Prophetic Heritage
I asked, “O Messenger of God!
Which house of worship was
first built on the surface of the earth?”
He replied, “Al-Masjid al-Haram.”
I then asked, “Which was built next?”
He said, “Al-Masjid al-Aqsa.”
I then enquired, “What was the period
between the construction of the two?”
He answered, “Forty years”….
narrated by Abu Dharr
in Sahih al-Bukhari
I asked, “O Messenger of God!
Which house of worship was
first built on the surface of the earth?”
He replied, “Al-Masjid al-Haram.”
I then asked, “Which was built next?”
He said, “Al-Masjid al-Aqsa.”
I then enquired, “What was the period
between the construction of the two?”
He answered, “Forty years”….
narrated by Abu Dharr
in Sahih al-Bukhari
The beauty and tranquility of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Noble Sanctuary in Jerusalem, attracts thousands of visitors of all faiths every year. Many believe it was the site of the Temple of Solomon, peace be upon him, destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE, or the site of Herod’s Temple that was razed to the ground by the Romans in 70 CE. For Muslims the area has a much longer prophetic heritage, dating far back before the times of Jesus, Moses, and Abraham, peace be upon them, and has a special significance as the locus of the Isra’ wa Mi’raj, the Night Journey and Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and as the first qibla (direction of prayer) for Islam.
Say: We believe in God
and that which is revealed unto us
and that which was revealed unto Abraham,
and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes;
and that which Moses and Jesus received,
and that which the prophets received from their Lord.
We make no distinction between any of them,
and unto Him we have surrendered.
Qur’an 2:13
Say: We believe in God
and that which is revealed unto us
and that which was revealed unto Abraham,
and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes;
and that which Moses and Jesus received,
and that which the prophets received from their Lord.
We make no distinction between any of them,
and unto Him we have surrendered.
Qur’an 2:13
The Night Journey & Ascension
al-’Isrā’ wal-Miʿrāj
Glory be to He
Who carried His servant by night,
from the Holy Mosque
to the Furthest Mosque,
the precincts of which
We have blessed.
so that We might show him
some of Our signs.
Surely He is the All-Hearing,
the All-Seeing.
Qur’an 17:1
Glory be to He Who carried His servant by night,
from the Holy Mosque to the Furthest Mosque,
the precincts of which We have blessed.
so that We might show him some of Our signs.
Surely He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.
Qur’an 17:1
IN THE NINTH YEAR of the Prophet’s mission, about 620 CE, Muhammad rose in the middle of the night to visit the Sacred Mosque in Makkah. After a time of worship he fell asleep near the Ka’aba. The angel Gabriel came to him and woke him from his slumber. He led the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to the edge of the sacred Makkan mosque. Awaiting them was al-Buraq, a white winged beast “whose each stride stretched as far as the eye could see”. Muhammad mounted al-Buraq and sped northwards with Gabriel to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the Furthest Mosque.
When they reached Jerusalem the Prophet dismounted and prayed near the Rock. Abraham, Moses, Jesus and other prophets, peace be upon them all, gathered together to pray behind him. Muhammad was presented a vessel of wine and a vessel of milk. The Prophet chose the milk and Gabriel said, ‘You have chosen al-fitra, the natural way’.1
The Prophet then embarked on the Ascension (Miraj) in which he, peace and blessings be upon him, received the command to pray five times a day and the revelation encapsulating the beliefs of Islam:
“The Messenger believes in what was sent down to him from his Lord.
And the believers; each one believes in Allah and His angels
and in His books and His messengers.
We make no division between any one of His messengers.
And they say: We hear and we obey. Oh Lord, grant us Thy forgiveness;
unto Thee we return.”
Qur’an 2:285
“The Messenger believes in what was sent down to him from his Lord.
And the believers; each one believes in Allah and His angels and in His books and His messengers.
We make no division between any one of His messengers.
And they say: We hear and we obey.
Oh Lord, grant us Thy forgiveness;
unto Thee we return.”
Qur’an 2:285