Introduction
Being at the centre of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, Jerusalem has become a focal point of attention since the war on Gaza. The root of its significance, however, lies deeply embedded in the eschatological beliefs of the three Abrahamic religions.
At the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem is the Temple Mount, which was once the site of the two Jewish temples. The first of the two was built during Solomon’s reign over the Kingdom of Israel, around three thousand years ago. This was destroyed centuries later, but in less than a century a second temple was built. But this too was destroyed – this time during Jesus’ era. The two temples were pivotal to Jewish life, covering a period of around one thousand years, and despite great effort and yearning, it has been around two thousand years since no Jewish third temple has come to fruition.
In a complete twist of fate, what lies now at the heart of the Old City is the famed Al-Aqsa Mosque – the third holiest site in Islam; and, secondarily, next to it, within the same Al-Aqsa compound, lies the Dome of the Rock – an Islamic shrine, believed by many Muslims to be the site where Prophet Muhammadpbuh descended.
Since two sites cannot physically occupy the same location, the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been a major obstacle for the rebuilding of the third temple. Momentum is growing within the State of Israel, the United States, and elsewhere, for the demolition of the mosque in Jerusalem: For many Jews, especially the religious Zionists, the destruction of the mosque, followed by the construction of the third temple will usher in the Messiah. For many Christians, this will herald the coming of Jesus after two thousand years.
On the other hand, the situation leaves many Muslims completely stunned and dumbfounded. The cycle of conflict surges from one end of the Muslim world, only to subside and renew in another. And now, the third holiest site in Islam is at the brink of destruction. Many Muslims wait for their end time eschatological figures – namely, the Mahdi and the Messiah, but to no avail – they are nowhere to be seen.
In this article we discuss the significance of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem in light of a significant Quranic prophecy. We explore what this means for the future of the Muslim world, Christendom, and indeed, the rest of the world. This is the story of one night journey seen in the dead of the night by one man in the heart of the Arabian desert – a vision that would come to alter the history of the world, forever.
The Story of the Night Journey
The night journey is briefly described in a single verse of the Holy Quran. Yet, its significance cannot be overstated. It features as the first verse in the 17th chapter of the Quran, following Bismillah – the customary invocation of God. It is as follows:
“Glory be to Him Who carried His servant by night from Masjid al-Haram [the Sacred Mosque] to Masjid al-Aqsa [the Distant Mosque], the environs of which We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our Signs. Surely, He alone is the Hearing, the Seeing.”
The descriptions of the night journey are not in the Holy Quran. But they are, nevertheless, mentioned in detail in the Prophetic traditions. The traditions often describe a white, winged, horse-like celestial beast which the Prophetsa mounts on his journey to Jerusalem. One such tradition begins with the archangel Gabriel:
“When the archangel Gabriel brought the Buraq [a mule-like beast] to the Holy Prophet, he mounted it, and had gone only a short distance, when he saw an old woman. The Prophet asked Gabriel who she was, but Gabriel gave no answer to his question; on the contrary he told him not to ask questions. After the Prophet had gone a little further, he saw a man calling him by name from across the road in order to invite his attention to himself. But Gabriel asked him again not to heed his call. When the Prophet had proceeded a little further, he met a party of men who greeted him with the greeting of peace. Gabriel told him to return their greeting.”
In summary, the Prophetsa meets three sets of people on his journey: an old woman, a man across the road, and then later, a party of men. Gabriel instructs the Prophetsa to return his greeting only to the latter group, while he tells him to turn a deaf ear to the old woman, and the man across the road. The tradition continues as follows:
“After this, the Prophet reached Bait-al Maqdis [The Holy House in Jerusalem]. There Gabriel presented him with three cups containing water, milk, and wine. The Prophet took the cup containing milk and drank it and refused to accept the other two. Upon this Gabriel said to him, ‘Thou hast, indeed, chosen the right course, which is in perfect harmony with a pure, unsullied nature. If thou had accepted water or wine, thou and thine followers would have been lost.’”
Here, it is mentioned that the Prophet travelled to Bait-al Maqdis, i.e., to the Holy Sanctuary – a title pre-Islamic Arabs often associated with the city of Jerusalem. Having entered the sacred place, the Prophet was offered multiple cups, but he only drank from the one containing milk.
Shifting our attention to the focal point of our article, we find the following ending to the vision:
“Then Adam and the other Prophets were presented to him, and the Holy Prophet led them in Prayers.”
