Al-Huda
Foundation, NJ U. S. A
the Message Continues ... 7/105
Newsletter for May 2010
Article 1 - Article 2 - Article 3 - Article 4 - Article 5 - Article 6 - Article 7 - Article 8 - Article 9 - Article 10 - Article 11 - Article 12
History of Al Aqsa Mosque
"The Tunnel of King Je-hoia-chin and Its Religious Significance"
by Kais Al-Kalby with Emad
J. Meerza
The
patriarch of all the believers of Allah (God), i.e. Jews,
Christians, and Muslims is Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham, PEACE BE
UPON HIM). He built the Kaba in Makkah with his firstborn son
Ismael (peace be upon him). This was an order from Allah (SWT)
that Ibrahim and Ismael (peace be upon them) construct this Holy
House of Allah (SWT) as a place of worship for all the believers
on earth. Ismael (peace be upon him) was 17 at the time he and
his father built the Kaba. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),
a descendent of the Prophet Ismael (peace be upon him), would
come nearly 2,500 years after Kaba was built and repurify it as
a holy place of worship according to the teachings of the
Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him). As stated in the Torah and
in the Holy Quran "all the generations will be blessed through
Ibrahim (peace be upon him)" (Genesis 12 and 18 Holy Bible, Chp
2 Verses 123-141 Holy Quran).
In
Jerusalem, Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) also established
a place of worship. This place would later be known as The House
Of Allah (God), or Beteyel. Forty years after the construction
of Kaba, Prophet Ibrahim expanded this place of worship. Isaac
(peace be upon him), Prophet Ibrahim's younger son, worshipped
in Beteyel, but also made journeys to Kaba in Makkah for Hajj
(Pilgrimage) as did Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Jacob (peace be
upon him) the second son of Isaac (peace be upon him), extended
Beteyel as a place of worship for all the believers of Allah
(God) in the region. The natives of the land, the Palestinians,
believers in the teachings of the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon
him), also worshipped in Beteyel or The House Of Allah (God).
Ibrahim (peace be upon him), referred to Beteyel as "Masjid Al-Aqsa",
which means the farthest place of worship of the One God.
Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him), was stating that Masjid Al-Aqsa
was the farthest place of worship west of Kaba in Makkah.
Some
years later, Prophet Joseph (peace be upon him), the son of
Jacob (peace be upon him) attained a high position of power in
Egypt, he sent for all of his family to come live with him in
Egypt away from the poverty of Palestine. There were 33 in all,
Jacob (peace be upon him), his children and his grandchildren
(Genesis 46 in the Torah). Because there was no one left from
Jacob's (peace be upon him) tribe to care for Beteyel, Jacob
(peace be upon him), entrusted care of Beteyel or Masjid Al-Aqsa
to the natives of the area, the Palestinians. This was
acceptable due to the fact that the natives were also followers
of the Patriarch, the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him). The
Israelites remained in Egypt for four hundred years as slaves to
the Egyptians with no connection to Palestine, the land from
which they immigrated (Genesis 15 Verse 13-17). This choice was
not forced on them, they simply chose to leave Palestine for the
sake of the wealth and riches in Egypt.
In the
time of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), the Israelites were
still slaves to the Egyptians. Allah (God) ordered Moses (peace
be upon him), after freeing the Israelites from bondage, to lead
them to Palestine. The Israelites rejected this order from Allah
(God), and preferred to live in the desert of Sinai, rather than
to sacrifice themselves for the sake of Allah (God). They
believed this land belonged to the Palestinians, the natives of
the area.
For
fourty years, the Israelites wandered in the desert of Sinai. A
new generation was born, and from it came forth Prophet David
(peace be upon him), he would lead this generation of believers
to Palestine. Prophet David (peace be upon him) established his
kingdom in part of Palestine, and controlled Jerusalem. His son,
Prophet Soloman (King Solomon) (peace be upon him) rebuilt
Masjid Al-Aqsa with the help of the natives, and next to it he
built the ruler's palace. After Prophet Solomon's death, his two
sons divided his kingdom amongst themselves. Each son
established his own kingdom and each had its own capital. From
both of these kingdoms, Allah (God) raised prophets. According
to Jewish history, these kingdoms existed for nearly two hundred
years.
