A Muslim’s Quest for the Lost Solomon’s Temple
By Dr Mohiuddin Waseem
Modesto, CA
Solomon’s Temple famously referred to as “farther mosque”(asjid Al-Aqsa) by ancient Arabs of Makkah was destroyed by the Romans some two thousand years ago. No one knows exactly where the original Solomon’s Temple once stood in Jerusalem; its ruins are lost in antiquity. This review is intended for the readers interested in knowing the Islamic viewpoint on this subject.
The search for Solomon’s Temple has become a point of contention between archeologists.
Three contesting sites have emerged so far: the first is the traditional Muslim claim that the Dome of the Rock is the very place on the Temple Mount, the second is an area on the southeast of Temple Mount which today is occupied by MarwanimMosque, and the third in the City of David located a kilometer or two south of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Historically speaking, Israelites took hold in Jerusalem after King David’s conquest in the land and his son Solomon is said to have built the famous Solomon’s Temple in the tenth century BCE. The temple was laid to ruins by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. They were later defeated by the Persians, who allowed its reconstruction in 520 BCE. An enormous building project at the temple site was carried out by King Herod, who ruled Palestine from 37 to 4 BCE. The temple was finally destroyed by Roman legions again in 70 CE.
It is important to review what the Holy Qur’an says on this subject. In chapter Bani Israel immediately after describing Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) miraculous nightly journey to Jerusalem God described what had happened in the past to Solomon’sTemple: “Holy is He Who carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque (in Makkah) to the farther mosque (in Jerusalem) whose surroundings We have blessed that We might show him some of Our Signs. Indeed, He alone is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.... We clearly declared to the Children of Israel in the Book, "Twice you will make mischief in the land and will commit transgression. So, when the occasion for the first of the transgressions arrived, We raised against you some of Our creatures (Babylonian) who were full of might, and they ran over the whole of your land. This was a promise that was bound to be fulfilled. Then We granted you an upper hand against them, and strengthened you with wealth and children, and multiplied your numbers. Whenever you did good, it was to your own advantage; and whenever you committed evil, it was to your own disadvantage. So, when the time of the fulfilment of the second promise arrived, (We raised other enemies (Romans) that would) disfigure your faces and enter the Temple (of Jerusalem) as they had entered the first time, and destroy whatever they could lay their hands on (Holy Qur’an 17: 1-7).”
After the second destruction of Solomon’s Temple at the hands of the Romans, Jews were banished from Jerusalem (during emperor Hadrian’s era) and were forced into exile throughout the world. The memories of the Temple’s whereabouts were lost over the centuries. One would naturally ask if the Temple was already destroyed then where was Prophet Mohammad taken to at the time of his nightly journey? I believe it was a miraculous journey unrestricted with the constraints of time and space in which God showed to his Prophet whatever He intended in its real form the true knowledge of which we can never comprehend.
Muslims first entered Jerusalem in 638 CE and since then, more or less, they have been in control of Temple Mount and its platform, except for a brief period of seventy years when crusaders became victorious in the land; therefore,most of the covered structures one sees at the Temple Mount bear the signatures of Muslim architects. The two readily visible structures are the “Dome of the Rock,” located in the middle of the platform, and “Al-QibliMosque (famously called Al-Aqsa Mosque)” located at its southern corner. Both these structures were constructed by Abdul Malik Bin Marwan and his son Walid of the Umayyad Dynasty.
Other than these two, there are many small monuments located at the platform “mythically” attributed to Prophet Mohammad’s heavenly journey. The doubts about their authenticity are strengthened by the fact that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) on this heavenly journey arrived in Jerusalem alone and Muslims only entered Jerusalem five years after his demise.
