1,000 women were martyred in his defense, and it was called the “Third of the Two Holy Mosques” in the presence of Salah al-Din, and al-Ghazali wrote the “Revival” in it.. Al-Aqsa Mosque in our history

A thousand women..?!!

Yes, a thousand women..!!

They were stationed in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, obedient, knowledgeable and educated women, standing up to the most heinous barbaric attack that targeted Al-Aqsa Mosque in its history!!

We are not talking about the Zionist General Ariel Sharon (d. 1435 AH / 2014 CE) storming the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the year 1421 AH / 2000 CE, and therefore we are not talking about the struggles of the stationed men and women stationed today in defense of Al-Aqsa in front of the occupation, which is transmitted by satellite channels, moment by moment!

We are talking about the bloody Crusader attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque nearly a thousand years ago;

And as Imam al-Qadi Ibn al-Arabi al-Andalusi (d. 543 AH / 1148 CE) tells us, there was at Al-Aqsa at that time a “Rabati organization” consisting of about a thousand women who followed one feminist scholarly leadership, and in that terrible moment of aggression they turned into fierce defenders of Al-Aqsa when the Crusaders stormed its arenas. And they were steadfast in their defense of him until they were all martyred while they were patient and steadfast!!

This glorious opening scene - and the old one renewed in the struggle of the "Al-Aqsa Women" movement today - is the best thing to start saying when we try to draw a pen picture expressing the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the hearts of Arabs and Muslims.

The first thing that attracts attention in the history of Al-Aqsa Mosque is how the decision to implement the first project to develop its construction in Islamic history was taken!

The erection of the Dome of the Rock in Al-Aqsa Mosque was based on the advice that the caliph at the time requested from the Muslims, so its construction came with the participation of the nation, and perhaps with a “consensus” from it at the time.

The other remarkable thing in the history of Al-Aqsa is its association with the concept of "Ribat"!

And the ribat is originally those jihadist ascetic incubators that worshipers establish on the frontiers of the open borders with the enemies, thus embodying "the monasticism of the night and the chivalry of the day."

Of those stationed - in the massacre of the old Crusader colonialism - three thousand scholars and righteous people were martyred, who were the adornment of the halls of Al-Aqsa Mosque and its blessed shrouds!!

Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 505 AH / 1111 CE) was at the forefront of the famous stationed in it. Although he definitely did not witness the Al-Aqsa Crusader massacre, he wrote - according to one of the narrations - in his vastness his great book "Reviving the Sciences of Religion", which accompanied the Mujahideen wherever they settled, and raised him with it. thousands of warriors in the Zangid, Ayyubid and Mamluk states;

Those countries that presented the greatest projects of liberation and resistance in the history of the nation.

And at a time when the aggression against Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa continues in a Zionist mold that was created and enabled by the Crusader forces;

The call of the Al-Mourabitah to defend the frontiers of the sanctities is still resounding in the sky of Al-Aqsa, confirming - as evidenced by the events of the repeated Israeli occupation violations of its courtyards and sides - that its story is still the central issue with a "consensus" of the nation!!

This is what this article seeks to reveal its practical evidence and manifestations in the history of Muslims.

A solid virtue

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the second mosque placed for people on earth after the Grand Mosque in Mecca;

Al-Bukhari (d. 256 AH / 870 CE) narrated on the authority of Abu Dhar Al-Ghafari (d. 32 AH / 654 CE) - may God be pleased with him - that he said: “I said, O Messenger of God, which mosque was placed on the ground first? He said: “The Sacred Mosque.” He said: I said: Then which? He said: “Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is also a verse in the Book of God Almighty:

And if the hadiths and legal effects have been repeated on the virtue of Al-Aqsa Mosque;

What is important to us in this article is the attempt to monitor the practical evidence for that credit in the history of Muslims throughout the ages, and how its manifestations were manifested in their lives when they made it an incubator for worship, knowledge and education, and an opening for stationing and jihad.

Perhaps the first thing to be mentioned in explaining the practical status of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the hearts of Muslims is the antiquity of what Muslim scholars have written about the merits of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

As authorship on the virtues of Bayt al-Maqdis is associated with the entire history of Islamic codification, the first book in this regard was compiled by Bishr ibn Ishaq al-Balkhi (d. 206 AH / 831 CE) entitled: "Futuh Bayt al-Maqdis", and it is older than the two books of al-Azraqi (d. 250 AH / 864 CE) and al-Fakihi (d. 272 ​​AH). / 885 AD) bloggers in the honorable news of Mecca.

As for the first book classified under the name “Fada’il Bayt al-Maqdis”, it is for Al-Walid bin Hammad Al-Ramli (d. 300 AH / 912 CE), and he is a contemporary of the authors of the six books. And he was divine.”

Then books on the virtues of Jerusalem and its history came to a number that could not be counted.

A unique precedent

that was from the moral, historical and intellectual care of Jerusalem;

As for the practical aspect, the first thing that is mentioned in the status of Jerusalem in the conscience

is what was spent in

decoration.

In the first moment when Caliph Umar al-Faruq (d. 23 AH / 645 CE) took over Jerusalem, conquering the year 16 AH / 638 CE;

He walked to the place of the rock, "and found on the rock a lot of dung, which the Romans threw out of anger against the Children of Israel, so Umar spread his robe and made to sweep that dung, and made the Muslims sweep with it";

According to the historian Mujir al-Din al-Ulaymi (d. 928 AH / 1522 CE) in “The Honorable Man on the History of Jerusalem and Hebron.”

What is recorded here for Al-Aqsa Mosque is that the first development project to build it was built by a decision of the nation, and the authority alone did not have the honor of building it;

Imam Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 654 AH / 1256 CE) mentioned - in 'Mirror of Time' - that "when Abd al-Malik (bin Marwan d. 86 AH / 706 CE) resolved to build it (= the Dome of the Rock), he wrote to the people of the regions who are in his obedience. .: To proceed, the Commander of the Faithful has resolved to build a dome on the rock of Jerusalem, which will be for the Muslims a shade and a shelter.., and he hated to embark on that before consulting the people of opinion.. and the virtue of his subjects; God Almighty said: {And consult them in the matter. } [Al-Imran: 159] So let them write to him what they have regarding what he decided to do!

And while historians saw that Abd al-Malik’s intention to consult the nation stemmed from the weakness of his internal front due to the dispute over the succession with the honorable companion Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (d. 73 AH / 693 CE);

For this does not impugn the fact that Al-Aqsa Mosque was built by an exceptional collective will of the nation at the time of the Jabri King!

Abd al-Malik assigned two of his best men: the modern jurist Raja bin Haywa (d. 112 AH / 731 CE) and Yazid bin Salam (mawla of the caliph who died after 72 AH / 692 CE) to supervise the construction, but he was nevertheless concerned with the smallest details of the building before embarking on it.

So the tribe of Ibn al-Jawzi tells us that Abd al-Malik "gathered the makers and engineers from the horizons, and ordered them to photograph the dome before building it, so they photographed it for him in the courtyard of the mosque, so he liked it!"

This is similar to the idea of ​​what is known today - in the field of engineering building designs - as the "architectural model" (the maquette) that is set for the building before its implementation!!

Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi adds that Abd al-Malik "built for money (= the construction budget) a house east of the dome and charged it with money, and he commanded Raja and Yazid to empty the money completely and not stop at anything [of the architecture], so the building was completed on the dome that is standing today."

Al-Ulaymi informs us - in 'The Honorable Man' - an estimate of those expenses;

And he says that Abd al-Malik “allocated a lot of money for the building, and it is said that it is the outgrowth of Egypt for seven years”!!

