IRSYAD AL-HADITH SERIES #388: THE ADVANTAGES OF LOOKING AT MASJID AL-AQSA

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Question:

Is it true that looking at Masjid al-Aqsa is greater than the world and all its wealth?

Answer:

Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.

Palestine is considered as one of the holy lands in Islam and it is also where numerous prophets are sent from. Furthermore, it is also an obligation for Muslims to love and care for Bait al-Maqdis for it is one of the holy lands mentioned in the Quran as a blessed city by Allah SWT for it is the place where the journey of the Prophet PBUH during the Isra’ and Mi’raj took place.

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ

“Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al- Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.”

Surah al-Isra’ (1)

According to Syeikh Wahbah al-Zuhaili in his famous commentary, al-Aqsa mosque in surah al-Isra’ is Bait al-Maqdis. It is named as al-Aqsa mosque due to its long distance from al-Haram mosque. It is also the farthest mosque from Mecca which is a place where we are encouraged to visit on this earth. (See: Tafsir al-Munir, 13/15)

According to the above question, here, we include a source of which we found the hadith that states this. It is a hadith in al-Mustadrak narrated by Imam al-Hakim.

تَذَاكَرْنَا وَنَحْنُ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَيُّهُمَا أَفْضَلُ: مَسْجِدُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، أَوْ مَسْجِدُ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: "صَلَاةٌ فِي مَسْجِدِي هَذَا أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَرْبَعِ صَلَوَاتٍ فِيهِ، وَلَنِعْمَ الْمُصَلَّى، وَلَيُوشِكَنَّ أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ لِلرَّجُلِ مِثْلُ شَطَنِ فَرَسِهِ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ حَيْثُ يَرَى مِنْهُ بَيْتَ الْمَقْدِسِ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا جَمِيعًا - أَوْ قَالَ: خَيْرٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا

We were discussing together while the Prophet PBUH is with us discussing on which is prioritized; the Prophet PBUH’s mosque or Bait al-Maqdis? The Prophet PBUH said: Prayer in my mosque is 4 times more prioritized compared to a prayer in Bait al-Maqdis. How blessed are those who prayed. Indeed, there will come a time where if someone owns a land as the rope for a horse (a small portion of land) that enables him to see Bait al-Maqdis, then it is better for him than the whole world and its wealth.[Narrated by al-Hakim (8553) The hadith is sahih (authentic) and its sanad (chain of narrators) is also authentic, however, it is not narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim][Imam al-Zahabi also said that the hadith is authentic as stated by al-Hakim]

Conclusion

To conclude, the above hadith proves the greater benefit and honour of al-Aqsa mosque compared to other mosques with the exception of al-Haram and al-Nabawi mosque. Hopefully, this explanation will make us more perceptive, loving and caring towards al-Aqsa mosque and what happens to it. We pray that one day al-Aqsa mosque will no longer be under the power of the Jews and we all are able to pray in it in peace. Amin.

Wallahua’lam.