Masjid Al-Aqsa is one of the three sacred mosques in Islam. It is located in the Old City of Jerusalem and is deeply connected to the Qur’an, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and many of the Prophets who came before him.
However, many people are unsure what Masjid Al-Aqsa actually is. Some believe it is the golden domed building seen in photographs, while others think it is the large silver domed prayer hall nearby. Both buildings are part of Masjid Al-Aqsa, but neither one alone is the whole masjid.
Masjid Al-Aqsa is the entire area enclosed within its surrounding walls. Everything inside those walls forms the one masjid, including its prayer halls, domes, gates, fountains, pathways, platforms, trees and open prayer spaces.
The golden dome and the silver dome
The famous golden domed building is called the Dome of the Rock. It stands near the centre of Masjid Al-Aqsa and is one of its most recognisable landmarks. It is not a separate site standing beside Masjid Al-Aqsa. It is located inside Masjid Al-Aqsa.
The large silver domed prayer hall at the southern end is called the Musalla Qibli. It is one of the main indoor prayer spaces within Masjid Al-Aqsa, but it represents only a small part of the whole masjid.
There are also other prayer areas within Masjid Al-Aqsa, including the Musalla Marwani, the ancient prayer area beneath the Musalla Qibli and the Musalla Al-Buraq. These are not separate mosques gathered inside a religious complex. They are prayer spaces within the one Masjid Al-Aqsa.
The Jerusalem historian Mujir Al-Din explained this clearly when he wrote:
وَالْمُرَادُ بِالْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى هُوَ جَمِيعُ مَا دَارَ عَلَيْهِ السُّورُ
“What is meant by Masjid Al-Aqsa is everything enclosed by the wall.”
Ibn Taymiyyah similarly wrote:
فَإِنَّ الْمَسْجِدَ الْأَقْصَى اسْمٌ لِجَمِيعِ الْمَسْجِدِ
“Masjid Al-Aqsa is the name of the entire masjid.”
This means that when someone enters through any of the gates in the surrounding walls, they have already entered Masjid Al-Aqsa. They do not need to reach the Musalla Qibli before they are considered to be inside the masjid.
Why the name matters
Allah refers to this sacred place in the Qur’an as Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa:
﴿سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ﴾
“Glory be to the One Who took His servant by night from Al-Masjid Al-Haram to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed.”
Surah Al-Isra, 17:1
The word Masjid is part of its Qur’anic name. This is why it is better to say Masjid Al-Aqsa rather than simply Al-Aqsa, especially when teaching people about it.
Terms such as compound, complex and courtyard can also create the wrong impression. They may make people imagine that the real mosque is one building and that the remaining land is only an empty area around it. In reality, the open spaces, pathways and platforms are also part of Masjid Al-Aqsa.
A person sitting beneath one of its trees, walking between its domes or praying in one of its open spaces is still inside the masjid.
Why is Masjid Al-Aqsa important?
Masjid Al-Aqsa is important because of its place in revelation and the history of worship.
The Prophet ﷺ taught that the first masjid established on earth was Al-Masjid Al-Haram in Makkah and that Masjid Al-Aqsa was established forty years later. This refers to the sacred site as a place of worship, not necessarily to the buildings standing there today.
Masjid Al-Aqsa was also the first qiblah of the Muslim community. Before Muslims were commanded to face the Ka‘bah in Makkah, the Prophet ﷺ and the early Muslims prayed facing Bayt Al-Maqdis.
It was also the destination of the Prophet’s ﷺ Night Journey. Allah took him from Al-Masjid Al-Haram to Masjid Al-Aqsa, and from there he was raised through the heavens during Al-Mi‘raj. The Prophet ﷺ also named Masjid Al-Aqsa as one of the three mosques to which a special journey for worship is undertaken.
Its importance is therefore not based only on modern politics or conflict. Masjid Al-Aqsa is part of Islamic belief, worship and the shared history of the Prophets.
Understanding it changes the way you visit
Once someone understands that the whole enclosed area is Masjid Al-Aqsa, they experience it differently. They no longer rush only towards the golden dome or the silver dome while ignoring everything in between.
The duʿā for entering a masjid should be read when passing through one of the gates, because that is where a person enters Masjid Al-Aqsa. Visitors can then appreciate its prayer halls, domes, fountains, schools, trees and open spaces as parts of one complete sacred masjid.
The Dome of the Rock is within Masjid Al-Aqsa, the Musalla Qibli is within Masjid Al-Aqsa, and the Musalla Marwani is within Masjid Al-Aqsa. Together with the many other structures and open spaces inside the walls, they form one of the three sacred mosques of Islam.
Understanding this simple definition is the first step towards truly understanding Masjid Al-Aqsa.
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Terminology Matters