Masjid Al Aqsa The Occupied Sanctuary
By Omar Suleiman | 2026-01-06T21:03:50.575353+00:00 | Topic: Iman
Masjid Al-Aqsa: The Occupied Sanctuary
Omar Suleiman
Opening
Finally inshallah ta'ala, I've been personally anticipating this seminar for a very long time and I've been working on the material and just looking into this entire subject in a very deep manner.
Important Clarification
SubhanAllah, when we look at it, there are a few qualifications I want to make before we even start going into the history and the virtues of Masjid al-Aqsa. For one, we are not suggesting in any way that a masjid is holier than a human life and that's something that I think a lot of people miss the point of many times.
We should be concerned about Palestine because of Masjid al-Aqsa, but the fact of the matter is that one innocent life, one Palestinian life, in fact one Burmese life or one Syrian life or one life of someone in Somalia is far more precious than Masjid al-Aqsa in the sight of Allah because the Prophet ﷺ tells us that even the Ka'bah, which is holier than Masjid al-Aqsa, even the Ka'bah is not as honorable in the sight of Allah as the life of a believer, as the honor of a believer, as the blood of a person.
So when we're talking about this subject, this sanctuary, this Aqsa that has such a high place in the sight of the Prophet ﷺ and in the sight of his companions and in the sight of the believers and in fact every Prophet of God that came before him, we're talking about it to connect ourselves spiritually to this Masjid.
The Spiritual Connection
I could give a talk about the many injustices of the Israeli regime, the Israeli government towards the Palestinian people. We could talk at length about the political situation. What I feel like is that we're almost missing this spiritual connection to this place and that's a very powerful component to have in this discussion.
I would argue that even the Palestinians don't have that connection anymore. The call for Palestine, the call for Masjid al-Aqsa tends to be an extremely nationalistic call. But when you talk about a man like Salahuddin al-Ayubi (رحمه الله تعالى - rahimahullah ta'ala) Salahuddin didn't love Palestine because he was a Palestinian. This man wasn't connected to Masjid al-Aqsa because he was an Arab - in fact he was Kurdish, he wasn't even an Arab.
The way that his biographer describes him is that the weight of Masjid al-Aqsa on the heart of Salahuddin was heavier than mountains. I mean it could flatten mountains - the passion this man had for that Masjid, the way that he dreamed of seeing it liberated one day and the way that he rallied the entire Muslim world around this cause.
Historical Context of Salahuddin's Era
One thing that I find very powerful - and it's going to be very tough for me to not focus on Salahuddin in this seminar because I'm fascinated by his biography but obviously that's not the topic - one thing about him and one of the misconceptions that we have about his era is that when Jerusalem, when Masjid al- Aqsa was conquered and ransacked and desecrated in a way that it has never been done before, the Muslim world actually didn't flinch for 50 years.
In fact there's a book named "The Crusades Through Arab Eyes" by an author by the name of Amin Maalouf and he says in this book, he actually documents the historiography of the Muslim world in the Crusades era. For 50 years Salahuddin was just writing letters to people, writing letters around the Muslim world to convince them why this is so important, why al-Aqsa should become the rallying call, why al- Aqsa should unite the hearts of the believers all over so that they could come together for something that's so precious to them.
He made it important to them. SubhanAllah that's what we're trying to do here.
The First Masjids Built on Earth
So let's talk a little bit about the history inshallah and you might be fascinated because you might think that al-Aqsa was built maybe by a prophet of Bani Israel, maybe it's something that arose from the time of Solomon Sulaiman (عليه السلام or Yaqub عليه السلام - alayhis salam or Ya'qub alayhis salam)
(Sahih al-Bukhari)
"O messenger of God, what masjid was built on this earth first?"
Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca.
"Then what?"
He said:
And I asked him: "O Prophet of God, (كَمْ بَيْنَهُمَا - kam baynahuma) how many years were between the construction of al- Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and al-Masjid al-Aqsa in Palestine?"
The Prophet ﷺ said:
Forty years - only 40 years.
(Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith 3366)
Who Built the Ka'bah and Masjid al-Aqsa
So there are few things we can take from that. Number one, who built the Ka'bah? It wasn't Ibrahim عليه السلام, it was actually Adam عليه السلام. This was the first place of Adam عليه السلام where he worshipped Allah. So he's in Mecca and the angels built it. Ibrahim عليه السلام raised the foundations but it was already built, it was already constructed and made a sanctuary in the time of Adam عليه السلام
So the scholars say if we look at it from that perspective, then either Adam عليه السلام also built Masjid al-Aqsa or maybe his son Sheeth. There are some narrations that say his son Sheeth عليه السلام built Masjid al-Aqsa.
So we're talking about only 40 years between the first masjid and Masjid al-Aqsa. And we also find that just like Abraham, just like Ibrahim عليه السلام raised the pillars of the Haram in Mecca, he did the same thing in Jerusalem according to the strongest opinion.
So it was either him or his son Ishaq (Isaac), or his son Jacob عليه السلام. But Ibrahim عليه السلام goes to Mecca, he builds the Ka'bah, he raises the foundations along with his son Ismail عليه السلام and this becomes the focal point of worship, then he goes back to Jerusalem, and he builds another sanctuary with his son Isaac.
