Question 447
There is a hadith that says the period between the construction of the Masjid Al Haram and Masjid Al Aqsa was fourty years, how can this be?
Answer :
The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has said in a answer :
Scholars have different views regarding who built Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa. It is said that it was Prophet Ya`qub (Jacob) ibn Is-haq (Isaac) ibn Ibrahim (Abraham). This view is close to the truth. It is also said that it was Sulayman (Solomon). The soundest opinion is that Sulayman renewed it but did not establish it. Because there were more than forty years between Sulayman and Ibrahim (Abraham) just as Al-Hafizh ibn Kathir (may Allah be merciful to him) mentioned.
Muslim related in his Sahih (authentic) Book of Hadith on the authority of Abu Dhar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, which mosque was laid first on earth? He said: Al-Masjid Al-Haram. I said: Then what was next? He said: Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa I said: How long was between them? He said: Forty years. Wheresoever the time comes for Salah, perform it for it is a Masjid.
End of the Quote.
So the Masjid Al Haram was built by Ibrahim (Alaihissalam) and Masjid Al Aqsa was built by Yaqub (Alaihissalam) -who was grand son of Ibrahim- according to sound opinion and between the two was forty years.
See the full fatwa here :
Compiled by : AbdunNoor Al Hindi