In the name of
God, most Gracious, most Compassionate
History of Al Aqsa Mosque
"The Tunnel of King Je-hoia-chin and Its Religious Significance"
by Kais Al-Kalby with Emad J. Meerza
The patriarch of all the believers of Allah (God), i.e. Jews, Christians,
and Muslims is Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham, PBUH). He built the Kaba in Makkah with
his firstborn son Ismael (PBUH). This was an order from Allah (SWT) that Ibrahim
and Ismael (PBUT) construct this Holy House of Allah (SWT) as a place of worship
for all the believers on earth. Ismael (PBUH) was 17 at the time he and his
father built the Kaba. Prophet Muhammad (PB UH), a descendent of the Prophet
Ismael (PBUH), would come nearly 2,500 years after Kaba was built and repurify
it as a holy place of worship according to the teachings of the Prophet Ibrahim
(PBUH). As stated in the Torah and in the Holy Quran "all the generations will
be blessed through I brahim (PBUH)" (Genesis 12 and 18 Holy Bible, Chp 2 Verses
123-141 Holy Quran).
In Jerusalem, Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) also established a place of worship.
This place would later be known as The House Of Allah (God), or Beteyel. Forty
years after the construction of Kaba, Prophet Ibrahim expanded this place of
worship. Isaac (PBUH), Prophet Ibrahim's younger son, worshipped in Beteyel, but
also made journeys to Kaba in Makkah for Hajj (Pilgrimage) as did Ibrahim (PBUH).
Jacob (PBUH) the second son of Isaac (PBUH), extended Beteyel as a place of
worship for all the believers of Allah (God) in the region. The natives of the
land, the Palestinians, believers in the teachings of the Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH),
also worshipped in Beteyel or The House Of Allah (God). Ibrahim (PBUH), referred
to Beteyel as "Masjid Al-Aqsa", which means the farthest place of worship of the
One God. Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH), was stating that Masjid Al-Aqsa was the
farthest place of worship west of Kaba in Makkah.
Some years later, Prophet Joseph (PBUH), the son of Jacob (PBUH) attained a
high position of power in Egypt, he sent for all of his family to come live with
him in Egypt away from the poverty of Palestine. There were 33 in all, Jacob (PBUH),
his children and his grandchildren (Genesis 46 in the Torah). Because there was
no one left from Jacob's (PBUH) tribe to care for Beteyel, Jacob (PBUH),
intrusted care of Beteyel or Masjid Al-Aqsa to the natives of the area, the
Palestinians. This was acceptable due to the fact that the natives were also
followers of the Patriarch, the Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH). The Israelites remained
in Egypt for four hundred years as slaves to the Egyptians with no connection to
Palestine, the land from which they immigrated (Genesis 15 Verse 13-17). This
choice was not forced on them, they simply chose to leave Palestine for the sake
of the wealth and riches in Egypt.
In the time of Prophet Moses (PBUH), the Israelites were still slaves to the
Egyptians. Allah (God) ordered Moses (PBUH), after freeing the Israelites from
bondage, to lead them to Palestine. The Israelites rejected this order from
Allah (God), and preferred to live in the desert of Sinai, rather than to
sacrifice themselves for the sake of Allah (God). They believed this land
belonged to the Palestinians, the natives of the area.
For fourty years, the Israelites wandered in the desert of Sinai. A new
generation was born, and from it came forth Prophet David (PBUH), he would lead
this generation of believers to Palestine. Prophet David (PBUH) established his
kingdom in part of Palestine, and controlled Jerusalem. His son, Prophet Soloman
(King Solomon) (PBUH) rebuilt Masjid Al-Aqsa with the help of the natives, and
next to it he built the ruler's palace. After Prophet Solomon's death, his two
sons divided his kingdom amongst themselves. Each son established his own
kingdom and each had its own capital. From both of these kingdoms, Allah (God)
raised prophets. According to Jewish history, these kingdoms existed for nearly
two hundred years.
