Everyone knows that Israel wants to rebuild the Temple of Solomon(A.S) but not many people know that there is another reason why Jews are eager to destroy Al-Aqsa and that is the Ark of the Covenant.
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| Ark of the Covenant(istock/thinkstock) |
Judaism and Islam are two of the three Abrahamic Religions. Where these two have differences in belief, they have many similarities as well. Jerusalem is of much importance to respective religions as many of the major Prophets of God were sent there. In Islam, Al-Aqsa Mosque situated in Jerusalem is the third holiest mosque for Muslims. Whereas, for Jews, Jerusalem was the capital of the Jewish kingdom.
Temple of Solomon(A.S)
Jews believe that the First Temple was built under the reign of Prophet Solomon(A.S) and the Temple was also called the Temple of Solomon. The main reason this Temple was built was to place the Ark of the Covenant inside it to honour the Ark. Ark of the Covenant remained in the Temple until 587 BC. The Babylonian attack destroyed the Temple and since then the Ark has been missing. However, the Temple was rebuilt in 516 BC on the same location where the First Temple was built. The Second Temple was also destroyed in 70 AD by the Roman Empire. The Jews since then believe that a Third Temple will be built at the same location where the first two Temples were built. But at that location, today, Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque are present. Even if the Al-Aqsa is destroyed today, Jews have a belief that the Temple cannot be built without the command from God so they are waiting for a Messiah who will direct them about the Third Temple. So, if the Temple cannot be built now then what exactly are Jews after. The answer is the Ark of the Covenant.
Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant is one of the greatest mysteries of human history. A golden chest box was built by the Israelites for carrying the tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written. It was placed in the Temple of Solomon(A.S) until 587 BC when Babylonians attacked and the Temple was destroyed. Since then Ark of the Covenant has been missing. The significance of the Ark to the Jews is the same as the Kaaba to the Muslims. The main reason the Temple of Solomon(A.S) was built was to place the Ark in it. Such significance of the Ark has driven Jews for thousands of years to look for it. There are many theories about the location of the Ark and one of them is that the Ark was never taken out of Jerusalem and it is still there beneath the Temple Mount. Although research is not allowed in Temple Mount, Jewish scholars believe that the Ark is somewhere underneath it and they believe that it rightfully belongs to them. Talking about the significance, the Ark of the Covenant is also mentioned in the Holy Quran(2:248).
And (further) their Prophet said to them: “A Sign of his authority is that there shall come to you the Ark of the covenant, with (an assurance) therein of security from your Lord, and the relics left by the family of Moses and the family of Aaron, carried by angels. In this is a symbol for you if ye indeed have faith”