Masjid al-Aqsa (Bayt al-Maqdis)

Masjid al-Aqsa is not only the Qibly mosque

(with the silver/black dome) or the Dome of the

Rock. It is in fact the whole region highlighted

above and is also known as Bayt al-Maqdis or

Bayt al-Muqaddas (House of the Holiness). The

name ‘Masjid al-Aqsa’ translates as ‘the farthest

mosque’ and is the third most holy place in

Islam. It was here that in around 621 CE the

Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings of

Allah be on him) came on the night journey from

Makkah riding on the Buraq.

Masjid al-Aqsa is no ordinary masjid. The Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allah be on him)

dedicated a great deal of his life nurturing the

Sahabah (Companions) to appreciate the

excellent qualities of Masjid al-Aqsa. Some of the

reasons why Masjid al-Aqsa should form an

important aspect of a believer’s dedication is that

it is:

The first qiblah for Muslims;

The station of al-Isra and al-Mi’raj;

The second house of Allah built on earth;

The place where hundreds of Messengers of

Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) are buried;

The place where many Sahabah are buried;

A place where miracles were shown by Allah’s

will;

A place which Allah (Glorified and Exalted is

He) Himself calls a ‘blessed place’;

Referred to directly and indirectly, 70 times in

the Quran;

The place where angels have descended with

Allah’s message;

The only place on earth where all the

Messengers of Allah prayed at the same time

led by the Prophet Muhammed (peace and

blessings of Allah be on him)

The only Masjid mentioned by name in the

Quran apart from the Ka’bah

Most religious Jews regard entry into the al-

Aqsa compound (which they call the Temple

Mount) as a violation of Jewish law. This

restriction is based on the belief that even

though the Temple (of Solomon) was

destroyed centuries ago, the precise location of

the Holy of Holies, the sanctuary that was

once entered by the High Priest, is not known.

Hence the restriction is applied to the entire

compound. They believe that the Temple

should only be built after the coming of their

Messiah, and it is their belief that it would be

presumptuous of people to force God’s hand.

However, there are several Jewish groups who

differ from this opinion. Many Evangelical

Christians consider it to be a prerequisite to

Armageddon and the Second Coming (of

Jesus), and both are actively encouraging the

rebuilding of the Temple on the Aqsa ground.

References: Forty Ahadith concerning Masjid al-

Aqsa – Ismail Adam Patel, Wikipedia

★ Front view of Masjid al-Aqsa

The structure with the silver/grey dome at the

front of Masjid al-Aqsa is known as the ‘Qibly’

masjid (mosque) as it is located nearest to the

Qiblah, the direction of prayer. The front of

Masjid al-Aqsa is aligned directly towards the

Ka’bah in Makkah.

The event of the night journey to Jerusalem is

mentioned in Surah al-Isra (also known as

Surah Bani-Israeel) in the Quran: “Glory be to

the One who took His Slave for a journey by

night from the Sacred Mosque to the furthest

Mosque, whose precincts we have

blessed.“ [17:1]

When Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)

entered the al-Aqsa sanctuary in 638 CE he

was shocked to find it covered with rubbish as

the Romans had been using the area as a

rubbish tip. The Caliph knelt down immediately

and with his own hands began to clear the

area. When the Muslims saw what he was

doing, they followed suit and soon the whole

area was cleansed. They then walked further,

near to the niche of Dawud (upon him be

peace), and offered two rak’ah prayers in the

first of which Umar (may Allah be pleased with

him) recited Surah Sa’d (38) and in the second

of which he recited Surat al-Isra (17),

containing reference to the Isra’ and Mi’raj.

Then he asked Ka’b al-Ahbar (a former Jewish

rabbi who had embraced Islam), “Where should

I build the mihrab (prayer niche)?” , “Behind the

Rock,” replied Ka’b, “so that you will offer it

behind the two qiblahs,” i.e. the qiblah of Musa

and the qiblah of Muhammed. Umar (may Allah

be pleased with him) said to Ka’b, “You speak

like the Jews. We will build the niche in front of

the Rock. The entire site is part of the mosque.

Therefore, our niche should be in the best part,

which is in the front portion.”

Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)

thereafter commissioned the construction of a

wooden mosque (which could accommodate

3,000 worshippers) on the southern end of the

compound where the present Qibly masjid

stands. By doing so he returned the sanctuary

to the purity of its past worship, which had

been abandoned both by Christianity and

Judaism.

