Home » Mind & Soul » Islam in the U.S. » Jerusalem in the Islamic World

Jerusalem in the Islamic World

©

Jerusalem is the center of three monotheistic faiths; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. For the followers of these faiths, the Holy Land, or Al-Quds, holds deep historical and religious symbolism and significance continuing to attract the faithful from every corner of the globe as it has throughout the centuries. Jerusalem has also been the historical battleground for religious confrontations between followers of these three faiths.

For the adherents of Islam, Jerusalem is close to the hearts of millions of Muslims throughout the world because it contains the third holiest site in the Islamic world, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. The following is a brief summarization of the role of Jerusalem in the Islamic world.

Brief History

Islamic history in Palestine began under the peaceful Islamic rule of the second Khalifah Omar ibn al-Khattab in 638 AD. Islamic rule flourished in Palestine until in 1099 AD Palestine was lost to European Christendom during the Crusade Wars. For 88 years, Palestine was in the hands of the Crusaders. It was not until 1187 AD that the brave Salah-al-Din Al-Ayyubi recaptured Palestine and returned it to Islamic control where it remained under the flag of Islam for over seven centuries.

In 1917, Palestine came under British occupation. From 1923 until 1948, Jerusalem was the capital of mandated Palestine. From 1967 on, Jerusalem would come under Israeli occupation.

Significance of Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the third holiest site in the Islamic world after Mecca and Medina. Jerusalem carries deep religious symbolism for Muslims all around the world because of Bait-al-Maqudis. It is an area which consists of Al-Aqsa mosque (below) and the Dome of the Rock. The area known as Bait-al-Maqudis is significant to Muslims because it was the first Qibla or direction of prayer for Muslims until God ordered the direction of prayer to be changed instead toward the Kaaba in Mecca.

Bait-al-Maqudis is also the area from which Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in 620 AD ascended into the heavens, where he was given the command to pray 5 times a day. Before his ascension, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was taken from Mecca to Jerusalem on al-Buraq (a white winged horse) ``whose each stride stretched as far as the eye could see'. When they reached Jerusalem, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) led Abraham, Moses, Jesus and all the other prophets in prayer at Al-Aqsa mosque. The Dome of the Rock was built in 685 (finished in 691) to commemorate the Prophet’s ascension. Inside the Dome of the Rock, in the middle of the mosque, is the very rock from which Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) stood before he ascended to heaven. The Dome of the Rock was built by the Ummayad Khalif Abdul-Malek Ibn Marwan.