Islam’s al Masjid al Aqsa Deception
In the aftermath of the worst defeat suffered by Arabs – in the Six Days War of 1967 – since the Ottomans subjugated them in the 14th century, the al Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, became a tinderbox of Muslim fantasies, illusions, myths and fanaticism.
Tragically, it was General Moshe Dayan – who was minister of defence at the time – who committed the worst possible good will blunder for the sake of peaceful co-existence with Muslims, by allowing the Muslims total control of the Temple Mount area called Waqf, instead of having it fully under the control of Israel, which would not have been a big issue at that time.
Like most of none Muslim humanity, he honestly believed, that by showing magnanimity towards Muslims, they would appreciate it; not comprehending that the beliefs of Muslims based upon Allah’s Sharia, prohibits them from ever making peace with none Muslim/Kuffar/Infidels.
Waqf: A legal way to circumvent the Sharia requirement that an individual’s estate be divided among many heirs. Through a waqf, an individual could endow an institution or group with all or part of his estate, in perpetuity, before his death.
The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf is an Islamic religious trust, best known for controlling and managing the current Islamic edifices on the Temple Mount (Haram al Sharif) including al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock
There are on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem – on the present site of the flat plaza surrounded by retaining walls (including the Western Wall that was built during the reign of Herod the Great for an expansion of the temple) – three monumental structures from the early Umayyad period – the al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock and the Dome of the Chain.
al-Aqsa Mosque: Is the covered mosque building which was originally a small prayer house erected by Umar ibn al Khattab – the second caliph of the earliest Caliphate – after the Muslim conquest of the Middle East in the early 7th century.
In the history of Islam, Umar personally accepted the surrender of Aelia (this was the name of Jerusalem after 135 AD) from the Christians in 637/8 AD. He purposely did not enter the Church but prayed outside it, so that Muslims would not consider it an Islamic holy place.
If there was a Muslim mosque on the Temple Mount at that time, why would Umar pray in the open instead of in the alleged Night Journey mosque?
It was rebuilt and expanded by the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik and finished by his son al-Walid in 705. The mosque was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 746 and rebuilt by the Abbasid caliph al- Mansur in 754. It was rebuilt again in 780. Another earthquake destroyed most of al-Aqsa in 1033, but two years later, the Fatimid caliph Ali al-Zahir built another mosque whose outline is preserved in the current structure.
Dome of the Rock: An Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It was initially completed in 691–92 CE at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik on the site of the Second Jewish Temple that was destroyed during the Roman Siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE. The original dome collapsed in 1015 and was rebuilt in 1022–23.
Therefore, the two most important mosques on the Temple Mount are:
- Dome of the Rock
- Al Aqsa Mosque
The Umayyad Caliphs commissioned the construction of the al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock on the site. The Dome was completed in 692 CE, making it one of the oldest extant Islamic structures in the world. The Al Aqsa Mosque rests on the far southern side of the Mount, facing Mecca. The Dome of the Rock currently sits in the middle (not facing Mecca hence is not an actual mosque), occupying or close to the area where the Solomon’s Temple previously stood.
Tragically, since most of humanity – including most Muslims – have absolutely no idea of the facts and reality pertaining to the history of the era (because most of them never researched the subjects), they are totally deceived by the almost perfectly oiled Arab and Muslim propaganda machines, aided, abetted and stupidly parroted, by most of the Western media, politicians, academia and clergy.
The Muslim disinformation machine incessantly implies that the Dome of the Rock (the gold covered cupola) as the Aqsa mosque when in fact, it is the other mosque that is called al Aqsa.
In this manner, they incite the mindless and ignorant Muslims around the world that the Israelis are either desecrating or trying to destroy the Aqsa mosque; both of which are pure lies.
The reason they do so is because they have concocted the myth, that Muhammad’s Night Journey was from Mecca to the Dome of the Rock.
As always, let me share with you the FACTS based entirely upon the Islamic sources~
Since the Islamic historical records show that both the Dome of the Rock and the Aqsa mosques were built 63 years AFTER Muhammad was dead, then it would have been impossible for Muhammad to have visited any of them in 632 AD.
