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Is Jerusalem a Sacred Islamic City?

(Jerusalem Post) Imam Tawhidi - There is a big difference between a city being sacred in the eyes of God and it being a sacred Islamic city. For example, all prophetic tombs, birthplaces and areas where miracles took place are considered sacred in Islam, but they are not specifically Islamic locations. A sacred Islamic location is a location where a significant Islamic event has taken place by either Allah or Prophet Mohammad. The Holy Koran states very clearly that the Holy Land, Jerusalem, belongs to the Jewish nation of Moses, the Israelites. Koran 5:20 makes it clear that God "had not given (this land to) anyone among the world" other than the Jewish nation. From this verse, and others of similar context, we understand that Jerusalem is a sacred city according to God, but it is not a sacred Islamic city, due to the fact that its sacredness was established before the existence of Islam. Koran 17:1 reported on the Prophet Mohammad's night journey to Al-Aqsa Mosque (the Farthest Mosque). First, Prophet Mohammad traveling to a location does not make that location "Islamic." Second, there is little evidence that "Al-Aqsa Mosque" is actually in Jerusalem, and there are a large number of Muslims who believe that "the Farthest Mosque" is a reference to a mosque in the heavens, due to the fact that the current Al-Aqsa Mosque did not exist during the lifetime of Prophet Mohammad, making it impossible for him to have visited it. The writer, an Iranian-born Australian Shia Muslim Imam, is president of the Islamic Association of South Australia.
2019-01-25 00:00:00
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