Quds, birthplace of divine religions (1)

With regard to Trump’s act of recognizing Bayt ul-Moqaddas or al-Quds as the capital of Zionist regime, we are going to touch upon historical facts and the status of this sacred city according to divine religions especially Islam. This is the 1st part.

A century after the issuance of Balfour declaration by then British foreign secretary on establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine, the US president Donald Trump, recognized Bayt ul-Moqaddas as the capital of the regime whose very existence was based on usurpation, occupation and crime. Making Quds the capital of the Zionist regime has been something which the Zionists have been seeking since the beginning of occupation of Palestine. But considering the sanctity of this city and existence of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the high sensitivity of Muslims, these Zionists have failed to draw international support especially that of their allies in the West for declaring the city as their capital. The US congress, in 1995 under the influence of the Zionist lobby approved a plan about this. But the US presidents, whether democrats or republicans, have suspended it for the past 20 years. The fate of Bayt ul-Moqaddas in the compromise talks was so challenging that it was not included on the list of issues discussed with the US mediation. The so-called peace talks have ended in a deadlock. In fact, Trump’s brazen decision to recognize al-Quds as the capital of a fabricated regime was the result of the regional developments and failure of their schemes in Syria and Iraq to eliminate or undermine the axis of resistance. Trump’s decision is the sign of the desperate state of the front of Arrogance and Zionism in the region and the world.

Supporting the Takfiri terrorist current Daesh, the westerners are seeking to partition Iraq and Syria and stabilize the situation of the child-killer Israeli regime. But the stiff resistance of the army and popular forces of Syria and Iraq, with the assistance of their allies from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, Russia, changed the equations in favor of the resistance. Now the self-styled Daesh has been put into the dustbin of history. All supportive attempts of criminal regimes for terrorist currents have failed to change the field of combat or open up a new front in Lebanon against the resistance front.

In such circumstances, the US president Donald Trump recognized al-Quds as the capital of the Zionist regime. Trump tried to take a step in favor of the Zionists after their successive failures in recent years against the resistance axis. Reactions to Trump’s act showed that the Zionists and the US are treated as pariahs in the world. Except the criminal leaders of the Zionist regime, no country welcomed recognition of al-Quds as the capital of the fake regime. The closest allies of the US and the Zionist regime in Europe showed negative reaction and assessed Trump’s action as the perfect failure of talks. However, it must be said that the compromise negotiations were dead and Trump’s act put the last nail in the coffin. Thus, Trump’s recognition of al-Quds as the capital of the Zionist regime has not created any change in the status of this city among Palestinians and Muslims across the world. Now, let us talk briefly about the history of the city of al-Quds and its sacred precincts.

Knowing the history of al-Quds shows that, despite the wounds inflicted by Zionists, this city will be liberated with all its precincts and sacred sites. Bait ul-Moqaddas or al-Quds is very important and significant for three divine religions namely Islam, Christianity and Judaism and enjoys a special status for followers of these divine religions. This city with an age of several thousand years, has experienced multitudes of ups and downs but has continued to shine like a gem and has remained sturdily like the firm rocks in the region. The name of Bayt ul-Moqaddas has always been accompanied with al-Quds and sanctities and this ancient city has been known as the city of peace since the beginning. Even its name among Westerners Jerusalem is said to mean "the city of peace". Quds has been the foothold of divine messengers and the remaining monuments depict its history in relation to all divine religions. The remaining churches in Bayt-ul-Moqaddas and the old churches and mosques of the city such as Qiyamat Church and al-Aqsa Mosque are a clear document on the history and identity of Bayt-ul-Moqaddas or al-Quds. Al-Aqsa was the first Qibla of Muslims and for one year after the migration of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), Muslims prayed towards this city upon the divine commandment.

The city of al-Quds has another importance for Muslims; i.e. the ascension of the noble Prophet to the heavens which was occurred beside Boraq Wall called Wailing Wall by the Jews. Me’raj or ascension was one of the miracles of Prophet Mohammad (Blessings of God upon him and his progeny). Ascension is the most sacred journey through history: its traveler was Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), its airport was Masjid al-Haram, its passage was al-Aqsa Mosque, and it was hosted by God. This journey aimed at seeing the divine signs and bringing the news of the heavens to raise the level of human understanding of this material world. The name of al-Aqsa Mosque and ascension of the Prophet to the heavens has been mentioned in the holy Quran in the first ayah of Surah Isra: “Immaculate is He who carried His servant on a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose environs We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our signs. Indeed He is the All-hearing, the All-seeing.”

According to narrations, the noble Prophet, one year before Hijra, after the evening prayers at the Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) went to the heavens through al-Aqsa Mosque by a steed called Boraq and when the Prophet returned, he held morning prayers at Masjid al-Haram. The ascension of the Prophet was physical rather than spiritual and he was awake. This is confirmed by all Islamic schools. God brought Adam out of heavens to the earth but took Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) from the earth to the heavens. On that night, the holy Prophet observed the heavens and the wonders of creation and met with Prophets and received a number of Hadith Qudsi (Sacred Narration). On this journey, the Prophet saw the paradise and the hell and the state of their inhabitants.

According to some narrations, after the Sacred Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, al-Aqsa Mosque has a special sanctity and respect among Muslims. It was built by Prophet David and then his son Solomon completed it. Since then, it has been rebuilt many times. The al-Aqsa Mosque once was destroyed in a strong earthquake, it was repaired in 583 AH by Salaheddin Ayyubi and another part of the mosque was built in the 9^th century. During the Christian Crusades, the Christians stopped at this mosque. There is even a corridor in which they had stockpiled their armored vehicles. There is a famous prayer hall in the mosque which historians consider as the tomb of Hazrat Zachariah. In the time of the second caliph in the year 15 AH, the city of al-Quds was conquered by Muslims. We will continue this discussion.

FK/RM/ME