The Masjid Al-Aqsa compound in the city of Jerusalem is one reaped in culture and history. It has down the centuries passed through the rule of empires such as the Umayyad Caliphate, the Templar Knights of the First Crusade, the Ayyubid Dynasty, The Ottoman Empire, and more recently the Palestinians. The mosque also holds an indisputably significant position as the third holiest site in Islam, behind only the respective haram’s of Makkah and Madina.

But its history has also been one of turmoil and conflict, as each new reign in Jerusalem brought with it a significant amount of bloodshed. More recently the Palestinian right over the masjid has faced an overwhelming threat at the hands of Zionists, eager to lay their own claim to the site.

In period of increase threat to the sanctity of Al-Aqsa, VOC News has sought to better the public’s understanding on why it holds such significance to the broader Muslim population, as well as clearing up misconceptions surrounding the iconic compound.

Here are the seven key issues:

1) In the broader scheme of things, the conflict around Al-Aqsa has often been relegated to yet another facet of the on-going political and territorial dispute between Palestine and Israel. However the matter deals with a structure that is very much enshrined in the religious identity of Muslims. Al-Aqsa is seen in Islam as a symbol very much equivalent in status to that of the grand Haram in Makkah, and the Haram of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in Madina.

Al-Aqsa also has the privilege of being the only masjid mentioned in the Holy Quran in the very same breath as the Masjid Al-Haram. This takes place in Surah Bani Israel, which explains the journey taken by the Prophet (pbuh) on the night of Mi’raaj, where he travelled between Makkah and Jerusalem before proceeding onto heaven to accept the gift of the salaah.

As Al Quds Foundation president Maulana Igsaan Hendricks explains: “In this ayat we derive and understand that the Almighty Allah (s.w.t) has shown the eternal relationship, the everlasting twinning of the two masjids, Masjid al-Haram and Masjid al-Aqsa. It is integral to understand how important Al-Aqsa is to our belief system.”

2) This first fact also brings light to a second, which is the reason why Muslims choose to visit Al-Aqsa and the city of Al-Quds. As the tourism industry in the region has expanded, the compound has often been treated more along the lines of a popular tourist destination. It would not be out of place to see scores of visitors queuing outside any of the buildings in the compound, awaiting the opportunity to take photos and join tours of the site.

However, Hendricks said the first purpose of one’s visit to Jerusalem was not as a sightseer, but rather as a pilgrim seeking to perform their salaah at Al-Aqsa mosque.

“We are not merely going as tourists to see the architecture and structures of the old city of Jersusalem. Our first niyaah is that we are going to Baitul Maqdis, to al-Quds to make salaah in Al-Aqsa. That is completely in line with the prophetic advice of our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), exclaiming the superiority and virtue of making salaah in the three masajid.”

3) Jerusalem is not only the site of the first qiblah of the Muslims, but it has also been described as the land of the ambiyah (prophets) and companions. This is because there are sufficient written records to suggest that most, if not all of the prophets’ mention in the Holy Quran at some point or another visited or resided in Al-Quds. There is also evidence to suggest that many passed away, and are buried within the confines of the historic city. The same is the case with many of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

“Of the illustrious companions of the Prophet (saw), there is a list of hundreds of names of those who finally went to settle (in Jerusalem). Some of them migrated, some went there for some time, some died there and some in fact were born in that particular area,” Hendricks explained.

“Because this land been ordained as sacred by Allah (swt), He has also honoured many prophets to be born or migrate their, and he has honoured many of them to die and spend the last days of their lives there.”

4) One clear misconception has been on the actual size of, and what actually constitutes ‘Masjid Al-Aqsa’. A common misunderstanding has been to declare the Dome of the Rock as the masjid itself. In response, many have also sought to relegate the buildings significance to “not being a part of Al-Aqsa”. But both narratives are incorrect. The actual definition of Al-Aqsa is the entirety of the compound, and anything that falls within its walls. This includes the Dome of the Rock, the Buraq Masjid, as well as the actual Al-Aqsa mosque.

Hendricks elaborates: “If our people continue with this type of interpretation to disqualify the Dome of the Rock then we are actually playing directly into the hands of the occupiers who want to divide it. This plays into the Zionist grand plan for the division of Al-Aqsa. This is the time division, regulating the time when people may enter the masjid and of course the physical division to split it in two.”

5) In a similar vein there is much confusion around the usage of the term Beitul Maqdis, often assumed to directly translate to the compound. However, the term was in actual fact used by the Prophet (pbuh) to describe an entire municipal area, of which Al-Aqsa is but a small part of.

He said: “If we use the term Beitul Maqdis we are talking, according to the prophetic explanation of a vast municipal area not restricted to the compound of al-Aqsa.”

6) A major issue of contention in the vicinity of the compound is the Jewish claim to the so called ‘Wailing Wall’, alleged to be remnants of the Temple of Solomon which many Zionists believe Al-Aqsa to be built on top of. But at least according to Islamic prophetic studies, the structure in fact represents what is known as the ‘Buraq Wall’.

According to Hendricks, the wall signified the location where the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) tied the Buraq during the journey of Mi’raaj.

He said: “The Buraq Wall that has now become the Wailing Wall is an integral part of Masjid al-Aqsa. But under the occupation that wall has been taken away by the occupiers.”

7) As mentioned, many Zionists believe Masjid Al-Aqsa to have been constructed on the ruins of the Temple of Solomon, a site of extreme significance to the Jewish community. It is widely believe that Zionists which to reconstruct the temple on the current spot which houses Al-Aqsa. But despite these perceptions, on-going excavations have yet to turn up any evidence to substantiate such a claim to the site.

“The claim of the Zionist occupiers is that 1950 years ago the temple of Solomon was destroyed, and the place where al-Aqsa stands is in actual fact on the ruins of the temple. For more than 40 years leading archaeologists have written their reports to say to say there is no archaeological evidence of the Temple of Solomon beneath Masjid al-Aqsa.”

These represent but a handful of facts around the historic compound of Al-Aqsa, emphasising its importance to the Muslim population. As Palestinians continue to fervently defend the mosque, VOC are hoping this information will benefit the community in understand why maintaining its sanctity is of utmost importance.

Maulana Ighsaan Hendricks is featured in an ongoing series of programmes on Masjid Al-Aqsa on VOC’s Talking Point show every Tuesday evening. VOC