Jerusalem (Al-Quds) in Islam
Suggest editAl-Quds: The Blessed City
Jerusalem — known in Arabic as Al-Quds (The Holy) and Bayt al-Maqdis (The House of Sanctity) — holds a position of profound and irreplaceable significance in Islam. It is the third holiest city for Muslims after Makkah and Madinah, the site of the first qiblah, the destination of the Prophet's Night Journey (Isra wal-Miraj), and home to Al-Masjid al-Aqsa — the third of the three mosques to which travel is specifically recommended in the authenticated Sunnah. The Quran refers to its surroundings as blessed: "Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed." (Al-Isra 17:1).
Jerusalem is associated with dozens of prophets of Allah. Ibrahim (Abraham), Lut (Lot), Dawud (David), Sulayman (Solomon), Zakariyya (Zechariah), Yahya (John the Baptist), and 'Isa (Jesus) — peace be upon them all — lived, taught, and are buried in or around the city. This prophetic heritage makes the land sacred in Islamic consciousness not only by revelation but by the spiritual presence of Allah's chosen messengers across millennia.
Al-Masjid al-Aqsa and the First Qiblah
Al-Masjid al-Aqsa (the Farthest Mosque) is the mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. In early Islam, before the qiblah was changed to Makkah in the second year after the Hijrah, Muslims prayed facing Al-Masjid al-Aqsa. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Do not travel to visit any mosque except three: al-Masjid al-Haram, my mosque (al-Masjid an-Nabawi), and al-Masjid al-Aqsa." (Bukhari and Muslim). Prayer in Al-Masjid al-Aqsa carries a reward of five hundred prayers compared to other mosques, and one thousand prayers according to another narration.
The Dome of the Rock (Qubbat as-Sakhrah), built in 691 CE during the Umayyad caliphate on the Foundation Stone from which the Prophet (peace be upon him) is believed to have ascended during the Mi'raj, is often photographed as the symbol of Islamic Jerusalem. It is distinct from Al-Masjid al-Aqsa, though both are within the same sanctuary complex (al-Haram al-Sharif). The entire compound — the silver-domed mosque and the gold-domed Qubbat as-Sakhrah — constitutes what Muslims refer to as Al-Aqsa in the broader sense.
Al-Isra wal-Miraj: The Night Journey
The Night Journey (al-Isra wal-Miraj) is one of the most extraordinary events in prophetic history. In a single night, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was transported by Allah from Masjid al-Haram in Makkah to Al-Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem (the Isra), then ascended through the heavens (the Mi'raj) to meet with Allah. At Al-Aqsa, the Prophet led all the prior prophets in prayer — a singular honor that affirmed his station as the Seal of the Prophets and the leader of all messengers. During the ascension, the obligation of the five daily prayers was established. The event is affirmed in the Quran (Al-Isra 17:1 and An-Najm 53:1–18) and confirmed through multiple authenticated hadith narrations. It cemented Jerusalem's place not merely as a holy city but as a waypoint in the most sacred journey in human history.
Umar's Conquest and the Covenant of Protection
Jerusalem was conquered peacefully during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) in 15–16 AH (636–638 CE). The Patriarch Sophronius reportedly insisted on surrendering the city only to the Caliph personally, so Umar traveled from Madinah to receive the keys. He issued the Covenant of Umar (al-'Ahd al-'Umari) — a document guaranteeing the safety of the inhabitants, the protection of their churches and properties, and freedom of religious practice. When taken to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and offered the opportunity to pray inside, Umar declined, saying that if he prayed there Muslims might later claim it as a mosque. He prayed outside — an act of principled restraint celebrated by historians across religious traditions.
This covenant set the standard for Islamic governance of Jerusalem: protection of life, property, and places of worship for all inhabitants. The city remained under Muslim governance — with brief interruptions during the Crusades — for most of the period from 638 CE to the early twentieth century. For Muslims today, Al-Quds remains not a historical curiosity but a living concern: the protection and accessibility of Al-Masjid al-Aqsa is a matter of communal and religious obligation, and the city's status is deeply felt across the global Muslim community.