The claim that #Jerusalem is Islam’s third-holiest city is based on a lie made-up by Muhammad.

Let me explain ...

Have you ever wondered why Muslims claim that Jerusalem is Islam’s third holiest city after Mecca and Medina. It seemed quite odd to me, since Muhammad never set foot in Jerusalem during his lifetime ...

According to the Hadith Muhammad did set foot in Jerusalem! He was magically transported riding the Buraq (a creature) first to Jerusalem and from there to Heaven to meet with Allah. In Heaven, Allah gave him the commandment to do the five daily prayers.

Sahih Muslim Volume 1, Book 1, Hadith 309- "I mounted it and came to the Temple [Bait Maqdis in Jerusalem], ..."

Did you get that?
Muhammad travelled from Mecca to Jerusalem and allegedly found the Temple where he prayed. The temple is called Bait al-Maqdisor Bait al-Muqqadas, a name that comes from the Hebrew Beit Ha-Mikdash, the original name of the Temple of Solomon.

If you know just a little bit of history, you know that we just caught Muhammad in a lie there! There was no Temple in Muhammad’s time. It was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD! And Muhammad, somehow, didn’t seem to have read the memo regarding this.

Even if we would believe that Muhammad took a trip on a flying donkey to Jerusalem, he would have found nothing there.

However, this story became canon, and everybody believed Muhammad.

So, when only 50 years later Muhammad’s successors Caliph Abd al-Malik and his successor Al-Walid conquered Jerusalem they found that this Temple of Solomon Muhammad spoke of wasn’t there at all !

What they did was then to construct their own version of a “Temple”—the shrine that we call the Dome of The Rock—in 687 AD. The Dome of The Rock was NOT a mosque. It was not even constructed like a mosque.

THE CLAIM THAT #Jerusalem IS #ISLAM 'S THIRD-HOLIEST CITY IS BASED ON A LIE MADE-UP BY MUHAMMAD.