{"id":2727,"date":"2021-02-24T16:18:42","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T16:18:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alqudsmalaysia-001-site4.itempurl.com\/?p=2727"},"modified":"2022-06-10T07:51:47","modified_gmt":"2022-06-10T07:51:47","slug":"the-early-history-and-establishment-of-al-aqsa-mosque","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.aqsapedia.net\/staging\/2727","title":{"rendered":"The Early History and Establishment of Al-Aqsa Mosque"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Dr. Sharif Abu Shammala<\/span>
\nCEO of Al-Quds Foundation Malaysia<\/span><\/p>\n

Al-Aqsa mosque is the beginning of saintliness and the blessing center (Al-Baraka)<\/em>, which moved to its surroundings, when the second mosque on earth was built, where Allah is worshipped. The mosque\u2019s history is correlated with\u00a0Masjed Al-Ahram<\/em>\u00a0and witnessed to the movement of the Prophets -peace be upon them- who prayed and worshipped to\u00a0Allah<\/em>\u00a0and conveyed his message from its\u00a0Mihrab\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>(\u0645\u062d\u0631\u0627\u0628)<\/span>. In this article, we will shed the light on specific era of the history of al-Aqsa Mosque, to highlight its most important stations of period from the foundation to the era of the Prophet Jesus (Issa)<\/em>\u00a0(pbuh), taking advantage from the Islamic sources and tracking its references and content, and what the great scholars of the nation included in their works.<\/span><\/p>\n

First Establishment<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is clear in the Prophetic Sunnah that the establishment of al-Aqsa Mosque was after\u00a0Masjed al-Haram<\/em>\u00a0for 40 years. According to the hadith narrated by\u00a0al-Bukhaari<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Muslim<\/em>\u00a0after\u00a0Abu Dharr<\/em>\u00a0(ra) who said: ” I asked the Prophet (pbuh): \u201cO Messenger of Allah, which Masjid was first built on earth”? The Prophet (pbuh) replied, “Masjid Al-Haram”. Abu Dzarr again asked, “Which was next”? The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Masjid Al-Aqsa”. Abu Dzarr further asked, “How long was the period between the building of the two Masjids”? The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Forty years. but the whole earth is a mosque for you, so pray wherever you are when the time for prayer comes”[1]<\/sup><\/a>. This hadith is a base to understand and track the history of al-Aqsa Mosque. As it shows that the construction of al-Aqsa Mosque was shortly after the construction of\u00a0Masjed al-Haram<\/em>, because forty years are short comparing to the earliest human ages, or life on Earth<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the significant matters that is usually discussed while studying the history of the establishment of al-Aqsa Mosque is the identity of its founder. This issue has attracted the attention of Muslim scholars and their investigation, long time ago and recently. In this regard, The Islamic scholar\u00a0Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani<\/em>\u00a0refers to the multiplicity of opinions about that character, \u201cThe first one who built al-Aqsa Mosque was Adam (pbuh), while other narrations said, the Angels or Sam bin Noah (pbuh) or Jacob\u00a0Yaaqub<\/em>\u00a0(pbuh)\u201d But he agrees with\u00a0Ibn al-Jawzi<\/em>,\u00a0Ibn Hisham<\/em>\u00a0and others in their opinion that most probably Adam (pbuh) built al-Aqsa Mosque after\u00a0Masjed al-Haram<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

