EN.MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, JAKARTA—Muhammadiyah Central Board’s Tabligh Council Member Fahmi Salim said Al-Aqsa Mosque represents far more than a place of worship. He made the remarks during a TVMu program on Sunday (16/8).
According to Fahmi, Jerusalem is a holy city for three faiths: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. For Muslims, its sanctity is closely tied to Al-Aqsa Mosque . The site is associated with the Prophet Muhammad’s Isra and the Prophets’ prayer behind him during the Isra and Mi’raj.
Fahmi said the Al-Aqsa compound contains several structures, including the Qibli Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. The term Al-Aqsa Mosque does not refer to a single building.
“Al-Aqsa Mosque refers to the entire area there,” he said.
Historically, Muslims have known the area as Bayt al-Maqdis. It has been an important place since the prophets era. The Quran refers to it as al-ard al-muqaddasah and al-ard al-mubarakah, a land made holy and blessed by God.
Therefore, Fahmi said Muslims should understand Al-Aqsa through its full historical context. Its sanctity did not begin with the Isra and Mi’raj. In fact, the Quran had highlighted the region long before that event.
He pointed to Surah Ar-Rum verses 1-5, as important evidence. The verses recount the defeat of the Byzantine Romans by Persia and predict that the Romans would later prevail.
In 614 A.D., Persian forces defeated the Byzantine Romans and captured Jerusalem. The event had a major impact on religious life in the region. According to Fahmi, the Quran then foretold a Roman victory. Several years later, the Romans defeated Persia, fulfilling the prediction.
Fahmi views these events as part of the Quran’s effort to shape Muslim awareness of Bayt al-Maqdis and its place in civilization.
Al-Aqsa and the Universal Dimension of Islam
Fahmi then connected Al-Aqsa with the three mosques that hold special significance in Islam: the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Each, he said, represents a different dimension of the Muslim experience.
The Grand Mosque represents humanity’s relationship with God, while the Prophet’s Mosque reflects Muslims’ emotional bond with the Prophet Muhammad. Al-Aqsa, meanwhile, represents Islam’s relationship with universal humanity.
“The third is Al-Aqsa Mosque. What is our relationship as Muslims with Al-Aqsa? It is the relationship of universal humanity.”
That universal character is linked to Jerusalem’s status as a holy city shared by three religious communities. Islam therefore teaches respect for the rights of other religious groups, particularly the People of the Book.
He cited the principle, “Lahum ma lana wa ‘alaihim ma ‘alaina,” which holds that the People of the Book have rights and obligations that must be respected. Muslims, he said, should not prevent people of other faiths from worshiping according to their beliefs. At the same time, tolerance does not mean mixing religious rituals.
For Fahmi, Al-Aqsa represents one of the greatest tests of Islam’s claim to be a religion of mercy for all creation. Its importance also appears in the history of the Prophet Muhammad. Al-Aqsa had already shaped Muslim consciousness during the Meccan period, when it served as the first direction of prayer before the Kaaba.
Fahmi explained that Muslims continued facing Al-Aqsa from the Meccan period until more than a year after the migration to Medina.
“For 14 years, Muslims prayed toward Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he said.
According to Fahmi, this taught Muslims to recognize a holy site beyond the center of Arab society. Later, Al-Aqsa became part of the Prophet’s strategy for building an Islamic civilization and directing Muslim attention toward the Levant and Bayt al-Maqdis.
Jerusalem in the Prophet’s Diplomatic Strategy
Fahmi cited the Prophet’s letter to world rulers after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah as an example of this diplomatic strategy.
In particular, the letter to Byzantine Emperor Heraclius was not delivered in Constantinople. Instead, it was presented while Heraclius was in Jerusalem.
The letter was carried by Dihyah al-Kalbi. According to a hadith recorded by Bukhari and Muslim, it was later read to Heraclius. Among other things, the letter called on him to accept Islam and promised him a double reward.
For Fahmi, the episode demonstrates that Jerusalem had already become a strategic concern in the Prophet’s mission. This was true even before Muslims gained control of the city.
Eventually, Bayt al-Maqdis was liberated under the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab. When Muslims entered Jerusalem, Fahmi said, the Al-Aqsa compound was in poor condition. The Companions then worked to clean the area.
Bilal ibn Rabah is also said to have called the adhan again during the liberation of Bayt al-Maqdis. After the Prophet’s death, Bilal was known to have stopped calling the adhan. Whenever he reached the testimony to the Prophet, he would remember Muhammad and weep.
Umar ibn al-Khattab, however, asked Bilal to call the adhan at Al-Aqsa. The moment became deeply emotional for the Companions who witnessed it.
For Fahmi, this history shows that concern for Al-Aqsa is not a recent development. It has been embedded in Muslim consciousness since the time of the Prophet Muhammad.
That awareness was shaped through revelation, worship, diplomacy and the broader project of civilization.
Therefore, understanding Al-Aqsa means understanding an important part of Islamic history. It also means understanding how the Quran shaped Muslim awareness of humanity, geopolitics and civilizational leadership.
“If Muslims want to become pioneers of universal humanity, then Muslims must lead human civilization. From where? From Bayt al-Maqdis,” Fahmi said.