None of the money allocated for the construction of Al-Aqsa Mosque and its dome was returned to

. Rather, Abd al-Malik ordered his workers in the thousands of dinars that remained after the completion of construction to “empty it on the dome and the doors!” !!

That gold remained on the mosque for decades, and then later became an asset for the renovation of Al-Aqsa Mosque’s architecture.

In the year 131 AH / 750 AD, an earthquake hit Jerusalem, severely destroying Al-Aqsa Mosque, and after a decade, the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mansur (d. 158 AH / 776 AD) visited it in the year 141 AH / 759 AD. I will rebuild it today, but take off these sheets that are on the dome and the doors, and populate it with them! So they did.”

According to the tribe of Ibn al-Jawzi.

Increasing care,

we find with the historian Imam Ibn Katheer (d. 774 AH / 1372 CE) - in "The Beginning and the End" - documenting the date of completion of the construction of the Dome of the Rock;

He says that "when the construction was completed, they wrote on the dome - from what follows the qibla door from the side of Al-Aqsa - with the text after the Basmala: "This dome was built by Abdullah Abd al-Malik, the Commander of the Faithful, in the year seventy-two of the Prophet's migration (72 AH / 692 AD)".

and since then;

And care for Al-Aqsa Mosque is growing and increasing, until Al-Aleimi asserted the superiority of Al-Aqsa Mosque over all the mosques of his era in terms of area and urbanization.

He held a chapter entitled: "He mentioned the description of Al-Aqsa Mosque and what it is in our time," and he said: "Know... that the honorable Al-Aqsa Mosque... has no counterpart under the surface of the sky, nor was it built in mosques of its quality or capacity!"

This was confirmed a century and a half ago by the traveler Ibn Battuta (d. 779 AH / 1377 CE), who visited Jerusalem and described Al-Aqsa as "there is no mosque on the face of the earth larger than it!"

There is no wonder in their assertion.

The area of ​​Al-Aqsa Mosque inside the old wall is 144 thousand square meters, and until the fifties of the last twentieth century, its area was many times the area of ​​the Two Holy Mosques.

According to official Saudi data;

The area of ​​the Grand Mosque in Makkah before the year 1376 AH / 1956 AD is estimated at about 28 thousand square meters, and as for the Prophet’s Mosque, its area before the year 1372 AH / 1952 AD was slightly more than 10 thousand square meters.

Then the state of the two mosques continued to expand, and Al-Aqsa remained under the Zionist occupation as it was until they exceeded it.

As for his commitment to the types of adornment and celebration;

Al-Aqsa Mosque has been decorated - since its construction - with huge numbers of

various sizes and weights, and this remained the case until a relatively late time, which is the ninth century AH / 15th century AD.

As Shams al-Din al-Asyuti (d. 880 AH / 1475 CE) mentions - in “Ithaf al-Akhsa bi’l-Aqsa Virtues of the Al-Aqsa Mosque” - that there are “four hundred chains for lamps minus fifteen, of which two hundred and thirty chains are in the mosque, and the rest are in the Dome of the Rock, and the arms of the chains are four thousand.” A cubit (the cubit = approximately 53 cm), and its weight is forty-three thousand pounds in Shami (= about 1900 grams), and among the lamps are five thousand lamps!!

And these lamps of gold and silver were not just lighting or decoration, but rather they were considered a wealth in and of themselves.

Abu al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 AH / 1201 CE) mentions, for example - in 'Al-Muntazim' - that

in the year 492 AH / 1099 CE, "they took forty silver lanterns from the Rock, each lantern weighing three thousand six hundred dirhams (= its value today is 4500 Almost a dollar), and they took a silver oven weighing forty pounds in Shami, and they took about twenty gold lamps!!

Private administration in

front of the Dome of the Rock;

It has been given to her - since the end of its construction - the utmost care and great services that befit it, including fumigating and fumigating it in a ceremony of great beauty and wonder, at the hands of a team of employees dedicated to serving and caring for it.

The imam historian Ibn Katheer tells us - in 'The Beginning and the End' - that Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, when he built the Dome of the Rock, allocated "a servant and servants to it."

The tribe of Ibn al-Jawzi tells us - in the mirror of time - that this management team had its own uniform, and its work had a very precise and orderly arrangement.

And he says: “The custodians - [on] every Monday and Thursday - used to dissolve musk, ambergris, citrus and saffron, and they made from it an expensive (= perfume) with rose water (= the best kind of rose water), and it was fermented from the night, then the servants entered in the morning of each of these two days The bathroom, so they wash and purify themselves, then enter the treasury in which the morals (= the perfume) are, and they take off their clothes, put on the clothes of the snitch, and tie their waists with girdles sweetened with gold.”

And he adds - speaking of how they perfuming the Dome of the Rock - that they were "creating (= perfuming) the rock, then incense was placed in gold and silver censers, and in them were lunar [oud] coated with musk, and the veils were loosened, so the incense circulated on the entire rock, so the scent fragrant, then lifted Al-Stour, so that smell comes out until it fills the whole city, then a caller calls: Except that the rock has been opened, so whoever wants to visit, let him come! So people will hasten to it, and they pray and leave, so whoever smells of incense was found from him, it was said: This was today in the rock!!

The rock and its mosque remained the focus of attention of the sultans later, and care for it increased after its liberation from the Crusaders.

Imad al-Din al-Isfahani (d. 597 AH / 1201 CE) mentioned - in 'Al-Fath al-Qasi' - that "

(d. 589 AH / 1193 CE)] arranged in the Dome of the Rock an imam of the best reciters, adorned them with eloquence, gave them a voice, and named them in Religion is sound, and I know them with the seven readings, or even the ten... He endowed him with a house, land, and garden, and did him a favor and a favor.”

Then Al-Isfahani talked about Salah Al-Din's possessions and management of the dome and mosque architecture.

He said, "He carried to it and to the sanctuary of Al-Aqsa Mosque Qur'ans and seals; and four quarters (= Qur'ans distributed 30 parts) magnificence ..., and arranged for this dome in particular and for the Holy House in general a staff (= employees) to include its interests, so what was arranged except for the gnostics who are devoted, and those who perform standing worship; What a delightful night when the crowds were present! And the candles bloomed (= lit)! Submissiveness manifested! And submission was condemned! Tears flowed from the pious!

And due to the intensity of crowds and turnout at the Dome of the Rock and the mosque, "most people realize that they pray two rak'ahs, and the least of them are four";

According to al-Ulaymi in 'The Exalted Man'.

Eternal landmarks

As for the most important urban landmarks of Al-Aqsa;

For if Al-Aqsa Mosque is mentioned today, the first thing that comes to mind is the image of the honorable blue “Dome of the Rock” with a golden dome, except for the general population of Jerusalem, who turn their minds to the “Al-Qibli Mosque” with a leaden dome.

The truth is otherwise;

Al-Olaymi says, "It is customary among people that Al-Aqsa - in terms of the qiblah - is the mosque built in the front of the mosque in which the pulpit and the great mihrab are located.

This is what Al-Olaymi said and is approved today by specialists, and it has become known to many of the public because of the repeated awareness of it.

The following is an attempt to describe the most important features of Al-Aqsa Mosque between yesterday and today, based on the wonderful and detailed description that Al-Olaymy deposited in his book “Al-Ans Al-Jalil”:

1- Al-Qibli Mosque: Al-Olaymi said in his description: “The mosque that is in its chest (= the chest of Al-Aqsa Mosque) at the qiblah, in which the Friday prayer is held, and it is known among people that it is “Al-Aqsa Mosque.” It includes a great building with a high dome decorated with colored lobes. And under the dome is the pulpit and the mihrab.” And on the dome there is “lead from its surface,” as it has been in shape until now, and this building is still the central mosque, and in it is the pulpit of Salah al-Din / Nur al-Din Zangi (d. 569 AH / 1173 CE), on which the preacher stands every Friday.

