Front view of Masjid al-Aqsa
The name ‘Al-Aqsa
mosque’ translates to ‘the farthest mosque’ and is the third most holy
place in Islam. It was here that in around 621 CE the Prophet Muhammed
(s.a.w.) came on the night journey from Makkah riding on the Buraq. Note
that the whole sanctuary on which the mosque is located is regarded as
sacred to Muslims and known as Haram Sharief.
- The event of the night journey to Jerusalem is mentioned in Surah al-Isra (also known as Surah Bani-Israeel) in the Holy 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 (r.a.) entered the al-Aqsa sanctuary in 638 AD 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 (a.s.), and offered two rak’ah prayers in the first of which Umar (r.a.) 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 (r.a.) 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 (r.a.) thereafter commissioned the construction of a wooden mosque (which could accommodate 3,000 worshippers) on the southern end of the noble sanctuary where the present day black domed Masjid al-Aqsa 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 (r.a.) relates that the Prophet (s.a.w.) 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 Sanctuary 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
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