The crux of al-Masjid al-haram & al-Masjid al- Aqsa

The crux of al-Masjid al-haram & al-Masjid al- Aqsa -

Sajda in the context of the book Quran -

Malikah do Sajda for Adam - اسْجُدُواْ لِآدَمَ - (2:34)

Iblees don't do Sajda for Adam - (2:34)

Quran (not the 114 chapter book) and Sajda is only for Momin (not a label of any particular community) - 84: 20-21-22

Our Kafeer and Takaboor thoughts don't do Sajda because they are part of our inner Iblees that prevent us from becoming humble (2:34) - إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ

Sajda is not physical action of touching the forehead on the ground neither, neither the word Masjid refers to "Islamic Architectural monument." In Quranic context the foundation of masjid is build on Taqwa (due diligence / discipline) and not on concrete and cement. (9:107 - 108 - 109)

Masjid is only for Allah, it is the House of Allah (2:114) where there is no ego only knowledge with humbleness. All our call (dua) goes through our Masjid (7:29), it is our own connection center with our system of consciousness (Allah). Masjid is our own state of humbleness build on the foundation of Taqwa and Sajda. Humility, humbleness comes from the sincere realization that we have no knowledge except the knowledge taught by the Rabb - The feeling of knowing nothing is characteristics of our Malaikah. 

Masjid, Masjid Haram and Masjid Aqsa are our stages of growth or ascension towards higher knowledge or consciousness (samawaat) - Masjid ḍirāran is harmful / damage Masjid because it is based on division, dispute, corruption and untruthfulness. 

In Arabic, Persian it is known as ooruj (عروج) / meraaj (ميراج - ladder, to elevate or to ascend) - it is soul's forward leap into higher knowledge of self - (34:2 - 43:33) - Although ooruj and miraaj are Arabic words but we will not find these words in their exact forms in the book Quran. In 70:3 Allah is called Owner of Ascent - مِّنَ اللَّهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ - 

What is so important travelling in night between the two physical structures in Mecca and Jerusalem? - Why should the book Quran and Hadith discusses this so called "miraculous event" ? Does it have any message or significance worth heeding?

What Musa and Bani Israel have to do with these verses? Why Musa was given Al-Kitab and what is Al-Kitab in this context? 

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ – 17:1

The verse describes the objective of this inner journey (أَسْرَى) with the obedient servant (pure nafs / self / mohammed) the one having abundant knowledge (سُبْحَانَ) - travelling in the state of anxiety (لَيْلاً) from the state of enshrined state of humbleness (الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ) towards reaching the furthermost degree of humbleness (الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى). Whose surroundings are blessed by Rabb, so that the our own consciousness would show it signs (آيَاتِنَا). Indeed its (sign) is full of thought provoking, that knocks the door of insight (البَصِيرُ) hearing (السَّمِيعُ).

The verse (17:1) points towards the inner journey of those who possess tremendous knowledge that made them travel from mere humbleness to the extreme degree of realization of humbleness due to their virtue of knowledge and wisdom. Masjid alharam and Masjid Aqsa are the state of our own conscious mind. It is not a place of physical prostration but a state where our pure mind / nafs / self / soul that reach or get connected with our own higher level of consciousness (samavaat). Without knowledge, wisdom and humbleness we cannot reach or attain ascension of our souls in Hadithic term it is called meraj or ooruj. 

The feeling of humbleness comes from the virtue of deep knowledge, understanding and acceptance that we are nothing in contrast to the vastness of the Universe or the Environment around us. The feeling of humbleness, abasement, humility or nothingness comes when we ponder, meditate, contemplate and compare the immeasurable wonders of the Universe with our minute or microscopic self. The masjid of Allah is where Ego is lost, where we belittle ourselves in admiration and amazement in comparison with the astonishing Nature or Reality of our existence. Masjid is to remain in the state of humbleness 24x7. Just as much we belittle ourselves or abase our selves (nafs) in view of the fact that we are of no importance and our knowledge is very limited compare to Consciousness or Awareness of Mother Nature. The more we grow or move in our inner journey, the further we travel from Masjid Al-Haram towards Masjid i Aqsa we realize there are more bonderies to conquer. It is a continuous non-stop journey for the seeker of truth.

وَآتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلْنَاهُ هُدًى لِّبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَلاَّ تَتَّخِذُواْ مِن دُونِي وَكِيلاً – 17:2

And (continuation from the first verse) We have given Musa Al-Kitab and drafted guidance for Bani Israel so that they could not extract out from my weak self (دُونِي) any judgment / opinion (وَكِيلاً) …

We can find Musa when we reach one of the highest level of our own consciousness, when we can know / decode our own script (Al-Kitab) that can guide us to become humble, wise and diligent.