2- The Dome of the Rock Mosque: It is an octagonal mosque with a famous golden dome. It has already been mentioned that Abd al-Malik ordered hundreds of thousands of dinars to be poured on it, so it was really golden and not just plated with gold.

And while the Friday prayer was not held in the Dome of the Rock mosque, it was in it that “the feast and rain were being prayed” in the ancient era.

According to al-Olaymi.

It is understood from the words of Al-Alimi and others that the Dome of the Rock Mosque had an independent imam;

It has been translated to someone else as “the imam of the Rock Mosque.”

but now;

An independent prayer is not held in the Al-Sakhra Mosque, but rather the prayer in it follows the prayer in the Al-Qibli Mosque, and women usually pray in it, especially on Fridays and seasons.

3- Dome of the Chain: There are many domes in Al-Aqsa Mosque except for the two famous domes, all of which are smaller in size.

The most famous of them is the “Dome of the Chain”, which Al-Olaymi described as “a very elegant dome on marble pillars.” It was built as a miniature model of the Dome of the Rock before it was built, and therefore it is “in the style of the Dome of the Rock”;

According to al-Olaymi.

4- The old Al-Aqsa and the Marwani prayer hall: both are located to the east of the “Al-Qibli Mosque”, while the “Old Al-Aqsa” is located under the Al-Qibli Mosque on the side of the mihrab, and next to it is the “Marwani prayer hall”.

Al-Olaymi said: “And the bottom (= the bottom) of the mosque - from the direction of the qiblah - is a large, knotted place (= built), and it has walls that support the roof..., and this lower place is called the “old Aqsa”... and next to this place - also the bottom of the mosque is under The side where the trees and olives are - a great, knotty place."

This place is what is known today as the "Marwani Chapel".

5- Al-Buraq Wall: It is the western wall of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, in which the “Al-Maghariba Gate” is located, through which it is believed that the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, entered Al-Aqsa Mosque on the night of the Isra’, “so he descended there and prayed with the prophets as an imam, and tied Al-Buraq to the ring of the door of the mosque”;

According to the narration of Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 752 AH / 1351 CE) in Zad al-Ma`ad.

The western wall of the mosque [Al-Buraq Wall] is what the Zionists call today the "Wailing Wall".

6- The doors: Al-Aqsa Mosque - except for the Mughrabi Gate - has fifteen doors, some of which are open and others are closed.

The most famous of the open doors: “Bab Al-Silsilah” and “Bab Al-Sakina”, which Al-Alimi says about them: “And from them comes out to the Greatest Street ..., and they are the pillars of the mosque’s doors, and people often enter (= entering) the mosque from them”!

These two gates are still of such importance, but people’s reliance on them increased after the occupation closed the “Maghariba Gate” since 1387 AH / 1967 AD.

7- Arches: As for the arches, they are one of the most important features of beauty in the courtyard of the Dome of the Rock. brackets) raised on pillars.

These arches are called in some books "Al-Bawa'ik", the plural of "Ba'ika", and they are an exquisite architectural masterpiece.

8- The terraces: one of them is a terrace, which are places that are less than a meter above the ground, and one can ascend to them with a staircase, and gatherings of knowledge are usually held in them.

Perhaps in the past, public meetings were organized there.

Al-Olaymi mentioned examples of this, one of which was his attendance at an important meeting of senior officials and scholars that was held "at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the mastaba at the door of the Mughrabi Mosque" in Rabi` al-Awwal 879 AH / 1474 CE to discuss a problem that arose at the time regarding the "Church of the Jews in Jerusalem."

An educational incubator in

addition to the construction and service architecture of Al-Aqsa Mosque with its various facilities and annexes;

We find another style of care that is more related to the sacred status of this noble mosque, which can be called the devotional "ascetic architecture" that goes beyond the concern for daily witnesses of the five daily prayers in it to linking it to some other pillars of Islam such as Hajj and fasting.

As many of the righteous loved to be deprived of Hajj from Al-Aqsa Mosque;

وأصلُ هذه العادة جاء عملا بحديث رواه الإمام أبو داود (ت 275هـ/888م) من طريق أمِّ المؤمنين أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ (ت 61هـ/682م) أَنَّهَا سَمِعَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ: «مَنْ أَهَلَّ بِحَجَّةٍ أَوْ عُمْرَةٍ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا He advanced from his sin and did not delay it, or Paradise was obligatory for him.

Although the attribution of the hadeeth is not devoid of an article;

Abu Dawud supported him with his work, and he said: “May God have mercy on Waki’ (Ibn Al-Jarrah, the Imam Al-Hafiz, d. 197 AH / 813 CE), I enter into Ihram from Bayt Al-Maqdis, meaning to Mecca.”

As Imam Al-Baghawi (d. 516 AH / 1122 CE) said - in "Explanation of the Sunnah" - that the ihram for Hajj from Al-Aqsa "was done by more than one of the Companions."

It seems that this custom has been rooted since the time of the honorable Companions, and it remained common in generations of Muslims until the occupation of Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Zionists.

Perhaps the most beautiful story of ihram from Al-Aqsa Mosque was mentioned by historians, and the most telling statement of Al-Aqsa’s status in the hearts of Muslims.

It is the story of the ihram of a group of Mujahideen who came to Jerusalem from various regions of the Levant, the Euphrates Island, and Diyarbakir, located today in southeastern Turkey, and participated in its liberation from the Crusaders in the year 583 AH / 1187 CE.

Al-Fath bin Ali Al-Isfahani (d. 643 AH / 1245 CE) mentioned - in "Mukhtasar Sana Al-Barq Al-Shami" - that "when the emptiness occurred from the conquest of Jerusalem, the pilgrimage approached ..., and they said (= the Mujahideen): We are deprived of the Al-Aqsa Mosque to the Sacred House, and we win with Realizing the virtue of [recovering] Jerusalem - this year - by performing jihad and pilgrimage, the two pillars of Islam."

An ancient "sanctification"

As for the visit to Jerusalem at the end of

- which is called the "sanctification of the pilgrimage" - it remained a more widespread habit than its predecessor.

Many Muslims used to perform Hajj and then go to the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina to visit and pray in it, then they did not see a more complete or beautiful pilgrimage than to “sanctify” it by visiting Jerusalem and praying in Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Researchers have mistakenly attributed this habit to the reigns of the Ottoman Empire.

As it is a custom rooted in the history of Muslims, because it is originally based on the well-known hadith: “No travel should be undertaken except to three mosques” (narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim);

It is as if when the hadith collected the mention of the three mosques in one context, Muslims liked to combine visiting them all on the pilgrimage trip.

Rather, the "official Hajj campaign" has been doing this "sanctification" since the first centuries;

Ibn al-Jawzi said - in 'Al-Muntazim' - within the events of the year 140 AH / 758 CE: “[The Abbasid caliph] Abu Jaafar al-Mansur went out on a pilgrimage and entered ihram from al-Hirah [southern Iraq], then he returned after completing the pilgrimage to the [Prophetic] city, from which he headed to Bayt al-Maqdis (early year 141 AH / 759 AD) and prayed in its mosque, then traveled to the Levant, turning towards Iraq.

Then, in the later centuries, "sanctification" became an indispensable part of the pilgrimage journey for pilgrims.

