Masjid al Aqsa- where it is?

[mohammadfarhan]

salam.

Some shia says that Masjid al-aqsa is in jannah not here in this world!

I want to know where it is?

wasalam.

 

[Insaanah]

I want to know where it is?

In Jerusalem, here in this world.

It is mentioned in the Qur'an by name:

"Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing." (Qur'an 17:1)

This was the Isra (Night journey from Makkah to Jerusalem), and Rasoolullah :saws: led the prophets in prayer there on earth, before ascending for mi'raaj.

The verb used is "asraa", (meaning to transport or to cause to travel). If Masjid al-Aqsa had been in jannah, the verb used would have been as for the mi3raaj, i.e. a derivative of "3araja" (to ascend). The derivative would mean (to cause to ascend). But the night journey to Masjid al Aqsa, is called the Israa, and the ascension to the heavens is called mi3raaj. Thus he did not ascend to Masjid al-Aqsa, because it was not in jannah, rather he was transported there to it's location in Jerusalem by night.

Remember that Masjid al-Aqsa was the first qiblah for the Muslims. Had Masjid al-Aqsa indeed been in jannah, how could they have faced jannah in salaat? In that case they would have had to lay flat on their backs on the floor facing upwards to pray!!! Which they didn't. They faced the direction of Jerusalem.

What the shi'as say about this flies in the face of the Qur'an, hadeeth, rest of the world (who know where Masjid al-Aqsa is) and common sense.

 

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you mohammadfarhan;

Last year I had the privilege to go to Jerusalem, and stand by the Wailing Wall, which is a sacred place to the Jews. But when you walk back fifty paces and look above the wall, you see the golden dome of ‘The Dome of the Rock Mosque, and the Al Aqsa sacred to Islam.

It is said in Judaism and Christianity, that God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son in the region of Mount Moriah. It is also said that God commanded Solomon to build the Temple Mount on Mount Moriah, this is a huge structure, a small part of it is what we know as the Wailing Wall, or Western Wall. On top of the Temple Mount, God commanded Solomon to build a Temple, that will house ‘The Ark of the Covenant’ better known for the Ten Commandments. Jesus prayed on the Temple Mount, and when he healed people he sent them to the Temple to give thanks.

The Temple was destroyed and rebuilt twice, and the Two Mosques were built on top of the Temple Mount, were the Temple once stood. The Dome is said to be the place where the prophet pbuh, ascended up to heaven on his winged horse.

It seems that God has linked Judaism, Christianity and Islam together on this one sacred place. God could have made our lives much easier if he had placed our three religions a hundred miles apart, but is seems that God has some greater purpose by bringing all three religions together in one place.

Today there is tension in Jerusalem, most of the Christian holy places are within the walls of the Muslim Community, this is surrounded by the Jews.

But why would God link all these things together?

In the spirit of searching for a greatest meaning of One God

Eric

 

[أحمد]

The confusion of al-Aqsa with Bait al-Ma'moor isn't uncommon.

:wa:

 

[Insaanah]

It is also said that God commanded Solomon to build the Temple Mount on Mount Moriah, this is a huge structure, a small part of it is what we know as the Wailing Wall, or Western Wall. On top of the Temple Mount, God commanded Solomon to build a Temple, that will house ‘The Ark of the Covenant’ better known for the Ten Commandments. Jesus prayed on the Temple Mount, and when he healed people he sent them to the Temple to give thanks.

The Temple was destroyed and rebuilt twice, and the Two Mosques were built on top of the Temple Mount, were the Temple once stood. The Dome is said to be the place where the prophet pbuh, ascended up to heaven on his winged horse.

Muslims believe that Masjid al-Aqsa was built forty years after the Ka'bah in Makkah was built, by Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), and that Masjid al-Aqsa has been destroyed and re-built on various occasions since then.

Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, which mosque was built on earth first?’ He said, ‘Al-Masjid al-Haraam [in Makkah].’ I said, ‘Then which?’ He said, ‘Al-Masjid al-Aqsa.’ I said, ‘How much time was there between them?’ He said, ‘Forty years. So wherever you are when the time for prayer comes, pray, for that is the best thing to do.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3366; Muslim, 520.)

Today there is tension in Jerusalem

True. But there are also some great examples of interfaith cooperation, especially between Muslims and Christians, as shown below:

Muslim family holds key to sacred sepulchre / For centuries, their ancestors have opened door to church where Jesus believed buried​

Every morning at 4 a.m., Wajeeh Nuseibeh walks through the walled Old City of Jerusalem to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the most revered shrine in Christendom. He takes an ancient 12-inch iron key, climbs a small ladder and opens the huge wooden doors to the place that most Christians believe is the site of the crucifixion, tomb and resurrection of Jesus.

Every evening at nightfall, after three raps of an iron doorknocker spaced out over half an hour, Nuseibeh closes up and places the key in safekeeping.

