You historical narrative is incomplete. The temple that Jews refer to last stood in 70AD when the Romans destroyed it. Previous to that, the spot had been the center of Jewish spiritual expression for close to a millenia.
Yes, it was a dump when Caliph Omar extended Islamic rule to that spot. But you insult his memory greatly if you say that he was unaware of the historical and spiritual significance of the site.
I`m not sure what you mean when you say "Throughout the period from 636 to 1918, there was no reference to a temple in any historical document". There are endless literary references to the temple in Jerusalem, and, as previously mentioned, the period in which the temple stood preceeded Islam altogether. |
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