The strange thing is that there were also scholars and worshipers who intended to fast

in Al-Aqsa, similar to envisaging the ihram of Hajj from it.

Imam Al-Qadi Ibn Al-Arabi Al-Andalusi Al-Maliki (d. 543 AH / 1148 CE) records the presence of this meaning among the groups of the afflicted in the vastness of Al-Aqsa, and he says in “Siraj Al-Muraidin”: “And every year in Jerusalem, a group of affluent (= worshipers) would respond to us from the mountains of the Levant.” They fast in Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan, then return to their mountains and caves!!

The capacity of Al-Aqsa Mosque allowed for more than one prayer to be held in it when the multiplicity of niches was introduced in it according to the

, as happened in the Two Holy Mosques in Mecca and Medina, starting from the fifth century AH / 11th century AD;

However, the scholars seemed to hate that two congregational prayers should be held at the same time, so they made the prayers a fixed temporal arrangement according to the schools of thought.

Al-Alimi mentioned - in 'The Venerable Man' - the imams' details and the order of the prayers;

He said: As for the imams arranged in it, the first of them is the Maliki imam, who prays in the mosque that is to the west of the mosque from the direction of the qiblah [the mosque of the Maghribis].., then the Shafi’i imam prays after him in the great tribal mosque known to the people in Al-Aqsa Mosque, then the Hanafi imam prays after him in the Dome of the Noble Rock, then The Hanbali imam prays after him.” As for the Friday prayer, it was held in the Al-Qibli Mosque only.

Al-Alimi added, "Al-Aqsa Mosque also has several imams inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in the cave of the rock, and at the gates of the mosque. They pray

only, and the rest of the days they do not pray anything, but the mayor is on the four imams ahead."

A scientific beacon and

not far from the ascetic architecture of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

One of the most prominent manifestations of the Muslims’ concern for Al-Aqsa was that they made it a scientific center that had few parallels in the history of Muslims.

This was done under the auspices of private individuals from

and philanthropists, and the official care of successive countries regarding the responsibility for Jerusalem, as Al-Alimi states that all "kings and notables... made endowments for the interests and service of Al-Aqsa Mosque."

This indicates that

Jerusalem began very early and was generous.

What al-Dhahabi reported - in 'Biography of the Flags of the Nobles' - on the authority of "Imam Al-Qudwa, Sheikh of Palestine" Ibrahim Ibn Abi Abla (d. 152 AH / 770 CE) that he used to say about the Umayyad caliph Al-Walid bin Abd Al-Malik (d. 96 AH / 716 CE): "May God have mercy on Al-Walid And where is the likeness of Al-Walid? He conquered India and Andalusia, and built the Damascus Mosque (= the Umayyad Mosque), and he used to give me pieces of silver that I divided among the readers (= scholars) of the Mosque of Jerusalem!!

Of course, this official sponsorship of Al-Aqsa’s scientific status was reinforced by the great efforts made by scholars of all sects and disciplines, and it was supported by a wide turnout of students of knowledge from all countries of the Islamic world.

Al-Aqsa Mosque began to be used as a school - since the first century AH / seventh century AD - to read the Qur’an first, then to narrate the Prophet’s hadith and teach all Islamic sciences.

And if scientific activity witnessed its great flourishing in Jerusalem after its liberation from the Crusaders at the end of the sixth century AH / 12th century AD, with the revival of the "Nasriyya School" (the validity after the Crusader occupation);

The history books were not devoid of evidence that Al-Aqsa was a large scientific university - competing with the most important Islamic schools - before the Crusader occupation and liberation from it. Scientific discussions flourished in it, and pioneering books were compiled. Considerable doctrines spread from it, and it embraced the first schools established in the Levant.

This Imam Ibn al-Arabi al-Maliki - who tells us a lot in many of his books about his observations at Al-Aqsa prior to the Crusader occupation of Jerusalem - expresses his amazement at the scientific architecture of Al-Aqsa and the diversity of school activity in it, so that when he visited Jerusalem in the year 488 AH / 1095 AD, he was amazed at the greatness of scientific vitality in his corridors and the high level To his scholars, recording a bright picture

!!

Let us listen to him when he says in his book 'The Capitals of the Qawasim': "Then I departed from them (= the people of Egypt) to the Levant, and I returned to the Holy House - may God purify it - so I found (= found) twenty-eight circles [teaching], and two schools: one of them is for the Shafi'is at the Lions Gate And the other for the Hanafis in front of garbage (= the Church of the Resurrection) known as the school of Abu Uqba, and there were many heads of scholars and heads of innovators - of their different classes - and among the rabbis of the Jews and Christians .. sentences (= numbers) that are countless .., and I looked at each sect corresponding Other sects in their opinions and ideas!!

This great scientific vitality prompted him to postpone the performance of the pilgrimage for which he came, and to remain in Al-Aqsa to seek knowledge, despite the flourishing of its market in neighboring countries and even in his Andalusian country.

And in that, he says in his book “The Law of Interpretation”: “I said to my father, may God have mercy on him: If you have an intention to perform Hajj, proceed with your determination, because I am not prime (= leaving) this town until I know the knowledge of those in it and make that a constitution (= guiding guide) for knowledge and a hand to her hypochondriacs!!

, and we find Ibn al-Arabi describing aspects of that scientific life and the discussions taking place in its councils among

;

And that is in a story that expresses a scientific comfort that was rarely matched later, which he told us in his book 'The Capitals of the Commons'.

Judge Al-Maliki says: “I was once sitting in the Al-Shafi’i School in the “Door of Reasons” in Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the sects - of the Shafi’is and Hanafis - were convened while they were in the consideration council (= the jurisprudential debate). Yahya bin Mufrej al-Maqdisi (d. after 488 AH / 1095 CE), and he was the oldest of Nasr’s companions (Ibn Ibrahim al-Maqdisi, d. 490 AH / 1097 CE), and he said to him: I swore by divorce three times from my wife that I would not eat nuts, then I ate them out of forgetfulness [so what should I do]? So [the judge] looked at them and said What do you say? The Hanafi school said, on the authority of its father: “He shall break his oath!” And the Shafi’i opinion differed concerning it, so Al-Qadi Al-Rashid smiled and said to him: “Go, you have nothing to do with it”!!

The regularity of studies at Al-Aqsa was strong at all times, including those that were witnessing security disturbances in his holy city.

In this also, Ibn al-Arabi says in his interpretation of “Ahkam al-Qur’an”: “And I saw in it (= Bayt al-Maqdis) a strange time, because a revolutionary rebelled with it against his ruler and refrained from it with power, so [the governor] besieged him and tried to fight him with crossbows for a while, and the country - despite its smallness - continues As it is.., and the situation did not emerge from Al-Aqsa Mosque as a retreat, and the debate was not interrupted, nor was the teaching champion, but rather the military had dispersed into two teams fighting!!

As Ibn al-Jawzi tells us - in “Al-Muntazim” - about an important stage in the scholarly and mystical life of

(d. 505 AH / 1111 CE) that he spent in the gardens of Al-Aqsa.

He says that he left "from Baghdad, heading to Jerusalem, leaving to teach the Nizamiyya! Ascetic in the world... Then he returned to his country, and he wrote the book 'Al-Ihya' during this period."

Rather, it was attributed to Al-Ghazali in a place in Jerusalem in which he practiced teaching and education.

Al-Olaymi said that he "moved to Jerusalem diligently in worship and obedience, and visited great scenes and places, and he took the famous classifications in Jerusalem. This is called 'Nasiriyah', east of Jerusalem, and it was called Ghazaliyya after him.

