8. The Second Masjid on Earth
Abū Dharr (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) narrated that he asked the Prophet ﷺ, “O Messenger of Allah, which Masjid was built first on earth?” The Prophet ﷺ replied, “Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām.” Abū Dharr then asked, “Which was next?” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Al-Masjid al-Aqṣā.” Abū Dharr further asked, “How long was the period between [the building of the two masjids]?” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Forty years. Apart from these, offer your prayers anywhere when it is time to pray, as excellence lies in it” (Bukhārī).
9. The Virtue of Entering Ihram from al-Masjid al-Aqsa
Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Whoever enters into iḥrām for an ʿumrah or for ḥajj from al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, Allah will forgive their previous sins” (Aḥmad).
10. A View of Bayt al-Maqdis
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “A time will come in which for a person to have a (small) piece of land — the size of a rope used to tie a horse — from which he can see Bayt al-Maqdis, will be better than the entire world” (Ḥākim).
11. The Triumphant Group
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “There will always be a group of my Ummah triumphant upon the truth, overcoming their enemy. Those who oppose them will not harm them except for some difficulties that afflict them, until Allah’s command comes and they are like that.” (The Companions) asked: “Where will they be, O Messenger of Allah?” He ﷺ replied: “They will be in Jerusalem and around Jerusalem” (Aḥmad).
12. The Miracle of Prophet Yushaʿ (ʿalayhis-salam)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The sun was never held (from setting) for any human being except Yūshaʿ (ʿalayhis-salām), during the time he marched to Bayt al-Maqdis” (Aḥmad).
13. Dajjal Will Not Enter Al-Aqsa
The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘’I warn you of al-Masīḥ ad-Dajjāl… his reign will reach every watering place. He will not enter four places of worship: al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, (Mount) Ṭūr and Madinah” (Aḥmad).
14. The Place Where Dajjal Will Be Defeated
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Ibn Maryam (ʿIsā (ʿalayhis-salām)) will kill the Dajjāl at the Gate of Ludd” (Tirmidhi).
15. The Signs of the End Times
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The flourishing state of Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) will be when Yathrib is in ruins, the ruined state of Yathrib will be when the Great War comes, the outbreak of the Great War will be at the conquest of Constantinople and the conquest of Constantinople will be when the Dajjāl comes forth.” He (the Prophet ﷺ) struck the addresee’s thigh or shoulder with his hand and said: “This is as true as you are here or as you are sitting (meaning Muʿādh b. Jabal)” (Abū Dāwūd).
16. Its Conquest: A Sign of the Final Hour
ʿAwf b. Malik (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) narrated: I went to the Prophet ﷺ during the Battle of Tabūk while he was sitting in a leather tent. He ﷺ said:
“Count six signs that indicate the approach of the Hour:
- My demise;
- The conquest of Jerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdis);
- A plague that will afflict you, killing many, similar to the plague that affects sheep;
- An increase in wealth to such an extent that even if a person is given one hundred Dinars, he will not be satisfied;
- An affliction that no Arab household will escape;
- A truce between you and Banī al-Aṣfar (the Byzantines), who will betray you and attack under eighty flags, each with twelve thousand soldiers” (Bukhārī).
17. The Resting Place of Prophet Musa
Abū Hurayrah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) narrates from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: “The Angel of Death was sent to Musā (ʿalayhis-salām). When he came to him, Musā struck him, so the Angel returned to his Lord and said, ‘You sent me to a servant who does not want to die.’ Allah restored his eye and said, ‘Go back and tell him to place his hand on the back of an ox; for every hair his hand covers, he will be granted one year (of life).’ Musā said, ‘O my Lord, then what?’ He said, ‘Then death.’ Musā said, ‘Then (take my soul) now.’ So he asked Allah to draw him near the Sacred Land so that he would be at a distance of a stone’s throw from it.”
Abū Hurayrah added that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “If I were there, I would show you his grave by the side of the path, by the red sand hill” (Bukhārī).
18. The Caliphate in the Holy Land
The Messenger of Allah put his blessed hand on the head of ʿAbdullāh b. Ḥawālah and said: “O Ibn Ḥawālah! When you see the Caliphate settling in the Holy Land, then earthquakes, trials, and great events have drawn near; and the Hour on that day will be closer to the people than this hand of mine is to your head” (Abū Dāwūd).
