Which Prophet is associated with the building of Bayt al-Maqdis (Al-Aqsa)?

Answer Details

Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) is the prophet associated with the building of Bayt al-Maqdis (the sacred house in Jerusalem, also known as Al-Aqsa or the Temple). A well-known hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim reports that the Ka'bah was built first, and Bayt al-Maqdis was built forty years later. Islamic tradition credits Sulaiman with this construction, continuing the work that his father Dawud (David) had envisioned.

Sulaiman was uniquely equipped for this task because Allah granted him command over the jinn, humans, birds, and the wind, as described in Surah An-Naml (27:17) and Surah Saba (34:12-13). The jinn performed construction and other heavy labour at his command.

While Dawud is also connected to Jerusalem and laid the groundwork, the actual construction of the sacred structure is attributed to Sulaiman. Musa and Isa, though significant prophets in their own right, are not associated with this particular construction in Islamic sources.