And if Al-Alimi's narration presents Al-Aqsa as the cradle of the birth of the most important and influential books of Imam Al-Ghazali in the scientific and educational history of Muslims, due to the consequent emergence of

;

We find that Al-Aqsa was also a starting point for spreading one of the most important schools of jurisprudence remaining, which is the Hanbali school.

This doctrine arrived from Iraq to the Levant - in the second half with the fifth / eleventh century AD - by Imam Abd al-Wahed al-Shirazi (d. 486 AH / 1093 CE), who "came to the Levant and lived in Jerusalem, spreading the doctrine of Imam Ahmad around it, then he resided in Damascus and spread the doctrine And the Companions will come out with it.”

According to Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (d. 795 AH / 1393 CE) in "The Tail of the Hanbali Layers".

Various schools

Perhaps Al-Aqsa was also the first Levantine incubator for the

;

As we see it in the "Salahiah School", which was not a true establishment of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, as evidenced by its mention in the advanced text of Ibn al-Arabi as the "Shafi'i school" and next to it the "Hanafi school";

And that was a century before the era of Saladin!

وفي أحد النصوص النادرة في رصدها لنشأة الوقف التعليمي الشخصي وخاصة في القدس؛ يفيدنا ابن العربي -في ‘سراج المريدين‘- بأن الإمام نصر بن إبراهيم المقدسي -المتقدم ذكْره- رصَد وقفاً بالقدس لهذه المدرسة؛ إذْ كانت له داران "فحبس إحدى داريه على الطلبة مع معظم ماله، وجعل النظر فيها إلى يحيى بن مفرج شيخ أصحابه، وشرط أن نصيبه منها كأنصبائهم".

أما ابن واصل الحموي (ت 696هـ/1297م) فيقول -في ‘مفرِّج الكروب‘- إن هذه "المدرسة كانت قبل الإسلام تعرف بـ”صند حنه” (= سانت حنة/القديسة حنة) يذكرون أن فيها قبر حنة أم مريم عليها السلام، ثم صارت في الإسلام ”دار علم” قبل أن يملك الفرنج القدس".

ثم تحدث الحموي عن التقلبات التاريخية التي مرت بها هذه المدرسة؛ فقال إنه "كان يدرس بها العَلَم الفقيه نصر بن إبراهيم المقدسي قُبيل أخذ الفرنج للقدس، ثم لما ملك الفرنج القدس سنة اثنين وتسعين وأربعمئة (492هـ/1099م) أعادوها كنيسة كما كانت قبل الإسلام، فلما فتح السلطان [صلاح الدين] القدس أعادها مدرسة [للشافعية] ووقف عليها وُقوفا (= أوقافاً) جليلة، وفوّض تدريسها ووقْفَها إلى القاضي بهاء الدين بن شداد الموصلي (ت 632هـ/1234م)، وتولاها [بعده] جماعة من الفقهاء".

ولم تلبث "المدرسة الصلاحيّة" أن تحوّلت منارةً علميّة على مستوى العالم الإسلاميّ، حين أصبحت أهم الروافع العلمية المقدسية للحياة العلمية بأروقة المسجد الأقصى. وفي عهد الدولة المملوكية كانت مشيختُها تُعيَّن بمرسومٍ من السلطان بالقاهرة، وبذلك أضحت "وظيفة مشيختها من الوظائف السَّنِية (= الرفيعة) بمملكة الإسلام"؛ حسب العُليمي.

تولى مشيخة "المدرسة الصلاحيّة" عبر الزمان قومٌ من أكابر الفقهاء والمحدثين ومشاهيرهم، وتفيد قصة أوردها ابن شاهين المَلَطيّ (ت 920هـ/1514م) -في ‘نيل الأمل‘ ضمن وقائع سنة 842هـ/1438م- أن العادة جرت بأن يستمرُّ شيخ "المدرسة الصلاحيّة" في منصبه حتى وفاته؛ كما هو العرف اليوم في منصب "مشيخة الأزهر" بمصر.
احتفاء رسمي
وبعد المدرسة الصلاحية في الأهمية العلمية والمكانة المحورية في رفْد الحياة العلمية بأروقة الأقصى؛ تأتي "المدرسة الأشرفية" التي بناها السلطان المملوكي الأشرف قايِتْباي (ت 901هـ/1495م) سنة 887هـ/1482م، وكانت آية في الجمال وحسن البناء "في المسجد الأقصى الشريف وهي آخر مدرسة بنيت فيه" حتى مطلع القرن العاشر الهجري/الـ16 الميلادي؛ طبقا للعليمي.

وقد أفاض العُليميّ في وصف بنائها ومحاسنها، ثم قال: "ومن أعظم محاسنها كونها في هذه البقعة الشريفة، ولو بُنيت في غير هذا المحل لم يكن عليها الرونق الموجود عليها ببنائها [فيه]، فإن الناس كانوا يقولون قديما: مسجد بيت المقدس به جوهرتان هما: قبة الجامع الأقصى وقبة الصخرة الشريفة؛ قلتُ (= العليمي): وهذه المدرسة صارت جوهرة ثالثة، فإنها من العجائب في حسن المنظر ولطف الهيئة"!! وكلمة العُليمي هذه بديعة جدًّا، مؤدّاها: إن كل جميل هو في القدس أجمل!

وكان أمر مشيخة "المدرسة الأشرفية" بيد السلطان الذي أسسها، فكان يرسل مبعوثين رسميين رفيعي المستوى لمطالعة حسن سيرها؛ إذْ يفيدنا المَلَطي بأنه في سنة 890هـ/1485م "قرّر في مشيخة مدرسة السلطان بالبيت المقدس العلاّمة الكمال ابن أبي شريف (ت 906هـ/1500م)، وعُيّن [قاضي القاهرة] أبو البقاء الجيعان (ت 930هـ/1524م)، و[الأمير] جان بلاط (ت 906هـ/1500م) للسفر إلى القدس لأجل تقرير أحوال المدرسة المذكورة وعمل مصالحها"!

يُعرِّف العُليمي -في ‘الأنس الجليل‘- بنحو أربعين مدرسة أقيمت في محيط المسجد الأقصى الملاصق له، سوى المدارس المقدسية الأخرى غير المجاورة له. ورغم أن المدرستين الكبرييْن السابقتين (الصلاحية والأشرفية) كانتا شافعيتيْ المذهب، انسجاما مع الانتماء المذهبي الرسمي لسلاطين الدولة الأيوبية ثم المملوكية؛ فإنه كان للمذاهب الأخرى حضورُها العلمي في أروقة المسجد الأقصى، وأنشئت مدارسُها المذهبية في أكنافه المقدسية.

فقد كان لأصحاب المذهب الحنفي "المدرسة المعظَّمية"، التي تُنسب إلى واقفها أحدِ السلاطين الأيوبيين كان من فئة العلماء الأمراء؛ وهو ملِك دمشق العالِم: المعظَّم عيسى ابن العادل (ت 624هـ/1227م) الذي فضّل ألا يأخذ النسخة المذهبية ذاتها التي كان ينتمي إليها أبناء بيته الأيوبي، وهي المذهب الشافعي؛ بل اختار أن يكون فقيها حنفيا متبحرا في مذهبه "حتى تأهَّل للفتيا" فيه رغم أعباء السلطة؛ طبقا للذهبي في ‘السِّيَر‘.

وقد حدد لنا العليمي المكان الذي كانت تقع فيه "المدرسة المعظمية" وتاريخ إنشائها؛ فقال إنها أقيمت "مقابل باب شرف الأنبياء المعروف بباب الدَّوَادارية (يسمَّى اليوم باب العتم وباب الملك فيصل)، [وكان] تاريخ وقفها في السابع والعشرين من جمادى الأولى سنة 606هـ‍ (= 1209م)".

