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Sacredness and Sanctity of Aqsa
7-26-2017
Palestine in general, and Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Masjid have always been prominent in Islamic thought throughout its history. This has been due to several factors and reasons.
Sacredness and Sanctity of Aqsa
Its sanctity is matched only by Makkah and Madinah. In the Qur’an there are many verses implying that the Land of Palestine, the city of Jerusalem, the entire environs are set apart as blessed, as they have received special divine blessings. The land around Masjid Al-Aqsa is referred to 70 times as the blessed land in the Qur’an amongst which are the following verses:
•“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 – in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: He is the One Who hears and sees (all things).” (Surah Bani Isra’il or Surat al-Isra’, 17:1) Thus, Ibn Abbas Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu states that “whose precincts we have blessed” refers to Palestine and Jordan.
•[Musa said:] “O my people! Enter the holy land which God has assigned you, and turn not back ignominiously, for then you will be overthrown, to your own ruin.” (Surah al-Maidah, 5:23) The ‘holy land which Allah has assigned you’ is thus clearly the land of Palestine. Ibn Abbas, however, takes it more restrictively as referring to Jerusalem and the surrounding area.
•“By the fig and the olive, and the Mount of Sinai, and this secure city. We have indeed created man in the best of moulds.” (Surah at-Tin, 95:1-4) Qatadah interprets the fig and the olive as a figurative expression for Jerusalem. There seems to be little doubt that the ‘City of Security’ is Makkah. Mount Sinai is also a place, the place where the Tawrah was given to Musa Alayhis-Salâm. This might suggest that the opening elements of the adjuration also should refer to a place or places where revelation was given, i.e. Jerusalem
•We made the son of Maryam and his mother a Sign: We gave them both shelter on high ground, affording rest and security and furnished with springs.” (Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:50) In the parallel passage in Surah Maryam, 19:22, the ‘high ground’ [rabwah] is called ‘a remote place’. Ad-Dahhak and Qatadah both maintain that it is al Quds.
•The niche [mihrab] of Zakariyya mentioned in the Qur’an (Chapter 3, Verse 37) is also in Jerusalem.
•The place where Hadrat Maryam was devoted to the service of Allah by her parents as per their dedication at the time of her conception was Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. (Surah al-Imran, 3:5 and Surah Maryam 19:16)
These are just a few examples amongst many of the sacredness of Palestine in the Qur’an.
Ahadith
•Virtues of praying in Masjid Al Aqsa are exalted. Up to 500 times more virtuous than any Masajid other than Baitullah and Masjid Nabawi Sallallâhu ‚alayhi wasallam (Hadith: Abu Darda; Al Bukhari). Also it is a Masjid where specific travel could be made to.
•Second Masjid to be established on Earth. (Hadith: Abu Dhar -Sahih Muslim)
•He who performs Hajj and Umrah from Masjid Al-Aqsa, Allah will forgive his past minor sins. (Mishqat)
•It is the first Qiblah of Muslims.
•The incident of Mir’aj has further linked Masjid al Aqsa to the hearts and minds of Muslims
•Maimunah bint Sa’d Radhi-Allâhu ‘anha asked the Prophet Sallallâhu ‚alayhi wasallam, ‘Tell us about Bait al-Maqdis.’ He said, ‘It is the land of gathering and resurrection. Go there and offer prayer. Your prayer will be considered as a thousand prayers.’ She asked, ‘What if we cannot go there, or if there is nothing to carry us there?’ He said, ‘You should send some oil as a gift for its lamps, for whosever offers a gift to it will have the reward of offering prayer there.’ (Abu Dawud)
Thus due to these teachings throughout Islamic History, there was a profound attachment to this holy land starting from the time ‘Umar Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu when he rode triumphantly into Al-Quds. He entered Jerusalem on foot without bloodshed and massacre.
It is related that ‘Umar Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu asked Sophronius, the city patriarch, to take him to the sanctuary of David as soon as he was through writing the terms of surrender. They were joined by four thousand Companions of the Prophet Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhum.
When they reached the area of the Noble Sanctuary they found it covered in rubbish. ‘Umar Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu proceeded to the west of the sanctuary and unfurled his cloak. He filled it with debris. Those with him did likewise. They disposed of it and returned again and again, until the whole area where Al-Aqsa Mosque now stands was cleared. The rock was uncovered and the ground purified. A huge timber Masjid which held three thousand worshipers was erected on this site, the site of the present day Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The entire area of the Haram ash-Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary, included more than 35 acres. The great rock is the site of the ascension of the Prophet Sallallâhu ‚alayhi wasallam to heaven on the Night Journey and the direction of the first Qiblah. It lays in the centre.
Fifty years later, near the end of the 7th century, it was given to the Umayyad Khalifa, Abdul Malik ibn Marwan, to construct one of the world’s most beautiful and enduring shrines over the rock itself. Highlighting the skyline of Jerusalem, and the memories of all those who visit the sanctuary. The Dome of the Rock is a tribute to the Muslims’ love and respect for this site. In the later years, to underline this love and respect, Suleiman the Magnificent consolidated his domain into the greatest world power of the 16th century. Drawing on his tremendous resources, he restored and renewed all of Jerusalem, building walls, gates, towers, and aqueducts.
His most remembered gift to Jerusalem, however, was the breathtakingly beautiful tile work commissioned for the exterior of the Dome of the Rock. With the incomparable skills of Persia’s master ceramists, 40,000 tiles were fired and put into place, crowned by the inscription of Suratul Ya-Sin at the top. The brilliant application of exquisite aesthetics to celebrate the message of God has made the Dome of the Rock a world landmark in sacred architecture.
The Noble Sanctuary due to the above facts, became a great centre of learning; scholars came from all over the world to worship at Al-Aqsa and to study and teach within its precincts.
Other Points of Distinction
•After ‘Umar ibn Khatab Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu signed an agreement, he refused to distribute the land amongst the Muslim soldiers and declared it an Islamic endowment [waqf] for the benefit of future generations. Waqf, by definition, is a property that belongs to Allah until the Day of Qiyamah. Islamic literature is filled with references to Palestine as an Islamic trust or endowment.
•Approximately four thousand sahabah are buried in this sacred land.
•Imam Ghazali wrote his Ihya Ulum-Din in the precincts of Masjid Al Aqsa. Imam Shafi, the famous Muslim jurist hails from Gaza in Palestine.
•This attachment did not diminish even in times of ease and adversity. When the crusaders entered Al-Quds, with the accompanying bloodshed that characterized their invasion, it did not dim people’s attachment to the Holy Land. Nurudin, the able and righteous ruler of Aleppo at such a juncture, commissioned master craftsmen to build an extraordinary mimbar made from cedarwood which he resolved to install in Al-Aqsa the day the crusaders were expelled from Al-Quds and forty years after it was commissioned, it was put in place. On June 21, 1969, an Australian born terrorist, Dennis Michael Nohan, set this unique mihrab on fire, though it was later partially restored.
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