& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron

Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed writes from Princeton, USA
WHEN we expressed our desire to visit Islam's three holiest sites — Makkah. Medinah and Al-Aqsa — one after the other, we detected certain consternation among family and friends regarding the Al Quds (Jerusalem) visit. "Please do not visit the West Bank", family members pleaded. Well-meaning American friends implored: "Please do not tell the Israelis that you are Muslims! Do not take a bus in Israel! When you hear an unusual sound, duck!" However, when the calling conies, you have to go! We took a Royal Jordanian Airlines flight from New York City to Amman. Jordan. After making sure with the transit desk that our luggage was rechecked to Tel Aviv, we boarded a 24-seater propeller-driven Jordanian Royal Wings 8lane for the 20-25 minutes ight to Ben-Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.
All the immigration officers at Ben-Gurion were young women. We told ours not to stamp our US passports with T the Israeli* visa'. (Jf ah' larkeli ' visa is stamped on any passport. the Saudis refuse that person entry to the Kingdom). The officer acknowledged our request by nodding her head, and stamped our immigration forms.
On exiting the passport station. a young man approached us. "I am from security", he introduced himself. "I have to ask you some question." Then he proceeded ask us a series of questions: "Is this your first visit to Israel?" (Yes). "Do you know anyone in Israel'"' (No). "Where are you going to stay?" (We named our hotel). "What is the purpose of your visit?" (Visiting the holy sites in Jerusalem. Hebron and Bethlehem). "You will visit Al Aqsa?" (Yes). "How long have you lived in the US?" Then the young man excused himself for less than a minute, came back, handed us our passports back and said. "Enjoy your visit, sorry for the inconvenience!" Of course, there was no inconvenience; for a security personnel, the gentleman could not have been nicer!
As advised by our hotel, at the airport we took a van. Nersher Service" for the 45-minute trip to Jerusalem. The trip cost us 30 Israeli shekel (one US dollar approximately equals 3 shekel) each. We checked in at the Ambassador hotel in East Jerusalem. They charged us $ 120 per night for a room with three beds and another rolled in. A sumptuous breakfast was included. The Ambassador is only 20 minute's walk from Al Aqsa. However, to save time, we always took a taxi, costing between 15 and 20 shekels.
We had planned to pray our J umma prayers at Al Aqsa. As we approached the mosque compound, we noticed a large contingent of Israeli soldiers. We were asked, "Are you Muslims?" Satisfied with an affirmative answer, and after
checking our bags, we were allowed in. As we caught sight of the Dome of the Rock, emotions overwhelmed us.
Jerusalem (Muslims call the city "Al-Quds" or "the holy : to the Jews it is "Yerushalaylm") is sacred to Muslims for several reasons. The most important of these is Prophet Muhammad s miraculous nocturnal Journey, or "isra" to Bayt-al-Maqdis. "the house of holiness", and his ascent from there to heaven — the "mirai." These events are mentioned in the holy Koran in the first verse of Chapter 17. titled "Al-Isra." Led by angel Gabriel. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) travelled in one night
Hies* -mosque-. There. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) led Prophets Abr^J^m. Igo^es. jesus anjl others in prayer. Then from an adjacent rock. Prophet Muhammad was taken by Gabriel to heaven itself, to "within two bow lengths" of the very throne of God.
About 691 AD. the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik Ibn Marwan's Syrian craftsmen built on the same location the earliest masterpiece of the Islamic architecture, the Dome of the Rock (Qubbat al-Sakhra) — the octagonal sanctuary, centered on the rock, whose golden dome still dominates the skyline of Old Jerusalem. Abd al-Malik's son. al-Walld. who ruled from 705 to 715 AD, built the second major monument, the al-Aqsa Mosque. The Old City and its walls were built by Ottoman king .Suleyman in The sixteenth century.
Jerusalem is also uniquely linked to one of the five pillars of Islam, the five dally prayers. The earliest Muslims, for a time, turned towards Jerusalem to pray. A later revelation transferred the "Qlbla" or the direction of prayer towards the Kaaba in Makkah. To this day, Jerusalem is known as the "first of the two Qiblas." And it was during the "miraj" that the Muslims were ordered to pray, and the number of prayers were fixed at five.
These days, during Jumma. women pray at the Dome of the Rock, men pray at Al Aqsa mosque. At other less-crowed times, women too pray at A) Aqsa. For three days, we tried to make as many salat at Al-Aqsa as possible, remembering that one Raka at this mosque is equivalent to 500 Raka elsewhere.
King Hussain of Jordan has renovated the exterior of the Dome by gold-plating it. The interior has also been renovated. The rock from which the ascension took place is the centerpiece of the dome. The Prophet prayed in the basement of the Dome and was lifted through the rock, making a hole In it.
Tlie rock was soft; the Prophet s feet made marks on it. The worshippers are allowed to touch the Prophet's two foot-marks, which always give out fragrance. Two of the Prophet's hair are also in the same enclosure; they are opened only during the Miraj for public viewing.