He says: “The probability mentioned by\u00a0Ibn al-Jawzi<\/em>\u00a0is more accurate, and I found evidences support who said that Adam (pbuh) is the one who founded the two mosques\u201d[2]<\/a>.\u00a0Ibn Hisham<\/em>\u00a0has added more details which strengthen this view, he said; \u201cAfter Adam (pbuh) finished from building the\u00a0Kaaba<\/em>,\u00a0Allah<\/em>\u00a0ordered him to walk to the Holy Land,\u00a0Jibril<\/em>\u00a0showed him how to build\u00a0Bait al-Maqdis<\/em>\u00a0and then he built it\u201d[3]<\/a>. It is important to note that what is meant by\u00a0Bait al-Maqdis<\/em>,\u00a0is al-Aqsa Mosque which was mentioned for the first time by this name at the beginning of\u00a0Surat Al-Isra<\/em>, then Muslims used to call it\u00a0Bait al-Maqdis<\/em>\u00a0in the later eras, and became the name of al-Aqsa mosque. Al-Aqsa Mosque was the nucleus of\u00a0Bait al-Maqdis<\/em>, and the first building in the region exactly like\u00a0Kaaba<\/em>\u00a0which was the first building in its area too[4]<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some people fall into a misunderstanding that may occur regarding the first establishment of al-Aqsa mosque which was built in forty years after\u00a0Masjed al-Haram<\/em>, therefore al-Aqsa Mosque, according to the previous hadith, will be built during or after the era of Abraham\u00a0Ibrahim<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0(pbuh) because he is the one who built the\u00a0Kaaba<\/em>\u00a0as it mentioned in Quran;<\/span><\/p>\n

“\u0648\u064e\u0625\u0650\u0630\u0652 \u064a\u064e\u0631\u0652\u0641\u064e\u0639\u064f \u0625\u0650\u0628\u0652\u0631\u064e\u0627\u0647\u0650\u064a\u0645\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0652\u0642\u064e\u0648\u064e\u0627\u0639\u0650\u062f\u064e \u0645\u0650\u0646\u064e \u0627\u0644\u0652\u0628\u064e\u064a\u0652\u062a\u0650 \u0648\u064e\u0625\u0650\u0633\u0652\u0645\u064e\u0627\u0639\u0650\u064a\u0644\u064f \u0631\u064e\u0628\u0651\u064e\u0646\u064e\u0627 \u062a\u064e\u0642\u064e\u0628\u0651\u064e\u0644\u0652 \u0645\u0650\u0646\u0651\u064e\u0627 \u06d6 \u0625\u0650\u0646\u0651\u064e\u0643\u064e \u0623\u064e\u0646\u0652\u062a\u064e \u0627\u0644\u0633\u0651\u064e\u0645\u0650\u064a\u0639\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0652\u0639\u064e\u0644\u0650\u064a\u0645\u064f”<\/span><\/p>\n

{And remember Abraham and Isma\u2019il raised the foundations of the House (With this prayer): \u201cOur Lord! Accept (this service) from us: For Thou art the All-Hearing, the All-knowing} [\u00a0Al Baqarah: 127].<\/span><\/p>\n

The interpretation of this is that Abraham\u00a0Ibrahim<\/em>\u00a0(pbuh) just renovated\u00a0the\u00a0Kaaba<\/em>\u00a0because the first establishment of the building was in Adam\u2019s era, after the destruction of the first building, which is mentioned by a number of scholars such as;\u00a0al-Tabari<\/em>\u00a0in his\u00a0Tafsir<\/em>,\u00a0al-Razi \u2018al-Tafsir al-Kabir<\/em>\u2019,\u00a0al-Qurtubi “al-Jam\u2019a Ahkam al-Quran” al-Suyooti \u201cSharh sunan al-Nisaei\u201d, al-Beghawi<\/em>, and other scholars. According to\u00a0al-Tabari<\/em>, \u201cThe bases of the mosque were already existed before that. Others said, they were the bases of a house \u201cmosque\u201d that\u00a0Allah<\/em>\u00a0had brought down to Adam from heaven to earth\u201d[5]<\/a>. From the previous texts and opinions of a famous group of scholars and interpreters (mufasserin<\/em>), it is likely that the establishment of al-Aqsa Mosque was by Adam (pbuh).<\/span><\/p>\n

