Will the real Al Aqsa please stand up!
Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) (in Arabic he is called 'Sulaiman'), built a mosque, a long, long time ago, on Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem. He dedicated it to the worship of Allah s.w.t. the One True God. Like his father, Prophet David (peace be upon him) (in Arabic he is called 'Dawood'), he was a prophet and a messenger, calling all humanity to the worship of Allah s.w.t. and to establish piety on the earth.
Now, all these years later there is
some confusion about the site of this mosque. In the
eastern part of Jerusalem is the Old city, a quadrangular area
built on two hills. Within the wall there are four quarters.
The Muslim quarter, on the east, contains the Haram ash-Sharif,
within which are the 'Dome of the Rock' and the 'Mosque of al
Aqsa'. Both places are sacred sites for Muslims. However it
is around the Mosque of Al Aqsa that the confusion lies.
Whenever mention is made in the
local or international media pertaining to Al Aqsa, a picture of
the 'Dome of the rock' will appear. These two mosques lie
within a rather close proximity to each other but they bear little
resemblance. All over the world, we can find pictures of the
'Dome of the rock' under the heading 'Al Aqsa' , to the point that
people aren't really sure anymore, which is which.
The difference however, is clear
and simple. The 'Dome of the rock' bears the sacred rock that
Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) stood on when he went on the
ascension to the heavens, while Al Aqsa mosque lies on the site of
the original mosque of Prophet Solomon (Sulaiman) (peace be upon
him). Islam reveres both Jewish and Christian traditions, as
these two religions belong to its traditions.
Actually Al Aqsa Mosque was the original qibla (The
direction of prayers), which was later changed during the time
of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) to the Ka'ba at
Mecca.
The reason for the deliberate dispersion of false information is also clear and simple. By focusing attention on the 'Dome of the rock' under the label of Al Aqsa, people all over the world will not know when the real Al Aqsa mosque finally disappears.
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