Al Aqsa | Qibli Mosque - Palestine Glass Wall Art

Title: Al Aqsa | Qibli Mosque | Palestine Glass Wall Art 

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Al Aqsa, which means the "farthest" or "the supreme" in Arabic, is a mosque that lies in the heart of the old city of Jerusalem. Muslims from all sects hold it in high esteem after two main holy sites – Mecca and Medina.

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 (PBUH) 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. 

The first Qibla for Muslims

The Quran also talks about the Al Aqsa Mosque as the first Qibla – point of direction for praying – as well as referring to its centrality in events that are to occur before the day of reckoning.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions in the initial days of Islam prayed towards the direction of Al Aqsa. Several hadiths say that a divine commandment came in the middle of his prayers, asking him to turn his face toward the Kaaba. He was the last prophet to face both Masjid Al Aqsa and the Kaaba in one single prayer.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) would often encourage his fellow Muslims to take a special journey to visit Al Aqsa, underlining that one prayer at the site is equivalent to five hundred prayers.