When was Masjid Aqsa built? and why is it important for Muslims?
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From wikipedia:\n\n"The Al-Aqsa Mosque (Arabic: المسجد الاقصى, Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa (help·info), is part of the complex of religious buildings in Jerusalem known as either the Majed Mount or Al-Haram al-Sharif and the third holy site (the Noble Sanctuary) to Muslims and the Har ha-Bayit (Temple Mount) to Jews. It is located in East Jerusalem, a disputed territory governed as part of Israel but demanded by Palestinians as part of a future State of Palestine. The largest mosque in Jerusalem, it can accommodate about 5,000 people worshipping in and around it. Non-Muslims are forbidden to enter the mosque.\n\nOrigin of name\nThe name "Al-Aqsa Mosque" translates to "the farthest mosque", and is probably derived from the Isra and Mi'raj, a Muslim tradition about a miraculous journey around 621 by Mohammed (c. 570-632). According to a Koranic verse, Mohammed took a journey in a single night on a winged steed Buraq from "a sacred mosque" (probably in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia) to "the farthest mosque" (al-Masjid al-Aqsa), and from a rock there, Mohammed again mounted the Buraq and briefly ascended to heaven, accompanied by the Archangel Gabriel, and spent some time touring heaven and receiving the Islamic prayers before returning to his home on Earth to communicate them to the faithful. The location of the "farthest mosque" was not explicitly stated, but came to be associated with Jerusalem, though the city is never specifically mentioned in the Koran.\n\nAbout 50 years after Mohammed's death, sometime between 687-691, Caliph Abd al-Malik built a shrine over what was believed to be the sacred rock, and its name, Qubbat As-Sakhrah, means "The Dome of the Rock." Some years after that, in 709-715, Umayyad caliph al-Walid, son of Abd al-Malik, built a new mosque near the Dome, at the location of a previous temporary wooden structure which had been built by Omar (c. 581-644), the Moslem caliph who conquered Jerusalem in 637, five years after Mohammed's death. al-Walid called his new mosque Al Aqsa, "distant place" or "farthest mosque\nConstruction of the Mosque began around 674 about 48 years after the traditional date given for Muhammad 's death. Little remains of the original structure, which, owing to the position of the mosque over Herod’s artificial addition to the Temple Mount, was in constant danger of collapse. In 747 it was badly damaged by earthquake, and then rebuilt on a much larger scale. In 1033, it was destroyed again during the Crusader attacks of Jerusalem, and then converted into a wing of the royal palace of the Crusader Kings.\n\nDamage from earthquakes in 1927 and 1936 necessitated an almost complete rebuilding of the mosque, in the process of which ancient sections of the original mosque were brought to light.\n\nAnalysis of wooden beams and panels removed from the building during renovations in the 1930s shows they are made from Cedar of Lebanon and Cyprus. Radiocarbon dating indicates a large range of ages, some as old as 9th century BC, showing that some of the wood had previously been used in older buildings.\n\nModern significance\nSince part of the mosque's extended surrounding wall is the Western Wall venerated by Jews, this relatively small spot in Jerusalem can become the source of friction. There have been times when Muslims worshipping at the mosque threw rocks downward at the Jews below at the Western Wall. A group of Jews known as the Temple Mount Faithful have expressed a desire to rebuild the ancient Jewish Temple in that area, turning into an attack on the mosque in 1990, resisted by Palestinians.\n\nThe Al-Aqsa Intifada is named after the mosque (supposedly due to Ariel Sharon's controversial visit to the Temple Mount in September 2000), as are the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.\n\nSome Muslims have accused Israel of weakening the walls of the mosque during archaeological excavation
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An early mosque, the Dome of the Rock (691–692) in Jerusalem, is a unique architectural monument. It follows an octagonal Byzantine plan, with a dome entirely of wood. Domed mosques, however, were not commonly built until some six centuries later. The mosque of 879 near Fustat was built by Ibn Tulun of stucco and brick and ornamented with floral reliefs in stucco.
