Al-Aqsa Mosque - by Idris Tawfiq

[elbatal]

Asalaamu alaykum.

I quote here from a message I received today:
"During Prophet Mohammad's life (pbuh), he instructed Muslims to visit not only the mosque where they lived in Mecca, but also the 'Farthest mosque' from them which lay 2000 kilometers north, in Jerusalem. Hence the name Al-Masjid El-Aqsa, or Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the second oldest mosque in Islam after the Ka'ba in Mecca, and is third in holiness and importance after the mosques in Mecca and Medina.

The rectangular Al-Aqsa Mosque is 144,000 square meters, 35 acres, or 1/6 of the entire area within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem as it stands today. It is also called Al-Haram El-Sharif (the Nobel Sanctuary). The Dome of the Chain marks the exact central point of this Mosque.

Al-Aqsa Mosque holds up to 400,000 worshippers at one time, bearing in mind that the space required for each person is roughly 0.8m x 0.5m to enable the submissive kneeling in prayer. On Fridays at noon, during the fasting month of Ramadan, and particularly the 27th of Ramadan (Lailat El-Qadr), the area is filled to virtual capacity.

There are 11 gates to Al-Aqsa Mosque: 7 of which are open. Of the 4 closed gates, one is the Golden Gate.

Al-Aqsa Mosque MinaretIndications of any Muslim mosque the World over is the thin spiral minaret which always immediately adjoins the Mosque wall. Minarets are used to call Muslims to prayer five times a day, seven days a week throughout the year. At Al-Aqsa Mosque, there are four minarets: 3 square and 1 cylindrical from the Mamluk period.

There are no minarets on the Eastern side of Al-Aqsa Mosque because there were no inhabitants and thus no-one to call to prayer. After all, it was not till the late nineteenth century that Jerusalem began to expand outside the city walls."



At this time when Palestine and Al Aqsa are under attack we should, as Muslims, do everything in our power to support them. This begins with sincere prayer and includes boycotting all the things associated with those who oppress our brothers and sisters. It is not enough to bemoan the state of our brothers and sisters while, at the same time, we are sipping our cans of fizzy drink and wearing our brand name trainers, which all the time support such oppression.

No need to talk about Al Aqsa if we continue to act contrary to its best interests.

Jazakum Allahu Khairan
Idris Tawfiq**

** Appreciation for the author for allowing us to post his works.