In the name of Allāh,
the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Peace and Blessings of Allāh on Mohammad.
DEDICATED TO
Allāh–the Glorious and the High,
Lord of the worlds
AND TO
Mohammad–who brought the world
to our feet and eternity to our arms.
*

TEMPLE MOUNT OR MASJID/MOSQUE MOUNT
(See also Palestine – gift to Jews or Muslims?)

Jews refer to the place in Jerusalem where Solomon built the “house” commanded by God, as “Temple Mount.” However, it is stated: “When most Jews use the word The Temple, they are referring to the central Jewish house of worship that was destroyed. Sep 19, 2021″ (Google. Color added). Seemingly, not all Jews regard this “house” built by Solomon as  “Temple”; only “most Jews” do. If the Bible was definitive that this “house” was  a “Temple” it is doubtful some Jews would refrain from referring to it as such.
   Also: “According to Jewish tradition, the Temple of Solomon, also known as “the First Temple,” was built by King Solomon…. May 11, 2020. Google. Color added). The reference to the “house” Solomon built as a “Temple” is Jewish “tradition”.  And “tradition” is not Divine revelation.

Some four hundred (400) years before Solomon, God instructed Moses to build a “TABERNACLE”: “And let them make me a sanctuary…after the pattern of the TABERNACLE, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it”–(Exodus 25:8-9). Clearly, Jewish houses of worship are called Tabernacles, NOT Temple.

Significantly, “There was no specific word for temple in the Old Testament. God’s abode was called simply His house (bayit ) or palace (hêkāl ), the same words that were used for a king’s house or palace. A temple’s plan even copied that of a royal palace”–(https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/ encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/temples-bible#:~:text=There %20was%20no%20 specific%20word,that%20of%20a%20royal%20palace).
   To restate, labeling the “house” built by Solomon as a “Temple” is “Jewish tradition”. It is NOT Divine designation.

AL-‘AQSA MASJID:
Allah tells us that this “house” built by Solomon is a Masjid/Mosque.  “Glory to Him Who carried His servant from the Sacred Mosque (Ka’bah) to the Remote Mosque (al-Aqsa), whose precincts We blessed, that We might show him of Our signs. Surely He is the Hearing, the Seeing”-(Qur’an 17:1).

This Masjid, though built by prophet Solomon, was in fact built on behalf of his father, David, as commissioned by God:
“And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in? Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle….Why build ye not me an house of cedar?“-(2 Samuel 7:4-7).

But David could not build this Masjid, because of his warring:
“And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God: But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly…thou shalt NOT build an house unto my name... Behold, a SON shall be born to thee…his name shall be Solomon …He shall build an house for my name”-(1 Chronicles 22:7-10).
   “Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.  And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign. Now these are things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God….-(2 Chronicles 3:1-17; 4:1-22; 5:1. Compare with Qur’an 34:12-13).

Since Jewish places of worship are aslo known as Tabernacle and Synagogue, the location of this shrine could also be known as “Tabernacle Mount” or “Synagogue Mount”.  

As noted, Allah says this “Remote” shrine was a “Masjid/Mosque” not Temple. Since Islam was not yet established how could this shrine of Solomon be called Masjid/Mosque?

As emphasized, there is NO designation by Solomon that this “house” is “Temple”. The designation “Temple” is a “Jewish tradition.” The Bible speaks about God requiring a “HOUSE” to be built for Him, and Solomon building a “HOUSE” of/for God. The reason Allah referred to this “house” as Masjid seems obvious. 

As stated in the Bible, the location of this “house” that God commissioned to be built for Him was chosen by God –where the Lord appeared unto David his father. And it was also built to specifications as directed by God: “Now these are things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God….”
   A thing that is decreed by God is a blessing. This “house” and surroundings is a blessing as Allah states in His Qur’an: “whose precincts We blessed.”

All prophets of God were Muslims:
“And strive hard for Allah with due striving.…He named you MUSLIMS BEFORE and in this (Qur’an)…”–(Qur’an 22:78).
   “Abraham was not a Jew nor a Christian, but he was (an) upright (man), a MUSLIM; and he was not one of the polytheists”–(Qur’an 3:67).
   Prophets are paternal brothers: “The prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one”–(Bokhari Vol. 4, #651-652).

Solomon, though a Jew by nationality, was Muslim by faith and he practiced Islam (submission to God):
 -“Say: We believe in Allah and that which is revealed to us, and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and that which was given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their Lord; we make no distinction between any of them, and to Him (Allah) we submit. And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers”-(Qur’an 3:84-85; 42:13).
-“Surely the (true) religion with Allah is Islam”; “So set thy face for religion, being upright, the nature made by Allah in which He has created men. There is no altering Allah’s creation. That is the right religion –but most people know not”-(Qur’an 3:18; 30:30).

The shrines of Muslims are called Masjids/Mosques. This shrine built by a prophet who is a Muslim, and built expressly for God, is a Masjid/Mosque. And Allah identifies it as such: “Glory to Him Who carried His servant from the Sacred Mosque (Ka’bah) to the Remote Mosque (al-Aqsa).
   Jewish claim that a “Temple” was on the Mount has no Divine foundation. Perhaps this is why not all Jews regard this shrine built by Solomon as a “Temple”. (Seems, the learned ones refrain from calling it “Temple”).

Whereas Jews postulates as to the identity of this shrine built by prophet Solomon, Allah enlightens us definitively that this shrine was/is a Masjid.
  Contrary to popular perception, there was/is NO “Temple Mount”. Divinely, there was, is, and always will be, to Judgment Day, the MASJID/MOSQUE MOUNT!

Prophet Mohammad’s journey to this Masjid/Mosque in Jerusalem, as noted by Muhammad Ali, “signified that he would also inherit the blessings of the Israelite prophets;” which finds foundation in the prophecies of the prophets Jacob, Moses and Jesus (see  Judaism-no future) .
(See also Palestine – gift to Jews or Muslims?)

As noted in the video, the Dome of the Rock (Al-Sakhrah) Masjid which is usually shown in newscast is NOT the Al-Aqsa Masjid. There seems to be a deliberate attempt to keep the image of the Al-Aqsa Masjid out of view to mislead Muslims that the Dome of the Rock is the Al-Aqsa Masjid.
DO NOT BE FOOLED.
Here again are photographs of the two Masjids
(Photos taken from the Internet).


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