HRH Prince Ghazi leaves Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock Mosque during his visit along with Egyptian Grand Mufti Sheikh Ali Goma (unseen) to Al Haram Al Sharif compound (AFP photo)
AMMAN — HRH Prince Ghazi, Chief Adviser to the King for Religious and Cultural Affairs and the King’s Personal Envoy, along with Grand Mufti of Egypt Sheikh Ali Goma, on Wednesday visited the Holy Al Aqsa Mosque, an official statement said.
According to the statement, e-mailed to The Jordan Times, the visit came as an implementation of Prophet Mohammad’s teachings, which restricts pilgrimage to only three mosques.
“Do not set out for pilgrimage except to three mosques: Al Masjid Al Haram [the Grand Mosque in Mecca], Al Masjid Al Aqsa [in Jerusalem] and my Mosque [in Madinah]”, the statement quoted a Prophet’s hadith as saying, listed in the two major Hadith books: Al Bukhari (under No. 1996) and Muslim (No. 1397).
The statement cited a call made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas two weeks ago, urging Muslims everywhere to visit the Al Aqsa Mosque and “revitalise it by filling it with worshippers and pilgrims”.
Prince Ghazi and the Grand Mufti performed prayers in several locations within Al Haram Al Sharif compound, the third holiest place for Muslims: the main building of Al Aqsa Mosque (also called Mosque of Omar or al Masjid al Qibli), the Dome of the Rock, the Buraq Mosque, the Marwani Mosque and in the underground Aqsa (also called the Old Aqsa), in addition to the outdoor compound, “thereby emphasising that the entire Al Haram Al Sharif is a single and indivisible unit encompassing all that is above and below the ground”, according to the statement.
Prince Ghazi also chose the location where the King Abdullah II Waqf for the Integral Chair for the Study of Al Imam Al Ghazali’s Work — established in association with the Royal Aal al Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought (RABIIT) — will be set up: he selected the Golden Gate (Bab Sitna Maryam) as this is where Al Ghazali performed his famed retreat, and wrote his magnum opus ‘Ihya Ulum al-Din’ almost 900 years ago.
read more here: http://jordantimes.com/Prince+Ghazi%2C+Egypt+mufti+visit+Al+Aqsa++-47148
Palestinian leadership have welcomed the visit, saying it showed support for Jerusalem and its people in the face of Israel’s judaization attempts, others including the Islamic Jihad and Hamas criticized it, saying it was “normalization’ with the occupation. Gomaa’ himself, said the visit was personal and that he entered the West Bank through Jordan and Israel did not even stamp his passport.
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