Al-Aqsa Mosque: The Islamic History and Significance of the Third-Holiest Site in Islam
Israeli raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque is a grave violation of the sanctity and dignity of the Muslim holy site. Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third-holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina, and it is also the first qibla (direction of prayer) for Muslims. It is also the site of the Isra and Miraj, the miraculous night journey of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from Mecca to Jerusalem and then to heaven. The Quran mentions Al-Aqsa Mosque in Surah Al-Isra, verse 1:
سُبْحَٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ
> 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. (17:1)
The Quran and Sunnah also emphasize the merit and reward of praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Anas b. Malik reported God’s Messenger as saying, “A man’s prayer in his house is equivalent to a single observance of prayer, his prayer in a tribal mosque is equivalent to twenty-five, his prayer in a mosque in which the Friday prayer is observed is equivalent to five hundred, his prayer in the Aqsa mosque is equivalent to fifty thousand, his prayer in my mosque is equivalent to fifty thousand, and his prayer in the sacred mosque (the Ka’ba) is equivalent to a hundred thousand.”
صَلَاةُ الرَّجُلِ فِي بَيْتِهِ بِصَلَاةٍ وَصَلَاتُهُ فِي مَسْجِدِ الْقَبَائِلِ بِخَمْسٍ وَعِشْرِينَ صَلَاةً وَصَلَاتُهُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ الَّذِي يجمع فِيهِ بخسمائة صَلَاةٍ وَصَلَاتُهُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى بِخَمْسِينَ أَلْفِ صَلَاةٍ وَصَلَاتُهُ فِي مَسْجِدِي بِخَمْسِينَ أَلْفِ صَلَاةٍ وَصلَاته فِي الْمَسْجِد الْحَرَام بِمِائَة ألف صَلَاة
Ibn Majah transmitted it.
Therefore, any attack or aggression against Al-Aqsa Mosque is an attack on the faith and identity of Muslims, and a violation of their religious rights. It is also an act of injustice and oppression against the Palestinian people, who have been suffering under Israeli occupation for decades. Muslims around the world should stand in solidarity with their brothers and sisters in Palestine, and support their struggle for freedom and dignity. They should also pray for the protection and preservation of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and seek Allah's help and guidance in these difficult times.