Two very little known facts about Masjid Al Aqsa

Masjid Al-Aqsa is one of the 3 holiest places in all of Islam and holds. It is the place from which Prophet Muhammad (SAW) ascended to the heavens on the night of the Miraaj. This is one of the most ancient pieces of architecture that is revered by both the Jews and the Muslims in the world and there is great strive over its possession. At the moment the complex of Al-Aqsa is under the dominion of Muslims even though the Israeli occupation is known to frequently storm this sacred mosque and hold it hostage from the Muslims. Only in the time of Islamic rulers has the holy land of Palestine ever seen peace. After Hazrat Umar (RA) liberated Jerusalem centuries ago, it was the first time that the Jews of the world were allowed to come back to this land after the Romans had conquered it centuries earlier. This is one of the most important favors of the Muslims that the occupiers of that sacred land have forgotten. Down the line, Jerusalem was again conquered by the Christians in the middle Ages and it was finally with the arrival of Sultan Saladin that Muslims again gained control of this land. The rest is all too well known of how then after World War 2 the powers of the world divided up not only the kingdom of the Ottomans, but also illegally handed over Palestine to the Jews of Europe. But today we are here to shed light on some really interesting fact about the sacred mosque of Al-Aqsa that many people may not be aware of.

Al-Ghazali

Islam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali is one of the most famous and important scholars of Islam and one of the most important and famous books, IhyaaUlum Al-Din regarding Islamic literature was written by him. One of the things that set Al-Ghazali apart is that all sects of the Muslims hold him in high regard and his genius to convey information while remaining set upon the Quran and Prophetic teachings is second to none. What most people don’t know is that Al-Ghazali actually for a time lived in Al-Aqsa and wrote his book there. There is actually a building in the mosque that denotes the location of his old room.

It was used for multiple purposes

People are keen to think of and actually call Islam a religion of violence without knowing anything about it, whereas others get a pass. Well for those people here is a small history lesson, when the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem; they slaughtered nearly 70,000 Muslims, most of who were in Al-Aqsa. After that they not only converted the Qibly mosque into a palace but the Dome of the Rock into a chapel and the underground chamber into a stable. Muslims that survived the massacre only found themselves crucified on a large cross that had been placed near the center of the mosque. As a fact to know, this cross was the only one that Sultan Saladin broke when he took back Jerusalem from the Christians.