The structure with the silver/grey dome at the front of Masjid al-Aqsa is known as Masjid al-Qibly as it is located nearest to the Qiblah, the direction of prayer. The front of Masjid al-Aqsa is aligned directly towards the Ka’bah in Makkah. The event of the night journey to Jerusalem is mentioned in Surah al-Isra (also known as Surah Bani-Israeel) in the Quran: “Glory be to the One who took His Slave for a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the furthest Mosque, whose precincts we have blessed.“ [17:1] When Umar entered the al-Aqsa sanctuary in 638 CE he was shocked to find it covered with rubbish as the Romans had been using the area as a rubbish tip. The Caliph knelt down immediately and with his own hands began to clear the area. When the Muslims saw what he was doing, they followed suit and soon the whole area was cleansed. They then walked further, near to the niche of Dawud, and offered two rak’ah prayers in the first of which Umar recited Surah Sa’d (38) and in the second of which he recited Surat al-Isra (17), containing reference to the Isra’ and Mi’raj (Source: Islamic Landmarks).
Masjid Al Aqsa in Quds, Palestine
