The Holy Land, Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Qur’an, Sunnah and other Islamic Literary Sources
By Mustafa Abu Sway
Paper given at Children of Abraham: Trialogue of Civilizations (2007)
Introduction: Coming from the same divine source as previous revelations, Islam embodies many things that are common to them such as the special status that the Holy Land and Jerusalem enjoy.
Islam recognizes the fact that the Holy Land is sacred to the People of the Book. When Muslims say that the Holy Land is the “Land of the Prophets”, certainly the prophets of the Children of Israel are included and constitute a continuum in the line of prophecy, which culminated with Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon them all). Almost every prophet lived in the Holy Land, or had a special relationship with it, including those who were born elsewhere. An example of the latter is Prophet Abraham, the prototype iconoclast. After he destroyed and mocked the idols of his people, they planned violence against him, but he was destined to go to the Holy Land. The following verse uses inclusive language to reflect the nature of Abraham’s new home:
But We delivered him and [his nephew] Lot [and directed them] to the
land which We have blessed for the nations. Qur’an, 21: 71
An example of a prophet who had a special relationship with the Holy Land and Jerusalem in particular is that of Prophet Muhammad. The Qur’an stated in the chapter of the “Children of Israel” (Banu Israel), or the “Journey at Night” (Al-Isra’), that he was taken in a night journey miraculously from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa):
Glory be to (Allah) Who did take His Servant for a journey by night from
the Sacred Mosque [Al-Masjid Al-Haram] to the Farthest Mosque [Al-
Masjid Al-Aqsa] whose precincts We did bless, in order that We might
show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One who hears and sees [all
things]. Qur’an, 17:1
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