Jerusalem: 2nd-order sacred space

The introduction of Islam into the narrative of Jerusalem provides a new outlook that further emphasizes the significance of Jerusalem. Although the manner in which the Islamic faith views Jerusalem is considerably different than how the Jewish and Christian faith does. A sense of coveting is missing in Islam due to its positioning on their "holies sites" list. Jerusalem marks the third holiest place in accordance with Muhammad's night journey whereas in the other faiths its often seen as the holiest of holies. Instead of being denoted as the center of the world, Mecca was reserved such titles. This presents a distinction that can be explained through the history and understanding of the Islamic people. As God communicated with Muhammad, this is considered to be the sacred finally communicating with the "Arabs in their own language and had brought them into the community of true believers" (Armstrong, 217). This viewpoint is important because a sense of belonging was now applied to the experiences and past of these people. By the sacred connecting with a mortal, the idea that they are now individually recognized and valued essentially provided a objective sanctioned by the divine. The objective of "wholeness" would greatly be influenced by what was known and surrounding during the creation of Islam. These influences led to Muhammad feeling deeply attracted to the Ka'bah which would mean how Mecca "represented that lost paradise, which could be momentarily recovered by performing the traditional rites of this holy place" (Armstrong, 222). This would soon represent the center of the world for Islam as their history and attention was deeply rooted in this particular region. The proximity of Mecca to the Arabian people facilitated for Mecca to be considered a first-order holy place. Not only was it in the first-order but it was also the very top of it. So much so to the degree that "all subsequent holy places in the islamic world would derive their holiness from Mecca and can be seen as extensions of the central sanctity" (Armstrong, 223). It is now through this established precedent of holiness that Jerusalem is allotted as sacred in Islam. It's argued that Islam considers Jerusalem as a sacred space not because of its present value but instead for its historical one. Jerusalem serves as a place where many of the prophets recognized by the faith once resided and made efforts to advance the faith. Thus, Jerusalem is given value to the "Muslims' conviction of continuity and solidarity with the older faiths" (Armstrong, 224). Thus, I would argue that Jerusalem is a second-order sacred space due to it being a derivation from that of Mecca in the understanding of Islam.