In other words, Prophet Muhammadsa led a number of prophets in prayers. This included, among others, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus – the party of men, as Gabriel explains, he had met enroute to Jerusalem:
“After this Gabriel explained to him that the old woman, he saw on the way was an embodied representation of the life of this world and only as much was left of the life of the world as was left of the life of that old woman. As for the person who called him from across the road, he was Iblis, the enemy of God. The party of men who greeted him were the Prophets Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.”
Islam in Abrahamic Continuity?
In order to proceed further, it is perhaps best to begin with a brief description of what belief in the religion of Islam entails. Herein we describe how Islam is the final dispensation sent to mankind, and how it relates to Judaism. This will help set the context for understanding the real meaning of this vision.
Successor of Mosaic Law
Islam is the one religion in the world which claims that every nation on earth was sent a warner. Accordingly, in every age and in every civilisation, the world was blessed with messengers of God who directed its populations towards a righteous path. Those who tread this path ultimately earned God’s pleasure, while those who rejected and persecuted the prophets drew His wrath.
One will thus find numerous examples in the Holy Quran of earlier nations who were ultimately destroyed at the hand of God. The Quran, however, draws particular attention towards the Children of Israel. While they drew God’s punishment, like those before them, they, however, served an additional purpose: their historic example serves as a prelude to the Islamic dispensation. Prophethood was going to be transferred from the house of Israel to the house of Ishmael. Thus, we read in the Quran:
“And remember when his Lord tried Abraham with certain commands which he fulfilled, He said, ‘I will make thee a Leader of men. Abraham asked, ‘And from among my offspring?’ He said, ‘My covenant does not embrace the transgressors.’”
God recalls the covenant he made with Abraham in which he was destined to become a leader among nations – to which we find reference in the Hebrew Bible. The structure of the conversation also implies that the covenant continued with the progeny of Abraham. The key point, however, is that the covenant will exclude ظالمون, i.e., transgressors – those who are wrongful, injurious, and tyrannical in their conduct. That is, the covenant with the Children of Israel will continue for a limited period; however, due to their persecution of prophets, the covenant will come to an end, i.e., they were destined to lose the blessings of prophethood at some point in the future. Instead, the covenant was to continue through the Children of Ishmael, as recounted in the prayer of Abraham and Ishmael that follows:
“And remember the time when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House, praying, ‘Our Lord, accept this from us; for Thou art the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. Our Lord, make both of us submissive to Thee and make of our offspring a people submissive to Thee. And show us our ways of worship and turn to us with mercy; for Thou art Oft Returning with compassion, and art Merciful; And, Our Lord, raise up among them a Messenger from among themselves, who may recite to them Thy Signs and teach them the Book and Wisdom and may purify them; surely, Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.’”
Here, the Quran recalls the prayer of Abraham and Ishmael at the time of their rebuilding of the Kaaba, the Holy House in Mecca. The two beseech God for the future of their progeny. In particular, they implore their creator to raise among the Meccans a prophet. But this prophet was to be no ordinary prophet, for he will have a majestic mission: unlike Abraham’s prayer for the progeny of Isaac mentioned earlier, this prophet will bring majestic signs, a new law, and will be a means of purification for the world. Thus, for instance, we read:
“And We have revealed unto thee [O Muhammad] the Book comprising the truth and fulfilling that which was revealed before it in the Book, and as a guardian over it. Judge, therefore, between them by what Allah has revealed, and follow not their evil inclinations, turning away from the truth which has come to thee.”
In other words, the Quran superseded all previous scriptures, in particular the Torah. In fact, due to the corruptions that had entered earlier scriptures, their truth could now only be judged through the Quran – which, unlike previous scriptures, was going to be safeguarded for all time to come.
Universal Law
In addition to being the successor of Mosaic Law, Islam carries a unique function. Moses only addressed the Israelites. Similarly, Jesus claimed to have come solely for the lost sheep of the House of Israel. Christians disagree, but this is self-evident in the Gospels, where Jesus specifically forbade his apostles from preaching unto the gentiles. The Prophet Muhammad, on the other hand, came to address the whole of mankind:
“And We have not sent thee but as a Bearer of glad tidings and a Warner for all mankind, but most men know not.”
One will never find a comparable statement in any of the previous scriptures. The Great Commission, which commands the disciples of Jesus to go unto the nations of the world and spread the message of the gospel, as mentioned in the last chapter of Matthew, is evidently a reference to the nations of Israel, as substantiated by Jesus’ earlier directives to his disciplines, or a Pauline corruption of Jesus’ original message – for he himself claimed otherwise.
The Night Journey in History
Physical Journey or a Vision?
