The Introduction to the Book Titled "The Falsehood of Al-Aqsa Mosque of Jerusalem"
Published in January 15, 2018
Translated by: Ahmed Fathy
Firstly:
1- We have no political objectives of any kind when we refute the myth behind Al-Aqsa mosque of Jerusalem; we never care about politics; we focus only on smashing sanctified idols and abominations of the Muhammadans, and one of such idols and abominations is the so-called Al-Aqsa mosque of Jerusalem, built by the Umayyad caliphs Abdul-Malik Ibn Marwan and Al-Waleed Ibn Abdul-Malik based on misguidance and falsehood to repel people away from performing pilgrimage at the Sacred Kaaba Mosque in Mecca. The Umayyads had built this harmful mosque called Al-Aqsa on the same site of the ruined Israelite/Jewish temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. We do not tackle politics here; we mainly address those who claim to be Quran-believing Muslims, though they reject the Quran which we preach. We address them as well by quoting history books and heritage books of traditions written by 'Muslim' authors (whom we call as the polytheistic Muhammadans).
2- Because of this harmful mosque called Al-Aqsa of Jerusalem, no one pays attention to the real, genuine Farthest Mosque mentioned in the Quran: Mount Al-Tur of Sinai, Egypt, which is mentioned many times in the Quranic story of Moses. The abomination called Al-Aqsa mosque of Jerusalem is sanctified and made 'holy' by most of the Muhammadans of all eras until now; they deem it as the first of two Qiblas and the third of two sacred mosques! With the passage of centuries, this abomination of Jerusalem has acquired more 'holiness' within the Umayyad, Abbasid, Mameluke, and Ottoman eras and even in our modern era.
3- Because of this harmful mosque called Al-Aqsa of Jerusalem, the name of the great religion of Islam is abused as it is employed as a card/pawn in the Palestinian-Israeli (or Arab-Israeli) conflict, despite the fact that this harmful mosque has nothing to do with Islam at all; its very existence is insulting to the Quran and contradicting it. Of course, real, monotheistic believers must never abuse Islam by turning it into a mere card/pawn to win transient (political and financial) gains of this world within the scramble/struggle for loot. This is asserted before in one of our books titled "Warning Muslims against Mixing Politics with Religion"
4- This harmful mosque called Al-Aqsa of Jerusalem is a main feature of the contradiction and the huge gap (or rather the abyss) between the Quran and 'Muslims'/Muhammadans. It is silly that they have made this abomination called Al-Aqsa mosque of Jerusalem as the third of two sacred mosques; God in the Quran mentions only one Sacred Mosque/House and one Qibla for prayers, which is the Kaaba in Mecca. Thus, Muslims perform the five daily prayers in the direction/Qibla of the Kaaba and perform pilgrimage there as per the religion of Abraham, since God has ordained this Ancient House as the first one for all humankind to worship in peace and security, even centuries before Abraham was born. Yet, the Muhammadans have created for themselves two harmful mosques or abominations: the Yathreb mosque where a 'holy' sanctified mausoleum is being worshiped there, as Muhammad is supposedly buried beneath it, and the Al-Aqsa mosque of Jerusalem. Both harmful mosques have undermined the stature and the sacredness of the Kaaba Mosque, which is the only sanctuary ordained by God to the humankind as far as Islam/the Quran is concerned. God is One; His Book (i.e., the Quran) is one; and His Ancient House ordained for the humankind is one: the Kaaba. Thus, the Muhammadans who have fallen into the trap of polytheism in terms of belief/faith have established for themselves these two 'holy' abominations or harmful mosques in Yathreb and Jerusalem, and they have supported such fabrications with invented hadiths and narratives that urge polytheists to perform pilgrimage to Yathreb and to Jerusalem to worship at such polytheistic abominations.
5- The Quran never mentions at all the city of Jerusalem; the Farthest Mosque mentioned in the Quran in 17:1 is Mount Al-Tur of Sinai (for more details on that topic, we refer readers to our book, in English, titled "The Night-Journey Is The Night of Decree", found on this link: http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=112). Yet, when we, as a Quranist thinker, refute the myths behind the abominations/harmful mosques in Yathreb and in Jerusalem, the polytheistic Muhammadans who read our view regarding that topic feel furious and terrified; their hearts still cling to such abominations; in fact, their hearts have become filled with the love of the two harmful mosques of Yathreb and of Jerusalem because of their disbelief/polytheism inside their hearts/souls.
