AL-Aqsa, an Arabic term that translates to “the farthest” or “the supreme” in Arabic, is a mosque located in the heart of the old city of Jerusalem. Muslims from all sects hold it in high esteem after two main holy sites, Mecca and Medina. Al-Aqsa is mentioned several times in the Quran. Many verses of the Quran and hadiths refer to various aspects and features of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. One verse is in relation to Prophet Muhammad’s night journey from Medina to Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, where he performed prayers before a heavenly horse carried him through space to meet with the Divine. Hazrat Abu Zar once asked the Holy Prophet (SAWW): “O Messenger of Allah, which Mosque was built on Earth first?” He said: “Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Mecca).” I said: “Then which (Mosque)?” He said: “Al-Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem).” I said: “How much time was there between them?” He said: “Forty years.”
Al-Aqsa is, therefore, no ordinary Mosque for Muslims, and Palestine is no ordinary land either. It served as a venue for the greatest conference to have ever taken place on Earth, one that was attended by every Prophet to have walked the globe, and when the greatest of them, Our Holy Prophet, was made to lead them all in prayer. Hazrat Ibn Abbas mentions: “Baitul Maqdis was built by the Prophets and inhabited by the Prophets. There is not an area of a single hand span except that a Prophet prayed in it or an angel stood on it. When the Holy Prophet (SAWW) received his invitation to visit the inhabitants of the heavens, Allah chose Palestine for his ascension, in order to create within the hearts of Muslims the unbreakable link between Mecca and Palestine. Allah says: “Glory be to Him who took His servant on a journey by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, in order to show him some of Our Signs. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” (Qur’an, 17:1)
The status of Al-Aqsa is clearly explained in the Hadith that reads: The Holy Prophet (SAWW) said: “Do not undertake a journey to visit any Mosque but three: this Mosque of mine, the Mosque of al-Haram and the Mosque of Aqsa.” The status of Al-Aqsa Mosque is relevant to the blessed land about which Allah, Most High. Almost every prophet, including those who were born elsewhere, lived in the Holy Land or had a special connection to it, which makes Al-Aqsa important in the eyes of Muslims. We have blessed, that we might show him of our tokens. He, only He, is the nearer, the Seer.) Al-Aqsa is the first direction of Prayer for Muslims. Our hearts bleed for all the sacrilegious acts been perpetrated against Al-Aqsa.
The city of Al-Aqsa Mosque was chosen at the command of Allah Almighty by Prophet Daud in the tenth century B.C. After him, his son Prophet Solomon built a mosque in Jerusalem according to the revelation that he received from Allah. For several centuries, this mosque was used for the worship of Allah by many Prophets and Messengers of Allah. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in the year 586 B.C., but it was soon rebuilt and rededicated to the worship of Allah in 516 B.C. It continued for several centuries until the time of Prophet Isa. After he departed this world, it was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70 C.E. Our Holy Prophet was taken there in his miraculous journey of Al-Israa’ and from there he went for Al-Miraj.
When Muslims took the city of Jerusalem in 636 C.E. during the caliphate of `Umar (R.A), he ordered the rebuilding of this mosque, and it stands until now as a Masjid for the worship of Allah, as it was originally built by our Prophet Solomon. The significance of Jerusalem is that it is the city of many Prophets of Allah, as Mecca is the city of Prophets Ibrahim, Ismail and Muhammad (SAWW). The Mosque of Al-Aqsa is one of the ancient mosques, and in the Qur’an, Allah called it and its land “the blessed surroundings.”
When our Holy Prophet was in Mecca and also for about 17 months after His migration to Medina, he and his followers used to pray towards the direction of Al-Aqsa Mosque. This was to establish in the minds of Muslims the link between the teachings of Prophet Muhammad and other Prophets of Allah (peace and blessings be upon them all). When this principle was established in their minds, Allah ordered Muslims to turn to the Bait-Ul-Allah and pray towards its direction. Now, we are not allowed to pray in the direction of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, but we must respect and honour the city of Jerusalem and its blessed mosque. It is also the duty of all Muslims to guard and protect this mosque from any harm and damage, for the mosque belongs to those who believe in all the prophets and messengers of Allah. In the light of these events, Al-Aqsa is more than just a piece of land for Muslims worldwide.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Islamabad.
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