The Magnificent History of Masjid Al-Aqsa

Masjid Al-Aqsa—also referred to as Bayt al-Muqaddas or Al-Haram Al-Sharif—is located in the Old City of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and covers an area of approximately 144,000 square meters (144 dunums), which constitutes about one-sixth of the total area of the Old City.

There is frequent confusion between Masjid Al-Aqsa, the southern Qibli Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock. Masjid Al-Aqsa is the entire walled compound that encompasses both the Qibli Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, along with over 200 other monuments: including Musalla al-Marwani, subterranean vaults, historic schools (madrasas), 15 gates, fountains, and open plazas. Every spot within this perimeter shares the multiplied reward of prayer.

The first mosque built on earth is Masjid Al-Haram (the Ka'aba) in Makkah. Exactly forty years later, Masjid Al-Aqsa was established. This is confirmed in the authentic hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari:

Abu Dharr asked: "O Messenger of Allah! Which mosque was first built on the surface of the earth?" He said: "Al-Masjid al-Haram." I asked: "Which was next?" He replied: "Al-Masjid al-Aqsa." I asked: "What was the interval between them?" He replied: "Forty years." (Sahih al-Bukhari 3366)

Classical commentators such as Ibn Kathir and Ibn al-Jawzi note that Prophet Adam (AS) or later Prophet Ibrahim (AS) laid down the original perimeter boundaries under divine revelation.

During the era of Prophet Dawud (David AS) and Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon AS), the sanctuary had fallen into disrepair. Prophet Dawud began the holy task of re-erecting the sanctuary, and upon his passing, his son Prophet Sulaiman (AS) completed its magnificent construction.

Upon completing the holy house, Sulaiman (AS) offered his famous three-fold prayer: asking Allah for sound judgment, an unmatched kingdom, and that no worshipper would enter this mosque seeking solely to pray except that they are cleansed of their sins as on the day their mother gave birth to them (Sunan an-Nasa'i 693).

In 586 BCE, the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the superstructure. However, by Allah's will, the deep subterranean bedrock vaults survived and remain intact to this day beneath the southern Qibli hall.

Later, under Roman rule in 70 CE, Titus destroyed the city. Under Byzantine Christian rule, because of their theological rivalry with the Jewish past, the Christian emperors neglected the Temple Mount, turning the Holy Rock into a city waste dump.

In 621 CE, during the most challenging period of the Prophet's mission in Makkah, Allah blessed the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ with the miraculous Night Journey (Al-Isra). Carried upon the celestial mount Al-Buraq from Makkah to Al-Aqsa, the Prophet tied the mount to the western perimeter wall (now known as the Buraq Wall).

Inside the sacred compound, Allah resurrected all previous Prophets: from Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, and Isa. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ stood as the supreme Imam of all Prophets, leading them in congregational prayer. From the Sacred Rock (now under the Dome of the Rock), he ascended through the seven heavens (Al-Mi'raj) to receive the five daily prayers directly from Allah.

In 637 CE (16 AH), following the Battle of Yarmuk, Muslim armies under Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, Khalid ibn al-Walid, and Amr ibn al-'As surrounded Jerusalem. Patriarch Sophronius announced that he would only surrender the keys of the city to the supreme leader of the Muslims in person, as prophesied in their scriptures.

Caliph Umar journeyed from Madinah wearing simple patched garments, alternating riding a single camel with his servant. When they reached Jerusalem, it was the servant's turn to ride, so Umar entered leading the camel on foot.

Umar drafted the celebrated Treaty of Umar (Al-'Uhda al-'Umariyya), guaranteeing total security for the Christian population's lives, property, and churches. Finding the Holy Mount buried under mounds of dirt and refuse, Umar personally took off his cloak and began scooping the debris with his own hands. His companions joined him, uncovering the Sacred Rock. Umar then directed the building of the first timber congregational mosque at the southern end.

Between 685 and 705 CE, Umayyad Caliphs Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan and his son Al-Walid I invested seven years of tax revenues from Egypt to construct the architectural crown jewels of the sanctuary:

• Dome of the Rock (Qubbat al-Sakhrah): Completed in 691 CE atop the central plateau, covered with Qur'anic calligraphy emphasizing pure monotheism (Surah Maryam and An-Nisa).
• Al-Jami' al-Qibli (Al-Aqsa Mosque): The monumental south congregational hall constructed with 15 aisles to accommodate the growing community.

In July 1099 CE, European Crusaders breached the walls of Jerusalem. They unleashed a catastrophic massacre, slaughtering approximately 70,000 Muslims, Jews, and native Christians throughout the streets and within the sanctuary. Contemporary Christian chronicler Raymond of Aguilers wrote that horses wading near the Temple Mount had blood rising to their knees.

The Crusaders desecrated the sanctuary: turning the Dome of the Rock into the Templum Domini with a golden cross atop the dome, and converting the Qibli Mosque into royal living quarters and horse stables (known as Solomon's Stables).

After 88 years of Crusader occupation, Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi smashed the Crusader forces at the decisive Battle of Hattin in July 1187. On 27 Rajab 583 AH—the historic anniversary of the Night Journey—Salahuddin liberated Jerusalem.

In stark contrast to Crusader brutality, Salahuddin acted with magnanimous mercy: forbidding revenge, protecting Christian holy sites, and allowing peaceful departure. He washed the sanctuary courtyards with thousands of liters of rosewater and brought the legendary Minbar of Nur al-Din Zangi from Aleppo, fulfilling a lifelong pledge.

Sultan Selim I peacefully assumed control of Jerusalem in 1516 CE. His successor, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, rebuilt the monumental stone perimeter walls that encircle the Old City to this day and renovated the exterior tiles of the Dome of the Rock.

In 1917, during World War I, British forces occupied Jerusalem. Following the 1948 Nakba and the 1967 war, Israeli military forces seized East Jerusalem. Within days of capturing the Old City in June 1967, Israeli bulldozers completely razed the 800-year-old historic Moroccan Quarter (Harat al-Maghariba), expelling 650 Muslim residents to construct the Western Wall plaza.

On August 21, 1969, an extremist Australian Zionist named Denis Michael Rohan ignited a fire inside the Qibli Mosque, destroying the irreplaceable 800-year-old Minbar of Salahuddin. Today, the sanctuary faces daily aggressive incursions by Israeli settler extremists under armed guard, subterranean tunneling beneath foundations, and strict age restrictions on Muslim worshippers.

Despite relentless pressure, Palestinian Muslims—known as the Morabiteen and Morabitat—remain steadfastly stationed (*ribat*) within the 144 dunums of Al-Masjid al-Aqsa, safeguarding the sanctuary on behalf of the global Ummah.