Secondly:
All that we request from Arab readers is to calm down and to read and ponder on the lines of this book to think clearly and reach conclusions themselves; they must pose the following questions to their minds first.
1- Does the Quran mention Jerusalem?
2- Does the Quran contain a divine command to perform pilgrimage to Jerusalem?
3- Did the so-called Al-Aqsa mosque of Jerusalem exist when Arabs conquered and captured Jerusalem? Is the so-called Al-Aqsa mosque of Jerusalem mentioned in historical accounts about the Arab conquest of Jerusalem? When Arab troops sieged Jerusalem, did they chanted slogans about the 'holiness' of the so-called Al-Aqsa mosque of Jerusalem, assumed to be where Muhammad went during the Night-Journey before his alleged ascension to heaven? When the caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab reached Jerusalem to receive the keys of the city, did he perform prayers inside the so-called Al-Aqsa mosque of Jerusalem? Did this edifice exist at the time? Or did he perform prayers inside the Mihrab of David, within the ruins of the Israelite/Jewish Solomon's temple of Jerusalem?
4- Did any of the four pre-Umayyad caliphs (deified by Sunnites and Wahabis now) travel to perform pilgrimage to the so-called Al-Aqsa mosque of Jerusalem?
5- Do the mythical narratives about sanctifying the rock under the dome near the area of the so-called Al-Aqsa mosque of Jerusalem match with Islamic faith tenets of the Quran that entail believers never to deify/worship/sanctify things/items/sites/relics/mortals?
6- Does the grandeur and greatness of the religion of Islam cope with using its name as a card/pawn in the political struggle over the so-called Al-Aqsa mosque of Jerusalem which is groundless and rootless as far as the Quran (i.e., real Islam) is concerned?
7- As far as the Quranic sharia legislations of real Islam are concerned, is it legal or not to commit the following grave sins?
7/1: Would it be legal in Islam to invade and conquer a country, to loot/steal its wealth, and to kill those who defended it? Such grave sins/crimes are committed by the four pre-Umayyad caliphs, the Umayyad caliphs, and other caliphs after them, in violation of the Quranic legislations mentioned in these verses: "And fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not commit aggression; God does not love the aggressors." (2:190); "The sacred month for the sacred month; and sacrilege calls for retaliation. Whoever commits aggression against you, retaliate against him in the same measure as he has committed against you. And be conscious of God in piety, and know that God is with the pious ones." (2:194)
7/2: Would it be legal in Islam to confiscate a site of the Israelite/Jewish temple of Solomon, deemed as holy to its rightful owners, to build on its ruins a harmful 'holy' mosque ascribed falsely to Islam? Would it be legal, as far as the Quranic sharia legislations are concerned, to commit such a crime? This crime violates these verses about enjoining justice and absolute religious freedom for all denominations and worshipers and the prohibition of injustice and aggression: "...Were it not that God repels people by means of others: monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques - where the name of God is mentioned much-would have been demolished. God supports whoever supports Him. God is Strong and Mighty. " (22:40); "God commands justice, and goodness, and generosity towards relatives. And He forbids immorality, and injustice, and oppression. He advises you, so that you may take heed." (16:90).
8- Tyrants of the Middle-East channel frustrations and fury of their citizens/nations towards Israel and the West countries (especially the USA) in order to protect themselves against being abdicated or ousted by revolts and to maintain the process of their looting the wealth of the nations in secret while massacring citizens who rebel against them. Thus, within several decades since 1948, most Arabs have a deep-rooted false notion that Israel and the West countries (especially the USA) are responsible for all disasters, calamities, tyranny, and frustrations in the Arab world; they are kept busy by thinking of these sentiments of 'holy hatred' towards the West and Israel for the last 50 years until now, and in the meanwhile, Arab dictatorships get more powerful, more savage, and crueler than ever. Thus, Arabs now have double-standards when the topic of Israel is mentioned; they see it as pure evil and they are never fair and just when discussing it, whereas they overlook the crimes and atrocities committed by their Arab tyrannical rulers.
