Quran
Hadith
Islamic Text
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah Most Merciful Most Kind
Short Answer
No, Masjid al-Aqsa is not a Haram. Although it is common for people to refer to Masjid al-Aqsa as a Haram, it is not correct.
Hadith
اللهُمَّ إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَرَّمَ مَكَّةَ فَجَعَلَهَا حَرَمًا، وَإِنِّي حَرَّمْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ حَرَامًا
The Prophet ﷺ said: O Allah, indeed Ibrahim declared Mecca a Haram (sacred) and made it a Haram. I declare Madinah a Haram. (Sahih Muslim, 1374 – 475).
No evidence
In the Hadith above we find proof for the Masjid in Mecca being a Haram. We also find evidence for the Masjid in Madinah. However, there is no evidence in this Hadith or elsewhere to consider Masjid al-Aqsa a Haram. It is not permitted to speak about matters of the religion without evidence.
وليس ببيت المقدس مكان يسمى حرمًا. (تحفة الراكع والساجد)
There is no place in Bayt al-Maqdis that is called a Haram. (Imam Abu Bakr bin Zayd, Tuhfatu al-Sajid).
In the Nass (text) above we find the negation of Masjid al-Aqsa being a Haram without much discussion. Imam Abu Bakr did not see a need for much discussion since there is no proof whatsoever to consider it a Haram. Even if allusive, and not direct, proof was available then the Imam would have been obliged to address it.
There is no evidence to consider Masjid al-Aqsa a Haram and it is not permitted to establish religious matters without evidence. Anyone calling or considering Masjid al-Aqsa a Haram would have to present clear evidence to substantiate it and it is not available. Thus, people must desist from making such claims.
Not only is it common for people to refer to Masjid al-Aqsa as a Haram. They often specify further and say it is the third Haram. This has led to this misconception becoming widespread. It is important for Muslims to understand that something being widespread does not make it a religious fact. There are many religious errors that are prevalent in our communities.
What is a Haram
A Haram is a place or area that has specific rulings. For example, it is not permitted to hunt in the Haram area in Makkah. The word Haram is often translated as sacred. This is because additional sanctity is applicable to a Haram area. Since it has additional prohibitions.
As for Masjid al-Aqsa it is not a Haram because there are no additional rulings applicable to it. Rather the standard rules of a Masjid are applicable. Nevertheless, it is considered superior or holier than other Masjids because it has received specific praise in Quran and Sunnah. Therefore, our reverence for Masjid al-Aqsa will be significantly greater than a standard Masjid.
Concluding remarks
Unfortunately, many Muslims hold to prevalent misconceptions, like Masjd al-Aqsa being a Haram, simply because they are prevalent. If you point out the error, they retort with, ‘But everyone says it. How could everyone be wrong?’ This manner of learning Islam is incredibly flawed and will inevitably lead to being misguided.
Rather, the religion is taken from Quran and Sunnah, not from ‘what people say.’ This is why it is important to ask people for proof when they speak about the religion of Allah (Most High). Without proof and reference to the classical scholars of Islam, anyone can make anything up and present it as religious fact.
Sadly, this is rife in our communities. Even so-called knowledgeable people repeat baseless statements because they are rarely asked to provide evidence. Thus, they have little motivation to verify what they are teaching. Usually, piety and adhering to the Sunnah would be sufficient motivation to verify. However, this has been lost in our time.
Many religious teachers will simply repeat what they heard from other religious teachers, believing this to be the correct methodology. They forget that the role of a religious teacher is to verify what they are teaching. They should not simply repeat what they hear. In such a case what is the difference between them and an unregulated Google search.
And Allah Most High Knows Best.
–Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (26.02.24)
