Rumors of some sort of peace agreement, or normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia have been spreading like fire, and for a good reason; common fiscal and security interests have put the two sovereign countries in a unique position that can easily be solidified into a concrete signed document. Some say, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself, that peace with the Arab rulers of Mecca will bring an end to the entire Arab-Israeli conflict including the internal Palestinian one. The question that will not be answered until the agreement is in place, is can the agreement serve to remind the Muslim public of their theological priorities of Mecca before Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa?
The term “Al-Aqsa” literally translates into “The Farthest” and refers to the Prophet Muhammad’s night journey in which he traveled as far west as the average Arabian could imagine and ascended to heaven all in one night. Despite never being mentioned by name, Jerusalem, specifically the ruins of the ancient Jewish first and second temples, is seen as the farthest Place Muhammad could have reached on this sacred journey. Nonetheless, “Al-Aqsa” mosques exist all throughout the Arab world; anytime Arab conquerors reached a new western point, a new “The Farthest” mosque was constructed.
When will Saudi Arabia Sign Peace with Israel?
— FDD (@FDD) February 14, 2023
Saudi Arabia's new policy, Vision 2030, requires a newer foreign policy on Palestinians: https://t.co/sFomTeOJsR
In fact, many Muslim scholars, most of whom are not supporters of the Jewish State, argue that the real Al-Aqsa mosque is actually in Saudi Arabia, about 150 miles Northeast of Mecca in the town of Al Ju'ranah. In 2020, a Saudi Arabian news outlet called Okaz published a piece by Osama Yamani who explained that the mosque, built in 705 AD, is actually located in Al Ju'ranah, near Mecca. Yamani wrote: "Jerusalem is not Al-Aqsa, which is not cited in the missions that Allah gave Muhammad and the caliphs. Similarly, Jerusalem is a city, and Al-Aqsa is a mosque."
Mecca, which, unlike Jerusalem is mentioned in the Quran numerous times using a variety of ancient Arabian terms, is the holiest site in Islam and has the broadest consensus on its holiness. There is no Islamic, nor historic doubt that Mecca, Medina, and the entire western part of Saudi Arabia historically known as the Hejaz is where the holy prophet Muhammad and his disciples discovered and began to spread the teachings of Islam. During the 7th century and the spread of Islam, Islamic holy scriptures were being written in Arabia’s very own Arabic.
Around 711,or about 80 years after Mohammed died and 20 years after the Dome of the Rock was built in 691-692 by Khalif Abd El Malik.
— Silence Dugood 🇮🇱 ✡️ (@Palnarnia) February 2, 2023
Malik's son, Abd El-Wahd (who ruled from 705-715) reconstructed the Christian- Byzantine Church of St. Mary and converted it into Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, or 'Al Quds' as the Palestinians call it in an attempt to give it a Quranic feel, the Byzantine subjects under Emporer Heraclius' rule were still speaking Greek, Latin, Aramaic, and to some extent Hebrew. The Muslim conquering of Jerusalem did not occur until after Muhammad was dead, making his 'night journey' quite improbable since the building where the city's Al Aqsa stands today was a Church named "The Church of Mary of Justinian". During a damage assessment after a 1927 earthquake, British archaeologists discovered a Justinian-era mosaic tile floor underneath the Al Aqsa floor.
Gee, there is so much noise about Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Temple Mt. that I have forgotten completely about St. Mary of Justinian Church. I am surprised the Christian world is not more active in claiming ownership. Perhaps its better that way. https://t.co/FZPd7BJcQt
— Judea Pearl (@yudapearl) September 21, 2021
The Modern kingdom of Saudi Arabia has become synonymous with the Islamic holy areas and has been doing an astonishing job at keeping the Arabic and Muslim traditions alive while rejecting any western powers seeking to take power over the Arabian peninsula. Without disregarding all the other holy Islamic mosques in Istanbul, Baghdad, or Jerusalem, Saudi Arabia has become the modern leader of the Muslim world, only having beef with regimes like the Iranian Ayatollah, rather than the actual inhabitants of the Islamic Ummah.
The day will come when the great Arabian Kingdom will sign a meaningful agreement with the nation built by Zionist Jews who wanted to live on their ancestral land, and will as a part of that, officially recognize the right of the children of Ibrahim, Ishaq, and Yakub to exist and flourish in the land of Israel. They will look past their differences, and understand that the future of the Arab world lies in uniting with the entire region, including the Israelis. Their decision will surely be praised both within and outside of the Islamic world, but some may view their agreement with the Zionists as a breach of trust and abandoning of the “Palestinian cause in the name of Al-Aqsa”. After all, the Palestinians have turned the Al-Aqsa mosque into their personal mascot, connecting them directly to a disputed Islamic divine right.
Palestinians are in a hole that they have no idea how to dig themselves out of. Instead of asking other Arabs to seek their national interests, Palestinians want the Arabs to jump with them into the hole and stay there, forever.https://t.co/X1basVLhb8
— Nakba (@VictorNakba) February 15, 2023
What will the Palestinian cause do when the agreement is signed? Will they accuse the rulers of the holiest site in Islam of backstabbing their cause and therefore all of Islam as some in their leadership did when the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Bahrain had forged relations with Israel? How many Muslims will be convinced by that obscure claim? These are some of the questions that the Saudi government and king have most definitely debated more than once behind closed doors. However, the answers do not lie with them or any governing party, but rather with the Arab and Muslim public. It is time for the followers of Muhammad to ask themselves whether they prefer remaining loyal to a nationalistic cause that has been masked in the walls of a mosque, or staying indifferent while guided by their faith and the literal place to which they bow down in prayer 5 times a day.