Today, many Muslim theologians have understood this incident to be a physical event. But evidence, nevertheless, suggests that the journey was, in fact, a vision of the Prophet. Firstly, it is referred to as such in the same chapter:
And remember the time when We said to thee: ‘Surely, thy Lord has encompassed the people.’ And We made not the vision which We showed thee but as a trial for men, as also the tree cursed in the Qur’an. And We warn them, but it only increases them in great transgression.
Secondly, internal details of the incident support this idea. The journey is stated to have occurred overnight, and it was physically impossible to reach Jerusalem within such a limited period. Furthermore, the Prophet led many prophets in prayer – who had passed away from their earthly dwelling centuries ago, and thus could not be physically present. Most importantly, however, throughout the journey, Gabriel provides interpretations of certain incidents – which is a prerogative of dreams and visions alone.
It follows that the incident was nothing more than a vision. This, however, does not detract from its significance. On the contrary, it thereby serves a much wider significance than any such physical event could serve.
Significance of the Vision
In order to understand the significance of the night journey, we need to return to the verse cited earlier. It begins with the phrase سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي (Glory be to Him) – meaning that the phenomenon was to be auspicious, to profoundly contribute to the magnificence and splendour of God. Similarly, the phenomenon was to be مِنْ آيَاتِنَا, i.e., from one of God’s signs. In its totality, the evidence points towards a significant prophecy. But what exactly was this prophecy?
The year in which the night journey took place has traditionally been placed at the eleventh or twelfth year of the Prophet’s ministry, or, equivalently, a year or so before his migration to Medina. In the thirteen years in Mecca, the Muslims bore unparalleled suffering. They faced torture and physical abuse from their kinsmen. Social boycotts were imposed for multiple years, and the community stood small in number. From the perspective of an external observer, they may as well have lost all hope – for such a community, under such dire conditions, could not meaningfully survive for long.
It is in this context that the prophecy is significant. The prophecy does not simply speak of liberation from the shackles of Meccan persecution; it extends much further than that. It speaks of a completely new era which would be a means of propagation of Islam to the ends of the world; to at last become the dominant religion. And at the centre of this would be Masjid Al-Aqsa, literally, the Distant Mosque.
Medina, unlike Mecca, saw the establishment of the Islamic system of government. It saw the Constitution of Medina come to fruition, thus paving the way for a multi-religious society to prosper. Most importantly, Medina became the epicentre of a religious movement that took Islam’s message all over the Arabian Peninsula, and beyond. Converts from all sections of society, near and far, tribal, and urban, entered Islam. Within one hundred years, Islam had spread from the western edges of the Iberian Peninsula to as far east as China.
Retrospectively, therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the vision was, in actual fact, a reference to the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina. The Prophet’s migration to Medina, the construction of its central mosque, and the establishment of a fully functioning Islamic society signalled the fulfilment of the vision – for it was in the quietness of one single night that the Prophet embarked on a journey that would ultimately alter the destiny of the entire world for thousands of years to come.
But is this all?
Prophecy Yet to be Fulfilled
Masjid Al-Aqsa literally means the most distant mosque. In the vision, the Prophet was taken to Jerusalem. Naturally, therefore, many have assumed that the reference is to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. But a problem arises: there was no mosque in this city at the time of the Prophet. It was built decades after his death. This lends credence to the idea that the prophecy has a spiritual connotation.
Furthermore, Islam, despite its initial, world-changing successes, continues to be a minority religion. In fact, the sectarian violence, the disorder, and the subjugation of Muslim lands that has been in place for decades, despite supposed decolonisation, is unparalleled in the history of the Muslim world. Muslims are merely pawns in the great power games of the West, being economically under-developed and socially regressive.
Therefore, we have a contradiction: if the Night Journey prophesied dominance over the world, this has surely not yet been truly fulfilled? Islam is still a minority, and despite spectacular success, it has lost so many of its civilisational gains. So, is the prophecy disproven?
In reality, this period of regression is the proof that the prophecy is being fulfilled right now. The darkness of the Muslim world is being broken by a new dawn of renewal and transformation, at the hands of the Muslim Messiah. This, we will now address.
Looking to the Future
The Prophetic dimensions of the Night Journey cannot be looked at in isolation. They must be understood with reference to the wider prophecies of Islam, and the phenomenon of Prophethood and Messiahship that the Quran and the Prophetsa put forward.
