Tlemcen University Researcher Connects Al-Aqsa to Global Justice
Dr. Abdelmajid Ben Habib, an Algerian social sciences lecturer at Tlemcen University and a researcher in Islamic and Quranic studies, has articulated a perspective on Al-Aqsa Mosque, asserting its role extends beyond geopolitical issues. Dr. Ben Habib posits that Al-Aqsa serves as a crucial axis in the struggle for justice. This viewpoint emerges amid reported attacks by Zionist military forces on Al-Aqsa and alleged facilitation of Talmudic rites for Jewish settlers in occupied Palestinian territories, actions described in the context of a larger plan for civilizational devastation of the holy site.
According to Dr. Ben Habib, the re-evaluation of Al-Aqsa's civilizational role becomes vital for safeguarding justice and Islamic identity, especially as Zionist occupiers reportedly limit Palestinian presence and seek to alter Al-Aqsa's identity. He explains that the term "mosque" (masjid), derived from the root "s-j-d" signifying submission, implies that a mosque cannot be a space for self-contained submission. True submission to Allah, he argues, inherently means rejecting the oppression of others.
This connection between the Quranic commandment for justice and the directive to "turn one's face [to God] in every place of worship" is not arbitrary but structural, with vertical submission to God generating horizontal action for justice. Dr. Ben Habib further contends that submission not leading to justice is superficial or incomplete, establishing a mosque as a place where power relations and societal injustices are re-examined under the light of absolute submission to Allah, thereby preventing submission to human tyrants.
He references Quranic verses linking mosques to protection against injustice, such as the verse mentioning "monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned" (Surah Al-Hajj, 40), revealed in the context of permitting struggle to protect those unjustly expelled from their homes. For him, defending the mosque and supporting the oppressed are unified acts. To preserve Al-Aqsa's sanctity and raise awareness, Dr. Ben Habib suggests that Islamic world preachers link sermons or lessons in every mosque to a Quranic verse or Hadith about Al-Aqsa, ensuring its constant presence in both public discourse and remembrance of God, advocating for coordinated efforts across the Islamic world.
