Who Built Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem?

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —

Masjid Al-Aqsa into the spotlight after the troop Israel raided the Muslim place of worship and attacked the congregation last week.

Israeli troops carried out attacks twice in the morning and at night.

The Al Aqsa Mosque is in the Temple Mount complex or Haram Al Sharif in the Old City of Jerusalem. The area is a frequent flashpoint of Israeli-Palestinian disputes.

Apart from that, who is the founder of Al Aqsa Mosque?

Al Aqsa Mosque was built by the second Islamic caliph, Umar bin Khattab.

In 637 AD, Muslim armies began to appear around Jerusalem. At that time, the figure in charge of Jerusalem was the representative of the Byzantine government, Patriarch Sophronius and the leader of the Christian Church, he was quoted as saying Egypt Today.

Sophronius refused to surrender Jerusalem even though a large Muslim army was surrounding the city. He was willing to surrender the city, if Umar came to accept the surrender.

Hearing the request, Umar left Medina, going alone with one donkey and one assistant. When he arrived in Jerusalem, he was greeted by Sophronius.

Sophronius was surprised to see Umar’s simple appearance. He couldn’t even tell which one was the leader and which one was the assistant.

Umar was shown on a tour of the city, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. When the prayer time came, Sophronius invited Umar to pray in the church. However, Umar refused.

Umar insisted that if he prayed there, Muslims would use him as an excuse to turn it into a mosque. That is, this action could deprive Christians of sacred sites.

He then prayed outside the church or was on the south side of the Al Aqsa complex as it is known today. Then, that’s where the Al Aqsa mosque was built.

Al Aqsa used to be called Al Qibli (Qibla Mosque). This mosque used to be the qibla of Muslims before the revelation came down and made the Kaaba its qibla.

Continue reading on the next page…