Before we visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount, I think readers should learn who Muhammad was and why he is held in such high regard to Muslims. The name Muhammad means "peace be unto him." The Prophet Muhammad is important to the Muslims because he was the one who revealed the Islamic religion to humanity. He was born in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) in 570 A.D. and was considered to be the last prophet to be sent by Allah. You might ask, who is Allah? In Islam, God or Creator of the Universe is Allah. In Arabic, Allah means the "one and only universal God."
Muhammad considered himself a humble servant of Allah and his focus in life was to serve his Creator. He taught moderation in all things. He taught that "Paradise lies under the feet of the mother" and "the best of you are those who are best in treatment to your wives." He taught only high moral qualities, cleanliness of body and spirit, charity to others, forgiveness, honesty and demonstrated all these as he lived a very simple life.
Muhammad was a man who spent many hours alone in prayer as he speculated his life and the creation of man. He was concerned with the fighting among the tribes, the injustice of men, discrimination and basically the moral degeneration of people. He often went to a cave named Mount Hira in solace. Tradition says that during this time he began to have dreams and then revelations from Allah through the angel, Gabriel.
Muhammad left Mecca in 622 after he was warned about a plot to assassinate him. He hid in a cave for three days just south of his home city. The plot was the result of his preaching of the revelations Allah had bestowed upon him. He could not preach in public because he had enemies in Mecca so Allah commanded him to go to Medina where he began to attract more followers. This is where he remained for the next ten years.
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| Photo and quote from the web. |
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| Photo of Mecca from the web. |
Today Mecca is considered the holiest place in Islam and is often
referred to as the "City of the Prophet."
A Pilgrimage to Mecca is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation and the dream of every Muslim. The pilgrimage is called the Hajj. The purpose of the Hajj is to bring a spiritual transformation for each to become better people as they re-enact the rituals of the great prophets and teachers of faith.
Due to my limited knowledge, the following quote from the web better explains the Hajj:
"Pilgrims symbolically relive the experience of exile and atonement undergone by Adam and Eve after they were expelled from Heaven, wandered the earth, met again and sought forgiveness in the valley of Mecca. They also retrace the frantic footsteps of the wife of Abraham, Hagar, as she ran between the hills of Safa and Marwa searching for water for her thirsty baby (which according to Muslim tradition, God answered with the well of Zam Zam). Lastly, the pilgrims also commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son for the sake of God. God later substituted a ram in place of his son."
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| Medina, Saudi Arabia: the 2nd holiest place in Islam |
The Al-Masjid an-Nabawi Mosque in Medina
is considered the 2nd holiest in Islam.
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| Qur'an on display in the Brooklyn Museum |
At the age of 40, and over a period of the next 23 years until his death, Muhammad received revelations which were written down by his scribes. After the death of Muhammad, the Qur'an was compiled by his scribes.
Outside the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque (the 3rd holiest site in Islam) is a very large courtyard area where there are minarets, arched facades, smaller domed structures, gardens, open areas to pray, fountains and places for families and friends to feel close to Allah. It is also a place where Muslims can gather and feel safe. This open area is called the Noble Sanctuary and is also used as an overflow area for Muslims on Fridays.
Photo: Ablution Fountain on the Temple Mount
This is the called the Ablution Fountain and is located north of the Mosque between it and the Dome of the Rock. It is used by worshipers for a ritual washing of the hands, arms, legs, feet and face just before entry into the mosque. Originally, it was supplied by water from Solomon's Pools near Bethlehem but now water comes from pipes in Jerusalem. Stone seats and taps for added in the 20th Century.
There were small groups of women and families having lunch and enjoying the day together. Muslim women cover their heads with a hijab which is worn traditionally by women in the presence of males outside their immediately family. It is also worn by Muslim women as a symbol of modesty. The Qur'an specifically instructs women to dress modestly and everything should be covered except their face.
