The Dome of the Rock

In his letter the writer mentioned that our Prophet (Pbuh) offered prayers 'here' (meaning Al-Aqsa Mosque). But Al-Aqsa Mosque did not exist in the days of our Prophet (Pbuh). It was built at the initiative of Calif Abd al-Malik of Damascus, during the Hijri years 69-72 (years calculated from the date of migration of our Prophet (Pbuh) from Mecca of Madina). The Calif reportedly spent all the revenues earned from Egypt over period of seven years to build the 'Dome of the Rock' including gold-plating the entire Dome, as also in building the Al-Aqsa Mosque adjacent to it simultaneously. The whole story is narrated by one Jamal ad-Din Ahmad, a native of Jerusalem, in an article written by him in 1351 AD and it is included in a book titled' The Dome of the Rock' written and compiled by Said Nuseibeh and Oleg Graber (pages 139-141). Jamal ad-Din's article appears in the book with the title 'On Building the Dome of the Rock and activities Therein.' It was taken from a book published earlier in 1890 titled 'Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from AD 650 to 1500. Works of The Mediaeval Geographers'.

The place we Muslims call 'Bait Al-Muqaddas', the first Qibla before 'Kaaba' in Mecca, is actually the Holy Rock (Sakhrah) in Jerusalem which is covered by the magnificent Dome with its supporting structures and is accessible to those Muslims who are allowed to enter to offer 'extra' prayers. It is not a mosque as mentioned by Taher J.

The hill-top area which Muslims call Haram al-Sharif, has in it the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Once in the past there was Solomon's Temple on that hill-top, built by King and Prophet Suleiman, As (or King Solomon, as the Jews and the Christians call him). Invading pagans, long before the advent of Islam, later destroyed it. When the Khalif of Islam built the Dome and Al-Aqsa Mosque, the hill-top had no temple on it. The Rock from where our Prophet (Pbuh) started his journey to the heavens (in the night of Meraj) was of course there, but without a sheltering roof over it. The Jews and the Christians call this hill Temple Mount, the mountain that once had Solomon's Temple on it. It is a top sacred place to the Jews, who are desperate to snatch it from the Muslims.

Taher J. is right in stating that "the Aqsa Mosque and Sakhra mosque are not the same," but he is wrong in assuming that Al Aqsa Mosque is more sacred to the Muslims than the Dome of the Rock. It is the Rock (Sakhrah) under the Dome where our Prophet (Pbuh) offered his prayers and wherefrom he started his journey to the heavens. Al-Aqsa Mosque did not exist there at that time, as Islam then did not spread that far.