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Verily, 'Al-Aqsa' is a name for the whole mosque which is surrounded by the wall, the length and width of which are mentioned here, for the building that exists in the southern part of the Mosque, and the other ones such as the Dome of the Rock and the corridors and other [buildings] are novel (muhdatha).
(Mujir Al-Din Al-Hanbali, Al-Uns Al-Jalil fo Tarikh Al-Quds walKhalil, vol.2, p.24.)
More than 500 years ago, when Mujir Al-Din Al-Hanbali offered the above definition of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the year 900 AH/1495, there were no conflicts, no occupation and no contesting narratives surrounding the site. What is more remarkable for me is that when I published the above definition in a previous paper in Where Heaven and Earth Meet: Jerusalem 's Sacred Esplanade, I received a response from a senior non-Muslim medievalist professor who is very familiar with the literature of the period simply admitting that he was not aware of Al-Hanbali's definition. I am convinced that knowledge about Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Holy Qur'an, the Prophetic traditions and Islamic literature would present a much-needed narrative with clear political implications. Meddling in the affairs of Al-Aqsa Mosque could destabilize the region and beyond. Any forced entry (i.e., without approval of Muslims) is tantamount to a clear violation of the sanctity of the mosque.
Not only do the Israeli occupation authorities prevent freedom of movement and freedom of worship, they interfere in defining Al-Aqsa Mosque by restricting the meaning of Al-Aqsa Mosque to the southernmost building, Qibli Mosque, rather than all 144 dunums or 36 acres. The Israeli occupation authorities consider the open yards within Al-Aqsa Mosque as belonging to public parks, with no jurisdiction for the Waqf. In doing so, the Israeli occupation authorities justify their own role in permitting and protecting extremist Israelis' and others' entry into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound against the will of the Waqf administration. Some of those extremists became lawmakers in the Israeli Knesset or members of the cabinet. These forced entries are usually protested by Muslims present at the mosque and often lead to Israeli occupation security forces attacking and arresting protesters and restricting their entry into the mosque to Muslim women from Sunday to Thursday during the early morning hours. There were many...