The Successor to the Prophets?
Through the course of the history of Abrahamic faiths, there have been many prophets who have inspired the world with religious fervor. These are Abraham, Moses, Samuel, the prophets during the first and second Temple periods, Jesus, and arguably the early church fathers of Christianity. The Muslims believe that Muhammad Ibn Abdallah was the last and greatest of the prophets. They believe that God inspired Muhammad to show the world the "true" religion. The book Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths, by Karen Armstrong, describes Islam's rise to power in the Middle East as both a religious and political entity and its effects on Jerusalem.
I will focus mainly on how Jerusalem was important to the Muslims, and the reasoning behind their policies towards their fellow Abrahamic faiths, as well as what I think on these things. The main reason why Jerusalem is one of the holiest cities in Islam is that Muslims believe that Muhammad was taken on a night journey to Jerusalem. (Surah 17) In that night journey, it is said that Muhammad prayed with all the great Abrahamic prophets. Thus, Jerusalem became a holy city for the third of the Abrahamic religions. The Muslims conquered Jerusalem in the mid-600's AD and began constructing holy sites in the city, most notably, the dome of the rock. The Muslims were, in principle, more kind to the other "people of the book" than the other two faiths were. However, that is not the case. Like the other two Abrahamic faiths before it, most of the Muslim rulers that followed did not practice what Muhammad preached regarding tolerance.
It is true, however, that the Muslims were considerably more benevolent towards those of other monotheistic faiths than the Christians were during the crusades. However, even they have their breaking points, such as when Al-Hakkim conquered Jerusalem and destroyed Jewish and Christian holy sites. However, I would argue that the Muslim conquests were, overall, one of the many reasons for religious tolerance in Jerusalem. Under Jewish leadership after the Babylonian exile, worshipping any gods other than YHWH was not tolerated, and any defilement of the Temple was met with unrest and often violence. Under Christian leadership, the city completely dominated by Christianity, with any other form of worship being heavily discouraged. However, for brief moments under Muslim leadership, Jerusalem became a center of religious tolerance. This is clearly seen in Saladin's conquest of Jerusalem before the third crusade. When he had taken the city, Saladin had it cleansed not with blood, as was the custom, but with rosewater. In my opinion, it is because of the precedent set under the Muslims that Jerusalem became a somewhat tolerant city. The Jews accepted tolerance when they lost the Temple and came to terms with the fact that they were never going to have a Jewish nation for the foreseeable future. The Christians accepted tolerance after the wars of religion left Christendom tired of pointless fighting. The tolerance in Jerusalem now is uneasy at best, but any tolerance at all would not have happened if Muhammad hadn't told his people to respect the Jews and Christians.
I will focus mainly on how Jerusalem was important to the Muslims, and the reasoning behind their policies towards their fellow Abrahamic faiths, as well as what I think on these things. The main reason why Jerusalem is one of the holiest cities in Islam is that Muslims believe that Muhammad was taken on a night journey to Jerusalem. (Surah 17) In that night journey, it is said that Muhammad prayed with all the great Abrahamic prophets. Thus, Jerusalem became a holy city for the third of the Abrahamic religions. The Muslims conquered Jerusalem in the mid-600's AD and began constructing holy sites in the city, most notably, the dome of the rock. The Muslims were, in principle, more kind to the other "people of the book" than the other two faiths were. However, that is not the case. Like the other two Abrahamic faiths before it, most of the Muslim rulers that followed did not practice what Muhammad preached regarding tolerance.
It is true, however, that the Muslims were considerably more benevolent towards those of other monotheistic faiths than the Christians were during the crusades. However, even they have their breaking points, such as when Al-Hakkim conquered Jerusalem and destroyed Jewish and Christian holy sites. However, I would argue that the Muslim conquests were, overall, one of the many reasons for religious tolerance in Jerusalem. Under Jewish leadership after the Babylonian exile, worshipping any gods other than YHWH was not tolerated, and any defilement of the Temple was met with unrest and often violence. Under Christian leadership, the city completely dominated by Christianity, with any other form of worship being heavily discouraged. However, for brief moments under Muslim leadership, Jerusalem became a center of religious tolerance. This is clearly seen in Saladin's conquest of Jerusalem before the third crusade. When he had taken the city, Saladin had it cleansed not with blood, as was the custom, but with rosewater. In my opinion, it is because of the precedent set under the Muslims that Jerusalem became a somewhat tolerant city. The Jews accepted tolerance when they lost the Temple and came to terms with the fact that they were never going to have a Jewish nation for the foreseeable future. The Christians accepted tolerance after the wars of religion left Christendom tired of pointless fighting. The tolerance in Jerusalem now is uneasy at best, but any tolerance at all would not have happened if Muhammad hadn't told his people to respect the Jews and Christians.
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