Because we know Ibrahim settled in Palestine eventually, and Ibrahim عليه السلام passed away in Khalil, and he actually is buried in Khalil. So he builds another sanctuary with his son, or he instructs his son to build a sanctuary.
So you have Ibrahim عليه السلام building one sanctuary with his son in Mecca, another sanctuary with his son in Jerusalem. And these two masjids make up two thirds of the holiest masjids in the world.
The Meaning of "Al-Aqsa"
Now al-Aqsa, al-Aqsa actually means "the furthest masjid," and the reason why it was called Masjid al- Aqsa is because it is the furthest masjid away from the Haram, or it was at the time. So the Prophet referred to it that way, Allah referred to it that way.
Allah's Blessing Upon the Land
And according to the Judeo-Christian tradition, Jerusalem is the place where Ibrahim عليه السلام raised his son Ishaq. It's the place that was settled by the original tribes of Bani Israel. One thing that obviously we disagree with them on, they also say that it's the place that Ibrahim عليه السلام was to sacrifice his son Ishaq. Obviously to us it's Ismail عليه السلام in Mecca.
So there's a lot of history that takes place there. And because the main thing that I'm going to do inshallah is I'm going to focus on the seerah of the Prophet ﷺ and what it meant to the Prophet ﷺ and his generation, I'm just going to give you guys a rundown of how Allah mentions it in the lives of all of these Prophets.
Allah mentions it as the refuge of Lut عليه السلام the Prophet Lot, after Ibrahim his nephew, Allah says:
That we rescued him and those that were with him to the blessed ground, to the part of the earth that we have blessed, (بَارَكْنَا فيها - barakna fiha) - we have put blessings in this part of the earth.
So Allah mentions here that this is a place that is blessed, it's sanctified. And Allah doesn't just do that with Lut (عليه السلام - alayhis salam), he does it when he speaks about Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis salam), when he speaks about Maryam (عليه السلام - alayhis salam). Anytime he speaks about this land, Allah mentions that it is a blessed land.
Ibn al-Jawzi's Beautiful Reflection
And we find this with Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) he says:
And again with the Prophet ﷺ he says:
Masjid al-Aqsa - we've blessed the land around it.
There's a beautiful reflection here by Imam Ibn al-Jawzi. He says that Abraham sanctified Mecca, Ibrahim (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) sanctified Mecca. Rasulullah ﷺ sanctified Medina. But Allah took it upon himself to sanctify Al-Quds, he sanctified Jerusalem because Allah attributes the barakah in that land to himself over and over and over in the Quran and this is frequently mentioned throughout.
The Cycle of Bani Israel
It's interesting because what we see happening historically is that after Jacob Yaqub (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) settles there with his children, we have the story of Yusuf (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) where Palestine is struck by famine and Yusuf (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) is in charge of Egypt. Then Ya'qub (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) who's also known as Israel, migrates with his children and his entire family to Egypt because at that time the thing to do was to leave Palestine and go to Egypt for safety.
SubhanAllah the way that Allah says that days go by and things change, things change dramatically. At one point this will be a place of safety, another point this is a place of chaos. You know in the story of Yaqub (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) you have a people fleeing Palestine to go to Egypt for safety. And then years go by and in the story of Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) what do you have happening? People fleeing Egypt to go to Palestine for safety and prosperity.
So Allah switches things and this is his sunnah with the earth, that sometimes the east will be successful and a place of prosperity. You know there was a time where people in Europe used to send their children to the middle east to study there. Sometimes this is a place of prosperity in the west and people send their children here to learn and become educated so they can be prosperous in their homelands.
Musa عليه السلام and the Return to Palestine
Then you have Moses, Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) and Allah says that as Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) - so now we're coming back to Palestine. Ibrahim establishes Jerusalem with his son Isaac and his grandson Ya'qub, they move on to Egypt, now we have Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) coming back.
And as they escaped Egypt, Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) tells Bani Israel:
Allah says that Musa reminded his people that Allah has made you prophets or he's made amongst you prophets and kings. That you are a people that Allah has given a lot of favor and a lot of strength. And all they had to do was enter Jerusalem.
Allah set the stage for them to the point that Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis salam), he's got his people, he just saved them from Pharaoh, he just split the sea for them, right? It's all set for them, they should not be afraid of anything else. If anything after the miracles they've witnessed from Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) these people should be convinced that anything is possible.
But when Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) says to them:
"O my people, enter into the holy lands" (الْأَرْضَ الْمُقَدَّسَةَ - al-ard al-muqaddasah) - and why is it (مُقَدَّسَة - muqaddasah)? (مُقَدَّسَة - muqaddasah) means holy and what it means according to the scholars is (مُطَهِّرَة - mutahhirah), it purifies. And what that means is anyone who goes to Jerusalem and leaves it, leaves purified from his sins. SubhanAllah that's the actual meaning of the word.
So he says (ادْخُلُوا الْأَرْضَ الْمُقَدَّسَةَ - udkhulu al-ard al-muqaddasah) - just enter, you don't even have to do anything. (ادْخُلُوا - udkhulu) - all you have to do is march in. And there were 600,000 people with Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis salam), a very capable group of people,
The Refusal of Bani Israel
And as soon as he says that, let's go in, what did they say? They say:
They said wait, they've got some scary people in there, they've got a mighty army in there, we can't deal with those people, we can't mess with them. Allah just told you (ادْخُلُوا - udkhulu) just enter and they said:
"We're not gonna go in until they get out."
