Bismika Alllahuma

Mohd Elfie Nieshaem Juferi

Das allgemeinhin anerkannte Symbol von Jerusalem ist ein nicht jüdischer oder christlicher heiliger Platz aber ein moslemisches: die Haube des Felsens oder Qubbat wie-Sakhra wie es auf Arabisch bekannt. Wenn Leute seine goldene Haube sehen, über die geöffnete Ausdehnung von zu steigen Haram wie-Shareef, denken sie an nur einen Platz in der Welt. Die Haube des Felsens ist ohne Zweifel eine der gefeierten und meisten bemerkenswertesten Denkmäler des frühen Islams, besucht jedes Jahr durch Tausenden Pilgrims und Tourist. Es ist Antwort Jerusalems Paris' Eiffel zum Aufsatz, Str. Roms Quadrat Peters, Londons grosser Ben und Kuala Lumpur Petronas Doppelaufsätze; den Verstand der Moslems und der NichtMoslems gleich blenden. Die Haube des Felsens ist Jerusalem.

Die Haube des Felsens wurde um 688-691 C.E. errichtet. (68-72 A.H.) durch das Umayyad Caliphal-Walid ibn Abd Al-Malik. Dieses Gebäude befindet sich mitten in Haram wie-Shareef Komplex und die Haube selbst bedeckt den heiligen Felsen, gelegen direkt unter der Haube, von der Prophet Muhammad auf Himmel auf seiner Nachtreise stieg. Der heilige Felsen selbst ist ein sehr großer unregelmäßiger Felsen, der 17.7 Meter Nord-Sud mißt, 13.5 Meter Ost-West und 1.5 Meter in der Höhe.

Das Gebäude hatte durchmachte einige Wiederherstellungen, die den ursprünglichen Plan und das Design beibehielten. Es symbolisiert die hervorragende Leistung der islamischen Architektur und mehr als gerade ein Beispiel einer typischen Moschee, ist es auch eine Reflexion seines historischen Kontextes. Dieses schließt den Versuch ein, mit dem islamischen Vorgänger des Reiches im Bereich, dem Byzantinisch-Christ Reich, sowie zu rivalisieren, um ein Denkmal über einem heiligen Aufstellungsort herzustellen. [1]

Die goldene Haube dehnt 20 Meter über dem vortrefflichen Felsen aus und steigt zu einer Spitze mehr als 35 Meter über ihr. Hälfte des unteren Teils wird mit Marmor, während die zweite Hälfte mit den blauen qashany Quadraten umfaßt wird, die mit dem Qur' anic Kapitel `Ya Sünde' eingeschrieben werden, eine Arbeit umfaßt, die im 16. Jahrhundert von Suleiman das ausgezeichnete beauftragt wird:

Ya Sünde
Durch das kluge Qur'
Sicher gehören Sie zu denen, die an einem geraden Weg geschickt werden
Eine Enthüllung vom mächtigen, das mitfühlende
Daß Sie Leute deren Väter nie gewarnt wurden, also sie warnen konnten, leichtfertig seien Sie
(Qur' 36:1 - 6) [2]

A partial view of the exterior of the Dome with Qur’anic inscriptions on blue qashany squares

The Dome of the Rock is an octagon; four of its sides face the 4 directions, and the Rock is in the center and is about 1.5 metres high. It measures 18 metres long by 13 metres wide, covered by a circular dome consisting of four circular fringes covered with marble squares with three marble columns between every two of them. They also carry 16 arches covered with white and black marble. The upper circular part of the Dome is covered with mosaic decorations of plants in harmonious colours, mainly green, blue and gold. The neck has some shells with 16 windows, made internally of glaze and externally of china or qashany blocks decorated with circular vents. The ceiling of the middle and external porches is flat and covered with wooden decorations leaning toward the external octagon and covered with lead sheets, but they are covered with silver aluminum sheets. The neck is covered with qashany decorations outside with a strip containing Sura’ al-Isra’a (The Night Journey), which was made in the 15th century. The neck had been covered with mosaics decorated with plant images. There are 40 columns, and 4 large external doors, namely David’s door or Isra’fil, the Paradise door, al-Aqsa door and the west door facing Bab al-Qattaneen.[3]