He inherited the job from his father and grandfather, in a chain stretching back more than 1,300 years. But surprisingly, Nuseibeh, doorkeeper of the site of the crucifixion, is, like his ancestors, a Muslim.

"It goes from father to son, from one generation to the next," said Nuseibeh, a small, dapper 55-year-old man in a suit and tie. "I was 15 when I first opened the church. I thought it was fun. As I grew up I realized it is a big responsibility."

This weekend, thousands of Christians flock to the Holy Sepulchre for Easter services, processions and the ancient ceremony of the Holy Fire, in which Nuseibeh plays a central role. The ceremony, held on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter, symbolizes the resurrection of Christ.

Worshippers pack into the church, trying to get as close as possible to the marble-clad tomb, or sepulchre, where they believe Jesus' body was laid. The oil lamps inside the mausoleum that contains the tomb are extinguished, and a huge stone is rolled across the entrance, which is then sealed shut by Greek Orthodox priests.

"If there are no oil lamps lit, the tomb will be sealed with wax. I am the witness. I put my stamp, the name of the family, in the wax on the tomb," Nuseibeh said.

What happens next looks like a miracle. The Orthodox patriarch begins to pray, and a bluish Holy Fire begins to emanate from within the tomb, lighting the lamps and sometimes flying around the church over the heads of the assembled worshipers and even lighting the candles of believers. Nuseibeh has been the official witness at this ceremony for more than 20 years.

The church is a major attraction for both pilgrims and tourists. A vast warren of chapels, tunnels and caves, with architectural remnants that date back to the 4th century, it spans a broad range of traditions, from the westernized cathedral of the Catholics to the icons of the Orthodox churches. It houses the final stations on the Via Dolorosa -- the last journey of Jesus to the crucifixion.

The church is jealously managed by five competing and often disputatious Christian denominations -- Roman Catholic (also called Latin here), Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Coptic and Syrian Orthodox (sometimes called Jacobite). There also is a small Ethiopian Orthodox chapel on the roof. Sometimes the tensions over the right to clean or to pray in a particular area of the church spill over into violence. Nuseibeh's family has helped keep the peace between them since Caliph Omar Ibn Kattab first conquered Jerusalem for the Muslims in 638. The only gap was during 88 years of Crusader rule in the 12th century.

According to family history, when Salah A-Din recaptured Jerusalem in 1191, he promised English King Richard the Lion Heart he would invite the Nuseibeh family to resume their role as custodians.

Since that time, the Judeh family, also Muslims, have been given the key for safekeeping overnight, but only the Nuseibehs serve as doorkeeper.

Once a year, the three biggest denominations -- Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian -- publicly renew their request to Nuseibeh to be the "custodian and doorkeeper," as written on his business card and multimedia Web site www.nuseibehfamily.com.

About 100 years ago, the key was stolen. Although it was eventually recovered, a spare now is kept in a locked room inside the church.

For his hereditary labor, Nuseibeh receives $15 every month, an income he supplements by giving tours of the church. But the ancient honor is worth more to him than the token payment. When tensions boil over between the denominations, Nuseibeh is the one who calms the waters.

"Like all brothers, they sometimes have problems. We help them settle their disputes. We are the neutral people in the church. We are the United Nations. We help preserve peace in this holy place," he said.

Nuseibeh said he still becomes anxious before the big ceremonies or when important visitors arrive. "I realize there are thousands of people waiting to go into the church, and they are waiting for me to open it, and I start to imagine what will be happen if the lock will be broken or the key is damaged and I can't open the door."

But that has never happened in the 20 years since he took over from his father. He hopes that one day his son Obadah, now 21, will step into his footsteps, but that's not certain. "He is at college, studying to be a sports trainer," Nuseibeh said. "Maybe he will not follow me, and then my brother or my cousin will take over."

Nuseibeh said he is deeply touched by the Christian rituals and feels a close affinity with the church, but he does not pray there.

"I know every stone. It is like my home," he said. "But I go to pray at the Omar Mosque next door."

Source: http://articles.sfgate.com/2005-03-27/news/17365783_1_orthodox-churches-greek-orthodox-priests-syrian-orthodox

Peace.

 

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you Insaanah;

Thanks for sharing the story about the keys to the Holy Sepulchre, our Jewish guide did tell us about the Muslim key holder, but not in such great detail as you have. It is wonderful that Muslims play such an important role, in a Christian holy site, and it is a noble gesture on his part to do this for $15 a month.

In the spirit of praying for a greater interfaith friendship

Eric

 

[Perseveranze]

I hope I can one day go visit al-Aqsa mosque.

 

[Tawangar]

salam.

Some shia says that Masjid al-aqsa is in jannah not here in this world!

I want to know where it is?

wasalam.

Al Aqsa is in Jerusalem. It has a black dome. The golden dome of Masjid al Umar is often mistaken for Aqsa. It is a foolish notion on the part of the Shi'a to suggest that it will be in Jannah. WS.