So you and Allah figure it out, get that army out of Jerusalem and then we'll go in.
And Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) mean he's looking at these people like what does he have to do for these people? He has done everything for them. Allah has given them all these miracles. They were 600,000 and out of 600,000, you know how many of them were willing to go with Moses to Jerusalem?
Two - (قَالَ رَجُلان - qala rajulan) - there were only two people that feared Allah and said we'll go with you oh Musa.
The 40-Year Punishment
So Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) he calls upon Allah, he says I can't do anything with these people:
"I can only control myself and my brother, I can't do anything with these people."
So what does Allah do to them? He forbids them from Jerusalem for 40 years. For 40 years they're left wandering in the desert waiting for this opportunity, waiting for Allah to give them another go. And that's why we have all these ayat of Bani Israel wandering in the desert because they did not go to Jerusalem as Allah wrote it for them.
And Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) is desperate, and this is what's called (سُنَّةُ الاسْتِبْدَال - sunnatul istibdal) where Allah replaces a group of people because they were not worthy. The Prophet ﷺ said not a single person from those who worshipped the calf would be able to enter Jerusalem, meaning Allah gave them 40 years because by that time they all would have died and it would have been their children.
Musa's Love for Jerusalem
You guys were not worthy for it, you were not fit for it, you turned away from that blessing of Allah and so now you have to wander in the desert and wait for that opportunity to come to you again.
Now obviously who suffers the most? The Prophet Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) because of the foolishness of his people, has to wait in the desert for 40 years and he has to die in that exodus.
And Rasulullah ﷺ, and the reason why I'm going into some detail with this is because the Prophet ﷺ actually tells us about Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) how he felt about Jerusalem, how he felt about Al-Bayt Al- Maqdis.
In one narration, Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) made a du'a, he said:
You've chosen, amongst the birds you've chosen this, and amongst this you've chosen that, and he says, and amongst the homes, amongst the countries, around the world or amongst the settled nations you've chosen Eilat, which was Jerusalem. And in Jerusalem you've chosen Masjid Al-Aqsa, you've chosen Jerusalem, you've chosen Al-Quds, Al-Bayt Al-Maqdis the Sanctuary.
So Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) could not enter into Masjid Al-Aqsa. You know what the Prophet ﷺ says? He says Moses was very emotional about this. SubhanAllah the scholars say that if you feel bad that Allah has forbidden you from entering into Al-Quds, realize that even Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) was forbidden to the point that his last request to Allah was:
(Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith 1339)
He asked Allah as the angel of death came to him: "Since I can't get into Jerusalem, let me be just a stone's throw away from it, let me be able to just see it."
SubhanAllah and according to the Bible it's Mount Nebo, so you can actually see Jerusalem from it, that Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) went there and he just stared at it and his heart longed for it to the point that even though the Prophet ﷺ said Musa made hajj, Musa has been to Mecca, his heart longed for Al-Quds, he wanted Jerusalem.
And the Prophet ﷺ says and this is also an authentic hadith, he said if I was there right now I could show you where his grave is. You know the grave of Moses is not marked, he said I could show you exactly where he's buried. He said he's buried beneath a road under a red dune, subhanAllah just outside of Jerusalem because his heart longed for it and that was his last request to Allah.
Yusha (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) and the Conquest
Then the Prophet ﷺ says time goes on. Joshua comes, Yusha (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) the young man of Musa (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) and he is the only person who Allah stopped the sun for. What that means is Yusha was going into Jerusalem to conquer it and it was Asr time and he looked to the sun and he said:
"You are commanded by Allah and I am commanded by Allah."
And he asked Allah to stop the sun to allow it to not set so that he could carry out with the conquest of Jerusalem. And the Prophet ﷺ said it happened in six days that Yusha (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) was able to bring Jerusalem in six days.
The Cycle Continues
Now what's the story of Bani Israel? Constantly they take it, they become wicked, they lose it. So you find this cycle over and over and over again. Yusha (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) conquers it, they're prosperous and then they become wicked, they start cheating with Allah, Allah causes them to be destroyed and expelled.
So then you have what Allah mentions of Talut, that Allah appoints Talut now to come back to Jerusalem and take it once again. And from the army of Talut you have Dawud (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) King David. And David takes Jerusalem and he defeats of course Goliath.
Dawud (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) defeats Goliath and for 33 years Dawud (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) prospers in Jerusalem. Now his son Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) takes over and Solomon is the most important king in the history of Jerusalem, why? Because you always hear the temple of Solomon.
Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) and the Temple
Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) and this is now about 933 years before Isa (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) so 933 years before Christ, Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) comes into Jerusalem. And Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه - radi Allahu anhu) said he built about 40 masjids, so it wasn't just Masjid al-Aqsa, he builds about 40 masjids throughout the earth.
And as he builds Masjid al-Aqsa - and I want you guys to realize so I'm just going to clear this from now - Masjid al-Aqsa is that entire rectangle, that entire sanctuary. It is humongous. That is actually all Masjid al- Aqsa. The dome of the rock is the center of it. So that entire compound is Masjid al-Aqsa.
So Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) builds that all out, the original temple of Solomon, what's known as the temple of Solomon, right? The first time that Masjid al-Aqsa would be built in that caliber. He builds it throughout. The Old Testament has a lot of detail about how lavish and how elaborate the Masjid was when Sulaiman built it, but we don't know if it's actually true or not. But the point is that Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) builds this Masjid throughout and he invests his heart into it.
Sulaiman's Three Du'as
And the Prophet ﷺ says he does something very beautiful at the end of it. Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) when he built Masjid al-Aqsa, Rasulullah ﷺ said he asked Allah for three things, he made du'a for three things.
The first one:
He asked Allah for sound judgment, judgment that was in harmony with his judgment.
(Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith 1180)
He asked Allah for a kingdom that was customized, that would not be replicated by anyone after him, a special kingdom, domination.
Then he asked Allah for a third thing and listen to this:
He asked Allah that whoever comes to this masjid seeking nothing but prayer, seeking nothing but the pleasure of Allah, meaning the only intention they came was just to pray in this masjid, except that they would leave from that salat purified from sin the way that their mother gave birth to them.
That's the reward of hajj, right? Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) asked Allah that if anyone comes to Masjid al-Aqsa and prays two rak'ahs or comes with the niyyah of salat, just the niyyah of prayer and nothing else, then let them leave completely purified from sin like the day their mother gave birth to them.
And Rasulullah ﷺ said Allah gave him the first two and I ask Allah that he gives him the third as well. So the Prophet ﷺ basically said ameen to his du'a - may Allah give him the third thing he asked for as well.
Following Sulaiman's Du'a
Abdullah ibn Umar (رضي الله عنه - radi Allahu anhu) who chases after the Prophet's ﷺ sunnah and rewards, Ibn Umar used to go all the way from Medina to Jerusalem just to pray two rak'ahs in Masjid al-Aqsa. And Ibn Umar would not even drink a cup of water from Jerusalem just so he doesn't break that niyyah, just so he doesn't break that intention that I'm only going there for salat, just to fulfill that du'a of Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) that the Prophet ﷺ approved.
The Destruction and Satanic Movements
So Sulaiman builds Masjid al-Aqsa about 930 years before Isa (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam). He establishes it and you have all sorts of legends and movements and things tied to this Temple of Solomon. So I'm not going to go into detail now but the Freemasonry movement for example ties itself to the Temple of Solomon. The
Kabbalah movement ties itself to the Temple of Solomon. Sorcerers tied themselves to the Temple of Solomon.
Why? Because the accusation is that Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) used jinn and used magic to control his kingdom and he hid these tablets under his throne. And when he died the shayateen they went and retrieved these tablets and they realized how Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) was really running his kingdom.
So you have all these satanic movements that attach themselves to the Temple of Solomon. And Allah says in the Quran:
That Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) did not disbelieve, it was the shayateen that disbelieved - the shayateen that led people to connect themselves to Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) in such a wicked way.
So you have all these movements associated to Temple Mount. Even again the Zionist claim to Masjid al- Aqsa is Temple Mount - that this is the Temple of Solomon, that Masjid al-Aqsa, the Dome of the Rock is built on top of the Temple of Solomon and we have to get it back. It's all tied to the Temple of Solomon.
The Cycle of Destruction and Rebuilding
Now what happens after Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam)? He dies, they become wicked once again and when they become wicked Allah brings about the destruction of the Temple of Solomon. The first destruction of the Temple of Sulaiman (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam),and that's in the 6th century before Christ, so about 590 years before Isa (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam)
The Babylonians invade Jerusalem and they destroy the masjid altogether. And then Allah sends them prophets and brings them back and Allah gives them another chance. So they go back to Jerusalem. Bani Israel is given another chance at Jerusalem, and in the year 352 before Christ they establish the second temple.
So this is the second time they're building the Temple of Sulaiman or the masjid at that time. And in this time you've got to understand that for the next 400 years, think about what happens in Masjid al-Aqsa.
The 400 Years of Prophets
Zakariya (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) makes du'a in Masjid al-Aqsa for Yahya (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) and Allah grants him Yahya (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam). It's a blessed place to make du'a. So Zakariya makes du'a in Masjid al-Aqsa for a son in his old age and Allah grants him Yahya (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam)
This is the same masjid where Maryam (عليه السلام - alayhis-salam) was tucked away in her mihrab, in her own dedicated space of worship, where she would worship Allah and Allah would send all sorts of miracles to her.
This is the same masjid that Yahya (John the Baptist( (عليه السلام) gave khutbah in. All of this happens in the next 400 years. And of course Isa (عليه السلام), this is the place of the preaching of Jesus ﷺ.
Now what happens? Bani Israel tries to kill all of them, right? Kills the prophets, fights against them. Allah destroys their temple once again. When they killed Yahya (عليه السلام) Allah promised them the destruction of the temple. So 70 years after Isa (عليه السلام) the temple is destroyed once again.
Christian Rule and Persecution
Now that history background is to basically put you in the mood now for what the Prophet ﷺ is encountering. Historically speaking, in the year 312, Christianity expels Jews. Constantine and the Christians expelled the Jewish people from Jerusalem all together and they made it illegal for the Jews to live in Jerusalem for hundreds of years, all the way until Umar ibn al-Khattab.
