Al-Quds (Jerusalem) — The Blessed Land
Suggest editIntroduction: The Blessed Land
Al-Quds (القدس) — Jerusalem — is one of the holiest cities in Islam, second only to Makkah and Madinah in spiritual significance. The name al-Quds means "the Holy" or "the Sanctified," reflecting its unique status in Islamic theology. It is described in the Quran as part of "the surrounding land which We have blessed" (17:1) and has been the site of Prophetic journeys, the direction of prayer, and the center of intense historical struggle for over fourteen centuries of Islamic history.
Quranic and Prophetic Significance
The most direct Quranic reference to Jerusalem is in Surah al-Isra: "Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs" (17:1). The Night Journey (Isra wal-Mi'raj) established al-Masjid al-Aqsa as the second mosque on earth — built, according to Islamic tradition, forty years after the Ka'bah — and connected it permanently to the sacred geography of Islam. During the early period of Islam in Makkah, Muslims prayed in the direction of Jerusalem (qibla). After the Hijrah, the qibla shifted to Makkah — a change that the Quran records with the assurance that Allah does not waste any act of the believers (2:143-144). The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not set out on a journey except to three mosques: al-Masjid al-Haram, my mosque, and al-Masjid al-Aqsa" (Bukhari, Muslim), establishing al-Aqsa as one of only three mosques worthy of special pilgrimage. Prayer in al-Masjid al-Aqsa carries a multiplied reward according to several narrations.
The Islamic Conquest and Early History
Jerusalem was peacefully surrendered to Umar ibn al-Khattab in 637 CE, approximately six years after the Prophet's death. The Patriarch Sophronius reportedly insisted on handing the keys personally to the Caliph — a reflection of Umar's reputation for justice even among non-Muslims. Umar refused to pray inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, concerned that Muslims might later claim it as a mosque — an act of religious magnanimity noted by historians across traditions. Under early Islamic rule, Jewish residents returned to the city (they had been expelled by the Byzantine Romans), and Christian and Jewish holy sites were protected. The Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan built the Dome of the Rock in 691 CE over the rock from which, according to Islamic tradition, the Prophet ﷺ ascended to heaven during the Mi'raj. The structure remains one of the most beautiful examples of early Islamic architecture in existence.
The Crusades and Saladin's Liberation
In 1099 CE, the Crusaders captured Jerusalem and carried out a massacre of its Muslim and Jewish inhabitants. The city remained under Crusader control for nearly a century. In 1187 CE, the Kurdish Muslim commander Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin) defeated the Crusader forces at the Battle of Hattin and liberated Jerusalem. His conduct upon entering the city was noted by friend and foe alike: there was no massacre, no plunder of churches, and the Christian population was permitted to leave safely. Saladin's liberation of al-Quds is remembered as one of the high points of Islamic statecraft — military victory combined with the magnanimity of a leader who understood that mercy was both religiously required and strategically superior.
Ottoman Rule and the Modern Period
Jerusalem passed to Ottoman rule under Sultan Selim I in 1517 and remained under the Ottoman caliphate until the British occupation of 1917. Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilt the walls of the Old City in the sixteenth century — the walls that still stand today. The British Mandate period (1920-1948) saw massive immigration and growing communal conflict that culminated in the events of 1948 and the establishment of the State of Israel. The eastern part of Jerusalem, including al-Masjid al-Aqsa and the Old City, was under Jordanian administration from 1948 until 1967, when Israel captured the city in the Six-Day War. The status of Jerusalem remains one of the most contested questions in contemporary international affairs. For Muslims worldwide, al-Quds is not merely a political symbol but a living expression of prophetic geography — a place tied to the Night Journey, to the Prophets Ibrahim, Dawud, Sulayman, and Isa ﷺ, and to the end of times narratives of Islamic eschatology.
Al-Aqsa and Islamic Responsibility
Al-Masjid al-Aqsa is not merely the Dome of the Rock — a common misconception. The al-Aqsa compound (al-Haram al-Sharif) covers approximately 35 acres in the Old City and includes the qibli mosque, the Dome of the Rock, minarets, courtyards, and numerous historic structures. The silver-domed qibli mosque at the southern end of the compound is where Muslims pray and is the structure most properly identified as "al-Masjid al-Aqsa." Islamic scholars across madhabs and generations have emphasized the religious obligation of Muslims to maintain their connection to al-Quds through prayer, knowledge, and support for those living there. The Prophet ﷺ's Night Journey ensures that al-Quds will always occupy a place of unique reverence in the Islamic consciousness.