In 586
B.C., King Je-hoia-chin of Jerusalem, saw that he might lose his
kingdom. He was the last Jewish king who tried to resist the
Babylonians in Jerusalem. In his struggle, his kingdom was
surrounded by the Babylonians who cut off supplies from the
outside world. When the inhabitants of Jerusalem ran out of food
and water, the king made a tunnel to enable his soldiers to
escape and retrieve supplies from the outside world. Part of the
tunnel collapsed, the resistance led by King Je-hoia-chin was
defeated, and the Babylonians took over Jerusalem. The tunnel
used by King Je-hoia-chin, is the same tunnel being excavated
today in Jerusalem. After the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem,
they took its inhabitants as slaves to Babylon.
The
Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed what King Solomon had
built in Jerusalem (Kings 2 Chapters 24 and 25 of the Bible).
According to the word of God in the Torah, the Israelites were
made to be slaves in both the Nile and in the Euphrates.
After
seventy years of slavery in Babylon, King Cyrus of Persea gave
the Israelites their freedom. At that time very few of the
Israelites returned to Palestine. These few Israelites
worshipped only in The House Of Allah. For generations, the
Israelites took care of Beteyel or Masjid Al-Aqsa. During the
period when the Roman Empire was in constant battle with the
Persean Empire, the Israelites aided the Perseans, and benefited
when the Perseans had control of Jerusalem. Because the
Israelites supported the Persean Empire as spies and in other
ways, the Romans treated them as enemies of the Roman Empire.
In 70
A.D., the Romans destroyed (burned) Beteyel, and converted it
into a place of Roman idol worship (Jupitor, etc.). In 315 A.D.,
when the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity,
the Romans had no regard for Beteyel. It became a place were the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, including the Jews threw their
garbage. The Jews no longer considered Beteyel a Holy Shrine.
The
Persean Empire defeated the Romans in 614 A.D., the Jews were
now able to worship where they wished, but chose not to worship
in Beteyel or Masjid Al-Aqsa. The Perseans controlled Jerusalem
until 624 A.D. The Jews, who were in a position of power during
this period, tortured the Arab Christians. Jerusalem was in need
of a just ruler. Both the Christians and the Jews had suffered
under different empires, and both knew that the Holy Scriptures
promised the coming of a ruler to save them from all this unjust
torture and aggression.
The
Israelites were awaiting the coming of the Messiah, who would be
king and ruler, and would defeat all the evil empires, as
promised by Allah (God). The only Prophet in history to have
accomplished this task, was Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him). Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his followers
defeated all the empires of the time, establishing the Kingdom
Of God (Islamic State) throughout the region. This included
Jerusalem as promised by Allah to the Muslims (Daniel 2 Verse 44
and Mathew 21 Verse 43). The Israelites had tried to fulfill
this prophecy in 165 B.C., under the leadership of Judah Makabi.
Within three years, he was defeated by the Romans, who regained
complete control of Jerusalem. Prophet Jesus (peace be upon
him), was also unable to accomplish this task mentioned in the
Holy Scriptures. It was the Prophet from Arabia, Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) who fulfilled this prophecy.
In 621
A.D., the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) ascended to the
heavens in the night known as Israa and Mirag to the Muslims
(Malachi 3 Verse 1-14). In that night, Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him) led all the Prophets of Allah (peace be upon them)
in prayer in the Holy Mosque (Masjid Al-Aqsa). For this reason,
Masjid Al-Aqsa is a holy place of worship for the Muslims, along
with Kaba in Makkah and The Prophet's (peace be upon him) Mosque
in Medina. These are the three most important Mosques to the
Muslims.