So the Christians would expel the Jews at that time and obviously there was enmity between them. And for 300 plus years they would not be allowed to enter into Jerusalem due to that persecution. And they persecuted the Jews anywhere they found them and there were Jewish revolts and rebellions in different parts of the world.
But there is a war that's taking place between the Christians and the Jews pretty much around the world.
The Prophet's Birth and the Light
Now let's get to the Prophet ﷺ. When the Prophet ﷺ was born, he says that, because it starts from his birth, that a light came from the stomach of his mother. When the Prophet ﷺ was born there was a noor that came out of Amina and what did it light up?
The Prophet ﷺ said it showed (بُصْرَى مِنْ أَرْضِ الشام) - it showed Busra from the land of ash-Sham. And Busra is modern day Dara'a - may Allah make it easy for those people, they are one of the most persecuted groups of people in Syria.
So the Prophet ﷺ, the light comes out as he's being born and it highlights the palaces that were in Busra at the time. And (أَرْض الشام) the land of ash-Sham is Palestine, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. That entire area is ash-Sham and it was the most prosperous place in the world. It's where the Romans resided.
And as the Prophet ﷺ was being born, before he says a word, Allah is showing that this part of the world will come to the Prophet ﷺ, that his message will reach this part of the world. And Busra subhanAllah just out of prophecy, Busra was the very first city that was conquered by the Muslims from ash-Sham.
The very first city that came to the Muslims. Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) he cried when Busra came to the Muslims because he remembered what the Prophet ﷺ said - that that's what lit up when he was born.
The Prophet's Qibla
The Prophet ﷺ, as he becomes a messenger of God, he's commanded to pray towards Masjid al-Aqsa though he's never been to Jerusalem. Now you think the Prophet ﷺ was standing in the haram in Mecca and turning his back to it? No, he would place himself in a way that the Ka'bah was in front of him while he was still facing towards Masjid al-Aqsa.
So he always prayed towards Masjid al-Aqsa in his qiyam al-layl, in his night prayer, in his daily devotions, in the morning and evening prayers that Allah legislated. The Prophet ﷺ faces Masjid al-Aqsa.
The Vision of the Quran
And then you have another interesting hadith, and this is all in Mecca now. The Prophet ﷺ says that as I was sleeping I saw the light of (عَمُودِ الْكِتَاب) and (عَمُودِ الْكِتَابِ) is the pillar of the book, meaning I saw the light of the Quran coming from under my pillow.
And he said that light travelled and my eyesight followed that light until it reached Al-Sham and the pillar was established there. So the Prophet ﷺ sees the light of the Quran coming from under his pillow and his sight follows until Al-Sham and it's placed in the middle of Al-Sham.
And the Prophet ﷺ says:
(Musnad Ahmad Hadith 22473)
He said, "Verily iman, when there are times of fitna, trials and tribulation, you will always find iman in Al- Sham. You'll always find the people holding on to their faith in Al-Sham." That Allah would establish the religion in that area, he would establish the religion in Al-Sham.
Al-Isra wal-Mi'raj
Now comes the journey obviously of Al-Isra Al-Mi'raj, and this is where the Prophet ﷺ is going to see Masjid al-Aqsa for the first time. Now you have to understand that the Prophet ﷺ as he's there, he is sleeping in the hijr of the Ka'bah. Just imagine this sight - he's asleep in the hijr of the Ka'bah, you know the semi-circle in the Ka'bah, he's actually sleeping inside of there.
And Jibreel (عليه السلام) comes to the Prophet ﷺ, and he opens the heart, he opens the chest of the Prophet ﷺ, and he takes the heart of the Prophet ﷺ, and he pours inside of it (الْإِيمَانَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ) faith and wisdom, reassuring the heart of the Prophet ﷺ.
And he's about to take the Prophet ﷺ on this amazing journey, and it's not just a spiritual journey. In fact Allah says:
Obviously سُبْحَانَ here, some of the Mufassireen they said, that's the first proof that this was a physical journey. Right? Because subhan is used in amazement that Allah took his servant in one night from al- Masjid al-Haram in Mecca to al-Masjid al-Aqsa where Allah blessed it and as well as its surroundings.
And Allah then took the Prophet ﷺ and allowed him to ascend where he would be shown the signs of Allah. A physical journey and spiritual journey of the Prophet ﷺ from Masjid al-Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa.
Ibn Abbas on Jerusalem
And Ibn Abbas (رضي الله تعالى عنه) says about Masjid al-Aqsa: Why does Allah say (بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ) - "We've blessed everything around it as well"? Because Ibn Abbas says there is not an inch in the entire city of Jerusalem except that an angel has stood there or a prophet has prayed there or a prophet is buried there. Not a single inch in al-Quds, in Jerusalem, except that an angel or a prophet stood in that area.
Al-Buraq
And Allah is going to take the Prophet ﷺ to that place and Jibreel (عليه السلام) brings al-Buraq. Right? And al-Buraq - I know you know if you've seen those Persian drawings and stuff like that, al-Buraq is this - he's not, it's not a pony, it's not this animal with wings. All right? There's no winged horse. There's no pony. There's nothing. It's not what you see in those drawings.
It is an animal that the Prophet ﷺ says that is so fast that with every - it's a regular animal but with every stride it is to the end of your eyesight. So every time Buraq takes a step it is to the end of your eyesight. That's how fast it is.