ريادة مستحقة
وترجم العُليمي لأساتذتها وخاصة من تولى منهم مشيختها؛ فذكر فيهم قاضي القضاة خير الدين خليل بن عيسى البابَرْتي الحنفي (ت 801هـ/1398م)، الذي وصفه بأنه "الإمام العلامة، كان من أهل العلم والدين قدم من بلاده واختار الإقامة ببيت المقدس، وولي قضاء القدس من الملك الظاهر بَرْقُوق (ت 801هـ/1398م) في سنة 784هـ (= 1382م)، وهو أول من ولي قضاء الحنفية بالقدس الشريف بعد الفتح الصلاحي، ثم ولي تدريس المعظمية".

أما المالكية، فكانت لهم "المدرسة الأفضلية"، وقد عرّف بها العُليمي قائلا: "المدرسة الأفضلية: وتُعرف قديما بحارة المغاربة، [وهي من] وقْف الملك الأفضل نور الدين أبي الحسن علي ابن الملك صلاح الدين (الأيوبي ت 622هـ/1225م)، وقَفَها على فقهاء المالكية بالقدس الشريف (نحو سنة 590هـ/1194م)، ووقف أيضا حارة المغاربة على طائفة المغاربة على اختلاف أجناسهم ذكورهم وإناثهم".

ويبدو أن الملك الأفضل هذا كان أحد أفذاذ الأمراء العلماء المحبين لنشر العلم والدفاع عن المقدسات؛ ولذا جاء في ترجمته عند ابن واصل الحموي أنه "كان مستجمعا لفضائل ومناقب تفرقت في كثير من الملوك"! كما يذكر العُليمي أنه كان معروفا ببذله "أنواعا من البر والخير، ووضَع الأسلحة برسم المجاهدين في سبيل الله" للدفاع عن القدس والأقصى!!

وللحنابلة مدرستهم التي كانت تُعرف باسمهم وأنشئت سنة 781هـ/1379م، وقد ذكرها العُليمي مبينا موقعها فقال: "المدرسة الحنبلية بباب الحديد [غربي الأقصى]، واقفها الأمير بَيْدَمُر (الخوارزمي ت بعد 781هـ/1379م) نائب الشام".

ولعل من الطريف ذكر أن الشيخ الشافعيّ إبراهيم بن علي الإسْعَردي الصوفي الزاهد (ت 887هـ/1482م) تولَّى مشيخة هذه المدرسة الحنبلية رغم الاختلاف المذهبي بينهما؛ فقد ذكر العُليمي في ترجمته أنّه "قدم إلى بيت المقدس واستوطنه، وقرره الملك الظاهر جُقْمُق (ت 857هـ/1453م) في المدرسة الحنبلية بباب الحديد"!!

وبالنظر إلى هذا التاريخ العلمي الزاهر الزاخر؛ لا نبالغ إن قلنا إن المكانة العلمية والروحية لمدارس المسجد الأقصى ومشيخاته، كانت تؤهلها لأن ترثها جامعةٌ حديثة عريقةٌ على غرار الأزهر والزيتونة والقرويين، لكن حال دون ذلك تسلّطُ المحتلين عليه منذ ثلاثينيات القرن الـ14 الهجري/بدايات القرن الـ20 الميلادي، وهي الفترة التي شهدت تأسيس الجامعات الحديثة في بلادنا.

معتكَف دائم
كان من مظاهر عُلوّ مكانة القدس في قلوب المسلمين أن كثيرًا منهم اختارها موطنًا تاركا أهله وبلاده، وأقام مستأنسًا بجوار المسجد الأقصى المبارك طالبا للعلم، أو راغبا في التزكية، أو ناشرا لكليهما، أو مرابطا في ثغره للدفاع عنه؛ ولم يكن ذلك في الحقيقة إلا وجها آخر من أوجه الحياة العلمية فيه، فالعلم والتزكية صنوان متلازمان.

فهذا الإمام ابن العربي المالكي (ت 543هـ/1148م) يقول -في ‘سراج المريدين‘- واصفا هذه "العمارة الرباطية" لتلك الرحاب المباركة: "لقد عبدناه في المسجد الأقصى -طهره الله- ثلاثين شهرا في ثلاثة أحوال؛ مع أمم من العابدين والعاكفين والعالِمين، نحوا من ثلاثة آلاف معلومين، حصدتهم السيوفُ في غداة واحدة!! فأيُّ عيش بعدهم يطيب؟ أم أيُّ أمل يُسْتأنَف؟!".

ويذكر -في ‘العواصم من القواصم‘- أنه حين سقطت القدس في أيدي القوات الصليبية "محت كلمة الإسلام عن المسجد الأقصى، وقتل فيه -في غداة الجمعة لاثنيْ عشر بقيت لشعبان سنة اثنين وتسعين وأربعمئة- ثلاثة آلاف ما بين عابد وعالم، ذكر وأنثى، ومعتكف من مشهور الحالة ومذكور بالديانة، وفيها قتلت العالمة الشيرازية -بقبة السلسلة- في جملة النساء"!!

وإذا كانت هذه الثلاثة آلاف مجاور إنما هي ممن ينطبق عليهم وصف "مشهور الحالة ومذكور بالديانة"؛ فكم سيكون عدد غيرهم من المجهولين والمغمورين ممن استشهدوا أو بقوا سالمين؟! ولذلك لا يُحصى عدد مَنْ ترجم لهم المؤرخون -وخاصة العُليمي في ‘الأنس الجليل‘- ممن آثروا سكنى القدس على بلادهم، فمكثوا بها حتى توفوا ودفنوا في مقبرتها الشهيرة المسمّاة "ماملّا".

ويفيدنا ابن العربي أيضا بأبرز أماكن المرابطة في الأقصى التي كان هؤلاء العلماء والعباد يركنون إليها؛ فيقول: "وأما المسجد الأقصى فكان منهم (= المجاورين) مملوءا: كان بالسكينة (= باب السكينة)، وبمحراب زكرياء، وبباب التوبة والرحمة، وبمهد عيسى، وبقبة السلسلة، وبقبة النبي ﷺ، وبقبة جبريل عليه السلام، وبالصخرة المقدسة، وبمحراب داود، وبباب حطة، وبباب الأسباط؛ بكل واحد رجل عالم منقطع إلى الله، لم يخرج من المسجد منذ دخل إليه حتى استشهد به"!!

رباطية صامدة
وكان العلماء يذكرون المُقام في بيت المقدس والمجاورة بالمسجد الأقصى ضمن مناقب العلماء وفضائل العُبّاد؛ فمثلا حين ترجم الإمام السخاوي (ت 902هـ/1496م) -في ‘الضوء اللامع‘- للعلامة نصر المغربي المالكي (ت 826هـ/1423م) نعته بأنه "نزيل بيت المقدس"، ويقول إنه "قدِمه (= القدس) من بلاده فأقام به قريبا من عشرين سنة على قدم التجرد والاشتغال بالعلوم والعبادة، قانعًا باليسير إلى أن مات ودفن هناك"، وكان موصوفًا "بالعلم والفضل والزهد".

وقد يأتي أحدهم إلى القدس وهو شاب يطلب العلم فيستوطنها حتى يموت ويدفن فيها، ويكون له من المكانة والهيبة ما يجعلُ السلاطين والأمراء تزوره في بيته، ومن هؤلاء "الإمام القدوة الزاهد العابد.. أبو بكر بن علي.. الشيباني الموصلي.. الشافعي (ت 797هـ/1395م)..، قدم من الموصل وهو شاب وعلا ذكْرُه، وقد زاره السلطان برقوق في منزله بالأمينية بجوار سور المسجد الأقصى".

