Masjid al-Aqsa is not only the beautiful mosque with a golden dome. In fact, it is the entire compound highlighted below and is known as Bayt al-Maqdis, ‘House of the Holiness.’ The entire compound including the land and around 44 buildings within the al-Aqsa sanctuary are sacred. Masjid al-Aqsa translates to ‘the farthest mosque’ and refers to all the specific buildings upon the land.

The Prophet ﷺ dedicated a great deal of his time teaching his sahaba about the sanctity of Masjid al-Aqsa. Some of the reasons why Masjid al-Aqsa is such a revered site are listed below.

The First Qiblah (direction of prayer)
“We prayed with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (with our faces) towards Bayt al-Maqdis for 16 or 17 months. Then we were made to change (our direction) towards the Ka’bah.”
(Sahih Muslim 525b)

The 2nd House of Allah on Earth
Abu Dharr reported that he asked the Prophet ﷺ, “O Messenger of Allah, which masjid was built first on earth?”
The Prophet ﷺ replied, “The Sacred Masjid of Makkah.”
Abu Dharr again asked, “Which was next?”
The Prophet ﷺ said, “The Masjid al-Aqsa.”
Abu Dharr further asked, “How long was the period between the building of the two masajid?”
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Forty years.” Apart from these, offer your prayers anywhere when it is time to pray, as excellence lies in it.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 3366)

Direct Mention in the Qur’an
Aside from the Ka’bah, Masjid al-Aqsa is the only masjid mentioned by name in the Qur’an:
“Glory be to the One Who took His servant by night from Masjid al-Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.”
(Qur’an 17:1)

The Importance of Visiting Masjid al-Aqsa
“Do not set out on a journey except for three Mosques i.e. Al-Masjid aI-Haram, the Mosque of Allah’s Messenger and the Mosque of al-Aqsa.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 1189)

Virtues of Praying in Masjid al-Aqsa
“The reward of a prayer in Masjid al-Haram over other masajid is equivalent to 100,000 Salah (in reward), a prayer in my masjid (Medina) is equivalent to 1,000 Salah and a prayer in Bayt al-Maqdis is equivalent to 500 Salah.”
(al-Bayhaqi)

A Blessed Land
We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ collecting the Qur’an on pieces of cloth.
He said: “Blessed is al-Sham.”
We asked: “Why is that, O Messenger of Allah?”
He said: “Because the angels of Ar-Rahman (The Beneficent One) spread their wings over it.”
(al-Tirmidhi)
* al-Sham refers to the land of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine

Starting Umrah from Masjid al-Aqsa
“If anyone puts on Ihram for Hajj or Umrah from Masjid al-Aqsa and then proceeds to the Sacred Masjid (Ka’bah), their past and future sins will be forgiven, or they will be entered into Paradise.”
(Sunan Abi Dawud 1741)

May Allah protect Palestine and the Muslim world, increase its sanctity, multiply its benefit, honour its men, elevate its women, bless its children, fortify its people, raise its rank, strengthen its inhabitants, and grant patience and ease to all the families who have lost lives.