Meanwhile, the assault on Jerusalem and the captive al-Aqṣā continues unabated, while the Muslims lie fast asleep in a deep slumber! Tunnels are being bored beneath the Aqṣā precinct, and the digging goes on, removing earth and stone so that only a hollow void remains, leaving the mosque in danger of subsidence and collapse. Zionist groups defile its courtyards every single day1.

History will never forget the heroic stand taken by the sentinels stationed around Jerusalem during the “Jerusalem Intifada” and their resistance to the spite-filled Jews!

Nor can I forget that scene, witnessed by the whole world on satellite television, when the Jewish group “Temple Mount Faithful” tried to lay the cornerstone of their alleged Temple after securing permission from the Israeli government. The worshippers keeping watch in al-Aqṣā confronted them and drove them back, pelting them with shoes and sandals!

Today the people of Islam are in the utmost need of patience, perseverance, and steadfast ribāṭ—of men and women ready to stand guard at every Muslim frontier across the globe, especially along the Levantine borders, foremost among them Jerusalem and the captive al-Aqṣā.

The eminent scholar Ibn Qudāmah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The best form of ribāṭ is to remain at the frontier that faces the greatest danger, for its people are in greatest need and one’s presence there is of greatest benefit. Aḥmad said: ‘The finest ribāṭ is where the threat is most intense.’”2