And this is Allah who created cheetahs as well as turtles, right? Allah can create whatever animal he wants and Allah can give them whatever speed he wants. You're not gonna say well that doesn't make sense because well, how does a cheetah speed make sense, right? How does a hummingbird speed make sense? It doesn't make sense. Of course, it doesn't make sense. But that's the amazement of the creation of Allah.
The Journey to Jerusalem
And Jibreel (عليه السلام) when he brought al-Buraq forward for the Prophet ﷺ to ride on, Al-Buraq got anxious and Jibreel (عليه السلام) he calmed al-Buraq down. He said there has never been a more honorable man that has ridden on top of [al-Buraq].
And the ulama say that that's a proof that other prophets have ridden, have been on al-Buraq as well. And some of the scholars say it was the animal that Ibrahim (عليه السلام) took from Jerusalem to Mecca when Ibrahim (عليه السلام) came for hajj.
So now the Prophet ﷺ is going from Mecca to Jerusalem. Allah alam, it could be the same animal but even if it's not it's still an animal that has had other prophets on it as well.
And the Prophet ﷺ as he travels upon al-Buraq with Jibreel (عليه السلام) - you have to realize Allah could have taken the Messenger ﷺ directly to the heavens. He didn't need to go to Jerusalem, right? If there wasn't something special about Jerusalem, why didn't Allah just take him immediately to the heavens? But there is something about Al-Quds. There's something about Jerusalem.
Entering Masjid al-Aqsa
The Prophet ﷺ says:
(Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith 3207)
He said when we got to Bayt al-Maqdis, when we got to Jerusalem, he said Jibreel (عليه السلام) he simply pointed at the wall. He pointed at the wall. (فَخَرَقَ بِهِ الْحَجَرَ وَشَدَّ بِهِ الْبُرَاق) - when Jibreel just pointed at the wall it splits and he tied the Buraq to it.
SubhanAllah. And it's an authentic hadith, subhanAllah that the Prophet ﷺ is witnessing these amazing things with Jibreel (عليه السلام)
Leading the Prophets in Prayer
And then Jibreel (عليه السلام) took the Prophet ﷺ inside Masjid al-Aqsa. Now according to the strongest narration, first the Prophet ﷺ prayed two rak'ahs by himself. He enters into Masjid al-Aqsa and he prays two rak'ahs by himself.
Then the Prophet ﷺ says: (رَفَعْتُ رَأسي) - I raised my head. And I saw all of the prophets of Allah gathered for me, standing there waiting for salah. And you imagine he raises his head, and he sees Ibrahim (عليه السلام) standing there. He sees Adam (عليه السلام) there. He says he sees Sulaiman (عليه السلام) who built it. He sees Musa (عليه السلام) standing in Masjid al-Aqsa who didn't have the opportunity in his lifetime to be in that land.
And they're all waiting for the Prophet ﷺ to take his place to lead them in salah. And the Prophet ﷺ, he was shy so he says: (فَقَدَّمَنِي جِبْرِيلٌ حَتَّى أَمَمْتُهُمْ) - so Jibreel took my hand and he put me in front of them until I led them in salah.
SubhanAllah he led all of these prophets. And this is the only time that all of the prophets have been gathered in salah, the only place where this has ever happened, and it was there.
The Test of Wine and Milk
That Jibreel (عليه السلام) presented the Prophet ﷺ with a glass of wine and a glass of milk and gave him the choice. And the Prophet ﷺ chose he chose milk, to which Jibreel (عليه السلام) commented:
(Sahih Muslim Hadith 164)
"Alhamdulillah, Allah guided you to your natural goodness. If you would have taken the wine your ummah would have gone astray."
He says: (ثُمَّ عَرَجَ بِي جِبْرِيلٌ) - then Jibreel ascended with me. So then it was from that place that they started to ascend to Allah.
The Prophet's Return and Interrogation
Now when the Prophet ﷺ came back to Mecca, this is a beautiful narration. He says that:
(Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith 3886)
The Prophet ﷺ said I remember standing in al-hijr, the same place where he was taken on that journey. And he says: (وَقُرَيْشٍ تَسْأَلْنِي عَنْ مَسْرَايَ) - and Quraysh came and started to interrogate me and they started to ask me about my ascension.
He says: (فَسَأَلُونِي عَنْ أَشْيَاءَ مِنْ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ لَمْ أَثْبِتْهَا) - they started to ask me for such little details about Jerusalem, about Masjid al-Aqsa and about that area and I was having a hard time recalling. Why? I mean there was a lot going on on that night. You know the Prophet ﷺ was not going to notice all the little details about where this was and where that was. He was kind of occupied by the sight of all those prophets of Allah and all the other amazing things that were happening.
So the Prophet ﷺ says I was standing there. He says: (فَقْرِبْتُ قُرْبَانًا مَا قُرِبْتُ مِثْلَهُ قَطٌ) - he said I was struck by anxiety that I had never been struck by before. The Prophet ﷺ got nervous. He got vexed. He started to sweat. He didn't know what he was going to do.