وكما رأينا في شهادة القاضي ابن العربي المالكي؛ فإن طلب الجوار بالأقصى لم يكن مقتصرا على الرجال، بل كان مقصدا شائعا في الصالحات من النساء؛ ويفيدنا هو بوجود مئات المرابطات اللاتي كُنَّ منتظماتٍ في شبه "تنظيم رباطي" يتألف من زهاء ألف امرأة ويتبعن فيه لقيادة علمية نسوية واحدة، وقد تحولن إلى مدافعات شرسات عن الأقصى حين اقتحم ساحاته الصليبيون حتى استشهدن جميعا وهن صابرات صامدات!!

يقول ابن العربي في ‘سراج المريدين‘: "لقد كان في بيت المقدس نسوة يُفْخَرُ بهنّ على الأزمنة؛ يَلْتَفِفْنَ على العالمة الشيرازية: فقيهة واعظة متعبدة متبتّلة؛ فلما دخل الروم بيت المقدس يوم الجمعة لاثنتيْ عشرة ليلة بقيت لشعبان من سنة ثنتين وتسعين وأربعمئة (492هـ/1099م) لجأت بهن أجمعين إلى المسجد الأقصى، وجلسن في قبة السلسلة..، فلما غشيتهن الروم قمن إليهم بالسب ورمي التراب في وجوههن، فحصدوهن بالسيوف وأنزلوا بهن الحتوف. قال لي من عاين ذلك وهو في سطح المسجد الأقصى: كن قريبا من ألف امرأة"!!

ولعل قائلًا يقول: لماذا يختارُ البلخيُّ أو المغربيّ أو المصريّ أو الشامي أو العراقي أن يأتي الواحد منهم من أقصى الأرض أو أدناها ليستقرّ في بيت المقدس بدلًا من المجاورة بمكة والمدينة، وهو سؤالٌ وجيه، يمكن أن نجد إجابته في عبارة ترد أحيانا في تراجم العلماء المجاورين، فتصف أحدهم بأنه جاور الأقصى "بنية الرّباط" للجهاد في أكنافه وصدّ الغزاة عنه.

محن كبرى
اشتهرت القُدس -مستمدةً ذلك من موقع المسجد الأقصى في قلبها- بمنزلتها الدينية والعلمية، ومع ذلك فلم يخلُ تاريخها من وضعيّة سياسية مميزة كادت تدفع الخليفة الأموي سليمان بن عبد الملك (ت 99هـ/719م) إلى اتخاذها عاصمةً للخلافة الإسلامية برمّتها!!

فمؤرخ الأقصى شمس الدين الأسيوطي يروي -في ‘إتحاف الأخِصّا‘- أن الخليفة سليمان "أتى بيت المقدس وأتته الوفود بالبيعة..، فكان يجلس في قبة في صحن مسجد بيت المقدس مما يلي الصخرة… ويبسط البُسُط (= الفُرُش) بين يدي قبّته عليها النمارق (= الوسائد) والكراسي، فيجلس ويأذن للناس فيجلسون عل الكراسي والوسائد، وإلى جانبه الأموال، وكُتاب الدواوين (= الوزراء)، وقد هَمَّ بالإقامة ببيت المقدس واتخاذها منزلا، وجمْع الأموال والناس به"!!

ولئن كان أمرُ اتخاذ بيت المقدس عاصمة لم يتمّ فعلاً؛ فإنّ المسلمين جعلوه عاصمة عزّتهم وكرامتهم، واعتبروا حاله مقياسًا يقيسون به عزّهم وشرفهم، حتى إنه في سنة 452هـ/1061م حدث أن "سقطت قبة الصخرة فتطيّر المسلمون من ذلك"! حسب أحمد بن يوسف القرماني (ت 1019هـ/1610م) في كتابه ‘أخبار الدول‘.

ولم يكن خوفهم ذاك بعيدًا من الواقع؛ إذْ احتَلّ الصليبيون القُدسَ بعدها بأقل من نصف قرن، وألحقوا بأهلها من التقتيل والتنكيل ما صدم حتى المؤرخين الصليبيين أنفسهم الذين سنكتفي هنا بعرض بعض شهاداتهم بشأن ممارسات بني جلدتهم بحق سكان القدس ومقدساتها، التي ما فتئت هدفا للاستهداف الأجنبي ونقطة صدام ديني دائم مع الحضارة الغربية.

ينقل مؤرخ الحضارات الأميركي وِيلْ ديورانت (ت 1402هـ/1981م) -في ‘قصة الحضارة‘- عن أحدهم: "يقول القس ريمند الإجيلي (ت بعد 492هـ/1099م) شاهد العيان: وشاهدنا أشياء عجيبة، إذ قُطعت رؤوس عدد كبير من المسلمين وقتل غيرهم رميا بالسهام، أو أرغِموا على أن يُلقوا أنفسهم من فوق الأبراج، وظل بعضهم الآخر يعذَّبون عدة أيام، ثم أحرِقوا في النار!! وكنتَ ترى في الشوارع أكوامَ الرؤوس والأيدي والأقدام! وكان الإنسان أينما سار فوق جواده يسير بين جثث الرجال والخيل"!!

ويضيف ديورانت: "ويروي غيره (= ريمند الإجيلي) من المعاصرين تفاصيل أدق من هذه وأوفى؛ [فـ]ـيقولون إن النساء كُنَّ يُقتلن طعنا بالسيوف والحراب، والأطفال الرُّضّع يختطفون بأرجلهم من أثداء أمهاتهم، ويقذف بهم من فوق الأسوار، أو تهشّم رؤوسهم بدقها بالعَمَد، وذُبح السبعون ألفا من المسلمين الذين بقوا في المدينة، أما اليهود الذين بقوا أحياء فقد سيقوا إلى كنيس لهم، وأشعلت فيهم النار وهم أحياء"!!

عنوان للمجد
وتصديقا لكلام هذا الشاهد الصليبي؛ يجدر التذكير برواية ابن العربي المتقدمة عن قتل الصليبيين "العالمة الشيرازية" ونحو ألف من تلميذاتها المرابطات بالأقصى، وثلاثة آلاف من العلماء والصُّلَحاء كانوا زينة أروقته وأكنافه! وكذلك مقولة المؤرخ ابن الأثير (ت 630هـ/1233م) الذائعة: "قَتل الفرنجُ بالمسجد الأقصى ما يزيد على سبعين ألفا، منهم جماعة كثيرة من أئمة المسلمين وعلمائهم وعبّادهم وزهادهم، ممن فارق الأوطان وجاور بذلك الموضع الشريف"!!

وأما عن تدنيس الصليبيين للأقصى ومرفقاته؛ فحسبنا أن نمثّل له بما فعلوه في احتلالهم الثالث للقدس سنة 637هـ/1239م، على أنه كان أخف درجة مما فعلوه في احتلالهم الأول، رغم أنه في فترات الاحتلال كلها تعطلت فيه صلوات الجُمَع والجماعات.

وعندنا فيما لحق بالأقصى من تدنيس صليبي شهادة موثقة لمؤرخ عاصر تلك الحقبة هو ابن واصل الحموي، الذي يقول -في ‘مفرِّج الكروب‘- عن زيارته القدس أيامها سنة 641هـ/1243م: "دخلتُ البيت المقدس ورأيتُ الرهبان والقُسوس على الصخرة المقدسة، وعليها قناني الخمر برَسْم (= لأجْل) القربان، ودخلت الجامع الأقصى وفيه جرَس معلَّق، وأُبطِل (= أوقِفَ) بالحرم الشريف الأذانُ والإقامة، وأُعلِن فيه بالكفر"!!