Prophecies of Future Messiah Figures Across World Faiths
Prophets bring guidance to their nation. Their message is intended to last many generations, but they only live for a short period. After they have left the world, their followers fall into disarray: they slowly deviate from their teachings, become divided, and their faith tends to reduce to a collection of rituals. Naturally, therefore, scriptures prophesise future prophets who would come to rejuvenate their message and bring the followers back towards the right path. These prophets then come to serve as means of continued guidance for future generations. The history of religion holds many such instances, the most famous being the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, who was understood by his early followers as being no more than a man whom God had exalted to a Messianic station.
Even today, Jews, Christians, and Muslims all await a Messiah figure who would come at the end times: According to Jews, he would bring the final redemption to the Jewish nation, rebuild the temple, and unite humanity under one God. According to Christians and many Muslims, however, that Messiah would be Jesus, son of Mary, who would return once again to the world, and deliver his judgement.
A similar theme runs through Indian traditions: many Buddhists believe that future Buddhas will appear, to, once again, bring enlightenment to the world, and many Hindus believe that future avatars would restore the world to righteousness. A deeper study reveals similar themes in the scriptures of lesser-known religions, including Zoroastrianism, and many folk religions dispersed around the world.
Despite the differing details, a common denominator, nevertheless, runs between all of them: they all point to a saviour of one form or another who would come to serve as a means of continued guidance for the end times.
Second Coming of Prophet Muhammad
In the Islamic tradition there are numerous prophecies in the Qur’an and the Hadith literature that foretell the coming of the Messiah and the Mahdi. Of particular relevance is the prophecy found in Surah Al-Jummah of the Holy Qur’an. It reads as follows:
“He it is Who has raised among the Unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and wisdom, although they were before, in manifest misguidance;
And among others from among them who have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise.”
In a tradition, a companion enquired from the Prophet what exactly was meant by the latter clause, “And among others from among them who have not yet joined them.” In response, the Prophet placed his hand on the shoulders of Salman, the only Persian in the company of the Prophet, and replied that even if faith were to ascend to the Pleiades, i.e., had true belief completely vanished from the face of the earth, a person from among them, i.e., the Non-Arab Persians, will restore it.
In other words, the verse purports to say that a person bearing the qualities of Prophet Muhammadsa would come to restore the true teachings of Islam, and to bring its followers back on the right track. He would not be an Arab, but he would carry the same torch that Prophet Muhammadsa carried, and he would take the same steps that Prophet Muhammadsa took.
The traditions honour this person with the title of Imam Al-Mahdi, which literally means the rightly guided one. In fact, his name would be Muhammad, and his father would bear the same name as Prophet Muhammad’s father – Abdullah. These details bear no real significance unless we infer what we have already stated: that these are descriptions of his character and his mission, which will be that of Prophet Muhammadpbuh.
The traditions also speak about another person, the Messiah, son of Mary, who will descend in the latter days. But they also state that there is no Mahdi but Jesus, son of Mary, i.e., they are one and the same person. This makes sense because in the Holy Quran we are told that Jesus had passed away long before Islam had entered the world, making his physical return theologically untenable.
In other words, the Mahdi and the Messiah are merely titles of one and the same person who was prophesied to come in the latter days. And since titles, by their very nature, are descriptive, they describe the dual functions the prophesied figure of the latter days would hold.
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad: The Promised Messiah & Imam Mahdi
As discussed, according to scriptural prophecies, the Mahdi would, by following the footsteps of his master, bear the same responsibility that Prophet Muhammadsa bore, and he would continue with the same mission that Prophet Muhammadsa had. But what does this mean in practice?
Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas who claimed to be the Promised Messiah, and the Mahdi of the Latter Days describes the purpose of his mission:
“The actual mission for which God has appointed me is to remove the estrangement that has come between man and his Creator and re-establish a relationship of love and sincerity between him and his Lord. He has also appointed me to put a stop to religious wars by proclaiming the truth, to create religious harmony, to reveal the religious truths that have long remained hidden from mortal eyes, and to display the true spirituality that lies submerged under the darkness of selfish passions.”
In actual fact, this is the dual function of all prophets. They restore the rights owed to God and the rights owed to mankind. All other commandments fall in one of either of the two categories.
Despite their shared objectives, prophets often carry a distinct purpose. Abraham became the patriarch of many nations, while Moses brought a Law to the Israelites. Jesus’ virgin birth signalled the end of the Israelite dispensation, while John the Baptist prepared the way for the final dispensation. This dispensation, which was to be universal and everlasting, was brought by the chief of the prophets, Prophet Muhammadsa. Similarly, Prophet Ahmadas carries a unique status in the history of religion.
What exactly is unique about his status?
