PArt 2: The Muslim Legacy

In Surah Al Isra, a humble man with his mighty horse was said to have ascended upon the Seventh Heaven. In the very spot where the man stood before he was taken literally into the arms of God is where the al-Aqsa Mosque stands. This is a shrine in what Muslims call the Noble Sanctuary (al-Haram al-Qudsi al-Sharif) or the Temple Mount — it remains one of the best known landmarks of Jerusalem.




It was built between 687 and 691 by the 9th Caliph, Abd al-Malik, making it the oldest and the one of the most flamboyant Islamic structure.
With full splendour, its magnificent golden dome seems to have defied the laws of nature by shining day and night unlike the sun that retreats at dusk. It seems the builders were keen in reassuring their superiority and the status of Islam by building its dome a few times bigger that the dome adorning the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.The peaceful vicinity of the Mosque despite the routine call for prayers itself is literally magical.





The rock in the center of the dome is the spot from which, according to the Islamic tradition, Muhammad ascended for a night-long journey to Heaven in AD 621, accompanied by the angel Gabriel. There he met many yesteryear prophets like Abraham and Moses and was given the Islamic prayers or "solat" before descending back to Earth. The day the prophet was given the prayers is celebrated as the Isra Mi'raj. A Quranic verse tells us that Muhammad took an instantaneous night journey to al-Masjid al-Aqsa or "the farthest mosque", interpreted as being in Jerusalem.



This dome, in Jewish tradition is the site where Abraham fulfilled God's test to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son Isaac according to Genesis 22:1. Muslims have a contradicting believe that this event involved Abraham's other son Ishmael and occurred in the desert of Mina where millions of Muslims offer pilgrimage every year.The "il mabka" or the Wailing Wall stands mightily, unshaken by the corrosive and unforgiving effects of time is just a stone throw away from this mosque, literally



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