Great virtue of praying in Masjid al-Aqsa:

Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him)

relates that the Prophet (peace and blessings

of Allah be on him) said, “ A prayer in Makkah

is worth 100,000 times, a prayer in my Masjid

(Madina) is worth 1,000 times, and a prayer in

al-Aqsa is worth 500 times more than

anywhere else”. [Al-Tabarani, al-Bayhaqi and

al-Suyuti]

References: Palestine: Beginner’s guide – Ismail

Adam Patel, Forty Ahadith concerning Masjid al-

Aqsa – Ismail Adam Patel, Al-Quds – Mohammed

Abdul Hameed Al-Khateeb

★ Mihrab of Masjid al-Aqsa

This marble structure is the mihrab of the Qibly

mosque which is at the front of Masjid al-Aqsa.

The mimbar (pulpit) on the right was donated by

the Jordanian government after the original

(which was a gift from Salahuddin Ayyubi) was

destroyed in a fire started by a fanatical zionist

in 1969.

Masjid al-Aqsa is the second house of Allah

created on earth: Abu Dharr (may Allah be

pleased with him) reported that he asked the

Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on

him), “O Prophet of Allah, which Masjid was

built first on earth? ” The Prophet (peace and

blessings of Allah be on him) replied, “The

Sacred Masjid of Makkah” . Abu Dharr (may

Allah be pleased with him) again asked, “Which

was next?” The Prophet (peace and blessings

of Allah be on him) said, “The Masjid al-Aqsa” .

Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him)

further asked “How long was the period

between the building of the two Masajid?” The

Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on

him) said, “Forty years. Apart from these, offer

your prayers anywhere when it is time to pray,

although excellence is in praying in these

Masajid”. [Sahih al-Bhukari]

When the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in

1099 CE, Masjid al-Aqsa was desecrated. Pigs

were installed in the mihrab and a church was

erected in place of one of it’s oratories. Imad

Eddin (Salahuddin’s biographer) speaks of the

mihrab of the mosque being full of pigs and

excrement.

In around 1119 CE, King Baldwin II of

Jerusalem granted one wing to the newly

formed Knights Templar order and the building

became their headquarters.

The original mimbar, considered one of the

most beautiful in the world, was made of over

10,000 interlocking pieces of Cedar and other

wood, ivory and mother of pearl affixed without

a drop of glue or a single nail. After the

reconquest of Jerusalem Masjid al-Aqsa was

filled for Jumma prayers for the first time in 88

years, people wept with emotion as the Qadi of

Jerusalem, Muhyi ad-Din al-Qurashi mounted

the new pulpit.

References: AtlasTours.com, Wikipedia, A history

of Jerusalem – Karen Armstrong, The Crusades –

S.E. Al-Djazairi

★ Basement of Masjid al-Aqsa

The stone pillars on the right are believed by

some to have been erected by jinnat in the time

of Prophet Sulaiman (upon him be peace). The

small mihrab is regarded to be the place where

Maryam (upon him be peace) used to receive out

of season fruits when she was pregnant with

Prophet Isa (upon him be peace).

In Surah Saba’ of the Quran Allah (Glorified

and Exalted is He) mentions: “There were jinn

that worked under his supervision by the leave

of his Lord, and if any of them deviated from

Our command, We made him taste of the

Penalty of Blazing Fire. They worked for him as

he desired, (making) arches, statues, basins as

large as reservoirs, and (cooking) cauldrons

fived (in their places): ‘Work , family of Dawud,

with thanks! But few of My slaves are

grateful!” [34:12-13]

There is an adjacent room which contains a

grille (shown inset) through which you can see

the floor below where oil was burnt to heat the

mosque. Maymunah bint Sa’d (may Allah be

pleased with him) relates that she asked the

Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on

him), “O Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah

be on him)! Inform us about Bayt al-Maqdis” .

He said, “Visit it for prayer”. She further asked,

“If one of us cannot visit it, what shall we do?”

He (peace and blessings of Allah be on him)

said, “If you cannot go for prayer then send

some oil to be used in its lamps; whosoever

gives oil for its lamps, it will be as if he has

prayed in it”. [Imam Ahmad, Ibn Majah, Sunan

Abu Dawud and al-Tabarani]

Jewish tradition holds that the site upon which

Masjid al-Aqsa was constructed originally

housed the Temple of Jerusalem. The

destruction of the First Temple, known as the

Temple of Solomon, is attributed to the

Babylonians in 587 BCE., and there are no

physical remains attesting to its presence or

structure. Building of the Second Temple began

during the rule of the Persian king Cyrus the

Great, but this temple was destroyed by the

Roman Emperor (then General) Titus in 70 CE.

All that remains of it is the Western Wall,

which is thought to be a remnant of this

second temple’s platform.

References: Forty Ahadith concerning Masjid al-

Aqsa – Ismail Adam Patel, Al-Quds – Mohammed

Abdul Hameed AL-Khateeb

The doors of the Saladin Minbar, early 1900s. The

minbar was built on Nur al-Din 's orders, but

installed by Saladin

Source : Wikipedia