He explained to them the basics. He explained to them the things he saw on the way. But they're asking him for like locations of doors and locations of this and this and this and that. And listen to what he says. As he's standing in front of the Ka'bah, he says:
Allah raised Jerusalem, al-Quds in front of me. Allah put the image of al-Quds in front of him and I'm looking at it. (مَا يَسْأَلُونِي عَنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا أَنْبَأْتُهُمْ بِهِ) - they asked me about anything about Jerusalem I was able to tell them what was there and I'm looking at it.
Allah raised al-Quds in front of the sight of the Prophet ﷺ and he answered the most detailed questions about Jerusalem, making the people that were taunting him look pretty silly. The idea was to humiliate the Prophet ﷺ but he's telling them about these smallest details of al-Quds and Allah is showing it to him as he's standing in front of the Ka'bah.
The Qibla Change
SubhanAllah, then they make their way to the hijrah and they go towards Medina. Now when they reached Medina they would worship towards Masjid Al-Aqsa. Al-Aqsa was still their Qibla for about 16 or 17 months. The Sahaba say it was 16 or 17 months that we continued to pray towards Masjid Al-Aqsa.
Al-Bara' (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ) says when we got to Medina, one of the signs - and this is actually something very beautiful and powerful - one of the signs to the people of the book that this was indeed the messenger of Allah was that he was facing towards Jerusalem. They knew that this wasn't something that was made up.
They were shocked by that. You know the Jews in Medina were shocked that the Prophet ﷺ was facing in the direction of their sacred temple, of Masjid Al-Aqsa, their sacred space as well. To them that was a sign that this was indeed the messenger of Allah. So they were very pleased by that and they were very taken aback by that, that this new religion is really not a new religion at all. They're facing towards the same direction as us when they pray.
Now for 16-17 months that's what they were doing. Then as they were praying in the middle of Salat al- Dhuhr in Masjid Banu Salimah, they're in the middle of Dhuhr, Allah reveals the change towards Al-Masjid Al-Haram in Mecca.
So that's why it's called now (مَسْجِدُ الْقِبْلَتَيْنِ) - the masjid of the two Qiblahs - because they switched their direction from Jerusalem towards the Ka'bah, towards Masjid Al-Haram. And the first Salah that was prayed in full towards Masjid Al-Haram was Salat al-Asr in the masjid of the Prophet ﷺ in Masjid Nabawi.
The Companions' Concern
Now the Sahaba when that happened, they went out and they started calling to all these little groups of Muslims: stop praying towards Al-Aqsa, start praying towards Mecca and so on and so forth. But then they got nervous. They came to the Prophet ﷺ. They said: "Ya Rasulullah, what about those people that died that used to pray towards Masjid Al-Aqsa? What about all of our prayers that we used to do towards Masjid Al-Aqsa? Is all of that gone?"
So the Prophet ﷺ he asked Jibreel (عليه السلام) or he brought the concern to Jibreel (عليه السلام). Jibreel came back with an ayah of Quran in Surah Al-Baqarah:
"Allah will not let your faith or your prayers go to waste." All the good that you've done, Allah has documented it and recorded it.
Why Two Qiblas?
Now the question becomes: Why didn't Allah just make the Qibla the Ka'bah in the first place? And there is a lot of wisdom in that that the scholars mentioned.
Number one, that the Prophet ﷺ is the only Prophet of Allah that has ever prayed towards both Qiblas and this is a sign that he is the messenger of all of mankind, the seal of the prophets, be they from the lineage of Ishaq or from Ismail (عليه السلام) from Bani Israel or from the Arabs. Whoever it is, the Prophet ﷺ is the final messenger and he combines all of that within him subhanAllah.
He's the fulfillment of the dream of his father Ibrahim (عليه السلام) from both directions, in both ways. So he prays towards both Qiblas that were established by his father Ibrahim (عليه السلام). And that was an honor for the Prophet ﷺ. It's the ultimate fulfillment that Allah combined it within him.
Anas ibn Malik's Distinction
You know the companions after the Prophet ﷺ passed away, they could have described themselves with many descriptions. And this is something that was subtle but it struck me at least and I don't know if there's something there and if I'm just digging too deep into it. But it really struck me.
And it's Anas (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ) and he lived a very long life. He lived longer than most of the companions. He was a kid when the Prophet ﷺ came to Medina. He served the Messenger ﷺ.
Then he lived for a very very long time. Many people are tabi'een because of Anas, like that's the only companion they got to meet, right? Because he lives so long.
Anas (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ) described himself in his old age. He says that : (لَا يَبْقَى مِنْ مَنْ صَلَّى الْقِبْلَتَيْنِ غَيْرِي) - there is no one alive on the face of the earth today who had the honor of praying towards both Qiblas except for me.
He could have described himself in many ways. He could have said no one from the Ansar who initially received the Prophet ﷺ is still alive. No one from those who made hijrah or received... you know, whatever it is. But he chose to distinguish himself by being amongst those that Allah honored to have been able to pray towards Masjid al-Aqsa as well as Masjid al-Haram.
The Continued Connection
Now, even though the Qibla was changed - and this is the most beautiful part of this - and by the way I'm gonna tell you guys this from now because when you start dozing off and sleeping, the very last narration
that I'm gonna share with you in this class will give you goosebumps. It gives me goosebumps at all. So that's for everyone that's on the webcast. Don't you dare leave right now because the very last narration brings this all together.