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Charminar is a monument located in the City of Hyderabad which is the capital city of the State of Andhra Pradesh in South India.\n\n\nCharminar is one of the most important landmarks of the city. The monument was built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 to commemorate the eradication of plague, shortly after he had shifted his capital from Golconda to what now is known as Hyderabad. Legends tell that the emperor Quli Qutb Shah prayed for the end of plague and took the vow to build a mosque on that very place. He ordered the construction of the mosque which became popular as Charminar because of its four characteristic minarets. The top floor of the four-storeyed structure has a mosque which has 45 covered prayer spaces and some open space to accommodate more people in Friday prayers.\n\nThere are two galleries within the Charminar, one over another, and above those a terrace that serves as a roof, bordered with a stone balcony. It is vaulted underneath and appears like a dome. There is a large table raised seven or eight feet from the ground with steps to go up to it. Nothing in the town seems so lovely as the outside of that building. A thriving market still lies around the Charminar attracting people and merchandise of every description. In its heyday, the Charminar market had some 14,000 shops, a unique conglomeration of a grand oriental bazaar. The whole market around the Charminar is crowded with shops which sell glass bangles in rainbow colours.\n\nUnlike Taj Mahal, the fluted minarets of Charminar are built into the main structure. Inside the four-storied minarets 149 winding steps guide the visitor to the upper floor, the highest point one can reach, and providing a panoramic view of the city. There are 45 prayer spaces with a large open space in front to accommodate more for Friday prayers.\n\nBuilt with granite and lime mortar, Charminar is a fine example of the Cazia style of architecture. The Charminar looks spectacular particularly in the nights when it is illuminated
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The Dome of the Rock (Arabic: مسجد قبة الصخرة, translit.: Masjid Qubbat As-Sakhrah, Hebrew: כיפת הסלע, translit.: Kipat Hasela, Turkish: Kubbetüs Sahra) is a notable Islamic shrine/mosque in what Muslims call masjid al-Aqsa or the Noble Sanctuary (al-Haram al-Qudsi al-Sharif, Arabic: الحرم القدسي الشريف) — which Jews and Christians call Har ha-Bayit (Hebrew: הר הבית) or the Temple Mount — it remains one of the best known landmarks of Jerusalem. It was built between 687 and 691 by the 9th Caliph, Abd al-Malik. It has been called by European travelers for centuries as the Mosque of Umar[1].\n\nReligious significance\nMain article: Foundation Stone\nThe rock in the center of the dome it is believed by Muslims to be the spot from which Muhammad ascended through the heavens to God accompanied by the angel Gabriel, where he consulted with Moses and was given the (now obligatory) Islamic prayers before returning to earth (see Isra and Mi'raj.) A Qur'anic verse says that Muhammad took a night journey on Buraq from the "sacred mosque" (al-Masjid al-Haram) (Mecca) to the "farthest mosque" (al-Masjid al-Aqsa) (interpreted in Islam to be in Jerusalem[2]) instantaneously.\n\nSince Jerusalem is not mentioned by name in the Koran, many non-Muslim historians point to the concept that Umar reinterpreted the Koran to exalt his mosque in Jerusalem — which started out as a tiny wooden shrine — to show what he perceived to be Islam's superiority over Judaism. Most Muslims argue[citation needed] that since Islam is a continuation of the God's revelations to the Jews (and Christianity as well, see Jesus in Islam), therefore it is not a sign of superiority, but of the evolution of revealed doctrine. Such claims are often challenged in the light of restrictions imposed on non-Muslims.[3] [4]\n\nIn Judaism, the stone is the site where Abraham fulfilled God's test to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son Isaac. Muslims believe that this event occurred in the desert of Mina where millions of Muslims offer pilgrimage every year and that it was Abraham's elder son Ishmael and not Isaac who was offered for sacrifice. There is some controversy among secular scholars about equating Mount Moriah (where Isaac's binding occurred according to the Biblical narrative), the Temple Mount and the location where Jacob saw the ladder to heaven; but for orthodox Jews at least, there is no doubt that all these events occurred on this spot. It is also identified as the rock upon which Jacob dreamt about angels ascending and descending on a ladder and consequently offing a sacrifice upon. Situated inside the Holy of Holies, this was the rock upon which the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the First Temple[5]. During the Second Temple, the stone was used by High Priest who offered up the incense and sprinkled the blood of the sacrifices on it during the Yom Kippur Service.\n\n\n[edit] Construction\nIn 630, long before the Dome of the Rock was erected, `Umar ibn al-Khattāb helped by Kaab al-Ahbar and other Muslims recovered the Rock and dug it out of the dust and cleansed the area which had been abandoned for hundreds of years since the Roman destruction. Ibn Asakir [6] mentions that Umar never built any Muslim house of worship on that spot but rather chose to erect a mosque in the southern area of the Haram es Sharif with the Rock behind to the north. He did this to make clear that the qibla of prayer was south, towards the Kaabah in Mecca and that Muslims never dispute the correct direction of pray, resulting in them possibly praying towards the Rock as the Jews were doing. The Rock area remained uncovered until the time of Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan who started construction in 685, completing it in 691. The Muslim scholar al-Wasiti reports this incidence:\n\n    When Abd al-Malik intended to construct the Dome of the Rock, he came from Damascus to Jerusalem.
