Al-Masjid al-Aqṣā and Three Requests

We would talk about one of the major events, or the accomplishments, of Sulaymān (peace be upon him), and that was the rebuilding and the expansion of al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, the furthest mosque.

Contrary to the belief of the Jews, it is not Sulaymān who established the so-called temple. They call it the temple; it is not a temple, it is a masjid. They say Sulaymān is the one who built the temple; they call it Solomon's Temple. No. Al-Masjid al-Aqṣā was not established by Sulaymān. Who is the one who built it? Yaʿqūb (peace be upon him). Because in the hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is telling Abū Dharr that the first masjid that was built is al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, the Kaʿbah; that was the first house that was built. Abū Dharr then said: and then what next? The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: the furthest mosque, al-Masjid al-Aqṣā — wa baynahumā arbaʿūna sanah — and that was built by Isrāʾīl, Yaʿqūb (peace be upon him); and between the time of building the Kaʿbah and the furthest mosque is forty years. What Sulaymān did is that he expanded it, or rebuilt it.

After he finished the building of al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, he made a duʿāʾ to Allah (swt), and he asked Allah for three things. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says: inna Sulaymāna ibna Dāwūda saʾala Allāha thalāthan, fa-aʿṭāhu ithnatayn, wa naḥnu narjū an takūna lahu al-thālithah — Sulaymān asked Allah for three things; Allah granted him two, and we hope that Allah has granted him the third.

Sulaymān asked Allah, number one, to give him ḥukman yuṣādifu ḥukmah — to give him judgement that will be the same as the judgement of Allah; meaning that Sulaymān asked Allah to make his judgement according to what Allah wants, what pleases Allah. So whatever I would judge, that would be the right judgement; that is what Allah is pleased with. And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says: fa-aʿṭāhu iyyāh — Allah has given him that; he was granted that duʿāʾ.

The second duʿāʾ: and he asked Allah to give him a kingdom that will occur to nobody else — a unique kingdom. The Messenger of Allah says: and Allah granted Sulaymān that duʿāʾ.

The third duʿāʾ: the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says that the third duʿāʾ of Sulaymān was that if any man leaves his home with no intention other than praying in al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, the furthest mosque — then, O Allah, take him out of the masjid as if he has left with no sins, just like the day his mother gave birth to him. And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says: and we ask Allah that He has given him that duʿāʾ. So this duʿāʾ was made by Sulaymān and was repeated by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and we expect that Allah (swt) will accept that duʿāʾ.

So the ʿulamāʾ say that if you leave from your home with no intention other than praying in al-Masjid al-Aqṣā — if you go there and pray two rakʿahs, with sincerity — by the time you leave the door of the masjid, you would be leaving as if you were born with no sins. So we ask Allah (swt) to grant us a ṣalāh in al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, and to free it from the hands of those who have taken over the third holy site of Islam, al-Masjid al-Aqṣā. We ask Allah (swt) to free it from their hands and to give it back to the ummah of Islam, the ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him).