Correction regarding the founding of Masjid Al Aqsa: Ishaq (as)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

This post is to correct something I mentioned in an earlier post regarding the prophet who first built Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem.

 (Masjid Al Aqsa)

In the original post I said that Prophet Yaqoob (as) had been the first to build the masjid, as this was the view expressed by the Islamic scholar Ibn Katheer.  However, wanting to be doubly sure about this important issue I asked a muhaddith (scholar of hadith) a while back now for the strongest opinion regarding who was the first to build Masjid Al Aqsa.  Having recently received an answer from the scholar, I have been told that the stronger opinion is that Ishaq (as), the second son of Ibrahim (as), was the first to build the masjid.

This still agrees with the hadith I cited in the original post about the origins of the masjid, which should be read with the understanding that Ishaq (as) was the first to build Masjid Al Aqsa.

As there are no ahadith which directly and explicitly state who the founder of the masjid was, it is important to remember that this is the strongest opinion from the evidence available and that ultimately Allah knows best on this issue.  The remainder of this post contains the information which I have now removed from the original post.

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As it has been explained in earlier posts, the land of Bait Al Maqdis (Jerusalem) was made sacred by Allah for all time, and so it was already sacred before the construction of any buildings. Ishaq (as) though, was the first prophet to construct a place of worship in Al Quds, and this was the original Masjid Al Aqsa. It was later completed by his descendents, other prophets who will be covered in later posts, inshaAllah.

There is a sahih hadith in Bukhari (and Muslim) which covers the topic of the building of Masjid Al Aqsa. It is a hadith we have already come across in earlier posts:

Abu Dharr (ra) reported that he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be on him), "O Prophet of Allah, which Masjid was built first on earth?". The Prophet replied, "The Sacred Masjid of Makkah". Abu Dharr again asked, "Which was next?". The Prophet (peace and blessings be on him) said "The Masjid Al Aqsa". "How long was the period between them?" Abu Dharr asked. The Prophet (peace and blessings be on him) said "Forty years. Apart from these, offer your prayers anywhere when it is time to pray, although excellence is in praying in these Masajids". (Sahih al Bukhari)

According to this hadith, 40 years elapsed between the building of Al Ka'bah in Makkah and Masjid Al Aqsa in Al Quds. Since it was Ibrahim (as) who built Al Ka'bah with his elder son Ismael (as), this time frame agrees with it being Ishaq (as) who was the first to construct Masjid Al Aqsa.

And Allah knows best.