Dr.
Abdul Karim Miqdad
Special juristic rulings are associated with al-Masjid al-Aqṣā that are unique to it. This is because it was
the first qiblah (direction of prayer) for the Muslims, the second house
of Allah that was built for people on the earth, and the third mosque that
Muslims can undertake a journey to visit. Furthermore, it was mentioned in the verses of
the Qur᾿ān and
the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). A number of scholars have
undertaken to highlight these special rulings whether they are specific to
al-Masjid al-Aqṣā or to
certain other mosques as well, such as al-Masjid al-Ḥarām and al-Masjid al-Nabawī. This article is
an attempt to briefly shed light on some of these rulings.
First: The Boundaries of al-Masjid al-Aqṣā
The boundaries of al-Masjid al-Aqṣā are not limited to the Mosque of the Qiblah
or the Mosque of the Dome of the Rock; rather, they encompass the entire area
that is contained within its walls. The author of the book al-Uns al-Jalīl
bi Tarīkh al-Quds wa al-Khalīl said: “It is commonly understood that al-Aqṣā from the direction of the qiblah is
the structure built in the front section of the mosque, which includes the
pulpit and the grand mihrāb. However, the fact of the matter is that
al-Aqṣā is a name denoted to the entire vicinity
surrounded by the walls. The structure present in the front section of the mosque
and other structures such as the Dome of the Rock, corridors and other
structures are extraneous. In other words, what is meant by al-Masjid al-Aqṣā is the entire area surrounded by the walls.
This area is estimated to be 144,000 square
meters; the length of its walls is 491 meters from the west, 462 meters from
the east, 310 meters from the north, and 281 meters from the south.
Second: The Merits of al-Masjid al-Aqṣā
Al-Masjid al-Aqṣā has a
number of merits that can be highlighted in the context of explaining the
juristic rulings unique to it. These merits include:
A.
Allah will forgive whoever travelled to it for
the purpose of praying in it:
Any Muslim who travelled to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā with the sole intention of praying there will
have all his sins forgiven; he will be as on the day his mother gave birth to
him. The evidence for this is what is narrated in the Musnad of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal in
which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Sulaimān ibn Dāwūd asked
Allah for three things. He was given two, and we hope that the third will be
granted as well. He asked Allah for judgment in harmony with his judgment, and
he was given that. He asked Allah for a dominion that no one after him would
have, and he was given that, and he asked Allah that no one would come to it,
intending only to pray there, but that he would emerge as free from sin as the
day his mother bore him. We hope that Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has granted
him that as well” Musnad Aḥmad (11/220).
B.
Prayer in al-Masjid al-Aqṣā is equal to 500 prayers:
Among
the blessings bestowed upon this mosque is that Almighty Allah made the reward
for praying a single prayer in it equivalent to 500 prayers in any other place.
The evidence for this is the ḥadīth collected
by al-Ṭabarānī in which Abū al-Dardā’ quoted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
as saying, “A prayer in al-Masjid al-Ḥarām is
equal to 100,000 prayers, a prayer in my mosque is equal to 1,000 prayers, and
a prayer in Al-Aqṣā
Sanctuary is equal to 500 prayers” Majmaʻ al-Zawā’id wa Manbaʻ al-Fawā’id (4/7).
C.
The recommendation to undertake a journey to
visit it:
Muslim scholars have recommended journeying to
the blessed Masjid al-Aqṣā to
visit it. This is based on the narration in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim that
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “No journey should be
undertaken to visit any mosque other than the following three: al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, the Mosque of the Prophet (peace and
blessings upon him) and al-Masjid al-Aqṣā.” The
scholars also recommended completing the recitation of the Qur᾿ān in
al-Masjid al-Aqṣā. In
this regard, Al-Jarāʻī
transmitted that Saʻīd ibn
Manṣūr narrated in his Sunan that Abū Majlaz
said, “The scholars recommended that anyone who visits any of the three mosques
complete the recitation of the Qur᾿ān
before leaving them.”
D.
It is recommended
to gift oil for its lamps:
The Prophet’s
encouragement in recommending the provision of oil to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā was very clear. Oil can be regarded as a
metaphor for the various forms of support that are recommended to be provided
by the Muslims in every age to the blessed al-Masjid al-Aqṣā. Such support will become mandatory if it is
provided in order to protect al-Masjid al-Aqṣā from
its judaization and control by the Zionist
occupation. Imām Aḥmad
narrated that Maymunah reported: I said, “Messenger of Allah, tell us about
Bait al-Maqdis.” He said, “It is the land of the resurrection and the gathering.
Come and pray in it, for one prayer in it is like one thousand prayers
elsewhere.” “What if one cannot go there?” I asked. He replied, “Send oil for
its lamps; for whoever does so, it is as if they had gone there” Musnad
Imām Aḥmad, (45/597).
E.
It is recommended
to start talibyah for hajj or umrah from al-Masjid al-Aqṣā to al-Masjid al-Ḥarām:
The
Shafiʻī and Ḥanbalī Schools
are of the opinion that it is recommended to start talibyah for Hajj and
umrah from al-Masjid al-Aqṣā. Their
opinion is based on the narration of Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet,
that the Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever begins the talbiyah for umrah
from Bait al-Maqdis, that will be an expiation for all his previous sins” Sunan
Ibn Mājah (2/999). In another narration by Abū Dāwūd, “If
anyone puts on iḥrām for ḥajj or umrah from al-Masjid al-Aqṣā and then proceeds to the Sacred Masjid, his
past and future sins will be forgiven,” or “he will be
guaranteed Paradise” Sunan Abū
Dāwūd (2/144).