We are headed now to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the most important mosque in Jerusalem and the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina. Thirty-five percent of Israel's population is Muslim.
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| Photo: Outside arched entry of Al-Aqsa Mosque |
After completion of the Dome of the Rock, construction began on a small timber house of worship built by Umar and a following of 5,000 worshipers rose up when the Mosque was completed in 705 AD. That structure became known as the Al-Aqsa Mosque. However, in 746 AD, it was completely destroyed by an earthquake, reconstructed and once again destroyed by a 2nd earthquake. In 1033, the Mosque was completely reconstructed and the current Mosque has remained ever since. Through the years, the Mosque has been fortified to withstand earthquakes and some future modifications were added such as the dome, minarets, outside arches and some areas were expanded to adapt to the changing needs of the local population.
While the Dome of the Rock was constructed as a shrine to commemorate Muhammad's Night Journey, (see previous post) the Al-Aqsa Mosque became a main center of learning and attracts teachers from all over the world. Every Friday, the Mosque building fills with so many worshippers that they overflow into the outside courtyard to make their prayers. The open area and the entire Temple Mount is referred to as the Noble Sanctuary. During Ramadan in 2016, (2nd Friday of the month of Ramadan) 140,000 worshippers were able to perform Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque but from previous years as many as 400,000 have attended.
Before entering the Mosque, we took off our shoes and left them outside before entering the large weathered green doors. The Muslim man at the entrance wore a head covering as a means of showing modesty as a cultural practice or commitment to modesty and piety.
When the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, they used the Al-Aqsa Mosque as a palace and the Dome of the Rock as a church but its function as a mosque was restored after its recapture by Saladin in 1187. More renovations, repairs and additions were undertaken in the later centuries by the Ayyubids. Today, the Old City of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount are under Israeli control but the Mosque remains under the administration of the Jordanian/Palestinian-led Islam.
This Arabic inscription by the entry of the Mosque must have
some meaningful significance to those who enter.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the central focus of the Muslim community in Jerusalem and it accommodates very large crowds for Friday sermons and for daily prayers. One Friday at noon during our lunch break, Garth and I decided to take a quick walk to the Old City and entered at Damascus Gate. There were large crowds of breast-to-breast people pouring out of the gate and we could hardly work our way in. We realized later that they were Muslim worshipers coming from prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Live and learn!
Friday is the day Muslims consider the holiest day of the week and the day they come together to pray at their mosques. In the Arabic language, the word for Friday means a "special type of prayer."
We entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque to find an interior of seven aisles dating mostly from the 20th century. The central aisle (nave) and the east side of the Mosque were rebuilt in 1938-42 as part of a major restoration. At that time, marble columns were donated by Mussolini (of all people) and the colorful painted ceiling was funded by King Farouk of Egypt. (Note that the column rows of the central aisles are heavy and stunted.) The Al-Aqsa Mosque is characteristic of early Islamic architecture.
The interior of the Mosque is supported by 45 columns: 33 are white marble and 12 are stone and most of the interior is whitewashed. During the Seven-Day War in 1967, the Mosque suffered damage to stained glass windows, doors and columns and to this day you can still see where bullets caused damaged to walls, columns and stained glass windows which haven't yet been repaired or replaced.
The spacious interior allows room for more than 4000 Muslims to
pray on the very plush carpeted floor for worship.
The three central bays of the facade are Romanesque in style.
I assume this is a prayer book because we saw stacks of
them in central locations of the mosque.
The drum of the dome and walls beneath it were covered with marble and very
intricate mosaics. The ceiling was painted and stunning in every detail.
intricate mosaics. The ceiling was painted and stunning in every detail.
Many of the decorations are Islamic geometric patterns of squares and
circles which often overlap to form very intricate and complex patterns.
The capitals of the columns are of four different kinds: those in the central aisle are heavy and primitively designed, while those under the dome above are of the made from Italian white marble. The photo below shows a better view of the dome. Arabic inscriptions are written around the drum of the dome and mostly likely quotes from the Qur'an.