Therefore, it should be obvious that their claims are as always totally false.
They then change the narrative to tell the world, that Muhammad actually visited the Temple of Solomon in his alleged Night Journey.
The claim by the followers of Muhammad for Jerusalem as their third holiest place is founded on the misrepresentation and deliberate perversion of the following verse for Islamic Imperialistic reasons to deny its holiness for both Christians and Jews.
Isra is the name of Surah 17 which is also called Bani Isra’il, (The Children of Israel). It is the alleged Nocturnal Journey from Mecca to the Farthest Mosque mentioned in:
Al Isra 17:1 “Glory to (Allah) Who did take His Servant for journey [Asra/Travel] by night from the Sacred Mosque [Masjid al Haram] to the Farthest Mosque [Masjid al Aqsa] whose precincts We did Bless in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the one Who heareth and seeth (all things)”
The explanation of this Aya/Verse is found first and foremost in the ONLY biography of Muhammad written by Muhammad Ibn Ishaq in his book Sirat Rassoul Allah, about 140 years after Muhammad’s death.
He informs us with great honesty, on the authority of Muhammad’s premier wife Aisha, that his body never left her side and that he was only transported spiritually.
This is corroborated by the Qarawiyun Library Manuscript in Fez, Morocco, where it repeats that Aisha the Prophet’s wife and most intimate companion of his later years, declared emphatically that “he was transported in his spirit (bi-ruhihi), while his body did not leave its place”
Also, the great Al-Hasan al-Basri, who belonged to the next generation, held uncompromisingly to the same view.
In another version in (section 267 p 184), it is Hind, Umm Hani d. of Abu Talib, Muhammad’s cousin and sister of Ali that relates concerning the Night Journey:
“The apostle went on NO Night Journey except while he was in my house. He slept that night in my house. He prayed the final night prayer and he slept and we slept there. ….”
Even the obvious should be pointed out to readers, that the name of Jerusalem is not once mentioned anywhere in the Quran or Hadith. Jerusalem, on the other hand, is mentioned 667 times in the Bible.
This alleged ‘event’, is described in the following most trusted Sahih (Truthful) Hadiths~
Bukhari Hadith 1:345 [Gabriel took Muhammad by hand to the first Heaven] where there is no mention of Jerusalem.
Bukhari Hadith 5:227 & 4:429 [Gabriel & Buraq go to first Heaven] again, there is no mention of Jerusalem.
Bukhari Hadith 9:608 [Gabriel took Muhammad by hand to first Heaven] yet once more, there is no mention of Jerusalem.
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 6.233 Narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah
The Prophet said, “When the Quraish disbelieved me (concerning my night journey), I stood up in Al-Hijr (the unroofed portion of the Ka’ba) and Allah displayed Bait-ul-Maqdis before me, and I started to inform them (Quraish) about its signs while looking at it.”
Let us now be charitable and assume that Muhammad did visit Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem.
Unfortunately for the pathological liar Muhammad bin abd Allah and all his unhinged followers, is the simple but incontrovertible fact, that nothing was left of Solomon’s Temple in the year 622 AD since it was completely destroyed by the Roman emperor, Titus Caesar Vespasianus, 552 years earlier.
Therefore, Muhammad’s claim that Allah revealed anything to him regarding Solomon’s Temple is actually blasphemous since it makes Allah complicit with his lies.
All the Islamic incitements against Israel and Jews are based entirely on egregious falsehoods, concocted, disseminated and incited by Muslim clerics and leaders (with the usual Western Jew haters) to demonise and dehumanize Jews so as to justify their incessant hatreds and acts of terror.
It is extremely important that readers should always understand that Muslims hate ALL human beings who are not Muslims, not only Jews; currently 80% of humanity.
Based only on the above few Islamic sources, the myths surrounding the Night Journey and the holiness of Jerusalem to Muslims are utterly demolished and they add more ammunition and revelations to totally discredit Muhammad as a prophet and the alleged divine origin of his Quran. The whole world should be made aware of these facts.