ومنذ وقتٍ قديم؛ عُدّ احتلال بيت المقدس عارًا في حقّ المسلمين -إذا سكتوا عليه- ولا سيّما حكامهم الذين أدى تقاتلهم وتخاذلهم إلى احتلاله ثلاث مرات، اثنتان منهما بالتسليم الطوعي للمحتلين وتمّتا خلال عقد واحد سنتيْ: 626هـ/1229م و637هـ/1239م. ويقول المؤرخ ابن الأثير معلقا على إحداها وأثرها في نفوس المسلمين حينها: "وتسلّم الفرنج البيت المقدس، واستعظم المسلمون ذلك وأكبروه، ووجدوا له من الوهن والتألم ما لا يمكن وصفه؛ يسر الله فتحه وعوده إلى المسلمين"!

وقد ذكر المؤرخ الأديب الصفدي -في ‘الوافي بالوفيات‘- قصة بيتين شاع أمرهما بين الناس "لما خرب القدس"، وكأنهما قيلا على لسان هذه زهرة المدن الإسلامية بعد مكة والمدينة:
إن يكن بالشآم قلَّ نصيري ** ثم خُرِّبتُ واستمرّ هُلوكي
فلقد أثبتَ الغداةَ خرابي ** سِمَةَ العارِ في جِباهِ الملوكِ!!

ونجد هذا المعنى -الذي يقرن بين ضياع الأقصى وإلحاق العار بالمسلمين- أوضح وأجلى في القصيدة الشهيرة للشاعر العالِم أبي المظفَّر الأبِيوَردي (ت 507هـ/1113م) التي نظمها وهو شاب عند احتلال القدس، مستنهضًا المسلمين عربًا وعجمًا لتحريرها، فكان مما قاله فيها وفقا لابن الجوزي في ‘المنتظم‘:
وتلك حروبٌ من يَغِبْ عن غمارها ** ليسلمَ، يقرعْ بعدَها سِنَّ نادمِ!!
أرى أمتي لا يشرعون إلى العِدى ** رماحَهُمُ، والدينُ واهي الدعائمِ
ويجتنبون الثأر خوفًا من الردى ** ولا يحسبون العارَ ضربةَ لازمِ
وليتهم إن لم يذودوا حميّةً ** عن الدينِ ضنوا غيرةً بالمحارم
وإنْ زهدوا في الأجر إذ حمي الوغى ** فهلّا أَتَوْهُ رغبةً في المغانم!

رعاية متجددة
ولذا حفظ التاريخ أسماء السلاطين الذين تشرّفوا بتحرير الأقصى وعلى رأسهم السلطان الناصر صلاح الدين الأيوبي، الذي جعل من الأقصى نقطة ارتكاز لمشروع تحرير المنطقة كلها -وليس القدس وحدها- من الصليبيين، فصار له "بذلك الذكْر الجميل على تقضي الأعصار وممرّ الأيام"؛ وفقا لابن الأثير.

وقد ازدادت مكانة الأقصى رسوخا في قلوب المسلمين بعد تحريره بأحد أهم انتصارات المسلمين التاريخية، وظهر ذلك من أول لحظة استعادوه فيها حين جاء في "خطبة الفتح" التي ألقاها قاضي القضاة محيي الدين ابن الزكي الشافعي (ت 598هـ/1105م)، وكانت بمحضر صلاح الدين في أول جمعة أقيمت بالمسجد الأقصى بعد تحريره؛ فوصفه فيها بأنه "أُولـ[ـى] القبلتين وثاني المسجدين وثالث الحرمين لا تشد الرحال بعد المسجدين إلا إليه"!! ومن ثمّ برع من بعده خلفاؤه من "ملوك بني أيوب في فعل الآثار الجميلة بالمسجد الأقصى"؛ حسب العليمي.

وذكر المؤرخون أيضا سعي السلاطين المماليك -الذين ورثوا الدولة الأيوبية- للعناية بإدارته ومرافقه، وربط شرعية حكمهم بخدمة أهله والدفاع عنه، وترسيخ ذلك في وعي الجماهير؛ حتى إن عادة قراءة المراسيم السلطانية بالمسجد الأقصى كانت متأصلة بحيث عُيِّن لها موظفٌ خاصّ بها، مثل الشيخ شمس الدين محمد بن محمد المقرئ المؤذّن الشافعي (ت 875هـ/1470م) الذي حكى العليمي أنه كان "يقرأ المراسيم الشريفة الواردة من السلطان على دكة المسجد الأقصى".

بل إنهم كانوا إذا أصدروا قرارات عادلة نقشوها في الرخام وألصقوها على جدرانه تأكيدا لأهميتها عندهم وقوة إلزامها لهم ولولاتهم وللرعية. ومن ذلك ما أورده العُليمي من أن السلطان المملوكي برقوق "أبطل المكوس (= الضرائب) والمظالم والرسوم التي أحدثها النواب قبله بالقدس الشريف، ونقش بذلك رُخامةً وألصقت على باب الصخرة من جهة الغرب".

وكذلك فعل ابنه وخليفته في الحكم الناصر فرَج (ت 815هـ/1412م) الذي حرص على فصل إدارة المقدسات بالأقصى عن اختصاصات والي السلطة بالقدس، فكان "من جملة ما رسَمَ (= أمَرَ) به بالقدس الشريف أنّ نائب القدس (= الوالي) لا يكون ‘ناظر الحرمين الشريفين‘ (= حرم الأقصى والحرم الإبراهيمي بالخليل)، ولا يتكلم على النظر بالجملة الكافية، ونُقش بذلك بلاطة وأُلصِقتْ بحائط باب السلسلة عن يمنة الداخل من الباب"!!

وفي العهد العثماني عاشت القدس والأقصى أحد أعزّ عصورها على الإطلاق؛ فبعد ضمّ السلطان العثماني سليم الأول (ت 926هـ/1520م) منطقة الشام إلى دولته زار القدس -وهو في طريقه إلى مصر- أواخر سنة 922هـ/1517م، وهناك استقبله "علماء المدينة وأتقياؤها وحكماؤها وشيوخ العربان فيها، وسلّموه مفاتيح المسجد الأقصى وقبة الصخرة المشرفة، فسجد لله حامدا وقال: “الحمد لله! فأنا اليوم حامي القبلة الأولى”!!…، وكان يبكي في المسجد الأقصى بكاء حارا"!! حسب د. أحمد حسين الجبوري في كتابه ‘القدس في العهد العثماني (1516-1640م)‘.

أما خليفته السلطان سليمان القانوني (ت 974هـ/1566م)؛ فيقول الجبوري إنه في ظل حكمه "نعمتْ القدسُ بأزهى أيامها في العهد العثماني…، [إذْ] نالت.. اهتماما فائقا وقام بأعمال تعمير ضخمة في القدس..؛ ومن الأعمال المهمة للسلطان سليمان القانوني تجديد بناء قبة الصخرة المشرفة سنة 949هـ/1552م".

He adds that Al-Qanuni took another step in granting Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa a distinguished status, when he involved the Fatwa Institution with it in its protection arrangements.

Where he issued "in the year 944 AH / 1537 AD a firman (= a decision) to prevent the Janissaries (= Ottoman soldiers) from entering Jerusalem, and entrusted the issue of security and its control to a detachment that was chosen from distinct Janissary elements, and the Mufti of Jerusalem was entrusted with selecting it!!"