“Peace be upon you Oh Aqsa, land of the Prophets (as), the first of the two Qiblas and the heartstring of Mecca.
Peace be upon you, Oh Jerusalem, the Garden of Eden, the heart of the soul and the kingdom of heaven.
Peace be upon you, Oh Aqsa, land of abiding consciousness, spiritual majesty, and spiritual confidence.
Oh Allah, send glad tidings on Ya Rasoolullah, the Muhammadan Noor, the light upon light, as he ascended miraculously to the heavens!”
– Hifsa Mahmood
My heart crumbles in awe of you, Jerusalem. I am wholeheartedly besotted by you!
There is so much to say about Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, and I hope that I can share with you some of my most beautiful insights whilst travelling the blessed land.
Spiritual Significance of Jerusalem:
Jerusalem: the soul of the soul, majestically exists in multiple realities. The Islamic, Christian and Jewish Jerusalem are truly the embodiment of multiplicity of the singularity, the Oneness (Tawhid). It is the representation of the divine messages revealed to the three monotheistic religions which have an everlasting presence in the city.
Jerusalem is the heart of the holy land, where God had spoken his divine words to the children of Ibrahim (as), each time addressing a new religious universe which He chose to bring into being. It is the land, where Dawood (as) built the first Temple and controlled the winds, where Sulaymaan (as) commanded his army of djinn and restored Al-Aqsa, where Eesa (as) talked from his crib and brought down the Injil and where Muhammed (saw) ascended miraculously to the heavens.
Each of the Abrahamic faiths have claim to the Holy Land. Having accepted the series of revelation revealed to the Prophets of tribes of Israel, Jews have had the obligation to remain bound to Jerusalem, throughout their history, even through the 2000 years of exile in the Israelite diaspora.
Christians are duty bound to have a special attachment to Jerusalem as it’s the birthplace of Eesa (as), where their forefathers fought in the Crusades and where Popes and Priests alike orientated their churches in Europe in its direction.
Entering the walled city, walking the cobbled streets, hearing the call to prayers, my heart and my soul crumbled in absolute awe. I sobbed, with tears uncontrollably rolling down my face, as my soul witnessed the majestic virtue of God: the multiplicity of the singularity, the kingdom of heaven and the Garden of Eden. I had finally found home.
The supreme galactic energy that is felt through the city walls is testament to the divine link between the material and the firmament, it is truly the gateway to heaven.
Al-Aqsa & the Kaaba: the two Qiblas
Just as the Kaaba is the spiritual heart of the terrestrial world, it is also a projection on the material plane of all the Houses in the higher heavens up to the Populous House (Bayt ul Mamur), which is described as the heart of the universe.
The Kaaba radiates blessings that it receives from the higher world, throughout the Earth, and the Bayt-ul Mamur radiates light throughout the Universe. Both, are symbolised by the heart, and therefore in the terrestrial world, the Kaaba corresponds outwardly what the the heart is inwardly.
These correspondences are based on the fact that each dimension, is a shadow cast by the dimension immediately above it. Hence, there could not have been people circumambulating (tawaaf) the earthly Kaaba had this model not existed in the higher worlds, namely the angels and spirits circling around the Bayt- ul Mamur and higher still, around the Divine Throne.
As all that exists is encompassed by the Throne of God and the earthly Kaaba is a direct link, esoterically speaking, what is Al- Aqsa in Jerusalem as the first Qibla?
Jerusalem: the stairway to Heaven?
Jerusalem was chosen by God as the first direction of prayer for the Muslims. Masjid Qiblatayn reveals the exact timestamp of that transition from Jerusalem to Makkah.
Jerusalem is present in the daily prayers as Muslims turn to Makkah which is the supreme centre of the Islamic community as Jerusalem is for the whole Abrahamic community. Islam also marks the return of the cycle of the monotheistic religions to its Abrahamic origin. The reassertion of the role of Jerusalem as the supreme centre of that world, the dividing of this centre, esoterically speaking into Jerusalem and Makkah, and then the reunification at the end of time.
Al Isra Al Miraj- The Night Journey
The Night Journey was revealed in the Quran’s chapter al Isra, where He called the Prophet Muhammed (saw) to His Divine Presence.
Allah opens the chapter of the Night Journey with “Subhana alladhi asra”- Glory be to Me, the One who brought the Prophet on the Night Journey calling him to My Divine Presence”.
Here, God is not just reminding us about this event, rather He is glorifying Himself on account of it. That is because the Night Journey, moving almost instantaneously from Makkah to Jerusalem and then ascending to the Heavens in an incredibly short span of time; transcends all laws of physics. Such a journey is a beyond the scope of imagination.
The Night Journey can be interpreted and studied as symbolic:
- An archetype of the seal of Prophecy.
The message of Prophet Muhammad (as) completed and perfected both the physical discipline and jurispudence (shariah) of Musa (as) and the spirituality (rawhaniyya) of Eesa (as). The shariah of Musa (as) relates to the worldly life and the spirituality of Eesa (as) relates to the heavenly life. By passing from the worldly life (represented by the Night Journey) to the heavenly life (represented by the Ascension); the Prophet Muhammed (saw) was carried on these two wings. - Stairway to Heaven
The dome of the rock, is symbolic and a reminder of humanity’s unique connection to God, where Prophet Muhammed (saw) stopped at 10 different stations, with the final destination being the Divine Throne. The land itself is the portal and closest to Heaven; a stargate to the Universe. - Garden of Eden
Just as the Kaaba, the second Qibla, is a direct link to the Throne of God, it is debated that Jerusalem, the land of Prophets, is a the shadow cast down of the Garden of Eden in the higher realms. It can be assumed that Adam (as) and Hawa (as) resided here when they came to Earth.
If this is to be true, the very fact that first murder ever committed in this land, is representative of the historical unrest and bloodshed that runs through Jerusalem’s strong history.
Every soul who is inclined, longs for a piece of Jerusalem, and is that not testament that it is our home?
It is where we were created, and where we will return.
Conclusion:
Jerusalem: the words of poetry do not even touch the regality , honour and spiritual consciousness that flows through the walls of the old city. There is a divine essence, so majestic in its presence that, those who are inclined, tremble in awe.
I have barely touched on the spiritual majesty that emulates the land. The experience is indescribable, and I hope I have honoured it as purely as I can.
I pray for those who long for a piece of Jerusalem, will one day be able to walk the exact same land that the Prophets of God did to finally taste the sweetness of Eden, of what our souls call home. (Ameen).
A Travelling Thought:
If the journey in question necessarily appears to move through time and distance, that is not so that we can eventually ‘reach God’ – since “He is with you wherever you are”- but rather “so that He can cause us to see His signs” (31:31) that are always there, “on the horizons” and “in the souls”.
Please note, that these are my inner thoughts and reality. I do not proclaim this to be truth, but merely a reflection of my love, the Original Love.