9- It is never legal in the Quranic sharia of the Dominant Lord God that when you hate some people, you would be unjust and unfair towards them: "O you who believe! Be upright to God, witnessing with justice; and let not the hatred of a certain people prevent you from acting justly. Adhere to justice, for that is nearer to piety; and fear God. God is informed of what you do." (5:8). Thus, the monotheistic, pious Muslims who believe in God and in His Word (i.e., the Quran) must adhere to justice in all their stances/words as witnesses so that they please Almighty God; any feelings of animosity or deep-seated hatred must never hinder adhering to justice and saying the truth all the time in all situations.
10- Facts of history prove that the Jewish temple of Solomon belongs to Israel; Arabs of Arabia conquered Jerusalem among other cities and countries within the crime/sin called the Arab conquests during the eras of the pre-Umayyad caliphs and the Umayyad caliphs. The Umayyad caliph Abdul-Malik Ibn Marwan confiscated the site of the ruins of Solomon's temple to build the harmful mosque/abomination called Al-Aqsa. This means that this site belongs rightfully to Israel; i.e., to the Israelites and the Jews in general. Maybe it is the right of any Arabs to hate Israel, but as far as Islam is concerned, one must bear witness while saying the truth, regardless of the fact that this truth would serve/harm the interests of the Israelis or the Palestinians. As a Muslim thinker, we must apply the verse: "O you who believe! Be upright to God, witnessing with justice; and let not the hatred of a certain people prevent you from acting justly. Adhere to justice, for that is nearer to piety; and fear God. God is informed of what you do." (5:8). The Quran commands us to adhere to its sharia laws, which are based on applying justice even when it is against our families and loved ones, while caring only to please and gratify the Lord God and to obey His commands, while disregarding the fact that some people might be displeased or infuriated. "O you who believe! Stand firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even if against yourselves, or your parents, or your relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, God takes care of both. So do not follow your desires, lest you swerve. If you deviate, or turn away - then God is Aware of what you do." (4:135). This is also mentioned within the Quranic Ten Commandments: "...And when you speak, be fair, even if it concerns a close relative. And fulfill your covenant with God. All this He has enjoined upon you, so that you may take heed." (6:152)
11- According to our applying of and adhering to this verse: "O you who believe! Be upright to God, witnessing with justice; and let not the hatred of a certain people prevent you from acting justly. Adhere to justice, for that is nearer to piety; and fear God. God is informed of what you do." (5:8), we pose the questions below.
11/1: Who are more protective of the lives of the people of Gaza: Israel or the terrorist Hamas movement? Hamas launches rockets at Israel from densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip near hospitals and schools, while knowing that the Israelis will defend their country, thus aiming to embarrass the Israelis by making them massacre innocent ones. Israel never defends itself randomly; the Israelis are keen to protect the life of the hundreds of thousands of the Gazans by retaliating only against the perpetrators as much as possible. The Hamas leaders have received US$ millions under the pretext of re-building Gaza after Israeli bombardments; those Hamas leaders (e.g., Khaled Meshaal and Ismail Haniya) are now millionaires!
11/2: Who are more protective of the lives of citizens: Israel or Arab tyrants? Israeli Arabs enjoy rights of which Egyptians, Syrians, Sudanese, etc. are deprived in their respective countries. If those Israeli Arabs are under suspicion, they live at least in a country that respects its Law. As for Arab dictatorships, tyrants massacre unarmed citizens who peacefully protest against anything; e.g., Saddam Hussein murdered tens of thousands of Iraqis and massacred thousands of Iraqi Shiites in different cities, the Egyptian military rule massacred Egyptians when they organized peaceful demonstrations, the terrorist Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan massacred tens of thousands of people in Darfur and other regions, Hafiz Al-Assad and his son massacred tens of thousands of Syrians in different cities, and ISIS terrorists massacred, enslaved, and raped thousands of people!