The Return of Messengers
The Holy Quran contains numerous short chapters which explore several themes related to the end times. Among them is Surah Al-Mursalat, a brief chapter which begins by summarising the means by which Islam will spread all over the world. Beginning with the Prophet Muhammadsa and his companions, its message will spread far and wide, but before it reaches its zenith, it will be impeded by major transformations around the world that will stand in its way. Chief among them would be the corruption of religious scholarship that will engulf the Muslim world:
“So, when the stars are made to lose their light”
In religious terminology, the stars symbolise religious authority and leadership. Thus, the verse depicts a scenario whereby Islam is predicted to lose the radiance and lustre it once held. The goodness of its leadership, with which it called the entire world towards God, will be lost. This will be a time of major upheavals in the world:
“And when the heaven is rent asunder; And when the mountains are blown away” (Surah Al-Mursalat, 77:10-11)
In other words, the world will witness great calamities never seen in the history of the world. New global structures will replace outdated ones, consigning them to the annals of history, as detailed in a later chapter, Surah Al-Tawkir.
Indeed, over the last few centuries, the world saw the dismantling of ancient kingdoms, the destruction of archaic political systems, and the levelling of age-old societal structures. The planet entered into a new age of empires, saw the industrialisation of much of the world, and succumbed to the two extremes of Communism and Capitalism. Indeed, the world bore witness to two of the most destructive wars in the history of the planet that shook every nation on earth.
Most importantly, however, the Surah states that this will also be a time when Messengers will be made to appear:
“And when the Messengers are made to appear at the appointed time”
Strangely, rather than employing the singular form, the verse uses the plural form of the term رسول (messenger). Why is this so?
Islam gives us two explicit titles, or, as in the opinion of many Muslims of today, prophesises the coming of at most two figures, the Messiah, and Imam Al-Mahdi. This simply does not do justice to the full plural form used in this verse, and not the dual form.
This is where a revelation of Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas becomes relevant. As detailed earlier, scriptures of many traditions of the world bespeak of a prophet-like figure, of one form or another, who would appear in the end times. Either one takes all to be false, with the exception of the prophecies of one’s own religion – as many people instinctively do; or one entertains the possibility that they are all valid – while, in actual fact, they point to a single person, albeit with their varying descriptions being a consequence of their local customs.
Indeed, it is inconceivable for God to prophesise conflicting figures carrying conflicting messages, particularly in an age when the world has effectively become a single community – a global village, so to speak.
In the preamble, we showed how Islam is distinct from every other religion, in that it is a universal law sent for all mankind – a claim that is not found in the scriptures of any other religion. This means Islam supersedes every religion, in whichever corner of the world it is found. Thus, the prophecies of world religions in relation to the end times must necessarily be fulfilled, firstly, in the person of Prophet Muhammad himself – who was the final lawgiver, and, secondly, in a prophet who would come after him in fulfilment of Islamic prophecies.
Thus, many years prior to his claim as the Messiah of the latter days, Ahmadas received the following revelation:
“The Champion of Allah in the mantle of the Prophets.”
Indeed, Ahmadas had been explicitly bestowed the names of many prophets in multiple revelations. He had been named Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Krishna, Buddha, among others.
Thus, in Islam, the prophesied figure of the end times would not simply be a prophet for the Muslims. In actual fact, he would come in fulfilment of the prophecies of all religions of the world. He would be, as it were, in the mantle of all the prophets, i.e., a representative of them all.
But what does this mean in practice?
The Promise of the Latter Days
As mentioned, Islam is a universal law, sent for all mankind. Yet, the vast majority of the world’s population does not subscribe to it. In fact, the largest religion, by crude numbers alone, is Christianity – a religion that deems Jesus to be a constituent component of the Godhead, and thus, as a religion it is idolatrous in its essence.
Furthermore, the corruption of Muslim leadership, religious and political, has tarnished the beauty of its teachings in the eyes of the world. When Islam entered the world, it swiftly assumed a pivotal position. Yet, today, it has taken, as it were, a back seat – seen by millions worldwide as a medieval faith, stuck in the 7th century, and unable to come to terms with the demands of modern times.
This situation is inconsistent with Islam’s primary claims. If Islam is a universal religion, sent for all time to come, does this not mean that it has failed to achieve in its objective? To this reasonable objection, the Holy Qur’an provides an interesting response:
“And remember when Jesus, son of Mary, said, ‘O children of Israel, surely I am Allah’s Messenger unto you, fulfilling that which is before me of the Torah, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger who will come after me; his name being Ahmad.’ And when he came to them with clear proofs, they said, ‘This is manifest sorcery.’
But who does greater wrong than one who forges a lie against Allah while he is called to Islam? Allah guides not the wrongdoing people.