In 637
A.D., the Christian leader of Jerusalem, Snaifors, realized
through the holy Scriptures (Zeckariah 9 Verses 9 and 10), that
the second leader of the Islamic State, Umar ibn Al-Khatab, fits
the description of the one who would open Jerusalem and free it
from the evil empires. Snaifors surrendered peacefully. Umar ibn
Al-Khatab and the Muslims, after securing Jerusalem, again
established Masjid Al-Aqsa as a holy place of worship. Both the
Christians and the Jews were pleased with the arrival of Umar
and the Muslims, and with the just rule under the Islamic
State.
In the
eleventh century, the European Christians in the crusades,
tortured the Jews and the Muslims. They burned the Jews in the
their Temples and they burned the Muslims in Masjid Al-Aqsa. The
European Christians even tortured the Arab Christians and
destroyed their churches. The Jews fled to Indulis (Spain), to
receive protection under Islamic rule or a Muslim society. In
1189 A.D., the leader of the Muslim army, Salah Aldeen Al-Ayobi
expelled the European Christians from Jerusalem, and returned
Jerusalem to Islamic rule. The Christian, Jews, and Muslims
lived in harmony under Islamic rule.
In 1948,
with the help of the western powers, the Jews were able to
fulfill the promise of the British foreign minister, Bill Ford.
This promise was made in 1917 regarding the Jews' return to the
holy land, Palestine. In the time of Moses (peace be upon him),
when ordered by Allah (God) to return to Palestine, the
Israelites disobeyed the will of Allah (God). Once the Jews
again controlled Jerusalem, they expelled and tortured the
natives of Palestine from their land, and the area returned to a
state of unrest (Haggie 2 Verse 7-9).
In the
1980's, the Israelis started an archaeological project in the
area of the Dome of the Rock (Masjid Al-Aqsa). They began
excavation claiming that they were searching for the Temple Of
King Solomon. They were unable to locate the Temple Of King
Solomon, but in the process discovered the tunnel of King Je-hoia-chin.
The Israelis claimed that the search was a success only because
they discovered the collapsed tunnel of King Je-hoia-chin, which
is in no way related to the Temple of King Solomon. This tunnel
has no religious significance, it only has historical
significance. The entrance was then sealed and today has been
reopened without justification. The significance to the Muslims
is well understood, they fear for Masjid Al-Aqsa and its
foundation, and that in some way this excavation can damage the
Holy Mosque. The significance of this dig to the Jews is not yet
understood, clearly there is no religious significance. Prime
Minister Netanyahu has said this openly in his news conference
at the White House. The question thus remains, why if this
archaeological dig can lead to so much unrest, do the Israelis
insist that it remain open?
Conclusion
·
First - all the children of Israel left Jerusalem in the time of
Jacob by their own will.
·
Second - they were unwilling to support Moses (peace be upon
him) and return to the holy land for the sake of Allah (God).
·
Third - King Je-hoia-chin's tunnel has no religious significance
to the Jews, it is merely a historical site. The Israelis
continued excavation of the tunnel, may result in damage to
Masjid Al-Aqsa.
·
Fourth - the Israelites abandoned Beteyel in 614 A.D., while
under Persean rule.
·
Fifth - they took Palestine by force and aggression in 1948, and
subsequently tortured many Palestinians in the process.
·
Finally - the Jews do not appreciate all the just treatment that
they received from the Muslims throughout history, and as we see
today, the Israelis have little concern for the Muslim people,
their places of worship, and their property.
For more
information you can obtain the book titled,
"Prophet Muhammad The last Messenger In The Bible," written by
Kais Al-Kalby. This can be ordered by mail, fax, or phone. Write
to, P.O. Box 901412 Palmdale, CA 93550. Fax: (805) 266-0450,
Phone: (805) 538-9762.
Please,
we ask anyone who receives this article, to distribute it to
whomever may be interested in reading it or benefit from it. If
you are able to publish it, please know that you have the
author's permission to do so. With everyone's help, we hope that
this information can be read by many. May it please Allah (SWT).
Peace, mercy, and the blessings of Allah be upon you all!
ALLAH:
The One God
SWT: The Glorified And The Exalted
PBUH: Peace Be Upon Him
PBUT: Peace Be Upon Them
References - The Old Testament , The New Testament, and The
Holy Quran
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