The Shape and Direction of the First Construction of Al-Aqsa Mosque<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The last part of\u00a0Ibn Hisham<\/em>‘s previous quotation ”\u00a0Jibril showed him how to build\u00a0Bait al-Maqdis” is a very important and unique addition to the history of building al-Aqsa Mosque. It confirms that Adam (pbuh) has built al-Aqsa Mosque according to how he was inspired by\u00a0Allah<\/em>\u00a0the Almighty, by\u00a0Jibril<\/em>\u00a0(pbuh).<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most interesting discoveries has been done by the researcher\u00a0Haitham Al-Rutrout<\/em>\u00a0in terms of architecture and history of the honorable\u00a0Kaaba<\/em>\u00a0and al-Aqsa Mosque. He studied the dimensions of\u00a0Kaaba<\/em>\u00a0which was built by Abraham\u00a0\u0625\u0628\u0631\u0627\u0647\u064a\u0645<\/span>\u00a0(pbuh) on the bases that built by Adam (pbuh) based on what\u00a0al-Azraqi<\/em>\u00a0presented in his book \u201cThe History of Mecca\u201d. Based on this study, the plan of\u00a0Kaaba<\/em>\u00a0was determined and the dimensions of al-Aqsa Mosque were studied as they were during the era of the prophets, before the\u00a0Umayyad<\/em>\u00a0expansion (1 Hijri \/ 7 AD) which was northward, based on research and modern archaeological discoveries. He concluded the result of his record as follows:\u00a0\u201cwhen comparing the\u00a0<\/span><\/a>architecture of al-Aqsa Mosque with its counterpart of\u00a0Kaaba<\/em>, the absolute similarity between them is observed through the ratio of their ribs and the degree of its deviation, as well as the angles between these ribs. In short, the result that can be reached through these\u00a0architectural\u00a0comparisons confirms that both al-Aqsa Mosque and\u00a0Kaaba<\/em>\u00a0were built based on the same plan. This may be evidenced by the fact that their plans were founded by one person, or the person who founded them lived for a period of time in the two places and was aware of what they contain\u201d. (See the figure).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The architectural pattern of both the Kaaba during Ibrahim time and al-Aqsa Mosque at the beginning of the 7th century AD<\/span><\/p>\n

The two plans represent both the Kaaba and al-Aqsa Mosque where the similarity between the plans of the two buildings is observed<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Al-Rutrout<\/em>\u00a0reveals in his study of the sites of al-Aqsa Mosque and the\u00a0Kaaba<\/em>\u00a0that the direction of al-Aqsa Mosque was in the same direction of the\u00a0Kaaba<\/em>, meaning that, al-Aqsa Mosque was built towards the\u00a0Qibla<\/em>\u00a0since its first days. This proves that al-Aqsa Mosque was built after\u00a0Masjed al-Haram<\/em>. (See the figure). These important results confirm that the construction of Adam of al-Aqsa mosque was according to very accurate plans\u00a0that exceed the capabilities of human beings at that time, and it must have been according to the\u00a0Allah\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0Almighty will, which confirms the strong historical, structural and religious relationship between the two mosques.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n

[1]<\/a>\u00a0Narrated by Al-Bukhari<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[2]<\/a>\u00a0Ibn Hajar al-Askalani: Fath al-Baari, 6, 408-409.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[3]<\/a>\u00a0(Kitab al-Teejan fi Muliki Bani Hamir: pp. 22-22)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[4]<\/a>\u00a0(Kitab al-Teejan fi Muliki Bani Hamir: pp. 22-22)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[5]<\/a>\u00a0Abdullah Maarouf:\u00a0Almudkhal ila dirasat\u00a0Bait al-Maqdis<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
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Al-Aqsa mosque is the beginning of saintliness and the blessing center (Al-Baraka), which moved to its surroundings, when the second mosque on earth was built, where Allah is worshipped.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2845,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-al-aqsa-in-history"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.aqsapedia.net\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.aqsapedia.net\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.aqsapedia.net\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.aqsapedia.net\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.aqsapedia.net\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging.aqsapedia.net\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2727\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.aqsapedia.net\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.aqsapedia.net\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.aqsapedia.net\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.aqsapedia.net\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}