That this Muslim shrine has become the symbol of Jerusalem because of its magnificent golden dome dominating the skyline of Jerusalem is well recognized. Writing in about 985 C.E., Al-Muqaddas?the famous Muslim traveler born in Jerusalem, wrote that

At the dawn, when the light of the sun first strikes on the cupola and the drum catches the rays, then is this edifice a marvelous site to behold and one such that in all Islam I have never seen its equal; neither have I heard tell of aught built in pagan times that could rival in grace this Dome of the Rock.[4]

Writing of the sublimely beautiful structure with its heavenly dome, the British authority on Muslim architecture, K. A. C. Creswell, exclaimed:

Under a scheme whereby the size of every part is related to every other part in some definite proportion….the building instead of being a collection of odd notes becomes a harmonious chord in stones, a sort of living crystal; and after all it really is not strange that harmonies of this sort should appeal to us through our sight, just as chords in music appeal to our hearing. Some of the ratios involved….are fundamental in time and space, they go right down to the very basis of our nature, and of the physical universe in which we live and move.[5]

From the Muslim point of view, the Dome of the Rock was an answer to Christianity and its doctrines, providing Muslims with arguments to be used against Christian theology. The inscriptions are seven hundred and thirty-four feet long in all, amongst the lengthiest inscriptions in the world. There is a great amount of repetition and many quotations from the Qur’? The following extracts are as follows:

Inner Face: South Wall. In the name of Allah the Merciful the Compassionate. There is no God but Allah alone; He has no co-partner. He is the Kingship and His the praise. He giveth life and He causeth to die, and He hath power over everything.

South-East Wall. Verily Allah and His angels pronounce blessing upon the Prophet. O ye who have pronounced blessings upon Him and give Him the salutation of peace. O, People of the Book, do not go beyond the bounds in your religion and do not say about Allah anything but the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, is but a messenger of Allah and His word which He cast upon Mary and a spirit from Him. So believe only in Allah and of His messenger, but do not say “Three” (Trinity) and it will be better for you. Allah is only one God. Far be it from His glory that He should have a son.

North Wall. The Messiah will not deign to be in the service of Allah nor will the angels who stand in his presence. O Allah; pray upon Thy messenger the servant Jesus - (N-W Wall) the son of Mary and peace be upon him the day of his birth, the day of his death and the day of his being raised alive. That is Jesus, son of Mary - a statement concerning which you are in doubt. It is not for Allah to take for Himself any offspring, glory be to Him.

West Wall. Allah bears witness that there is no God but Him, likewise the angels and the people possessed of knowledge (S-W Wall) - Upholding justice. There is no God but He, the Almighty and All Wise. Verily, the religion in Allah’s sight is Islam.

Outer Face: West and North-West Walls. In the name of Allah the Merciful and Compassionate. There is no God but Allah alone. Praise be to Allah who hath not taken to himself offspring. To Him there has never been any person in the sovereignty. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, may God pray upon him and accept his intercession. Praise be God who has not taken unto Himself a son and who has no partner in sovereignty nor has He any protector on account of weakness.

In the last 1300 years, with only one exception[6] the Dome of the Rock had always been in the hands of Muslims. The Dome of the Rock will always be sacred to Muslims and will remain there for as long as the Zionists do not attempt to destroy this Muslim shrine that has already been synonymous with the holy city of Jerusalem or deny Muslim access to the holy city.[7]

And only God knows best.

References

[1] Alia F. Hasan, The Dome of the Rock: the Atypical Mosque [Online Document]

[2] The Dome of the Rock, Noble Sanctuary Online Guide [Online Document]

[3] Al-Aqsa Mosque Under Israeli Occupation, Palestine Info [Online Document]

[4] As cited by Solomon Steckoll, The Temple Mount (Tom Stacey, Ltd., London, 1972), p. 31

[5] As cited by Dome of the Rock, Sacred Sites [Online Document]

[6] On July 15, 1099 Jerusalem was taken from the Muslims by the Crusaders from Europe. The Crusaders slaughtered the inhabitants of Jerusalem in an unjustified carnage. The Dome of the Rock was converted into a Christian church called the Templum Domini, “Temple of our Lord.”

[7] It is unfortunate that the Zionists and Christian missionaries try to deny the significance of Jerusalem in Islam. Refer to The Position of Jerusalem and Haram As-Shareef In Islam.