The capitals in the eastern aisle are of a heavy basket-shaped design and those east and west of the dome are also basket-shaped, but smaller and better proportioned.
The columns and piers above are connected by beams of squared timber
enclosed in a wooden casing and the white marble beams were
covered in Islamic mosaics.
enclosed in a wooden casing and the white marble beams were
covered in Islamic mosaics.
The Islamic designed windows were beautiful!
There are 121 stained glasses windows in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
I have never seen a stained glass window that would pivot open to
let fresh air in from the outside.
Throughout the history of the world, many holy wars have taken place and innocent people have lost their lives. When the first Crusaders (Middle Ages) took Jerusalem in 1099, they found the majority of the Muslim population locked up in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They slaughtered roughly 70,000 of them and then converted the mosque into a palace, the Dome of the Rock into a chapel and the underground chambers into a stable. Muslims who survived the massacre were later crucified on a large cross placed near the center of the mosque. This was the only cross that was broken by the Salahuddin (known in the west as Saladin.)
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| Statue of Salahuddin |
When Salahuddin and his warriors entered the city of Jerusalem, they went straight to the Mosque and cleaned it and for the first time in more than 80 years, the people of Jerusalem heard the Azan (call to prayer) from the Al Aqsa Mosque. Now you can understand why he became the "Hero of Islam." Many crusaders were ransomed but Salahuddin not only paid and arranged for many of them to be transported back home but he stopped the massacre, all the looting and gave pardon to citizens. He granted freedom to Christians to leave the city if they paid a small tribute. Tradition says that Salahuddin also paid for about ten thousand poor people to leave who otherwise couldn't and his brother paid for seven thousand more. Salahuddin also allocated one of the gates of the city for people who were too poor to pay anything that they leave from there.
Muslims are expected to pray every day of the week in the family home but Friday is set aside for communal prayer at the local mosque.
All Muslim men are supposed to attend Friday prayers, while it is optional for women. Muslim women who do attend mosque are separated from the men during prayer time. Friday prayers are important in the life of any Muslim because it is a time to remember Allah and bring communities together.
The Islamic designed ceilings were gorgeous!
Under the Mosque is supposedly a very large subterranean hall which leads to one of the original entrance passages to the Temple Mount during the period of the Second Temple and replaced Solomon's First Temple.
This is a photo of the minbar (pulpit) in the mosque. When Salahuddin captured the city, he had a minbar built of ivory and wood that took six years to complete. It was later destroyed but then a replica of the original was made. This time it took four years for craftsmen to use their ancient woodworking skills and methods to join very small pieces of wood into intricate designs without the use of glue or nails but rather, wooden pegs.
Nooruddin Zengi, one of the greatest heroes in the history of Islam and teacher of Salahuddin, had a special mimbar built to be installed in the Al Aqsa when it would be eventually retaken from the Crusaders. However, Nooruddin did not live to see the victory but Salahuddin fulfilled the wish of his teacher after liberating Jerusalem for the 2nd time and then installed the mimbar.
Tradition says that Mohammad and many of his companions,
scribes and his family are buried here.
Mosques may be used for funerals and marriages and can provide
services such as counseling and educations.
Today, Islam has grown to be a major world religion with many followers in Asia, the Middle East and North of Africa. One of the mosque’s many rooms still has the medieval rose window it had when it was a Crusader chapel but we didn't see that while we were there.
As we left the Temple Mount after such a marvelous visit, we were so grateful for the opportunity to visit the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
We left the area and headed back home through the large, green gates.
Photo: The arched area is where warriors stood with bows and arrows to shoot at invaders.
The narrow slit on the other side made it difficult for any incoming arrows or projectiles to hit them.
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| From the web: Hajj at Mecca |
"Indeed, prayers prohibit immorality and wrongdoing."
Qur'an 29:45
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