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Science? Don't you know about Aviccena, Averroes or Al-Kwarizmi? Al-Gabr? The Muslim civilisation was way more advanced than Europeans during the Islamic golden age. Where do you think Algebra(Al-Gabr) or Algorithm(Al-Khwarizmi) started? Where did you think chemistry(Al-Kamiyya) evolved? You are ignorant for not knowing most pious Muslims accept the Big Bang theory, other than other religions. Abnu Sina's book Al-Qanun fi Tibb was translated by Christians as "Aviccena's Canon of Medicine". Muslims even provided diagrams of circulatory and digestive systems way before the crusades.We were the ones who used anesthesia first. We discovered boric acid. We layed down the foundations of Chemistry. Our past architects evolved dome usage in acoustics in architechture. Muslims built the Taj Mahal. Now you're saying Islam restricts science. We were, and will be, more advanced in science and Mathematics. Without past Muslims, there will be no "New Knowledge". The (currently)second tallest towers are in a Muslim country(Malaysia), much taller the Empire State Building. Another Muslim country(UAE) is planning to build the tallest, engulfing your buildings.
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The Muslim Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned its construction as a mausoleum for his favourite wife, Arjumand Bano Begum, who is better known as Mumtaz Mahal.\n\nYes... a style that combines elements of Indian, Persian architecture and Turkish architecture.\n\nSir Arthur Charles Clarke is a British author and inventor, most famous for his science-fiction novel 2001: A Space Odyssey,
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Well its symbolic and it is for the unity of Muslims so that they don't get confused  in praying and should be praying to one point. secondly Mecca is in the mid point of the  world  so  easy for anyone to face that  and pray. Well the prayers are answered even if one go somewhere and could'nt find out the right direction and had  prayed  in some wrong direction . In the beginning there was some confusion about which direction one should pray , so to make it easy Allah has ordered to pray towards Macca.its just for the ease of muslims. Yes its ordered in Quran.\nQuran 2:144\n"Indeed We see the turning of your face to heaven, so We shall surely turn you to a qiblah which you shall like; turn then your face towards the Sacred Mosque, and wherever you are, turn your face towards it, and those who have been given the Book most surely know that it is the truth from their Lord; and Allah is not at all heedless of what they do
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First, what is ancient Islam?  Second, Hagia Sophia was built under the Eastern Roman empire in the 6th century under the reign of Justinian 1.  In Constantinople.  It was a cathedral of the Eastern Orthodox faith.  When the Ottomans successfully took the city in the 15th century, and the Turks have had it ever since.  It is now called Istanbul.  \n\nBut basically it is an interesting crossroads church.  It was the seat of the Metropolitan (kind of like a pope) of the Eastern Orthodox church unti 1200, when it became Roman Catholic for a short while, before returning to the eastern church.  Of course after the fall of Constantinople, it became Islamic.  After the secularization program of Attaturk, it was converted into a museum.  \n\nThere have been a lot of changes since the Turks took over...see the site below for reference.\n\nTo answer your question, Hagia Sophia was only called that after the 15th century...hardly ancient.
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In year 600AD  A man name Muhammad or man acting for Muhammad was preaching the new teachings in Mecca( not important place but good hide away) one of his aims is to get as much believers and supporters for his religion but the main aims is to compete the Persian influence so he get the support of Christians and to establish his religions in Jerusalem the capital of the Judaism and Christians. In year 632 he succeeded in taking over Jerusalem and later build the dome of the rock mosque which still stands there and Islam became the official religion of Jerusalem and the empire start from there. So Islam was ruling Jerusalem from 632AD till 1967 almost for 1340 years with some interruption during the crusades period so it is the longest period that any religion have ever controlled Jerusalem.