The famous ninth century Muslim historian Al-Tabri is an important read on the topic of Muslim conquest in the region of Syria-Palestine. Al-Tabri tells the story that when Caliph Umar arrived at the Temple Mount he summoned KaabAhbar, a prominent Jewish convert to Islam, to help identify “Sakhra” (Sheteyah in Hebrew, the “rock” or the “foundation stone”) of Jewish traditions, upon which the world was founded. Sakhra was believed to be the part of floor of Holy of Holies the most sacred chamber of Solomon’s Temple. For Caliph Umar, this spot signified the first Qibla, the direction of Muslim prayers, which Prophet Mohammad used until 622 CE, when it was changed to Kabah in Makkah for eternity (Holy Qur’an 2:142–145). After the identification of “Sakhra,” he then asked Kaab where in his opinion Muslims should put their Qibla (meaning toward “Sakhra” or the “Kabah”), to which Kaab replied, “Toward Sakhra.” Caliph Umar, showing his resentment for this opinion, said, “We Muslims are commanded to face Kabah.” Having said that, he faced Makkah in the southern corner of the platform to offer his prayers, taking caution to avoid “the Rock” coming between the mosque and the direction of Kabah so that Muslims would face only Makkah when they prayed. A consensus was reached that day among the Prophet’s companions that the significance of Solomon’s Temple was over in Islamic jurisprudence after the change of Qibla event in Islamic theology. One has to appreciate Caliph Umar’s wisdom who chose an uncontested site for his prayers where later a mosque was constructed which initially was called Masjid Umar and later erroneously named as Masjid Al-Aqsa. Today Masjid Al-Qibli, a mosque constructed on top of ancient Masjid Umar, is called Masjid Al-Aqsa. I wish these mosques were called Masjid Bait Al-Muqaddas or Masjid Jerusalem to prevent their misrepresentation with the original Solomon’s Temple (Masjid Al-Aqsa).
What motivated the later Umayyad Caliphs Abdul Malik Bin Marvan and his successor Walid to build the “Dome of the Rock” (688–691 CE, QubaAssakhra in Arabic) is a topic that has baffled scholars throughout the ages and is worth searching. Many suggestions have been put forward by the scholars, such as a desire “to build a place to commemorate the heavenly journey of Prophet Mohammad,” “to build a shelter for the pilgrims who came to visit the rock,” “to build another Kabah-like religious structure in Jerusalem,” or “to make an Islamic monument larger in grandeur than the Christian monuments of the city” (Karen Armstrong, Jerusalem 217–244 and Said Nuseibeh and Oleg Grabar, The Dome of The Rock 139).It is important to recall that around that time Caliph Abdul Malik was facing an armed rebellion in Makkah by the forces of Abdullah bin Zubair. Building a Kabah-like religious structure in Jerusalem could have been a political necessity, they even encouraged people to worship the Rock, a sharp contrast to early Muslim consensus.
Following is an interesting self-explanatory excerpt from a book published by Waqf authority of Jordan: “The completed building brought joy and pride to the Muslims and they revered it highly. Monday and Thursday of each week were set aside for cleaning, and the work was done by servants who themselves bathed and put on beautiful garments before beginning their task. The water they used was perfumed with attar of roses, mistaqi and saffron. On prayer days, ten servants stood at the doors and summoned the people to prayer, calling ‘The Dome of the Rock is now open to the public. All who wish to pray may come’. And people came in great numbers through the beautiful doors into the fragrant building, and as they performed the ritual of worship that was followed at the Kabah, walking around the sacred Rock as they prayed, the dream of the ruler must have been realized in them, a building they could be proud of, one worthy of their faith” (Aref El Aref, A Brief Guide to the Dome of the Rock and Al-Haram Al-Sharif, the supreme Awqaf council (Jordan) 17).
The religious innovation created by these Caliphs became so prevalent with time that famous religious scholar Ibn Taymiahin the thirteenth century issued a religious ruling (Fatwa) declaring those Muslims apostate who pray and prostrate facing the Rock, or circumambulate it or shave their heads in dedication (MajmoatulFatawa).
Whatever might have been the intention of the Caliphs, unfortunately the Dome sent a political message to the Jews that the sons of Ishmael had established themselves at their sacred site, which triggered a strong Jewish opposition: first against the Umayyad Dynasty and then the later Muslim rulers. The rift has continued to the present day (Neil Asher Silberman, Heavenly Powers 30).
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