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The Murabiteen and Murabitat, or\u00a0Murabitoun<\/em>, or\u00a0Murabito Al-Aqsa<\/em> are groups or individuals from Al-Quds city (Jerusalem) and its surroundings, and [Palestinian] Muslim citizens of the occupied lands in 1948. They devoted themselves and their time to stay at Al Aqsa Mosque to guard its gates and protect it from attacks by \u201cIsraeli\u201d soldiers, Jewish extremists, and radical settlers. The Murabiteen represent different generations and various political and cultural backgrounds, their illimitable love of al-Aqsa unites them all together; elderly people, young men, and women besides the students who memorize and recite the Holy Quran and attend the Sharia<\/em>\u00a0lessons on al-Aqsa terraces.<\/span><\/p>\n Definition of\u00a0Ribat<\/em>\u00a0and its origins in al-Aqsa Mosque<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The original meaning of\u00a0Ribat<\/em>\u00a0is to reside in a place without leaving it. In Arabic, \u201crabata\u201d\u00a0<\/em>means, he resides in the same place without leaving. Hence,\u00a0Ribat<\/em>\u00a0is known to reside particularly in the border weak hiatus\u00a0areas (Thughur<\/em>), which are threated to be attacked by the enemies, in order to strengthen, protect and defend the Muslims.\u00a0Ribat<\/em>\u00a0has an enormous virtue in Islam, it is one of the forms of jihad for the sake of\u00a0Allah<\/em>. The messenger of Allah said, \u201cObserving\u00a0Ribat<\/em>\u00a0for a single day is far better than the world and all that it contains. A place in Jannah as small as the whip of your horse is far better than the world and all that it contains\u201d[1].<\/span><\/p>\n Since the first century AH \/ 7th AD, Muslims have been accustomed to\u00a0stay at al-Aqsa Mosque, so that a large number have left their homes and migrated to Jerusalem (al-Quds) to perform\u00a0Itikaf<\/em>\u00a0[a retreat inside the mosque for the sole purpose of worship and devotion to Allah] in Al-Aqsa and to be buried after passing away in its vicinity. Probably, the companions Shaddad ibn Ous (64 AH \/ 683 AD) and Thu al-Asabi\u2019a were the first cited examples of companion who moved to reside adjacent to al-Aqsa Mosque.\u00a0the companion Thu al-Asabi\u2019a was inspired by the Prophet\u2019s words and moved to live near to al-Aqsa. He said \u201cI asked the Prophet (pbuh), \u201cO Messenger of Allah, if we were to stay somewhere after you, were do you command us?\u201d The Prophet said, \u201cStay in Bait al-Maqdis so that if you have progenies, they\u2019d go to the mosque\u201d[2]<\/sup>\u00a0Even after them,\u00a0Ribat<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Itikaf\u00a0<\/em>have never stopped in al-Aqsa over the next centuries except the era of the Crusades when the entire mosque was occupied and converted to church and hostel for the Crusader soldiers. The books of history, mysticism, and biographies contain many signs of those who lived in al-Aqsa and devoted themselves for worship and observing Itikaf.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Evolution and Development<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The second uprising –\u00a0Al-Aqsa Intifada<\/em>– has broken out in 2000 AD after the Zionist prime minister Ariel Sharon stormed al-Aqsa Mosque. Subsequently, the Islamic movement in 1948 occupied lands under the leadership of Sheikh Raed Salah, began to think about the need to protect al-Aqsa Mosque and facilitate the arrival of worshipers all the time to resist the autocratic\u00a0control by the Israeli occupation forces. Then they have launched what was known as the “March of the Flags (Biarik<\/em>)” and “Travelling\u00a0Convoys”, to transport the worshipers daily by buses from Galilee, Triangle (al-Muthallath)<\/em>, Negev and the coast area (al-Sahel<\/em>) to al-Aqsa Mosque\u00a0which had direct and positive influence on the revival of al-Aqsa Mosque and on the development of the economic life of the Old City of Jerusalem.<\/span><\/p>\n The second phase of\u00a0Ribat<\/em>\u00a0in al-Aqsa was the establishment of the “Science Terraces” (Masatib al-Elm<\/em>) learning groups (halaqat<\/em>). Thus, in 2008, the Islamic Movement in the 1948 occupied lands sponsored the establishing of 36 learning groups (halaqa<\/em>) inside the mosque, teaching the Islamic studies such as; Quranic studies,\u00a0fiqh<\/em>,\u00a0sunnah,<\/em>\u00a0and the prophet\u2019s (pbuh) biography through scientific methodological courses\u00a0which meet the needs of the learners of all ages. Gradually, these\u00a0halaqat\u00a0<\/em>have been increased until the number of their members reached to 1200 students in 2011. Later on, they formed permanent\u00a0halaqat<\/em>\u00a0and showed high interest to attend them to learn and perform\u00a0ribat<\/em>\u00a0inside the mosque. Besides, they defend the mosque, confront the attackers and try to expel them.<\/span><\/p>\n 2015, was the year of the declared Israeli war against the Murabiteen and Murabitat. On August 23, 2015, the \u2018Israeli Intelligence\u2019 issued a list of about 20 women (Murabitat) from Jerusalem. The list increased to include 55 names and it was known among the activists as the “Golden List”, which bans all the listed women from their rights to enter al-Aqsa Mosque and pray there. In the same month, the Zionist war minister, Moshe Ya’alon, issued a decision to designate the Murabiteen and Murabitat as an illegal organization based on the recommendation of the \u2018Israeli police\u2019 and the \u2018General Security Service\u2019. \u201cConsidering them as a major factor in creating tension and violence … and undermining the Israeli sovereignty over al-Aqsa Mosque!\u201d This reflects the arrogance of the Israeli occupation and imposing the status quo despite its contrary to the logic. According to the decision, the presence of Muslim worshipers in their mosque is a factor of tension and violence, while storming al-Aqsa Mosque by soldiers and extremists is not!