Theology Behind Holiness

If Jerusalem wasn’t complicated enough here comes a third religion. The three reasons for the rise of Islam the Karen Armstrong addresses is the dissatisfaction with other pagan religions, the desire for material wealth, and the need of a prophet for Arabs (Armstrong 218). Something unique about Islam is that Allah was considered the same God of Christian and Jews. Islam was a continuation of the old religions that had previously existed in Jerusalem. Islam did not “cancel out teaching of previous prophets” (Armstrong 221). However, it was thought that Mecca was the place of Muhammad's revelation not Jerusalem. Medina is where Muhammad later went to live, not Jerusalem. So how and why was Jerusalem Holy to Muslims?

Something that I think Armstrong does very well in the chapters about Jerusalem is focus on the history of Muslims moving to Jerusalem. However, I think she lacks addressing why Muslims felt that Jerusalem was holy to them. Armstrong makes a distinction between Judaism which advanced a distinction between sacred and profane (Armstrong 221). But, Muslims believed that there was not distinction between the sacred and profane because everything came from God (Armstrong 221). Being a “realistic” religion it still regarded three places on earth as the center of the world (Armstrong 221). The fact that there are three centers shows that the idea of a sacred place is conceptual and not a physical reality. Furthermore, Muslims began to incorporate Jerusalem in their worship. Once the Ka’bah was considered corrupted (Armstrong 222). The Ka’bah was contaminated with pagan idols instead, Muslims should face Jerusalem where Jewish and Christian people only worshiped one God (Armstrong 222). This was considered more holy. This later changed it but, it was one of the first ways Muslims regarded Jerusalem as Holy. Later Muslims would claim that Prophet Muhammad visited Jerusalem and it was at the Dome of the Rock where Muslims believe Muhammad ascended into heaven (Armstrong 224). 

These beliefs clearly give Muslims a theological claim to the Holy Land of Jerusalem. I said earlier that Armstrong did not address why Muslims felt that Jerusalem was Holy. What I mean by this is she does not discuss the theology behind Jerusalem holiness. It makes sense that in a new found religion, leaders would place a holy site where others have found interaction with God. Doing so makes the religion credible. My question is what came first Muslims claim to Jerusalem or the story of Muhammad ascending to heaven at the Dome of the Rock?