Masjid Al-Aqsa, also known as Al-Aqsa Mosque or the first qibla, is a significant and important mosque in Islam due to its unique history and status as a masjid to which travel is recommended and in which reward is granted
. It is located in Jerusalem's Old City on a hill known to Jews as Har ha- Bayit, or Temple Mount, and to Muslims internationally as al-Haram al-Sharif, or The Noble Sanctuary
. Muslims regard it as the third holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina
. The Al-Aqsa Mosque has a rich history dating back to the time of Prophet Muhammad (saw), who visited the site in Jerusalem and led Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other messengers (rusul) of God in ritual prayer (ṣalāt)
. The mosque was built 40 years after Al-Masjid Al-Haram in Makkah and has been rebuilt, renovated, and expanded many times throughout history
. The term Al-Aqsa Mosque is often extended to denote the entirety of the plaza on which the mosque is situated, known formally as Al-Ḥaram al-Sharīf (“the Noble Sanctuary”)
. In modern times, the mosque and the plaza have become a particular point of tension in the Arab-Israeli conflict
. Some key facts about Masjid Al-Aqsa include:
- It isn't just one mosque; the whole complex is known as the Blessed Masjid Al-Aqsa and includes the Qibali Mosque and the Mosque of the Dome of the Rock
- It is mentioned in the Qur'an
- The mosque has been burnt down and rebuilt several times throughout history
- It is the only mosque mentioned in the Qur'an, along with the Ka'bah
- The mosque has a capacity for 3,000 worshippers
- It is the closest mosque to the Qiblah, the direction of prayer in Islam
- The iconic dome was built almost a thousand years later during the reign of the Abbasid Caliphate
- The mosque has been under the custodianship of an Islamic trust (waqf) maintained by the Jordanian government since 1948