In this regard, it is important to mention
something that has become widespread among people that can be termed as “taqdīs
al-ḥajj”,
whereby a pilgrim will sanctify his ḥajj by
visiting al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, which
is something that has no basis. However, as mentioned earlier, some of the
scholars of the salaf recommended visiting the three mosques in a single
journey based on the evidence concerning the commencement of talbiyah for ḥajj or umrah from
al-Masjid al-Aqṣā.
F.
Multiplying the reward of those who stay
steadfast in al-Masjid al-Aqṣā:
The protection of Muslim lands and their defense
against aggressors is one of the greatest deeds loved by Allah, and there are
many ḥadīths that mention the virtues of guarding the
borders. Among them is what is reported by Muslim in his Ṣaḥiḥ in which the Prophet peace be upon him said, “Keeping
watch for a day and night is better than fasting and performing night-prayer for
a month. And if one dies while doing so, he will go on receiving his reward for
his deeds perpetually, he will receive his provision, and he will be saved from
the tribulation [of the grave]” [Ṣaḥiḥ Muslim, 3/1520].
Rewards will be multiplied depending on the
virtue of the place one guards. Therefore, standing guard in
al-Masjid al-Aqṣā is one of the greatest
deeds through which the pleasure of Allah is sought in light of the repeated
attempts by the Zionist occupation to control and judaize it.
Third: What Is Disliked or Prohibited in al-Masjid al-Aqṣā
The scholars identified certain actions or
deeds that are disliked in regards to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā
A.
Its dust and soil should not be taken away:
The Shafiʻīs and other scholars who agreed with them are
of the opinion that it is prohibited to take any amount of soil or pebbles or
stones from al-Masjid al-Aqṣā. Al-Suyūtī
said, “It is prohibited to take any of its parts, including its pebbles,
stones, soil, oil and candles” al-Ashbāh wa al-Naẓāʾir (p. 421).
In addition, other things that are prohibited
in other mosques are also prohibited in al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, such as the prohibition of menstruating women
from staying in it. However, contemporary scholars have made an exception to this
ruling, taking into account the specificity of al-Masjid al-Aqṣā and the need for people to be present in it
at all times provided that no impurity will taint it (Contemporary Fatāwā
Concerning the Blessed al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, p. 41).
B.
Al-Masjid al-Aqṣā is not
a sanctuary in the terminological sense:
Ḥaram from
the terminological perspective is a place where it is prohibited to hunt or cut
trees or plants, in addition to several other rulings special to it and not to
other mosques. This is the case for the sanctuaries of Mecca and Madinah. From
this perspective, it would be prohibited to use such terminology when referring
to the blessed al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, since
lost items found in its premises are not prohibited if they are properly
identified and no owner claims them in accordance with the rulings of lost
items. Furthermore, it is not prohibited to hunt animals or cut plants within
its premises. However, based on the linguistic meaning of what a sanctuary is,
which refers to anything that is not allowed to be violated or desecrated and
must be defended and protected, which is also commonly used to refer to a wife
or a sister or a university and other things, then such a usage will not raise
an issue.
A fatwā issued by the general
directorate of Islamic affairs in the UAE states, “A sanctuary (ḥaram) in the juristic sense has special rulings
that are applicable to the sanctuaries of Mecca and Madinah and no other place.
In recent times, the term (al-ḥaram
al-qudsī) was used to refer to the area of al-Masjid al-Aqṣā and the Dome of the Rock. There is nothing
wrong in making such a reference from a metaphorical perspective, since
al-Masjid al-Aqṣā is the
second masjid built on earth, the first qiblah for the Muslims
and the third masjid to which a journey can be undertaken; and Allah
knows best.”
C.
It is not permissible to rub its walls and
circle around it:
It is not permissible for the visitor of
al-Masjid al-Aqṣā to
rub, kiss or circle around its buildings. What has been reported in regards to
the acts of some people who circle it or stand in the courtyard of al-Aqṣā in the day of ʻArafah
are deviations that are impermissible. This is because ṭawāf can only be performed around the Kaʻbah. Based
on this, Imām Malik disliked journeying to Bait al-Maqdis to arrive in a
specific time such as the season of pilgrimage, during which some people go
there to stand in its courtyard on the day of ʻArafah
to imitate standing at ʻArafah, and they slaughter sacrifices to
imitate the slaughtering of sacrifices by the pilgrims in Mina. The Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) did not do such a thing in any place or mosque
during his life.
D.
Lack of evidence for glorifying the rock for
being the first qiblah for the Muslims:
There are no narrations attributed to the
Prophet (may peace be upon him) or one of his companions concerning the
glorification of the rock. However, some Jewish and Christians did glorify it. As
for the claims that the imprint of the Prophet’s feet, traces of his turban or
other things can be found in the Dome of the Rock, these are pure lies and
fabrications.
The above was a collection of the juristic
rulings concerning the blessed Masjid al-Aqṣā. We
implore Allah to liberate it from the hands of its usurpers, return it to the
people of Islam, and enable us to pray in it.