ABSTRACT
As the hub of hagiographic events in all three Abrahamic faiths and the
contested ground for the establishment of religio-political authority in the Middle East, the city of Jerusalem has maintained a prominent symbolic
position in Islamic history from the time of Muhammad until today. Before
it was revealed to the Prophet to change the direction of prayer (qibla) to
Mecca, the early Muslim community, according to the Islamic tradition,
faced Jerusalem in the consecrated act of communal worship. Even though
Mecca replaced Jerusalem as the most revered location on earth, Jerusalem
nevertheless preserved its sanctity in Muslim thought and practice
throughout the centuries.2