In 586 B.C., King Je-hoia-chin of Jerusalem, saw that he might lose his
kingdom. He was the last Jewish king who tried to resist the Babylonians in
Jerusalem. In his struggle, his kingdom was surrounded by the Babylonians who
cut off supplies from the outside world. When the inhabitants of Jerusalem ran
out of food and water, the king made a tunnel to enable his soldiers to escape
and retrieve supplies from the outside world. Part of the tunnel collapsed, the
resistance led by King Je-hoia-chin was defeated, and the Babylonians took over
Jerusalem. The tunnel used by King Je-hoia-chin, is the same tunnel being
excavated today in Jerusalem. After the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, they
took its inhabitants as slaves to Babylon.
The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed what King Solomon had built in
Jerusalem (Kings 2 Chapters 24 and 25 of the Bible). According to the word of
God in the Torah, the Israelites were made to be slaves in both the Nile and in
the Euphrates.
After seventy years of slavery in Babylon, King Cyrus of Persea gave the
Israelites their freedom. At that time very few of the Israelites returned to
Palestine. These few Israelites worshipped only in The House Of Allah. For
generations, the Israelites took care of Beteyel or Masjid Al-Aqsa. During the
period when the Roman Empire was in constant battle with the Persean Empire, the
Israelites aided the Perseans, and benefited when the Perseans had control of
Jerusalem. Because the Israelites supported the Persean Empire as spies and in
other ways, the Romans treated them as enemies of the Roman Empire.
In 70 A.D., the Romans destroyed (burned) Beteyel, and converted it into a
place of Roman idol worship (Jupitor,etc.). In 315 A.D., when the Roman Emperor
Constantine converted to Christianity, the Romans had no regard for Beteyel. It
became a place were the inhabitants of Jerusalem, including the Jews threw their
garbage. The Jews no longer considered Beteyel a Holy Shrine.
The Persean Empire defeated the Romans in 614 A.D., the Jews were now able
to worship where they wished, but chose not to worship in Beteyel or Masjid Al-Aqsa.
The Perseans controlled Jerusalem until 624 A.D. The Jews, who were in a
position of power during this period, tortured the Arab Christians. Jerusalem
was in need of a just ruler. Both the Christians and the Jews had suffered under
different empires, and both knew that the Holy Scriptures promised the coming of
a ruler to save them from all this unjust torture and aggression.
The Israelites were awaiting the coming of the Messiah, who would be king
and ruler, and would defeat all the evil empires, as promised by Allah (God).
The only Prophet in history to have accomplished this task, was Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH). Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his followers defeated all the empires of
the time, establishing the Kingdom Of God (Islamic State) throughout the region.
This included Jerusalem as promised by Allah to the Muslims (Daniel 2 Verse 44
and Mathew 21 Verse 43). The Israelites had tried to fulfill this prophecy in
165 B.C., under the leadership of Judah Makabi. Within three years, he was
defeated by the Romans, who regained complete control of Jerusalem. Prophet
Jesus (PBUH), was also unable to accomplish this task mentioned in the Holy
Scriptures. It was the Prophet from Arabia, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who
fulfilled this prophecy.
In 621 A.D., the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) ascended to the heavens in the
night known as Israa and Mirag to the Muslims (Malachi 3 Verse 1-14). In that
night, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) led all the Prophets of Allah (PBUT) in prayer in
the Holy Mosque (Masjid Al-Aqsa). For this reason, Masjid Al-Aqsa is a holy
place of worship for the Muslims, along with Kaba in Makkah and The Prophet's (PBUH)
Mosque in Medina. These are the three most important Mosques to the Muslims.
In 637 A.D., the Christian leader of Jerusalem, Snaifors, realized through
the holy Scriptures (Zeckariah 9 Verses 9 and 10), that the second leader of the
Islamic State, Umar ibn Al-Khatab, fits the description of the one who would
open Jerusalem and free it from the evil empires. Snaifors surrendered
peacefully. Umar ibn Al-Khatab and the Muslims, after securing Jerusalem, again
established Masjid Al-Aqsa as a holy place of worship. Both the Christians and
the Jews were pleased with the arrival of Umar and the Muslims, and with the
just rule under the Islamic State.
