Quran Verses ( Directly and Indirectly)

The Al Aqsa is mentioned several times in the Quran. For instance, verse 17:1 in the chapter Al Isra reads:“Glory be to Him who carried His servant by night from Al Masjid Al Haram to Al Masjid Al Aqsa; the environs of which We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our signs. Indeed He is the Hearing, the Seeing.”

The verse is in relation to Prophet Muhammad's night journey from Medina to Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem, where he performed prayers before a heavenly equine carried him through space to meet with the Divine.

According to Islamic sources, Prophet Muhammad's meeting with the Divine happened beyond the scientific realm of time and space. He was miraculously transported from Mecca's Masjid Al Haram to Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem, from where he ascended to the heavens.

The Prophet’s ascension took place during a time when he was facing intense hardship and pain from his tribe and family. He and his companions were being constantly ridiculed, humiliated and oppressed for adhering to the message of God.

The many verses of the Quran and the hadiths refer to various aspects and features of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

The Quran only mentions two mosques by name, the Masjid Al Haram in Mecca and Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem. It also refers to Al Haram, the surrounding area of the holy Kaaba, where Muslims from all over the world congregate, pray and circle around the house of God. Similarly, the Quran also describes Al Aqsa Mosque as the centre of Bayt al Maqdis, which means “the Holy Land” and “the land of barakah” or the land of salvation and peace.

In the Quran, Al Aqsa and its surrounding area is described as “blessed”. According to the Islamic worldview, the term “blessed land” means a territory over which God has granted physical and spiritual bounties from which all creation can profit.