They desire to extinguish the light of Allah with the breath of their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, however much the disbelievers hate it.”
The Holy Quran recalls a profound prophecy of Jesus, foretelling the advent of a messenger named Ahmad. When this messenger comes, enemies of God will seek to obstruct his mission, accusing him of deception, while, in actual fact, they themselves will be the fabricators.
In the end, all their efforts will fail, and this messenger of God will eventually overcome his obstacles, paving the way for Islam to triumph in the final spiritual battle of religion:
He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the Religion of Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all religions, even if those who associate partners with God hate it.”
Ahmad is an attributive name of Prophet Muhammadsa, and the prophecy is traditionally understood to be in reference to him. Nevertheless, this prompts an important question: Why was Ahmad used instead of his actual name, Muhammad?
In an earlier section, we discussed how the Quran prophesises the second coming of Muhammadsa. It demonstrates that there are two phases to Muhammad’ssa prophethood. One is the original, and the second, his parallel, that will be manifested through a perfect follower of his. Indeed, this constitutes a double prophecy. It would have its beginning with the original, but its complete fulfilment will be manifested through his perfect reflection.
By referring to the prophecy of Jesus Christ, the Holy Quran is hinting that a similarly Messianic figure will fulfil the prophecy of the supremacy of Islam in the latter days. The Prophet Muhammadsa may have began this journey in Arabia, but after a hiatus of a thousand years, its completion would transpire under his chief representative, Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah.
Thus, people belonging to every religion, from all corners of the world, will voluntarily enter Islam at the hands of the latter-day Messiah, who would come, as it were, in the mantle of all of the prophets.
Subsequently, we find that the very first revelation in which Ahmadas had been summoned for a divine mission, and had been appointed as a messenger of God, addresses this very subject:
“Allah has placed blessing in you, O Ahmad. Whatever you did let loose, it was not you but it was Allah Who let it loose. Allah has taught you the Qur’an so that you should warn the people whose ancestors have not been warned, and that the way of the guilty ones might become manifest. Say: I have been commissioned and I am the first of the believers. Say: The truth has come and falsehood has vanished away; and falsehood was bound to vanish. Every blessing is from Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him; so highly blessed is he who taught and he who has been taught. Say: If I have invented it of myself, the sin thereof is on me. Allah is the God Who has sent His Messenger and His Appointed One with guidance and the True Faith so that He should make this faith prevail over all diverse faiths. No one can avert the words of Allah…”
This forms part of a lengthy revelation, running into multiple pages. It describes in detail the exact purpose for which Ahmadas had been commissioned as a messenger of God. The point of note, however, is that the Quranic verse and as well as the revelation to Ahmadas uses the following term to describe the means by which Islam will prevail over all religions: رسول بالهدى, i.e., a messenger who been sent with guidance. Similarly, the promised figure of the latter days, as mentioned in hadith literature, and as discussed earlier, is named المهدي (The Guided One). This furnishes further evidence that the ultimate triumph of Islam over all religions will transpire under Imam Al-Mahdi.
The Real Meaning of the Vision
Circling back, the vision of the Night Journey serves as a grand prophecy for the triumph of Islam over all religions of the world. It depicted the Prophet of Islamsa travelling far – but the fulfilment would not be a fulfilment in distance, but in time. Al-Aqsa, the distant mosque, was to represent a distant age in which the mission of Islam would once again be established. This is the current day.
But who would lead this mission? Why it would be the Prophetsa himself, in a new, Messianic person. While his soul has indeed passed on, his spiritual power would possess a perfect follower of his.
And what would this Messiah and Guided Leader (Imam Al-Mahdi) do? He would lead all the other Prophets in prayer, that is, all those in the folds of other faiths would come under him. He would come in the mantle of all the prophets, and establish the victory of Islam over all lands.
This prophecy relates to the entire world and to every religion. But it has particular relevance to the two Abrahamic faiths – Judaism and Christianity, both of whom can be considered to be the forerunners of Islam. As prophesied extensively elsewhere in Islamic scriptures, the People of the Book would once again become dominant in the affairs of the world, in a manner not seen in the history of mankind. In the end, despite their material dominance, they too would voluntarily enter Islam at the hands of the latter-day Messiah.
As a physical manifestation of this, the father of Hazrat Ahmadas built the Al-Aqsa mosque of Qadian. A question, nevertheless, remains. What is the significance of actual Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem?
