by MEMRI
In a recent TV interview, Egyptian novelist and scholar Youssef Ziedan said that the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Palestine is not the Al-Aqsa Mosque referred to in the Quran. Citing ancient scholars, Ziedan said that the Al-Haram Mosque and Al-Aqsa Mosque were "on the road from Mecca to Ta'if." "Neither we nor the [Jews] have anything to do with it," he said. "It's all politics."
Following are excerpts
from the interview, which aired on the Egyptian CBC TV channel on December 3,
2015.
TV host: "Recent statements, attributed to Ziedan, about the Prophet
Muhammad's nocturnal journey [isra], and his ascent to the heavens [mi'raj],
caused an uproar in Egyptian religious circles and society."
Excerpts from a video of
Youssef Ziedan
Youssef Ziedan: "Regarding the concepts of the isra and
the mi'raj – the isra is mentioned in the
Quran, but its meaning is different than commonly thought. The mi'raj,
however, is not mentioned there. I don't know where they got it from.
"He also said that the Al-Aqsa Mosque in
Palestine has nothing to do with the Al-Aqsa referred to in the Quran.
Therefore, it is not the first direction of prayer for Muslims."
[…]
Interviewer: "Are you telling me that Jerusalem [Al-Quds] is not our
holy city?
Youssef Ziedan: "Hamiqdash ['the temple'] is a Hebrew
word. This is a Hebrew concept. The Christian [name of Jerusalem] is 'Aelia.'
The Al-Aqsa Mosque, in my view, is not the one [in Jerusalem]. It cannot be.
[…]
"Our ancient religious scholars –
Al-Waqidi, Al-Tabari, and many others – said that the Al-Aqsa Mosque... They
said that the Prophet Muhammad, after being harassed by Quraysh [in Mecca],
went to the city of Tai'f. On the road to Ta'if, there were two mosques:
Al-Adna Mosque ['the nearest'] and Al-Aqsa Mosque ['the farthest']. The Quranic
verse [17:1] talks about the Prophet's state of mind. He was confused, just
like the prophet Abraham who said: 'My Lord, show me yourself that I may look
at You'... Sorry, it was Moses. It happened to Abraham as well. Many prophets
went through such confusion. The verse says: 'Exalted is He who took His
Servant by night from the Al-Haram Mosque to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the surroundings
of which We have blessed.' At that time there was no prayers yet. So it was a
place of worship. The place was well known. Otherwise, its location would have
been specified. Therefore, Al-Waqidi and others said that these two mosques
were on the road from Mecca to Ta'if."
Interviewer: "You mean the Al-Haram Mosque and the Al-Aqsa Mosque?"
Youssef Ziedan: "Yes. The Al-Aqsa Mosque [in Jerusalem] did not exist back
then, and the city was not called 'Al-Quds.' It was called Aelia, and it had no
mosques."
[…]
Interviewer: "Do you mean that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is not sacred to
Muslims or Christians?"
Youssef Ziedan: "The Al-Aqsa Mosque represents a political game by [Caliph]
Abd Al-Malik ibn Marwan."
Interviewer: "So there is no justification for the war [over Jerusalem],
and we should just leave Al-Aqsa, which has nothing to do with us?"
Youssef Ziedan: "Neither we nor the [Jews] have anything to do with it.
That's what I'm saying. People should think about this."
Interviewer: "Where would that lead us?"
Youssef Ziedan: "To peace."
[…]
Interviewer: "So you're saying that [Jerusalem] is not sacred either for
the Muslims or for the Jews..."
Youssef Ziedan: "It's all politics."
Interviewer: "So this is a political conflict, and the dream of liberating
[Al-Aqsa], and slogans like 'millions of martyrs are marching to Jerusalem,'
are nothing but nonsense, as is the war led by the Jews for their temple and so
on?
Youssef Ziedan: "They are also lying."
[…]
MEMRI
Source: http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/5201.htm
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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