may hold gatherings in their homes or communities reading the text and asking Allah to alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters and give them victory against their oppressors. This is the intent behind making this work accessible. Ultimately, this represents a timeless tradition of the Muslims where they would gather to read collections of hadith as a means of seeking Allah’s aid in the face of hardship and victory in the face of oppression. We pray that this simple effort is a means by which that beautiful tradition is continued.

This work is a partial translation of a much longer compilation by the author. For the sake of brevity, I have only mentioned one narration for each section of the text. In the original there are anywhere from a single narration to several narrations in each section, for a total of sixty-six narrations in the entire collection.