Location of Al-Aqsa Mosque: Imamiyyah Hadith Heritage

Document Type : Scientific research

Authors

1 PhD student in Qur’anic Sciences and Hadith Studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad.

2 PhD student in Qur’anic Sciences and Hadith Studies; Level Three Scholar at the Seminary.

3 Graduate of Level Four of the Seminary, Head of Hadith Research Group at the Hazrat Vali Asr Specialized Center.

Abstract

This article, by examining the Imamiyyah tradition, shows that the narrations related to Al-Aqsa Mosque fluctuate between two readings: heavenly and earthly. Documentary and source analysis indicate that the earthly readings have the upper hand in terms of reliability and rootedness in the solid Imamiyyah tradition. On the other hand, the narrations that deny the earthly nature of Al-Aqsa Mosque face challenges. Based on this assessment, the idea of ​​some orientalists based on the absolute heavenly concept in Imamiyyah thought lacks introspective validity. Finally, relying on the nonlinear structure of the Prophet's Ascension, the authors call Al-Aqsa Mosque a midway station in the Prophet's journey; an understanding that is rooted in both Imamiyyah texts and Sunni tradition finds clear confirmation. This summary provides an opportunity for both groups of narrations - heavenly and earthly - to gain meaning and regain their place in a single system.

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References

Die Himmelsreise Muhammeds, Schrieke, Bernhard, 1916, 6.
Jerusalem and Its Role in Islamic Solidarity, Reiter, Yitzhak, Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
Muhammad’s Night Journey (Isra’) to al-Masjid al-Aqsa: Aspects of the Earliest Origins of the Islamic Sanctity of Jerusalem, Rubin, Uri, 2008.
MUḤAMMED’S CLANDESTINE ’UMRA IN THE ḎU ’L-QA’DA 8 A.H., Horovitz, Josef, 1919.
Narrating Muhammad’s Night Journey: Tracing the Development of the Ibn ‘Abbas Ascension Discourse, Colby, Frederick S., State University of New York Press, 2008.
Ulum-i Hadith
Volume 31, Issue 3 - Serial Number 121
September 2026
Pages 116-141

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History

  • Receive Date: 06 October 2025
  • Revise Date: 27 April 2026
  • Accept Date: 28 April 2026

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