<\/span><\/p>\n Despite the prohibition and criminalization\u00a0of\u00a0ribat<\/em>\u00a0by the Zionist occupation, the Murabiteen and Murabitat have not stopped their\u00a0ribat<\/em>\u00a0and their continuous presence at the gates of al-Aqsa. In July 2017, they played a significant role in the uprising of the \u2018Tribes Gate\u2019 (Bab al-Asbat<\/em>). They led and guided the demonstrators\u00a0during the sit-ins at the gates of al-Aqsa. So, the concept of\u00a0ribat<\/em>\u00a0expanded until thousands of people from Jerusalem and the 1948 occupied lands joined them. The sit-in succeeded in breaking the will of the occupation and restoring the situation in al-Aqsa as it was before, and they achieved victory by entering al- Aqsa together with all Muslims without passing through the electronic gates (Metal Sensors) that the occupation wanted to enforce at the gates of al-Aqsa as a new practice to impose its control over al-Aqsa Mosque.<\/span><\/p>\n Significance and Role of Murabiteen<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Basically, the importance of\u00a0Ribat<\/em>\u00a0is not leaving al-Aqsa Mosque empty of worshipers and visitors, especially in the morning and afternoon or during the Jewish festivals, where the number of intruders and their aggressions increases, and also the number of their attempts to perform Jewish rituals in al-Aqsa. At this time, the role of Murabiteen clearly demonstrates to stop and confront the Jewish intruders and to prevent the imposition of the temporal and spatial division of al-Aqsa Mosque which the occupation seeks to impose it as the status quo in al-Aqsa, just as it happened previously in al-Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron city. Therefore, the Murabiteen are the frontline defense on behalf of millions of Arabs and Muslims to guard and defend al-Aqsa Mosque.<\/span><\/p>\n Ribat<\/em>\u00a0in al-Aqsa aims to achieve a permanent Islamic presence to defend and protect it, and to show respect to its holy status. The murabiteen therefore are compelled to leave their jobs and devote themselves to this mission. Some of them make\u00a0ribat<\/em>\u00a0as their permanent work and\u00a0jihad<\/em>\u00a0in al-Aqsa Mosque. They confront the storming by their empty hands and bare chests, as well as their throats that praise and scream in the face of the intruders and aggressors \u201cAllahu Akbar<\/em>\u201d –\u00a0Allah<\/em>\u00a0is Great -!<\/span><\/p>\n In that regard, the murabiteen achieved remarkable results. In addition to obstructing the partition project, they are always in the frontline of defense to confront the occupation and defend the mosque on behalf of the nation (Umma<\/em>). The Murabiteen and Murabitat have become an icon and a source of inspiration and motivation for many activists around the world because of their steadfastness and determination to keep themselves associated with al-Aqsa Mosque despite the persecution, physical abuse, attacks, and arrests. There are several names among the murabitat who succeeded in transmitting al-Aqsa news and actions. They also conveyed the messages of al-Aqsa through attending the international conferences, public meetings, or using social media sites. Sheikh Raed Salah, who devoted his life, time, and effort to al-Aqsa is considered as the leader of the murabiteen. There are many others of murabiteen such as Sheikh Kamal al-Khatib and other leaders of the Islamic Movement, as well as the murabitat such as; Khadija Khois, Hanadi Halawani, Zina Amro, Sahar al-Natsheh, Samiha Shaheen, um-Ihab al-Jallad, and many others whose their experience is illustrated in Aqsapedia.<\/span><\/p>\n Zionists Targeting the Murabteen<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The brutality of the Zionists in targeting the murabiteen has been increased because of their growing role of defending al-Aqsa and obstructing the\u00a0division\u00a0plans. They were subject to various types of war against them such as the following actions;<\/span><\/p>\n 1) Banning\u00a0ribat<\/em>\u00a0and consider it illegal<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n On August 23, 2015, the Zionist war minister, Moshe Ya’alon, issued a decision to designate the Murabiteen and Murabitat as an illegal organization based on the recommendation of the \u2018Israeli police\u2019 and the \u2018General Security Service\u2019. \u201cConsidering them as a major factor in creating tension and violence … and undermining the Israeli sovereignty over al-Aqsa Mosque!\u201d This reflects the arrogance of the Israeli occupation and imposing the status quo despite its contrary to the logic. According to the decision, the presence of Muslim worshipers in their mosque is a factor of tension and violence, while storming al-Aqsa Mosque by the soldiers and extremists is not!<\/span><\/p>\n 2) Deporting Murabiteen outside al-Aqsa Mosque<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n It is a relentless\u00a0action applied by the Israeli occupation police against the murabiteen and murabitat, which deprives them from their right to enter al-Aqsa and perform worship. The ban was imposed on dozens of them. For example,\u00a0on August 23, 2015, the \u2018Israeli Intelligence\u2019 issued a list of about 20 women (Murabitat) from Jerusalem. The list increased to include 55 names and it was known among the activists as the “Golden List”, which bans all the listed women from their rights to enter al-Aqsa Mosque and pray there. Despite the ban and criminalization\u00a0of\u00a0ribat<\/em>\u00a0by the occupation, the Murabiteen and Murabitat continued their\u00a0ribat<\/em>\u00a0and their continuous presence at the gates of al-Aqsa.<\/span><\/p>\n (For more on the Golden List click here:\u00a0\u2018Golden List\u2019<\/a>\u00a0is a turning point in the history of al-Aqsa Mosque)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n