The Interior of the Al Aqsa is also being renovated: especially the windows and the domes. However, the exterior looks run-down. The whole mosque-dome compound is dilapidated and in need of urgent maintenance. Those who have seen the two holy mosques at Makkah and Medinah will be
place only spiritually-.- a* -terms of grandeur it is miles behind. Sifyis^of occupation is even-, where. Imagine now theTsraeiis would feel, if the entrance to the "Walling Wall", which we visited. was controlled by the Muslims!
The Muslims of Jerusalem are depressed. Their spirits would be greatly lifted if more and more Muslims visited them. They are not used to Muslim tourists; once they find out who you are. they give yqu all their love. The Muslim youths are also depressed, in the aftermath of the "intifada ". They do not go out at night for fear of being harassed. Many of the Muslims are hard up. It is a good idea to make a donation not only for the Mosque, but for the poor Muslims who live in East Jerusalem as well, they will not ask for it. but will be grateful for your generosity. The food in the Muslim quarter is tasty; our driver took us to the best falafel restaurant in East Jerusalem! Another good place to stay, slightly more expensive than the Ambassador hotel, is the American Colony hotel in east Jerusalem. The food they serve is exquisite!
The inquisitive can do a few more things in Jerusalem. For instance, walk the 14 stations of Christ, on Via Dolorosa adjacent to the mosque compound and ending in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Catholics believe that at the first station a thorny crown was put on Christ's head, at the second he was put on the cross, at the seventh he fell down and at the 14th. inside the Church of Holy Sepulchre, he was crucified. Of course, Muslims do not believe in the crucifixion of Prophet Issa (pbuh). Before the first station. on the right hand side of the walkway, there is a small church/home called "Bethesda". This is where Bibi Mariam was born. One may want to go in and pay respects to her. Outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, there is the mosque ol Hazrat Omar (Rd). This is where he is said to have prayed when he
first visited Jerusalem. We prayed our Asr prayers there.
In addition to these Christian sites, there is. on the Jewish side of the walled city, the Citadel of David. The Jews say this is where Hazrat Dawood’s kingdom was. They show a very interesting documentary film here on the history ol Jerusalem, which is quite educational.
Outside the Walled City, one can take a taxi to the top of Mount of Olives and walks down, seeing the following:
a. Atop the Mount of Olives is the site from where Jesus had his spiritual ascension. It is now in ruins and controlled by the Muslims.
b. The Church where Jesus received divine revelations. It is a .jieaLUiiul church and the Lord « Prayer (Ou^FpthM who art m Heaven) is engraved in all the languages then known to
c. The Garden of Gethsemene where Jesus was betrayed.
d. Al the foot of the Mount of Olives is Bibi Mariam’s grave. Inside a cave.
The graveyard adjacent to the Mount of Olives, and extending from the top of the hill to the wall of Al-Aqsa, is where many believe resurrection will take place on the Day of Judgment.
The next day (Saturday) the Jewish Sabbath, we rented an Israeli Arab's cab lor a trip to Hebron. Bethlehem and the Dead Sea. It cost us 450 shekels 1400 shekels in fare. 50 tips). As we left Jerusalem for Hebron, we noticed brand new. shiny towns called "settlements" glistening on top of strategic hills. "This is all Palestinian land, stolen by Israel without paying any compensation." the driver explained to us. As we approached Arab towns, the American-style Israeli roads gave way to barely paved roads, laden with pot holes. On the way. we passed the notorious settlement called Qiryat Arba. from which Baruch Gold stein embarked on murderous rampage of Muslims praying the Fajr during Ramadan three years ago. Every armed male Israeli settler we saw looked like a mobile armored car! Hebron seemed like a fairly well to do Arab town.
We passed through three Israeli security check points in Hebron before reaching the Ibrahimi mosque. At ‘each check point, our driver, who knew Hebrew, and the Israeli soldiers, seemed to be shouting at each other! I asked the driver what ft was all about. He said that the soldiers were complaining. "why are you driving, when the Jews are on foot going to the Tomb of the Patriarch? "
As soon as we entered the mosque compound, an elderly Hebron gentleman appointed
himself our guide! The Ibrahimi mosque Is a tiny mosque; Its claim to fame is that Prophets (pbut) Ibrahim. Ishaq and Yakub are buried there along with their wives Sarah. Rafiqa (Rebecca) and Leaqa (Leah) respectively.
The main entrance to the mosque is reserved for the Jewish settlers. However, they are allowed only to visit Prophet Yakub’s grave. Muslims have to enter through a side gate; although they have access to all the other graves as well as the mosque. For 10 Muslim holy days of the year, including the two Eids, Lailatu) Qadr and Meraj, the Muslims have access to all of the mosque all day.
As we were about to enter the mosque, a heavily-armed Israeli soldier demanded to see our passport, in a very rude and high handed manner, scaring my wife and the two kids. As he perused our US passports. 1 could have told him to kiss those passports, because the country it represents is the sole reason his country exists!
