The Forty Gems of Jerusalemite Hadiths
The Divine Election of al-Aqsa Since the Dawn of Creation
On the authority of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
I asked, "O Messenger of Allah, which mosque was first established on earth?"
He replied, "Al-Masjid al-Haram."
I asked, "Then which one next?"
He replied, "Al-Masjid al-Aqsa."
I asked, "How much time was there between them?"
He said, "Forty years."
Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Vocabulary of the Hadith
A mosque (*masjid*) is a place of prostration and a house of prayer wherein worship is performed.
"Established" (*wudi'a*) means founded and firmly set in place,
from which a location is termed a "site" (*mawdi'*).
Al-Masjid al-Haram
is the Sacred House of Allah in Makkah al-Mukarramah,
and it is the very first mosque established on earth.
Al-Masjid al-Aqsa
is the well-known mosque situated in the city of Jerusalem,
and it is the second mosque established on earth.
*Al-Aqsa* means "the farthest,"
and it was so named due to its distance from al-Masjid al-Haram.
General Meaning
In this hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) explains
that the first mosque ever built on earth
is al-Masjid al-Haram,
followed thereafter by al-Masjid al-Aqsa.
This underscores the exalted status and sanctity of both mosques in Islam,
demonstrating that the greatest sanctuaries of worship and earliest mosques in history
are al-Masjid al-Haram in Makkah
and al-Masjid al-Aqsa in Palestine,
with a span of forty years between their initial foundations.
Al-Masjid al-Aqsa is a mosque,
not a temple,
ever since its foundation and establishment in the era of Adam (peace be upon him).
Both al-Masjid al-Haram and al-Masjid al-Aqsa were established in the earliest epoch
to serve as beacons of guidance and devotion.
Thus, one's bond with al-Masjid al-Aqsa and Palestine
is a deep-rooted, inherent allegiance,
and not merely a transient or incidental connection.