There is a hadith that reports Muhammad one night, rode on a winged horse that drove him from Masjidu'lHaram to Msjidu'l Aqsa (in Jerusalem) and from there to the seventh heaven where he was shown the hell and the paradise and then taken to the presence of Allah. This story that is commonly accepted by all the Muslims and is known as Mi'raj , which is also confirmed in Quran
Glory to (Allah)
Who did take His Servant for a journey by night,
From the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque.
-- Quran 17:1
First notice how aburd this even is. Considering that it would take the light (fastest thing in the universe) 8 years to make a round trip to the closest solar system, and 30 billion years to the outskirts of the known universe, and considering that wings don't serve beyond the atmosphere of the Earth, such trip performed on the back of a horse with wings in one night is just stuff of the fables. Why Muhammad had to go to Masjidul' Aqsa in order to go to heaven?
Despite this, we must notice another grave error in this story. Masjid'ul Aqsa ("{Farthest Mosque") was built after the death of Muhammad. When Omar conquered Jerusalem he performed a prayer in the site where Temple of Solomon used to stand. The Romans in 70 A.D destroyed that temple. Since then no temple, church or mosque stood on that spot. It was Calif 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan who built the Dome of the Rock around 691 A.D. i.e 72 years after Hijrah. And Masjidu'l Aqsa was built on the Temple Mount by the end of the 7th century.
Muhammad's Mi'raj took place around the year 622, when Jerusalem was in the hands of the Christians. There were no Muslims living there and certainly there was no Mosque in Jerusalem. 53 years after the death of Muhammad, Muslims built the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa on the site where Solomon had his temple
This is sufficient evidence that the Quran was manipulated to glorify the prophet. The author of the verse 17:1 was not aware that Masjid ul Aqsa did not exist during the time of Muhammad and he could not have made his trip to heaven from a place that did not exist.
This is an obvious blunder of those who compiled Quran so much so that many Islamic scholars, including Yusuf Ali are of the opinion that by Masjid'u' Aqsa, it is intended the SITE of the building and not the actual building. However, the following hadith passage refutes this:
I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Which mosque was built first?" He replied, "Al-Masjid-ul-Haram." I asked, "Which (was built) next?" He replied, "Al-Masjid-ul-Aqs-a (i.e. Jerusalem)." I asked, "What was the period in between them?" He replied, "Forty (years)." He then added, "Wherever the time for the prayer comes upon you, perform the prayer, for all the earth is a place of worshipping for you." …… Bukhari, Volume 4, book 55, Number 136
The hadith presents yet another problem. Masjid'ul Haram (Ka'ba) was allegedly built by Abraham. He lived about 2000 BC and the Temple of Solomon (the site of the Msjid ul'Aqsa) was built about 958-951 BC. There is a gap of about over 1040 years between the dates of the construction of the two buildings.
Peace.
Glory to (Allah)
Who did take His Servant for a journey by night,
From the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque.
-- Quran 17:1
First notice how aburd this even is. Considering that it would take the light (fastest thing in the universe) 8 years to make a round trip to the closest solar system, and 30 billion years to the outskirts of the known universe, and considering that wings don't serve beyond the atmosphere of the Earth, such trip performed on the back of a horse with wings in one night is just stuff of the fables. Why Muhammad had to go to Masjidul' Aqsa in order to go to heaven?
Despite this, we must notice another grave error in this story. Masjid'ul Aqsa ("{Farthest Mosque") was built after the death of Muhammad. When Omar conquered Jerusalem he performed a prayer in the site where Temple of Solomon used to stand. The Romans in 70 A.D destroyed that temple. Since then no temple, church or mosque stood on that spot. It was Calif 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan who built the Dome of the Rock around 691 A.D. i.e 72 years after Hijrah. And Masjidu'l Aqsa was built on the Temple Mount by the end of the 7th century.
Muhammad's Mi'raj took place around the year 622, when Jerusalem was in the hands of the Christians. There were no Muslims living there and certainly there was no Mosque in Jerusalem. 53 years after the death of Muhammad, Muslims built the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa on the site where Solomon had his temple
This is sufficient evidence that the Quran was manipulated to glorify the prophet. The author of the verse 17:1 was not aware that Masjid ul Aqsa did not exist during the time of Muhammad and he could not have made his trip to heaven from a place that did not exist.
This is an obvious blunder of those who compiled Quran so much so that many Islamic scholars, including Yusuf Ali are of the opinion that by Masjid'u' Aqsa, it is intended the SITE of the building and not the actual building. However, the following hadith passage refutes this:
I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Which mosque was built first?" He replied, "Al-Masjid-ul-Haram." I asked, "Which (was built) next?" He replied, "Al-Masjid-ul-Aqs-a (i.e. Jerusalem)." I asked, "What was the period in between them?" He replied, "Forty (years)." He then added, "Wherever the time for the prayer comes upon you, perform the prayer, for all the earth is a place of worshipping for you." …… Bukhari, Volume 4, book 55, Number 136
The hadith presents yet another problem. Masjid'ul Haram (Ka'ba) was allegedly built by Abraham. He lived about 2000 BC and the Temple of Solomon (the site of the Msjid ul'Aqsa) was built about 958-951 BC. There is a gap of about over 1040 years between the dates of the construction of the two buildings.
Peace.
