Khowis: We maintained al-Aqsa by Ribat in it and for it
Khadija Ahmed Khowis, one of the most notable Murabitat in Masjid al-Aqsa. She is firmly willing to give her life to the Masjid. For her, nothing can be put before it, neither her soul nor her family.
She considers Ribat an honorable duty, as she believes that sacrificing our souls for al-Aqsa is a true glory in this world and the afterlife, and that standing up for al-Aqsa should be a doctrine. Whenever she is in its courtyards, her time is spent between educating students and defending the Masjid from the Israeli army and settlers. When she was forced to leave, she stood at its gates to fight the soldiers and settlers by shouting the cries of “Allah is Great” along with the other Murabitat in the faces of the aggressors. Indeed, it is an outcry stronger than bullets and bombs.
Quranic journey with Al-Aqsa …
Khadija Khowis, born in 27/8/1977, is married to Dr. Ibrahim Abu Ghalia. She has five children and she holds a B.A. in Islamic Studies from Al-Quds University and is expected to receive her Masters degree in Tafsir from Hebron University. She is a certified “Isnad” student of Quran. She is also a teacher from Islamic studies at al-Nizamiya School in al-Quds. In Masjid al-Aqsa, she volunteers to teach Quran and Tafsir in the blessed courtyards.
Her journey with Masjid al-Aqsa begins from her childhood, where she studied in the schools of Al-Aqsa. She went to the Sharia High School of Al-Aqsa inside the Masjid, and in 2014 she became a teacher of the Quran and Tafsir in a halaqa (group) at al-Aqsa.
Banished from the beloved …
The significant role that Khadija had played in Masjid al-Aqsa and the Maqdisi (Jerusalemite) community, has eventually alarmed the Israeli authorities. And so began a series of banishment and expulsion since that year. She was banished from al-Aqsa more than 10 times, a total of about 500 days in two years. And despite the official banning decisions against her, her name was included in the “Golden List”, a list that bans certain people from entering Masjid al-Aqsa at all times.
“I was banished from the Old City for eight months, and I was expelled from West Jerusalem for two months, and from the West Bank for six months and I was barred from traveling for more than six times in a year and three months. I was detained 10 times, and I slept four times in the prisons of the occupation. Every time, I was kept in prison for one night, except the last time, I was held for two weeks behind the bars.” Khadija said.
“Perhaps the most difficult challenge I have faced, was the pressure and stress of the interrogations, especially in my most recent detention; where I encountered humiliation, naked searches, as well as in the arrest of my mother, my father, my daughter and my husband. But what was even more difficult, was the banishment from al-Aqsa, it’s the most difficult challenge that a lover of al-Aqsa might experience,” Khadija said.
Nevertheless, this Israeli policy has never intimidated Khowis and has not deterred her from continuing her path. She considers that Masjid al-Aqsa is worth sacrificing for with the spirit, children, and money. She added that she is sufficiently fulfilling her responsibilities towards her husband, children, and students, without being detracted from her responsibility toward al-Aqsa, whether in education and guidance or in forcing the intruding enemy out of its courtyards. She pointed out that her role when she was banished from al-Aqsa is to raise awareness and crowd people for its cause.
Al-Aqsa is every Muslim’s priority…
Khowis sends her message to the Muslim Umma, saying that “Masjid al-Aqsa is not a Masjid for Jerusalemites and Palestinians only, but it’s a Masjid for the entire Muslim Ummah; it is the first Qibla, and the land of the Prophet’s Isra. It’s the holiest site on earth after Mecca and Medina. It is the heart of the conflict and the people’s sanctity.
Therefore, standing up for its liberation is a duty on each one of us, not only by the Ribat inside it but also the Ribat for it;
by raising people’s awareness and knowledge of the history and geography of the place and its conditions and news; because how could we aim to liberate it without knowing its history! Its characteristics and geography! Allah’s blessings are in it! And the miserable situation that it is currently enduring!
We need a comprehensive moral revolution. We need to embrace the ethics of the Quran, to become Rabbaniyun, Quraniyun, and defenders of al-Aqsa. We need to be sincere in all the words and deeds we offer to al-Aqsa, to change what is in our hearts so that Allah shall amend and improve our situation. We need to make al-Aqsa a priority in our homes, schools, neighborhoods, gatherings, and associations. But before that we need to make it a priority in our hearts”
She finally added “All Muslims must contribute to the activities and initiatives that support and stand up for al-Aqsa, we must all provide material and moral support to al-Quds and al-Aqsa. This contributes to the strengthening of the Palestinian cause.”
