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_-_Masjid_Al_Aqsa_001.jpg) This was a difficult time in the life of Prophet Muhammad,
and this journey was a great compliment to him. The deliverance of the message
was entering a new phase, and the establishment of the Muslim nation was about
to begin. Prophet Muhammad was feeling overwhelmed and alone. The vast
majority of Meccans had refused to heed his call or accept his message. Both
his beloved uncle and cherished wife had died, and this gift of God offered him
support and opened his eyes to the signs and wonders of the universe. After
travelling the enormous distance to Jerusalem on the back of al-Buraq, Prophet
Muhammad reached the area known as Masjid al-Aqsa. He dismounted and tethered al-Buraq
to a ring in the gate.
Another Miracle Occurs
Prophet Muhammad walked into the Masjid – the place of
prostration - to be met by a group of the previous Prophets; he then had the
great honour of leading them in prayer. God rewarded His Messenger and caused
him to understand that the Prophets before him also went through difficult
times preaching to their people. They stood behind Prophet Muhammad and
acknowledged him as their leader. This was another indication of his importance
and excellence as well as the nature of his message.
Before the advent of Prophet Muhammad, all the Prophets delivered
their message of submission to One God to their own people; Muhammad, however,
had come for all of mankind. God refers to him as a mercy. God says in Quran:
“He listens to what is best for you; he believes in God; has
faith in the believers; and is a mercy to those of you who believe.” (Quran
9:61)
The message was international, and this communication distributed
worldwide was Islam. The Prophets of God stood behind the newest and final
Messenger of God and supported him when his need was greatest. Prophet
Muhammad mentions in his sayings that all of the Prophets are brothers. This congregation
standing behind Prophet Muhammad was a sign of real and everlasting brotherhood.
The Significance of Al-Aqsa
The fact that this momentous occasion took place in Jerusalem is also of significance. This is the land of the Prophets of God; this is the land of Abraham, Isaac, Moses and Jesus. God was forging a link between his Holy House in Mecca and Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. God was also linking the so-called cradle of
religion, the Holy Land around Jerusalem, with the land of Arabia, the birthplace of the religion designed by the Creator, for all of humanity - Islam.
God established Al-Aqsa as one of the three Holy Masjids
in Islam. The Holy Masjid in Mecca, the Prophet Muhammad’s Masjid, yet to be
established in Medina, and this Masjid in this blessed neighbourhood of Jerusalem. It is only to these three Masjids to which Muslims can travel for the purpose
of worship.
One prayer in Masjid Al-Aqsa is worth 250 prayers elsewhere, excluding the
Prophet’s Masjid where one prayer is the equivalent of 1,000 prayers and the Holy
Masjid in Mecca where one prayer contains the reward of 100,000 prayers. God emphasized the
significance and sacredness of Masjid Al-Aqsa, and for this reason it plays an
important role in a Muslim’s life. Therefore it is guarded and protected
zealously.
Al-Aqsa was the first qiblah (the direction in
which a Muslim turns to pray) in Islam, but this direction was later changed to
Holy Masjid in Mecca. Establishing the exact date for this change is
difficult, but from the evidence, we can discover approximately when this
occurred because the mission of Prophet Muhammad is divided into two distinct
periods. The Meccan period, defined by calling the people to the religion of
Islam, and the Medinan period, defined by the establishment of the Muslim
state. Prophet Muhammad and the majority of his followers migrated to the city
of Medina in the 14th year of Prophethood.
The Night Journey and Ascension took place late in the Meccan
period, while the qiblah changed to Mecca around 15 months after the
Prophet’s migration to Medina. From this, we can infer that the Muslims faced Al-Aqsa
when praying for approximately three years before God changed the direction to Mecca. This by no means diminished the significance of Jerusalem or Masjid Al-Aqsa, it
merely represented another step in the establishment of the message for all of
humanity. The Holy Masjid in Mecca was fixed as the central point in Islam.
The Journey and Miracle Continues
While still in the sacred precincts of Masjid Al-Aqsa,
the Angel Gabriel presented Prophet Muhammad with two cups. One was filled
with milk, the other with wine, and both offered to the Prophet. Prophet
Muhammad chose and drank the milk. Angel Gabriel then said to him “Thanks be to
God, who guided you to the fitrah; if you had taken the wine,
your followers would have gone astray”.
It is difficult to translate the Arabic word fitrah into English; it
denotes the natural and pure state in which one is born, an innate feeling that
guides one to do the “right” thing. Prophet Muhammad instinctively chose right
over wrong, good over evil, and the Straight Path rather than the crooked path
to Hell.
It was from the Holy city of Jerusalem, in the sacred
precincts of Masjid Al-Aqsa
that Prophet Muhammad commenced the next stage of his miraculous Night Journey.
Prophet Muhammad ascended to the lowest heaven from a rock. This rock can be
found inside the Dome of the Rock, the most famous symbol of Jerusalem. It
should not be confused with the actual Masjid building, which is on the other
side of the Al-Aqsa compound. The entire precinct is the masjid, but many
separate buildings exist there. It is important to remember that although the
Dome of the Rock is inside the Masjid compound, it is not Masjid Al-Aqsa and it
is not the place of prostration where Prophet Muhammad led the previous
Prophets in prayer. From the rock, now covered by the familiar golden dome,
Prophet Muhammad ascended to the lowest heaven in the company of Angel Gabriel.
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