Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
1- Palestine is the land of Isra ‘ and Mi`raj (Night Journey and Ascension).
2- It is the blessed land where Jesus was born and Muhammad led all other Prophets in Prayer.
3- Thus, it is the duty of every sincere Muslim to spare no efforts in backing its people and contribute in the so many efforts to restore this land.
In this regard, the late Saudi scholar Sheikh `Abdul `Aziz Ibn Biz, states:
Muslims feel much pain and great sadness at the deteriorating situation in Palestine, with matters going from bad to worse, escalating in complexity as the days pass.
This is due to the differences among the neighboring countries, and their lack of united resistance against their enemy, and their lack of adherence to the Shari`ah, which is an indispensable yardstick for victory.
The neighboring countries need to rush to unite in their resistance (against the enemy) and adhere to the Shari`ah in confronting this issue, which concerns them and the entire Muslim world.
It is worth stressing here that the Palestinian issue is an Islamic issue from the beginning (right through) to the end.
However, the enemies of Islam have spared no pains distancing the Palestinian issue from the Islamic path and conveying to the non-Arab Muslims that they have nothing to do with the case, for it is an Arab issue. It appears they have succeeded in this to a certain extent.
That is why I feel it is not possible to reach a solution regarding this issue unless it’s perceived as an Islamic issue, and unless Muslims support one another in attaining salvation in an Islamic manner.
This will help in restoring the land to its rightful owners (the Palestinians) and forcing the trespassing Jews to return to the lands where they came from.
No doubt, the truth shall prevail, falsehood will perish and all rightful owners will one day return to their lands under Islamic rule.
Almighty Allah knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.