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hi u read this u will come to known why people visit tajmahal .Each day, hundreds of people from all over the world marvel at the Taj Mahal.  It is one of the 7 wonders of the world along with the Pyramids, the Grand Canyon, the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House and the Houses of Parliament, but it stands apart from the others: as it was built for love.  When you get there, you will realize why the Taj Mahal is the Taj Mahal, un-paralleled in beauty and magnificence.\n\nAgra is accessible from Delhi by Road, Air and Rail.  The Indian Government has laid out wonderful roads to reach Agra and Jaipur from Delhi, and this is called the Golden Triangle.  One can reach Agra from Delhi by road in 4 hrs.  I happened to be in Delhi for a few days in May 2003 and I supposed one day was enough to visit the Taj Mahal.  I was traveling with my brother.  We hired a cab, and left Delhi in the morning.  Our agenda was fixed - Taj Mahal, Sikandra and Agra Fort in one day.  \n\nAgra used to be the capital of the Moghul rulers who ruled India from the 15th Century to the 18th century, until the time of Bahadur Shah Zafar.  The Taj Mahal was built in 1631, by Shah Jehan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaj Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child.  It took about 20 yrs and 20,000 craftsmen to construct the Taj Mahal.  There are several gory stories attached to the construction as well, apart from the romantic angle.  It is believed that Shah Jehan got the best of the craftsmen for the job, but, once the job was done, the hands of the craftsmen were cut off, to ensure that they did not replicate the same work of art elsewhere.  Sadistic! \n\nThe architect was called in from Iran and the original plan also included a Black Taj Mahal on the other side of the Yamuna River, like a mirror image, which would house Shah Jehan's tomb.  But, the black one was destined to be just a dream.  \n\nShah Jehan chose this place on the bank of the river Yamuna, for a couple of reasons.  The river curved in this place, and hence in the small island that was created, he wanted to build the Taj.  The building along with its reflection in the river would provide a breath taking view.  The river water was required for the gardens and the several fountains that were to be there.  Shah Jehan could see the Taj Mahal from his fort in Agra.  During the latter part of his life, Shah Jehan was imprisoned by his tyrant son, Aurangzeb, who became emperor following his victory in the war of succession.  \n\nShah Jehan was detained in a small room in his fort, from where he could see the Taj. After his death, he was buried in a grave beside his wife Mumtaj, and therefore this is the only asymmetrical part of the Taj.  \n\nWho hasn’t seen pictures of the Taj? The beautiful image that you bear in your mind will only be enhanced by your visit. The Taj Mahal has a main dome in the center with 4 minarets.  There are two mosques on both the sides, but only one of them is used now.  The Entire complex is on a huge marble platform.  There is a beautiful garden in front of the Taj, with several waterways and fountains.  The faces of the walls have intricate designs with precious stones embedded in them (most of them stolen by miscreants through the ages).  The Koran is engraved on it too, and it is done in such a way that all the verses are readable by a man standing in front of them on the floor, and they look like they are of the same size, no matter how high on the wall they are engraved.  \n\nLots of photographers and guides hover in front of the complex.  You can get very fancy photographs of yourself, holding the minaret of the Taj in your hand and stuff like that, for about Rs.50. There is bench in front of the Taj where most tourists get a snap of themselves in front of the Taj Mahal (Princess Diana and Bill Clinton, of course on separate occasions got themselves photographed this way too).\n\nOne needs to be careful with touts in Agra and their attitude.  They mig
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Good question.  Unfortunately, I don't know. \n\nMaybe you should ask an imam/scholar.
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LUQMAN HAQEEM a great physician in the history of Islam.
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Mekka and the Medina in Saudi Arabia.\n\nI am not Muslim, and planning to remain a non Muslim.  The reason is because I can go to any other place in the world, but these places I am not and will not be permitted to enter them, I want to visit them before I die.  To show respect, not to do any disrespect or harm others.
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Starting from 10th century until Spanish reconquest in the second half of 15th century, Muslim city of Cordoba in Spain was the center of science and culture. If not Muslim knowledge and science Columbus would have never been able to cross the ocean.. Not many people talk about it today..\nRead more - I recommend "Infidels : A History of the Conflict Between Christendom and Islam" -- by Andrew Wheatcroft).\nOther scientific centers, with significant discoveries in the field of navigation, were by the time in Bagdad and of course in China.
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Muhammad (, also transliterated Mohammad, Mohammed, Muhammed, and formerly Mahomet, following the Latin) was an Arab religious and political leader and the final prophet of Islam. Islam is considered by Muslims to have existed prior to Muhammad, in the same tradition as Judaism and Christianity. Non-Muslims consider him the founder of Islam. According to traditional Muslim biographers, he was born c. 570 in Mecca (Makkah) and died June 8, 632 in Medina (Madinah); both Mecca and Medina are cities in the Arabian Peninsula. Because of his success in spreading the final word of Islam and being successful both politically and on many other levels, Muhammad is considered to be one of the most influential people of all time.____For more information go to the website below.
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Not sure really, but if you go to www.islamicfinder.com there should be something there for you, just give them your country. They have two athan programs, one free and one paid. The paid version gives you the direction of the Qibla. If nothing else, take a compass with you to the mosque and get the direction there. Then you can use the compass whenever you need.
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salam\nhere is a link to help u\n\nhttp://www.islamiccenters.com/