The second verse (17:2) is the continuation of first verse as it is joined by the prefixed conjunction و – so to interpret this verse to the hadith based story of "physical ascension of person Mohammed to seventh heaven” is bogus and misleading. If we correctly understand the right theme of the book Quran then only we can understand the real interpretation of some of the Hadith related to Meraj and few other topics in light of the Quran. 

Nothing is physical in the entire message of the book Quran as well as Hadith. But the book Quran is the mother book if one want to study other books related to religion Islam they must first understand the book Quran thoroughly not the traditional translation or the new interpretations but the original message. Then only they can judge whether other material is helping them or diverting them from the message of the main book. All Islamic literature must be studied under the light of Quran and not vice versa. We should never touch any books other than the book Quran. It took me at least 58 years to understand the core theme of the book Quran now in the light of that enlightenment I am beginning to understand some valuable Hadith. I am not at all encouraging people to read or study Hadith when their base of Islam is founded on rituals, Arab culture, Arab History and Geography. 

The main theme of the book Quran is to understand the Self, nothing else. When you understand your own self you will begin to understand how to grow it and connect it with the fountainhead of all knowledge. (رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ)

UNDERSTANDING THE ESSENCE OF SOME WORDS:

Asra = Inner journey of self – أَسْرَى - its 3rd person masculine singular (form IV) perfect verb - the root word is س ر ى – the basic meaning is something which travels deep, like root of the tree crept beneath the ground, strain of evil crept in the man, the poison crept in him, travelling in night, the word سرى denotes unseen progress. 

Subhan = سُبْحَانَ – accusative masculine noun - Root word is س ب ح – means to swim – Subhan means to swim vigorously or occupy oneself, abundant knowledge – ا ن (aan) suffixes occur in verbal noun, participle/agent noun, and irregular plural structures… as in Rehman, Insaan, Quraan…and commonly used in diptotes also.

Lail = لَيْلاً – Any Anxiety - accusative masculine indefinite noun

Al-Masjid = A state where one is in the state of acceptance / obedience / humbleness - A focused state

Sajda = Lowly, submissive, humble, prepared to obey or accept others unquestioningly, subservience

Al-Haram = Something which is unlawful as well as sacred – Laced with condition of do and don’t list which one has to respect and follow, the enshrined one

Masjid al Haram - الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ = A enshrined state of humbleness or a state of acceptance laced with restrictions and strict discipline – A state of certain restrictions in attaining the humble / modest knowledge whose head is the Knowledgeable Consciousness.

Normally a human mind, body and soul is termed as the most sacred and humble entity – Lowly, submissive but at the same time sacred and attached with lot of conditions. The state of humbleness or submission is called Masjid-e-Haram in Quranic terminology.

Masjid al Aqsa - الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى = A state of extreme obedience / humbleness but at the same time who has attained the utmost knowledge of it – In other words who has realized the knowledge of his Rabb.

Bani – لِّبَنِي = possessing the quality of weaving, building, constructing, attain high degree, reared, brought up, educate, form, made, become, grow, adopt, manner, mode, natural constitution…

Israel – إِسْرَائِيلَ = A verbal noun (المصدر) form IV –the root word is س ر ى – إِسْرَائِيلَ - means which travel without being seen – imagination, thinking, doubts, anxiety, rumors, news, jealousy – suffix ايل signifies a force or a power which cannot be seen yet has the power to rule. Bani Israel is the community of individuals who apply their mind to think… that’s why the community of Bani-Israel possess wisdom and are familiar with Al-Kitab; they are the favored community in the sight of the Rabb (45:16) (2:47) (2:122).  

FROM "HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE”:

The place referred to in the Quran as "the farthest mosque" - Arabic: المسجد الأقصى‎‎, al-Masjidu 'l-’Aqṣá, from surat al-Isra, has been historically considered as referring to the site of the modern-day al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. However, the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem was not built during Muhammad's lifetime. The interpretation was advanced by the earliest biographer of Muhammad (ca. 570-632) – Ibn Ishaq (ca. 704-761/770) – and is supported by numerous hadith. The “al-Aqsa Mosque” marks the place from which Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven. The exact date of the Journey is not clear, but is celebrated as though it took place before the Hegira and after Muhammad's visit to the people of Ta'if. According to traditional historians Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven from “Aqsa Mosque” which was not even existed in Jerusalem at that time. The mosque was originally a small prayer house built by Caliph Umar, but was rebuilt and expanded by the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik and finished by his son al-Walid in 705 CE – 72 AH.

The “Masjid-e-Haram الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ or restricted mosque” which was restricted for “idol worshippers” was in fact controlled by them at the time of ascension so the “Masjid-e-Haram” was just a temple at that time of so called ascension and to term it as Masjid-e-Haram is not valid at all.

That means the book Quran is not talking about travelling between two physical structures but it is talking about setup of human mind or nafs. 

BANI ISRAEL: THOSE WHO APPLY THEIR MIND