The Future of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque
It is widely interpreted by many Muslims that the vision was a physical event in which the Prophet had entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque. As mentioned earlier, the mosque did not exist and was built decades later, so this interpretation is mistaken. Despite this, the contemporary Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem may end up having a deep significance to the Muslim world. The Al-Aqsa Mosque itself seems to be the fulfilment of the prophecy of Amos:
“On that day I will raise up
The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down,
And repair its damages;
I will raise up its ruins,
And rebuild it as in the days of old;
That they may possess the remnant of Edom,
And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,”
Says the Lord who does this thing.Amos 9:11-12
This passage is preceded by a long explanation of Israel’s disgrace, of how spiritual revelation will completely cease among the Israelites, and indeed all nations:
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord.
They shall wander from sea to sea,
and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord,
but they shall not find it.“In that day the lovely virgins and the young men
shall faint for thirst.”Amos 8:11-13
Clearly, there would be a period of spiritual drought, followed by a time when the word of God would be resurrected among ‘all nations.’ A sign of this would be the re-constitution of David’s Tabernacle, a tent-like structure with a casket of holy scriptures in the time of the Prophet David, erected in Jerusalem, and serving as a place of worship.
The Temple of Solomon was built after this and thus the Tabernacle was a minor holy site compared to the Temple’s grandeur. Indeed, Syed Nasser in his work Paul & the Pharisee Conspiracy Against Jesus, which discusses this in depth, argues that the Tabernacle of David was a secondary site even in his time; the primary site of pilgrimage was the mosque of Mecca, through the ‘Valley of Baka’ David references in Psalms 84. Jewish writers admit that David’s Tabernacle was not as prestigious as Moses’ Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was therefore a holy site, though not one of primacy either when it was erected, or in subsequent Jewish history.
So, what does it mean for the Tabernacle to be reconstituted in the time when the universal religion would come? This can only refer to the Masjid Al-Aqsa with the dawn of Islam. It was an important holy site for Muslims, rebuilt on Jerusalem’s holy ground, a fulfilment of the vision of the Prophet Muhammad regarding his universal message and its success, while remaining deeply secondary to the Holy status of the Kaaba at Mecca.
Christians would balk at this interpretation of course, but Jesus explicitly only preached to the Children of Israel, as he prescribes many times. If ‘go to all nations‘ is accepted as being authentic and not an interpolation, then it can only be understood as all the nations of Israel, lest we ascribe basic contradiction to Jesus’ words.
Moreover, David’s tabernacle was not reconstituted in Jesus’s era. Indeed, famously the Christians turned the Temple Mount into a rubbish dump, before the Caliph Umar conquered Jerusalem and ordered its defilement to cease.
Therefore, the prophecy was unfulfilled in the time of Jesus. This is rendered even more clearly by a statement of James, the head of Jesus’ movement in his absence, at the First Council in Jerusalem:
“James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, [quoting Amos, the Prophet] After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things…
Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
To understand what he said, one must first understand its context. Jesus and his apostles preached only unto the Israelites. However, this did not prevent gentiles from trickling in and accepting Jesus’ message out of their own will, even in the time of the disciples. As such, a dispute arose in the early church: should the gentile converts be circumcised, and thus be subject to Jewish law?
The issue was brought before the First Council in Jerusalem, headed by James. As Nasser discusses, James’ decree is clear: Gentile converts are subject to a diluted version of the Mosaic law which required, at a very minimum: belief in the unity of God, prohibitions against sexual immorality, and dietary restrictions.
The reason provided by James is significant. He recounts Amos’ prophecy that the entire mankind would turn towards God again, Jews and Gentiles alike, and at this time David’s Tabernacle would be reconstituted once more. James therefore recognises the Gentiles will come under divine law soon, but that time is not here yet. It was not his prerogative to bring the Gentiles under a full divine law; that time would come later, when Amos’ prophecy would be fulfilled. Therefore, James gives them a rudimentary law to follow so that they would not fall into idolatry at the very least.
That universal law, encompassing all peoples, would come six centuries later in the Law of Islam. And it was at this time that the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, commemorating the vision of the Night Journey, were to be built, honouring all the Prophets that came before the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Possible Destruction
Our journey began with the opening verses of Chapter 17, which detail the Night Journey. But this is immediately followed by a series of verses which highlight two significant events in the history of the Israelites, each culminating in the destruction of the Temple, the centre of Jewish life:
And We revealed to the children of Israel in the Book, saying, ‘You will surely do mischief in the land twice, and you will surely become excessively overbearing.’
So, when the time for the first of the two warnings came, We sent against you some servants of Ours possessed of great might in war, and they penetrated the innermost parts of your houses, and it was a warning that was bound to be carried out.