11/3: It was very silly when the Arab media celebrated the 'iconic' photos of a Palestinian young woman slapping an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian male child throwing rocks at an Israeli soldier who avoided being hit and moved away. The young woman was tried justly within an Israeli court; the armed Israeli soldier was noble enough not to shoot and kill this child. The Arabs' double standards do not allow them to see this; in contrast, if this child was an Egyptian one who threw rocks at an Egyptian soldier, this child and his family might have been shot to death! If any Egyptian young woman slapped an Egyptian soldier, she might have been raped along with her family members! We must not forget the scandal that some Egyptian soldiers in 2011 removed the clothes of a young woman who was protesting peacefully; the head of military central intelligence in Egypt at the time – Abdul-Fattah Al-Sisi – has insulted the 2011 revolt by imposing the so-called virginity test on female demonstrators; yet, he was rewarded by being elected as the president of Egypt within its military rule now. Israel, on the other hand, faces its foes and never its citizens; Israel, with its foes, has never committed 1% of the atrocities committed by Arab tyrants against their citizens/nations.
11/4: Which is worse: the Israeli prisons or the Egyptian, Saudi, Iraqi, and Syrian prisons? The Israeli prisons incarcerate enemies of the Israeli State, whereas Arab prisons controlled by the tyrants incarcerate for no reason any political rivals and thousands of innocent ones on the margin of the struggle for power, and those incarcerated ones are routinely tortured – though most of them are innocent citizens who were demanding their rights.
11/5: When we compare between minorities in Arab dictatorships and the Arab/Christian minority inside Israel, we find that minorities in Israel lead a better life and have better conditions. It is enough to compare between Coptic Christians in Egypt and Christian Israelis, or between Sudanese Muslims in Darfur and Israeli Muslims of Palestinian origin. The same comparisons can be made in the cases of Shiites and Baha'is, etc.
11/6: Yet, Israel has its faults, violations, and crimes, but as a country, it is decidedly better than Arab dictatorships and tyrannical rulers. Before enumerating faults, violations, and crimes of Israel when dealing with Palestinians, we are to remember first the crimes and atrocities of the Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip and the crimes and atrocities of the Palestinian authority leaders in the West Bank, though both dare to claim to speak in the name of Palestinians; both have amassed and smuggled US$ millions, from Hamas to Abbas, and they never cede power at all and never apply democracy. It is a very sad fact that the Palestinians who engage into an armed struggle against Israel in the occupied territories have to choose between the worse (i.e., Israel) and the worst (the Hamas terrorist movement, affiliated to the terrorist MB group, in Gaza and the Palestinian authority leaders/thieves in the West Bank).
Lastly:
1- Our peaceful, intellectual jihad as a Quranist thinker is to reform Muslims/Muhammadans using the Quran; the Quran is the only criterion we use to judge and refute tenets, notions, history, heritage, beliefs, laws, and fiqh of the Muhammadans. The Quran undermines all notions of the Sunnite, Sufi, and Shiite earthly, man-made religions. The misguiding notions that drive the Muhammadans to worship/sanctify/deify the abominations/harmful mosques of Yathreb and of Jerusalem have made them among the losers in the Hereafter if they die without repentance and without adherence to the Quranic monotheism. Besides, the Muhammadans who blindly obey their clergymen and their earthly, man-made religions are losers who have lost everything in this transient world as well.
2- We have written a lot about refuting and undermining the abomination called the Yathreb mausoleum ascribed falsely to Muhammad and to Islam; we write this book now to refute and undermine the abomination of Al-Aqsa harmful mosque of Jerusalem, ascribed falsely to Islam. It is very clear to us that the sanctification to the 'holy' abomination of Jerusalem is more dangerous that sanctifying the Yathreb abomination; many lives are lost because of the brainwash resulting from the Palestinian-Israeli (or Arab-Israeli) conflict.
3- We never care about this political conflict at all; we focus only on providing enlightenment to Muslims/Muhammadans by showing to them the true Quranic facts of Islam in order to bridge the huge gap (or rather the abyss) between them and the Quran. At the same time, we never impose ourselves or our Quranist view of Islam on anyone. As per the Quranic facts, we respect the religious choices of every human being on earth, within the Quranic principle of absolute religious freedom for everyone; we only preach and assert peacefully in our writings what we deem as True Islam, and we quote these verses to those who reject Quranism: "..."Act according to your ability; and so will we." "And wait; we too are waiting."" (11:121-122).
4- God is Sufficient and Enough to us; He is the Best Supporter and Protector.