En route to Al Aqsa, Allah (SWT) asked Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to stop at Prophet Ibrahim's (pbuh) mosque and pay his respect. Here too the rock was soft, leaving the Prophet's foot mark on it. Worshippers are allowed to touch those foot marks, placed in a window just Inside Prophet Ibrahims (pbuh) grave. We prayed the Fatiha at Prophets (pbut) Ibrahim and Ishaq's graves, as well as Bibi Sarah, Rafiqa and Leaqa's graves.
On that February morning. 1994. that will forever live in infamy. Baruch Goldstein entered the mosque through a door adjacent to Bibi Sarah's grave positioned himself behind the congregation, and like the coward he was. opened automatic lire on the unarmed, unsuspecting worshippers preparing for a day’s fast. He mowed down 29 Muslims, wounded hundreds of others before being overpowered. The section where most of the worshippers were massacred has not been re-carpeted yet. The Imam was spared, because he had bowed down before anyone else. Our elderly guide was also there, fortunately on the other side. At the Mehrab. we saw tens of bullet marks, legacy of Baruch Goldstein of Brooklyn, New York. USA!
Our next stop was Bethlehem. Before handing over the town to the Palestinian authority. Israel had constructed a modern Bethlehem bypass to get to their settlements. Although the road to Bethlehem from Hebron was nothing to brag about, there were signs of wealth in the town itself. Our driver told us that Bethlehem boasts of wealthy Christian Arabs. At the Church of Nativity, the crowd was far smaller than one would have expected four days before Christmas. No doubt because of security concerns. We did visit the stable where Prophet Issa (pbuh) was born and paid our respects to him.
Our last stop was Dead Sea, about 35 miles from Jerusalem. On the way we passed the sprawling settlement called Maale Adumim. which is home to the Israeli soldier Noam Friedman, who tried to "kill as many Arabs as possible" on the New Year s Day 1997. The Dead Sea was a hit with our two boys. The water is salty and bitter And one really does not sink! One can read newspapers floating on the water and view Jordan on the oilier side.
Tourism took a lieatlng this year Even when there are tourists the Israeli guides skip Arabs shops and takes them straight to Jewish shops many ol whic h sport recommended by the Mmisuv of Interior signs Palestinians arc liirtoils with King Hussains grand lather King Abdullah lor agreeing
with the Balfour Declaration that allowed Jews to immigrate to Palestine, and with King Hussain himself for being so generous with the Israelis, at the Palestinians' expense. Christian and Muslim Palestinians get along great (Yasir Arafat's wife Suna is a Christian Palestinian). They dislike the Jews. The Jews hate them right back! Arabs and Jews do not look at each other!
Jewish Americans have been instrumental not only in the creation of Israel, but in its ex-[tansion as well. They have obbied hard to minimise American criticism of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza from "illegal" during Jimmy Carter's time, to "obstacle to peace" during Reagan's, and to "complicating factors" during Clinton's, They have successfully controlled the US House and Senate vis-a-vis US Mid-east policy. Wealthy Jewish Americans, such as Dr Irving Moscpwltz have offered Arabs preposterous amount of money to buy property so as to strengthen Jewish presence in Arab East Jerusalem. Moscowitz is the person who financed the so-called "tunnel" In Muslim Jerusalem, and was present at its midnight opening, before the episode exploded in violence in September. 1996. American Muslims are but helpless spectators as their Arab brethren cry out for justice.
There is a 5-square metre pottery shop the writer visited in front of the Ibrahimi mosque. A few days ago, a wealthy Jewish person offered the shopkeeper one and a half million dollar for the shop. When the owner was unwilling, the person gave him a blank check and asked him to write his price. The idea is not to merely buy the property, but to gain a foothold in front of the mosque, so as to lay Jewish claim to the Ibrahimi mosque itself for ever!
Allah (SWT) says in the holy Koran that if your enemy inclines towards peace, so should you. It was during Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres' genuine efforts to make peace with the Palestinians that the idea of visiting Jerusalem was hatched in the writer's mind. However, the intention of the present Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu seems anything but peaceful!
Israel should remember that its overwhelming military superiority over the Arabs and America's unquestioned sup-Krt for Israel are not going to st forever. The only people who inhabited Palestine before the Jews came and left 2000 years ago. and have stayed put all these years, are the Palestinians. And ever since the second Caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab accepted the surrender of Jerusalem from the Byazantines in 637 AD. except for a few years during the Crusades, and the British and the Israeli occupation recently. Jerusalem has always been Muslim. Muslim kings nurtured it. Muslim masons lavishly built it up. No amount of arrogance can alter these historical facts! If you take someone elses property by force, you are condemned to looking over your shoulder in fear all your life!
As we were departing Israel, once again we were asked a series of probing questions by a Israeli woman security officer. She wanted to see our hotel receipt. our American business cards, wanted to know where we went, who we met. whether our luggage was ever left unattended. etc (It Is a good idea to ask the hotel and shops to write the Value Added Tax separately In the receipt, that wav one can get a refund for the VAT at the airport ) Although professionally very thorough the woman was very pleasan i even helpful! One dearly wished one encountered such cordial behaviour upon entering the Kingdom'
The writer is a Rhod. -Scholar from Bangladesh uh" Currently lines In Pruuemn Junction New Jersey I SA