One night, Muhammad rode on his flying al-buraq, a half-human, half ass/donkey/mule, from Mecca to Jerusalem. 800 miles away.
He claimed to have prayed in the mosque there before riding on to “heaven” to meet Allah.
Can Muslims tell me the name of the mosque he visited in Jerusalem during his pit-stop?
Surah 17.1 “Glory to (Allah) Who did take His servant for a Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless,- in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (all things).”
Historical records tell us that no mosque existed there until it was built in 691AD by Caliph Abd al-Malik. But Muhammad died in 632AD.
Was Muhammad hallucinating? Was it a dream? What mosque did he visit when there was no mosque there?
You have no answer? Let me help you.
Muslims scholars all tell us that the mosque Muhammad and his buraq went to was the Masjid al-Aqsa.
However….
According to every historical record: Al-Aqsa was built in 691 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik and finished by his son al-Walid in 705 AD.
Muhammad had been dead for 60 years! He never saw the mosque, he had never heard the mosque in his lifetime.
So how did this story of his magical mysterious mystical night journey on a flying ass/donkey/mule and his visit to Masjid al-Aqsa come about?
Some Muslims say, “Oh it was referring to the temple of Jerusalem. That was where Muhammad prayed that night.” If you notice in this same chapter in 17:7, Allah makes mention of the temple of Jerusalem. So could the “farthest mosque” actually be referring to the temple of Jerusalem.
Wrong again. The temple of Jerusalem was completely destroyed by the Roman in 70 AD. The site was literally made a huge dumping ground for garbage for hundreds of years, including during Muhammad’s entire lifetime right to his death. So it was impossible for Muhammad to have visited it.
Muslims conquered Jerusalem in 637AD. Five years after Muhammad’s death. The caliph of the time, Umar, went to the site and saw there was nothing but garbage there.
This is serious. Was the night ride a hoax? Was it a legend made up by Abd Al-Malik in honor of the new mosque he built and inserted in the Quran?
This opens up a can of worms. Because it was during this night journey that Allah supposedly gave the instructions for Muslims to pray 5 times a day, one of the pillars of Islam. Was this also made up? Is that why Allah never said in the Quran to pray 5 times a day?
Since allah never spoke to muhammad directly but through jibrin, was this night ride a direct invitation to come to heaven from allah to muhammad directly, through jibrin or did muhammad decide onhis own to go meet allah.
tHE IDEA IS THAT THE HARAM AL-SHARIFF, TEMPLE MOUNT HAS BEEN A SACRED PLACE FROM CREATION ON, IRRESEPCTIVE OF WHICH BUILDING STANDS. mASJID SHOULD BE TRALSLATED AS PRAUER PLACE, NOT AS MOSQUE
Marcel,
There was no prayer place there during the time of Muhammad.
It was literally a garbage dump after the entire site was completely destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
Muslims conquered Jerusalem in 637AD. This is five years after Muhammad’s death.
The caliph of the time, Umar, went to the site and saw there was nothing but garbage there.
U know nothing about Islam u are just here telling lies and rubbish about Islam but u know nothing of Islam
Labaran,
Tell me what are the lies.
Al-Aqsa was built in 691 AD. Is this a lie?
Muhammad died in 632 AD. Is this a lie?
What mosque did Muhammad visit?
The Donkey foxed the prophet.
the verse in Surah 17.1 “Glory to (Allah) Who did take His servant for a Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless,- in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (all things).”
this is referring to Jerusalem. It was the same sacred place that the Muslims (including Prophet Muhammad) faced towards during their prayers, before facing the Kabaa. The name in the Quran given to it is Masjid al Aqsa (which means the furthest blessed place). The hadith literature shows that the location was in Jerusalem. It is common muslim practice that any sanctified place they build a mosque (place of worship). For instance in Makkah we have many mosques built later on in places where significant historical events occurred. For instance when the people of Madinah gave allegiance (bayah) to the Messenger, that location now has as mosque called Masjid al Bayah (The mosque of allegiance). I don’t see what the issue is here that you have brought about? You are translating “Masjid” (mosque) as meaning a place of muslim worship, which is the modern definition of Masjid, whereas in Quran “Masjid” is a word used to mean a place of worship or place of reverence, and in Jerusalem that location was still a place of worship for Jews or Christians alike.
If you want another example of this, refer to Surah 18:21. This story is about the 7 sleepers of the cave. they were christian holy men and then the verse says the (christian) people said “Surely we will build a MASJID over them”. Somebody may argue Christians don’t have Masjid’s but churches so why did the verse say Masjid. this is because Masjid means place of worship and is used in the Quran for any place of worship.
Hello Moneeb,
So you admit there was no mosque there during the time of Muhammad.
Yet, Muhammad allegedly entered INTO amosque to pray.
“I mounted it and came to the Temple (Bait Maqdis in Jerusalem), then tethered it to the ring used by the prophets.
I entered the mosque and prayed two rak’ahs in it, and then came out and Gabriel brought me a vessel of wine and a vessel of milk…”
Sahih Muslim 162a
There was no temple or mosque there. The whole area was huge garbage dump for hundreds of years.
When the Muslims conquered Jerusalem in AD 637, Umar went there and was shocked to see the whole place in ruins.
Why was he shocked? It had been inruins for more than 500 years!
Umar commanded his men to clear the rubbish from the platform and laid the foundation for the future Al-Aqsa mosque.
This was years after the death of Muhammad.
Mohammed was illiterate, had 12 wives’ 7 children during his lifetime… youngest wife was 6 when he married her & 9 when he banged her. He also killed a man & slept with the man’s wife that same night …. Holy or horney???
While in university at my home town (CSU, Fort Collins,CO,1973) I spoke with a devout Hindu who was one of my professors. He disparaged Islam by pointing out not only the impossibility of this false “profit’s” magic carpet ride to Jerusalem, that paradoxically is pronounced ‘mirage’ in Arabic — see — following musical example for a closer rendition of what probably happened that imaginative night so long ago — https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=magic%20carpet%20ride%20steppenwolf%20videos&FORM=VIRE0&mid=030E487725B28AF205C6030E487725B28AF205C6&view=detail&ru=%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dmagic%20carpet%20ride%20steppenwolf —-
ANYWAY, BE THAT WHAT IT MAY my Hindu professor insisted that all Moslems are “chronilogically challenged”.
ASAALAMA MAMA JAMA
The starting point of his midnight ride to Jerusalem is widely believed to be Mecca, which is scarcely mentioned and mostly indirectly inferred throughout the Quran as the birthplace of Islam, but it may have been Petra anyway. Oh, mustn’t mention that; might get beheaded for ruining Saudi Arabia’s tourism trade.