In the eleventh century, the European Christians in the crusades, tortured
the Jews and the Muslims. They burned the Jews in the their Temples and they
burned the Muslims in Masjid Al-Aqsa. The European Christians even tortured the
Arab Christians and destroyed their churches. The Jews fled to Indulis (Spain),
to receive protection under Islamic rule or a Muslim society. In 1189 A.D., the
leader of the Muslim army, Salah Aldeen Al-Ayobi expelled the European
Christians from Jerusalem, and returned Jerusalem to Islamic rule. The
Christian, Jews, and Muslims lived in harmony under Islamic rule.
In 1948, with the help of the western powers, the Jews were able to fulfill
the promise of the British foreign minister, Bill Ford. This promise was made in
1917 regarding the Jews' return to the holy land, Palestine. In the time of
Moses (PBUH), when ordered by Allah (God) to return to Palestine, the Israelites
disobeyed the will of Allah (God). Once the Jews again controlled Jerusalem,
they expelled and tortured the natives of Palestine from their land, and the
area returned to a state of unrest (Haggie 2 Verse 7-9).
In the 1980's, the Israelis started an archaeological project in the area of
the Dome of the Rock (Masjid Al-Aqsa). They began excavation claiming that they
were searching for the Temple Of King Solomon. They were unable to locate the
Temple Of King Solomon, but in the process discover ed the tunnel of King
Je-hoia-chin. The Israelis claimed that the search was a success only because
they discovered the collapsed tunnel of King Je-hoia-chin, which is in no way
related to the Temple of King Solomon. This tunnel has no religious
significance, it only has historical significance. The entrance was then sealed
and today has been reopened without justification. The significance to the
Muslims is well understood, they fear for Masjid Al-Aqsa and its foundation, and
that in some way this excavation can damage the Holy Mosque. The significance of
this dig to the Jews is not yet understood, clearly there is no religious
significance. Prime Minister Netanyahu has said this openly is his news
conference at the White House. The question thus remains, why if this
archaeological dig can lead to so much unrest, do the Israelis insist that it
remain open?
Conclusion
First - all the children of Israel left Jerusalem in the time of Jacob by
their own will.
Second - they were unwilling to support Moses (PBUH) and return to the
holy land for the sake of Allah (God).
Third - King Je-hoia-chin's tunnel has no religious significance to the
Jews, it is merely a historical site. The Israelis continued excavation of the
tunnel, may result in damage to Masjid Al-Aqsa.
Fourth - the Israelites abandoned Beteyel in 614 A.D., while under Persean
rule.
Fifth - they took Palestine by force and aggression in 1948, and
subsequently tortured many Palestinians in the process.
Finally - the Jews do not appreciate all the just treatment that they
received from the Muslims throughout history, and as we see today, the
Israelis have little concern for the Muslim people, their places of worship,
and their property.
For more information you can obtain the book titled, "Prophet Muhammad The
last Messenger In The Bible," written by Kais Al-Kalby. This can be ordered by
mail, fax, or phone. Write to, P.O. Box 901412 Palmdale, CA 93550. Fax: (805)
266-0450, Phone: (805) 538-9762.
Please, we ask anyone who receives this article, to distribute it to whomever
may be interested in reading it or benefit from it. If you are able to publish
it, please know that you have the author's permission to do so. With everyone's
help, we hope that this information can be read by many. May it please Allah (SWT).
Peace, mercy, and the blessings of Allah be upon you all!
ALLAH: The One God
SWT: The Glorified And The Exalted
PBUH: Peace Be Upon Him
PBUT: Peace Be Upon Them
References - The Old Testament , The New Testament, and The Holy Quran