The fact of the matter is that when the Qibla changed towards Masjid al-Haram, there was still a deep connection that the companions had towards Masjid al-Aqsa. And there are so many narrations where the Sahaba are still connecting themselves to it at the order of the Prophet ﷺ.
This was an attitude. They still loved it.
The Three Sacred Masjids
Now, obviously you have the technical part. The Prophet ﷺ says:
(Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith 1189)
"There are only three masjids in Islam that you should undertake a journey to: either Masjid al-Haram or Masjid al-Nabawi or Masjid al-Aqsa."
These are the only three masjids that you should make a point to travel and undertake a journey to go to.
The Reward of Prayer
But there's actually a few interesting ahadith. Abu Dharr (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ) says that one time we were sitting and he says:
We were wondering which one of these masjids is better: Masjid al-Aqsa or the masjid of the Prophet ﷺ. Which one's better?
So the Prophet ﷺ says:
"Listen, praying in my masjid from a rewards perspective - salah in my masjid is four times [the reward of] praying in Masjid al-Aqsa."
Right? From a salah perspective, but then the Prophet ﷺ continued and he says:
(Musnad Ahmad Hadith 21846
He said: "But what a beautiful and blessed place it is to pray. And it's going to be a very long time where we're going to be deprived from Masjid al-Aqsa, that this is going to be a situation that many Muslims will be in. What a beautiful and blessed masjid it is. He said there will come a time that it would be more beloved to a person to just have a space that occupies a piece of land that occupies the same amount of space that his saddle would occupy - right, just his rope, the thing that he ties his horse with - just to have that small piece of land to where he can look at Masjid al-Aqsa."
And the Prophet ﷺ says: "And that would be better for him than the entire dunya and that which is in it. That to just have that small piece of land - subhanAllah this is blessed land - to just have that small piece of land, not where he can pray in Masjid al-Aqsa, that he can just look at it, would be more beloved to him than having the entire world and everything in it."
The Prophet ﷺ is basically validating our emotions that the Muslims would be barred from it but they would love it so much that that would be their dream. They're living in palaces and mansions around the world but they're still crying at night because they want to be able to see Masjid al-Aqsa. They want that opportunity to be able to go to Masjid al-Aqsa. That this is the heart of the believer.
Making Vows for Al-Aqsa
So that significance still stayed with the companions to the point that they used to make oaths that they would pray in Masjid al-Aqsa. There are various hadith in that regard.
Ibn Abbas said that once a woman fell sick and she said if Allah gives me a cure I will certainly go pray in Masjid al-Aqsa. I'm gonna make it a point to go pray in Masjid al-Aqsa.
And when she recovered she started to make her preparations to go out to Masjid al-Aqsa. Now at that time it's a place of war. Persians and Romans killing each other. It's not safe for a woman to go make her way. It's not safe for anyone to go make their way to Masjid al-Aqsa.
But she was about to leave and Maymunah, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, she found out and she told the Prophet ﷺ. And the Prophet ﷺ says that you can pray here instead. That prayer here is a thousand times better than any other masjid in the world except for Masjid al-Aqsa. So just pray here instead.
(Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 2033
So just pray here instead. The Prophet ﷺ wanted to make it easy for her, but this was her desire. This is how the companions felt about Masjid al-Aqsa.
The Oath at the Conquest of Mecca
In fact, imagine if you were there on the conquest of Mecca now. These people came from Mecca, they were run out of Mecca and Masjid al-Haram is there. From a spiritual perspective it's superior, from an emotional perspective this is home, right? There's so much to connect them to Masjid al-Haram.
But when they got to Mecca, as the Prophet ﷺ got there, a man stood up and he says:
(Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 3305
He said: "Ya Rasul Allah, I made an oath to Allah that if Allah ever gives us back, if he opens Masjid al- Haram for us, then I'm gonna go pray two rak'ahs in Masjid al-Aqsa."
The Prophet told him : (صلّهَا هُنَا) - just pray here. And he said: "Ya Rasul Allah, I want to go pray Masjid al-Aqsa."
So the Prophet ﷺ he told him you can pray right here. Then he said: (شَأْنُكَ إِذَنْ) - just do what you want. The burden is on you then. You made an oath to Allah. You have to do it, but that was their connection, right? That's what the Prophet ﷺ fostered inside of them as far as the love for Masjid al-Aqsa was concerned.
The Beautiful Hadith About Sending Oil
And you have a weak hadith here, but I want to mention it just to show you something. All right? There's a weaker hadith from Umm Salamah (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا) in Abu Dawood that the Prophet ﷺ says:
(Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 1741
"Whoever puts on Ihram from Jerusalem and makes his way to Hajj or Umrah will be forgiven for all of his sins and jannah is guaranteed for him."
Now the hadith is not the strongest. In fact Abu Dawood narrates the hadith and he says it's not the strongest, but he says may Allah have mercy on Waqi' ibn Jarrah. Waqi' is the teacher of three of the four Imams. So may Allah have mercy on him.
He went all the way to Masjid al-Aqsa. He put on his Ihram and he made Umrah from Masjid al-Aqsa all the way to Mecca, all the way to the Ka'bah. And Allah a'lam if this is again the route of Ibrahim (عليه السلام), right?
So it's not a sunnah.