The al-Aqsa Sanctuary
The sacred al-Aqsa Sanctuary in Jerusalem is one of three most Holy Mosques in the Islamic faith. The Sanctuary is referred to in the Holy Qur'an and Ahadiths (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him). Fundamentalist Israelis have threatened the Sanctuary and the mosque buildings within it since the creation of the state of Israel. After the 1967 war, these threats became more pronounced. In 1969, the Mihrab dating back to the time of Salaheddin Ayubi within one of the mosque buildings was set ablaze by a Zionist who spent weeks infiltrating the compound and gaining trust. The extensive damage took 20 years to repair.

Several excavations underneath the Sanctuary carried out by the Israeli state have weakened the foundations of the compound. As a result, cracks have started to appear on some parts of the Mosque walls. Recently Zionist organisations, seventeen in all, including ‘The Temple Mount Fund' ‘The Temple Institute' and ‘The Research Institute for the Temple' have openly declared their aim of demolishing the mosques within the Al-Aqsa Sanctuary and replacing them with a Jewish Temple. Such an objective is contrary to Jewish scriptures as stated in the Halacha. These groups are working without any restrictions from the state and are confident that a Jewish Temple will be built on the site of the Holy al-Aqsa Sanctuary.

Did you know? 

1. That Masjid Al Aqsa was the second Masjid on earth. 

2. That it was built 40 years after the Ka’ba in Makkah. 

3. That most scholars are of the opinion that Masjid Al Aqsa was first built by Prophet Adam [as]. 

4. That Ibrahim [as] rebuilt the Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem with his son Ishaq [as] as he and Ismail [as] rebuilt the Ka’ba in Makkah. 

5. That Prophet Daud [as] began the rebuilding of Masjid Al Aqsa. 

6. That it was Prophet Sulayman [as] who finally completed the building of Masjid Al Aqsa. 

7. That the Masjid Al Aqsa built by Sulayman [as] was destroyed in 587 BC by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon. 

8. That the Jewish people call this same Masjid Al Aqsa built by Sulayman [as] their Temple. 

9. That the Jewish people re-built their Temple on the same site in 167 BC but this was destroyed in 70 AD and Jews were banished from Jerusalem at the same time. 

10. That the site of Masjid Al Aqsa remained barren and was used as a rubbish tip for nearly 600 years until the Great Khalifah Umar bin al-Khattab liberated Jerusalem in 637/8 AD. 

11. That the caliph Umar bin Khattab ordered the foundations of Masjid Al Aqsa to be laid and a timber mosque was built on the site. 

12. That the Umayyad caliph, Abd’ al Malik ibn Marwan in 691/2 [72/73 AH] began the construction of the Dome of the Rock (the Golden Domed Mosque). 

13. That the al Buraq wall or Western Wall where Prophet Muhammad [saas] tied al-Buraq on the night journey of al Isra is what the Jewish people call the wailing wall. 

14. That Muslims consider the land or the Haram Sharif area to be sacred and holy, not the Masjid buildings that exist there -although these do have historical significances. 

15. That the land of the Masjid Al Aqsa contains tow main buildings called Al-Aqsa [Black Domed Mosque] and the Dome of the Rock [the Golden Domed Mosque]. 

16. That Israel occupied Masjid Al Aqsa in 1967. 

17. That fundamentalist Jews have made 100’s of attempts to destroy Al Aqsa since 1967 when they occupied it. A fire in 1967 destroyed the 900 year old Mimbar installed by Salah'ideen Ayubi, the Great Muslim Hero. 

18. That many fundamentalist Jews want to re-build their Temple within Masjid Al Aqsa and destroy what exists there now.