For Muslims, the importance of Palestine and especially Jerusalem lies in many things.
Firstly, we believe that Masjid al-Aqsa was the second place of worship ever built on Earth, after Masjid al-Haraam in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and was the first qiblah (direction in which Muslims face to pray) before the qiblah was changed to the Ka’bah during the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It is also recorded in the Ahadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) that there were 40 years between the times of their establishment.
A point of confusion amongst many is the Dome of the Rock, which is the big golden dome that is shown on TVs whenever something on Palestine is being aired. Let me make it clear that the Dome of the Rock is not Masjid al-Aqsa. It is separate. However, it IS considered to be part of the Haram al-Sharif, the Holy Sanctuary, which encompasses the entire plateau in which the Masjid and the Dome are built on.
Muslims believe that the Noble Rock (over which the Dome is built) was the rock upon which the Prophet King Solomon stood to command the jinn (genies, in English), whom God gave special power over.
Another reason that Muslims hold al-Haram al-Sharif in high regard is that it was the destination of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, during the Israa’, the miraculous night journey from the Masjid in Makkah to Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.
The story is as follows:
One night, while the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was in a state between sleep and waking, the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel in English) descended with two other Angels, bearing a golden tray with two bowls. While the Prophet (peace be upon him) lay on the ground, Jibreel cut his chest open, removed the Prophet’s heart, bathed it in Zamzam water (the special, pure water that God made available for Hajar, the mother of Ismail, peace be upon them both) and filled his heart with Belief and Wisdom. Then, Jibreel put the Prophet’s heart back in place, and sewed his chest up again. This is one of the miracles of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
After the purification of the Prophet’s heart, a creature was brought by one of the angels and presented to Muhammad (peace be upon him). This animal was called al-Buraaq, which was bigger than a donkey and smaller than a mule, and a pure, blinding white. The Buraaq’s step reached the farthest point of what it could see, which meant that it could traverse amazing distances within a very short period of time. Also, the Buraaq was the steed of every Prophet of God, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the last one to ever ride it.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) mounted al-Buraaq, and at Jibreel’s command, they were swiftly taken from Makkah to Jerusalem. There, he tied the reins of al-Buraaq to an iron ring on the wall of Masjid al-Aqsa, the same iron ring where the Prophets before him had also tied the Buraaq. Then, he entered the Masjid. What awaited him was an amazing, never-before-or-after seen sight: that of all the Prophets of God assembled in the Masjid, prostrating in prayer to God. In humbleness, Muhammad (peace be upon him), too, offered a short prayer.
Shortly after, the two calls to prayer (Adhaan and Iqaamah) were called, and all the Prophets assembled in orderly rows. Muhammad stood with them, too, waiting for someone to lead the prayer, whereupon Jibreel took his hand and led him to the front, thereby indicating that he was to lead the prayer. He did so.
This is the story of the Israa’, the Night Journey from Makkah to Jerusalem. The Mi’raaj, the Ascension to the Heavens, occurred on the same night; however, I shall not go into that, as it has no direct bearing on this project. When Muhammad (peace be upon him) returned to Makkah, he related his story to the Quraysh, the pagans of Makkah, who did not believe him. They scorned him, they mocked him, they declared him insane. But, when they asked Muhammad to prove that he really did go to Jerusalem (a journey which for them, by caravan, took a very, very long time), Muhammad described perfectly the Masjid, and the Quraysh were left speechless, because they knew that he was telling the truth.
This, then, is one of the reasons that Jerusalem is held in such high esteem by the Muslims. The Israa’ was one of the miracles of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and it was from Jerusalem that the Prophet embarked on another miraculous journey (the Mi’raaj), this time up to the Heavens, where he again met the Prophets and greeted them as their brother and fellow Prophet.
In short, Muslims consider Jerusalem a sacred city and hold it in the highest respect due to its association with God’s Prophets, all of whom we accept wholeheartedly, from Adam to Noah, Moses to Jesus, and Muhammad (peace be upon them all). God blessed this land and its people by continually sending them guidance, Prophets and their Divine Books, to spread the message of Tawheed (Oneness of God), and even though the inhabitants of the city often went astray or turned back to disbelief, God continued to shower His Mercy on them. Later on, after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Jerusalem was conquered by the second Khalifah (successor of the Prophet) ‘Umar, which was remarkable in that it was a totally bloodless victory. The Christian Patriarch Sophronius surrendered the keys to ‘Umar, whose first action upon entering the sacred city was to give thanks to God. A mosque was later erected in the very spot where ‘Umar prayed. It should be noted that throughout history, whenever the Muslims ruled Jerusalem, it flourished into one of the most tolerant and advanced centres of learning in the world (at the time). People – whether they were Christians, Jews, or Muslims – flocked to Jerusalem, to visit sacred sites and absorb the knowledge that was being discovered, taught, and learnt.
In this way, Islam and Muslims have a greater claim to Jerusalem than the Jews and Christians. Unlike them, we believe in all the Prophets and their universal message of Tawheed, the Oneness of God and His Right of worship from the people. You see, Islam did not come as something completely alien, completely foreign to other monotheistic religions, those called the Abrahamic faiths. Islam is the final sucessor of the message that Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), 'Eesa (Jesus) and every other Prophet of God. The Message of Islam is the Message of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, in its pure and final form.
Thus, we claim Jerusalem not only for ourselves, but for everyone. It has been done before, and it will be done again, insha'Allah (God willing).
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