Al-Aqsa: The first Qibla of Muslims
Dr. Muhammad Mahtab Hossain Mazed :
Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest mosque of Muslims, is located in Jerusalem, the most beautiful and ancient city of Palestine, the most blessed and memorable place in the world.
It is the first Qibla of the Muslim nation and the lifeblood of all Muslims on the earth.
It is imperative for all Muslims to recover any Muslim territory occupied by others. But the place where the first Qibla of Islam is situated is also important for others.
Jews and Christians have been claiming this place in Jerusalem as their holy place.
After the war with the Arabs in 1967, the mosque was occupied by Israel. Since then, the ordinary worshipers of Palestine have to look at the will of the occupying forces to worship in the mosque.
After the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, the holiest site for Muslims is the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The mosque was rebuilt in 1004 BC by Hazrat Sulaiman (AS).
After that it was renovated several times. The mosque with two big and 10 small domes reveals a fascinating reflection of architectural style.
Various precious metals and stones including marble, gold were used in the renovation of the mosque at different times.
Historically, Al-Aqsa Mosque is the holy place of Muslims. Even then, UNESCO has declared it as a holy place for Muslims.
In 1948, the Jewish state of Israel was established by illegally occupying Palestinian land.
Following this, in the 1967 war with the Arabs, the country captured Al-Aqsa Mosque. Since then it has been controlled by the occupying forces.
Al-Aqsa was completely closed by Israel after the Arab-Israeli war. Occupiers even set fire to the Holy Mosque in 1969.
After that, ordinary worshipers would get the opportunity to worship there by fulfilling various restrictions and conditions.
However, the occupying Israeli forces closed Al-Aqsa Mosque to Palestinians several times under various pretexts.
In 2003, Israel allowed illegal Jewish settlers in Jerusalem to enter Al-Aqsa.
Since then the crisis has intensified. At various times the Jews entered inside the mosque and attacked the Muslims.
The site is known to Jews as the Temple Mount. They claim that their two ancient temples are under it. On the other hand, Christians have also been claiming the Al-Aqsa Mosque as their holy place.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is enshrined in the memory of many Prophets and Messengers, and there are still many tombs of Prophets and Messengers in its vicinity. The history of the establishment of Al-Aqsa Mosque is unknown to many.
The establishment of Baitul Muqaddas
After 40 years of the construction of the Holy Kaaba, Hazrat Yaqub (AS), the grandson of the father of the Muslim nation Hazrat Ibrahim (AS), constructed Al-Aqsa Mosque in the historic city of Jerusalem. Then Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) rebuilt this holy mosque.
After the advent of Islam, it came under the control of Muslims in 638 AD, a few years after the death of the Prophet Mahammad (PBUH). During the early period of Islam, this mosque was used as the Qabalah of Muslims for some days.
15 July 1099 is a painful day for Islam and Muslims. On that day, the Christian crusader army under the umbrella of incompetent Muslim rulers occupied all of Syria and Palestine.
After that, many heart-wrenching incidents happened which are very painful for Islam and Muslims.
On June 7, 1099, these Christians first besieged the Baitul Muqaddas or Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem and entered the mosque on July 15 and made extensive changes. Then they turned this holy a church.
During the reign of the Fatimid Caliphate, the general Hazrat Salahuddin Ayyubi arrived in Egypt as the governor and army chief at the behest of the Caliph. On September 20, 1187 AD, he captured the entire historical city of Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
On 2 October 1187 AD, the commander and governor Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi formally entered Baitul Muqaddas in triumph.
After the liberation of Baitul Muqaddas by Salahuddin Ayyubi, Muslims in Jerusalem were free from the persecution of Christians for almost a century.
Currently, Al-Aqsa Mosque refers to the combination of Qibla Mosque, Marwani Mosque and Burak Mosque, which is located within the four walls of the ‘Haram Ash Sharif’.
The second Caliph of Islam Hazrat Umar built a mosque on the site of the present mosque. The mosque was later rebuilt and expanded during the reign of the Umayyad Caliph Abdul Malik.
This reform was completed in 705 AD during the reign of his son Caliph Al Walid I.
When the mosque was destroyed by an earthquake in 746 AD, it was rebuilt by the Abbasid Caliph Al Mansur. Later his successor Al Mahdi rebuilt it.
When the mosque was damaged by another earthquake in 1033 AD, the Fatimid Caliph Ali Zahir rebuilt the mosque, which has survived to this day.
Additional parts were added to the mosque during different rulers. These include domes, courtyards, pulpits, mihrabs, internal structures.
Although Jerusalem is currently under the control of the occupying Israelis, the mosque is under the supervision of the Jordanian/Palestinian-led Islamic Waqf. Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) and Musa (AS) are lying here as well as numerous other prophets and messengers.
Under the leadership of Salahuddin Ayyubi, Israel’s neighbouring countries Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and other Muslim countries should come forward to protect this historic mosque.
(The writer is Founder and Chairman, Jatiya Rogi Kallyan Society.)
