The name of the religion is Islam, which
comes from an Arabic root word meaning "peace" and
"submission." Islam teaches that one can only find peace in one's
life by submitting to Almighty God (Allah) in heart, soul and deed. The same
Arabic root word gives us "Salaam alaykum," ("Peace be with
you"), the universal Muslim greeting. Allah is the proper name for
Almighty God, and is often translated merely as "God." Allah has other names that
are used to describe His characteristics: the Creator, the Sustainer, the
Merciful, the Compassionate, etc. Muslims believe that since Allah alone is the
Creator, it is He alone that deserves our devout love and worship. Islam holds
to a strict monotheism. Any worship and prayers directed at saints, prophets,
other human beings or nature is considered idolatry. Islam’s holy book is the Quran;
it is known to be the central religious text of
Islam, which Muslims believe to be a revelation from God.
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In the
Islamic faith, Jerusalem is only the third most sacred city, which was the original qibla (direction of prayer) before it was
changed to Mecca. Jerusalem is revered because, in Muslim tradition, Muhammad
miraculously travelled to Jerusalem by night and ascended from there into
heaven. The two most important Muslim sites in Jerusalem are the Dome of the
Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Islam faith is situated in the Muslim quarter, north-east of the old city.
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THE DOME OF THE ROCK
The most notable Muslim site in Jerusalem is the Dome of the Rock
(Qubbat as-Sakhrah), which, like the Ka'ba, is built over a sacred stone. This
stone is holy to Jews as well, who believe it to be the site at which Abraham
prepared to sacrifice Isaac (Muslims place this event in Mecca). A prominent
figure on the Jerusalem skyline, the shining Dome of the Rock was built from
685 to 691 CE as a shrine for pilgrims. Its base is octagonal in shape and its
outer walls are 60 feet high. The wooden dome that rests upon columns within
the building is approximately 60 feet in diameter. Both the outer walls and the
dome have many windows. Much of the mosaic, faience (tin-glazed earthenware),
and marble that gives it its sparkle was added centuries after it was built.
There are also many inscriptions on the Dome of the Rock that are
used in the Quran. For example, one of the most famous inscriptions, which
says, “In
the name of God, the Merciful the Compassionate? There is no god but God. He is
One. He has” {Translation from Arabic} The Dome of the Rock is also mentioned
in the Bible on many occasions. For example, many Christians are familiar with
the story of how Abraham, as he was commanded by God, nearly sacrificed his son
Isaac at a place called Mount Moriah. The account is found in Genesis chapter
22.
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In the Middle Ages, Christians and Muslims both believed the dome to
be the biblical Temple of Solomon. The Knights Templars made their headquarters
there during the Crusades, and later patterned their churches after its design.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque (Arabic Masjid Al-Aqsa, "farthest mosque") is part
of the complex of religious buildings in Jerusalem known as either the Majed
Mount or Al-Haram ash-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) to Muslims and the Temple
Mount to Jews. Muslim tradition states that Muhammad ascended to heaven from
the Mount in 621, making the mosque the third most holy shrine in Islam (see Isra
and Miraj.) After the Dome of the Rock (690) the first wooden Al-Aqsa Mosque
was constructed by the Umayyads, completed in 710. The structure has been
rebuilt at least five times; it was entirely destroyed at least once by
earthquakes. The last major rebuild was in 1035.
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AL-AQSA MOSQUE
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the largest mosque in Jerusalem; about 5,000
people can worship in and around the mosque. It shows a mixture of styles
including Crusader work from when the Crusaders held Jerusalem, during which
the mosque was used as a palace and called the Temple of Solomon, in the belief
that the mosque was built on the site of the original temple. Al-Aqsa has been
at times the target of attacks by Jewish extremists, but most attempts were
averted by Israel's security services. Since part of the mosque's extended
surrounding wall is the Western Wall venerated by Jews, this relatively tiny
spot in Jerusalem can become the source of friction.
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There have been times when enraged Muslims worshiping at the mosque
have hurled rocks downward at the Jews praying below at the Western Wall. A
group of Jews known as the Temple Mount Faithful actually have plans to rebuild
the ancient Jewish Temple in that area. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades is named
after the mosque, probably in memory of Ariel Sharon's controversial visit to
the Temple Mount at the beginning of the Second Intifada (also known as the
al-Aqsa Intifada).
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MUHAMMAD'S NIGHT JOURNEY
In the video below, it will tell you about the spectacular Night Journey
that Muhammad, Islam’s main prophet, had to embark upon before bringing down
Islam’s main instructions to their religion.