Then We gave you back the power against them, and aided you with wealth and children, and made you larger in numbers. Now, if you do well, you will do well for your own souls; and if you do evil, it will only go against them.
So, when the time for the latter warning came, We raised a people against you to cover your faces with grief, and to enter the Mosque as they entered it the first time, and to destroy all that they conquered with utter destruction.”
The Israelites were indeed punished twice; first by the destruction of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar in the 6th Century BCE. Eventually, the Jews regained their spiritual power and worldly dominion, but they became lax once more, suffering Roman Rule before their extremism and worldliness culminated in the destruction of the temple in 70CE.
The Second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, in his commentary, finds mention of these prophecies in multiple places in Deuteronomy, in 28:15; 49-53; 63-64. These prophecies of warning were clearly fulfilled. The first of the two Deuteronomy warnings resulted in invasions by foreign powers. However, the latter Deuteronomy warning significantly extended the first: not only were foreign powers going to conquer the land, but they were to destroy everything that lay in their path – which in particular appears to point to the temple in Jerusalem.
The Caliph points out that Quranic narratives of history aren’t simply stories to be recited. In actual fact, they function as prophecies, and the Prophet of Islam explicitly likened the course of the Jews to the course of the Muslims. If we apply this principle to the Muslim era, then these are warnings of destruction that would befall the Muslims.
They too have been fulfilled.
The first catastrophe manifested in 5th and 6th century after Islam. One central event was the sack of Baghdad by the Mongols, which was nearly contemporaneous with another great humiliation of the Muslims: the Crusades. In both cases, the Muslim armies were defeated. The Crusaders can be said to have fulfilled the first warning to the letter, for though they conquered the Mosque in Jerusalem, they converted it into a Church, affording it a degree of protection.
Eventually the Muslims recovered. Saladin restored Muslim honour in Jerusalem, and the Mongols eventually became Muslim, while the Ottomans emerged as the standard bearers for Islamic civilisation.
As for the second destruction, the Caliph warned over 70 years ago:
“Its signs have already begun to appear.”
The State of Israel was founded in 1948, and the last few decades have been deeply humiliating for Muslim powers, with Baghdad being, yet again, a centre ground for further punishment.
The Quran records how the prophecy of Jewish punishment warned that the Temple of Jerusalem would this time be truly devastated, and so it was. We can only pray that the reconstitution of David’s Tabernacle, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and its compound, can be saved from the destructive fate of which the prophecy warns. All prophecies of punishment are warnings that can be averted through reformation, and acceptance of the Messenger sent to the people being punished.
Conclusion
For centuries, Muslims have expected Jesus to return bodily from the heavens and deliver his judgement. For them, Jesus would go around the world breaking the cross and killing the pig. He would be preceded by Imam Al-Mahdi who would carry the name of Muhammad, born of Abdullah, and circle the Kaaba.
Fourteen hundred years have passed, yet no one has come to fulfil these ‘prophecies.’ And when someone does, carrying the name of Muhammad, born of Abdullah, he is killed – as had happened to Muhammad ibn Abdullah of Sudan.
The point is this: prophecies are rarely predictable. What people usually imagine will happen is often different to the actual realities of the prophecies. This is precisely what shields prophecies from being co-opted and hijacked by self-serving interest groups. This is because the interpretation of prophecies as taught by the religious clerics, and as relayed to the masses, is often far from accurate; and thus, those given to vested interests will cease opportunities to co-opt false interpretations, and yet fail in their actual mission – because, ultimately, the divine plan, according to the actual realities of the prophecies, is entirely something else, and known only to God.
This is, in actual fact, the backdrop of the enigma surrounding the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Momentum is growing within the State of Israel, the United States, and elsewhere, for the demolition of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
For many Jews, the destruction of the mosque, followed by the construction of the Third Temple will usher in the Messiah. According to Christians, Jesus will descend after two thousand years. The ‘Temple Movement’ may appear to succeed, and the mosque in Jerusalem may be devastated. However, our earnest desire and prayer is that may God protect us from such a disastrous fate. But in the end, neither Jesus will descend from the heavens, and neither the Universal Messiah will appear, as imagined by the Rabbis.
Indeed, the Universal Messiah has already appeared. He was the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and following him, after almost fourteen centuries, in the latter days, God sent Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, peace be upon him. The same book that established their truth established another truth about the Holy Land:
“And already have We written in the Book of David, after the exhortation, that My righteous servants shall inherit the land.”
As prophethood was transferred from the house of Israel to the house of Ishmael, so shall they, in the end, be the righteous inheritors of the land of Palestine. Whatever happens to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the true Party of Allah will ultimately prevail.
