By: Dr. Mohamed Eamara
In the Islamic perspective, Jerusalem is not just an occupied land or a usurped city; rather, it is, above all, an integral part of the Islamic creed, in addition to civilization and history. This is because it is a sacred sanctuary. The Quran connects it with the Ka’ba in Mecca when mentioning the miracle of the Night Journey and Ascension (Al-Isra and Al-Mi'raj): “Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to the farthest mosque in Jerusalem, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.” (Al-Isra: 1)
In religion and creed, Jerusalem is the first of the two qiblas (directions of prayer), the third of the holy sanctuaries, and its sanctity, along with that of Mecca and Medina, represents the three mosques to which Muslims travel for worshipping. The sacred bond with the Ka’ba in Mecca symbolizes the creed of the unity of the one divine religion when the final qibla, the Ka’ba in Mecca, is connected with the previous prophetic qibla, the sacred sanctuary in Jerusalem.
The sacred status of holy Jerusalem has been evident throughout history in the way Muslims treated it as a “sanctuary” where fighting is prohibited. The Medina sanctuary was opened through the Quran, and the Mecca sanctuary was conquered peacefully. Even the Prophet Muhammad, the Conqueror, peace be upon him, entered it on the day of the Great Conquest, prostrating in gratitude to Allah. The Muslims were keen on conquering the Jerusalem sanctuary peacefully and through treaties. The keys were handed over to the second rightful Caliph, Umar ibn Al-Khattab (40 BH–23 AH, 584–644 CE). Following this tradition, Salah ad-Din Al-Ayyubi (532–589 AH, 1137–1193 CE) reclaimed it from the Crusaders in 583 AH (1187 CE), after nearly ninety years under their control, violating its sanctity.
Throughout the history of conflict between the Crusaders of the West and the Islamic East, Jerusalem has been a symbol of this conflict and a gateway to victories. The poet Al-Imad Al-Katib (519–597 AH, 1125–1201 CE) captured this strategic reality of the conflict when he addressed Salah ad-Din Al-Ayyubi in his poetry, telling him that he incited his passion for Jerusalem and that if he conquered it, which will indeed happen by Allah’s will, then all the Sham (the Levant) is guaranteed.
When Muslims liberated Jerusalem in the year 15 AH (636 CE) from Roman colonization that had lasted for ten centuries, they were keen to name it in a way that reflected its sanctity and holiness. Thus, they called it “Al-Quds,” “Al-Quds Ash-Sharif,” and “Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Ash-Sharif,” which all mean the holy sanctuary. In accordance with their Islamic principles, which uniquely recognize and respect the beliefs and sanctities of others, Muslims did not limit its sacredness to Islam but made it a sacred and holy sanctuary for all followers of divine religions.
Islamic authority served as a guarantee for the interests of everyone, not monopolizing it for Islam alone, unlike the Romans, who monopolized it for their paganism when they were polytheists and for their Christianity when they became Christians. Similarly, during the Catholic Crusader occupation, that monopolized it, and currently, it is being Judaized and monopolized by the Jews.
The Islamic creed, known for its unique recognition and protection of the beliefs and sanctities of others, originated from the commitment of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to protect the Christians of Najran and their sanctities during his covenant with them in the year 10 AH (631 CE).
“I am to protect them and keep harm away from them, their churches, their businesses, their places of worship, the residences of their monks, and the spots where their tourists gather, wherever they may be. I am to safeguard their religion and their people, wherever they may be, using what I safeguard for myself and the followers of my religion.” (1)
Hence, Islam and Muslims spread the sanctity of Jerusalem among all other sanctities.
The Western Christian and Jewish myths served as a pretext for invading and monopolizing Jerusalem through heinous massacres and atrocities.
The myths of Crusader extremism motivated Pope Urban II (1088–1099 CE) to cloak colonial aspirations in theological myths. In a speech to European feudal lords in the city of Clermont in southern France in 1095 CE, his opening told the tales of the two centuries of the Crusades (489–690 AH, 1096–1291 CE) against Islam, its people, and its civilization, stating:
“O you who were robbers, be soldiers today! The time has come for you to transform the weapons that you have been using against each other into weapons against Islam. The holy war we are initiating now is in the right of God Himself, and it is not for the acquisition of one city; rather, it is for the territories of all of Asia, with all its wealth and immeasurable treasures.”
“Take the pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulcher and liberate the sacred lands from the hands of the usurpers, as you possess them for yourselves. According to the words of the Torah, this land flows with milk and honey. And the city of Jerusalem is the pole of the mentioned land and the similar fertile places, a heavenly paradise.”
“Go and fight the barbarians—meaning the Muslims—to free the holy lands from their control. March armed with the sword of the keys of St. Peter's—meaning the keys to paradise made by the Pope—and acquire with them eternal heavenly rewards for yourselves. If you triumph over your enemies, the Eastern kingdom will be yours as your share and inheritance.”
“And now, at this moment, you pretend to be innocent of the numerous rapes you committed as aggression. You stained your hands with blood unjustly, so wash them with the blood of the non-believers!” (2)
When the Crusader armies then invaded Jerusalem [492 AH/1099 CE], they massacred all the Muslims in the city, along with the Jews, through killing, slaughter, and burning. Even those who sought refuge in the Mosque of Umar—the Dome of the Rock—were slaughtered by the Crusaders inside the mosque. The mosque turned into a sea of blood! In the words of a participant in the Crusades:
“The Crusaders, both cavalry and infantry, entered the mentioned mosque and slaughtered everyone present there with the sword. The mosque absorbed so much blood that it formed a wavy sea, rising up to the ankles or even to the horses' bridles."
“And when evening fell, the Crusaders burst into laughter to the point of tears after consuming the wine of the season! They went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, placed their blood-drenched hands on its walls, and recited prayers! Then they wrote to the Pope, saying, 'Oh, how we wish you were with us to witness our horses swimming in the blood of the infidels, meaning the Muslims!'” (3)
Even senior religious figures participated in the massacre to draw near to their Lord by slaughtering Muslims! The German orientalist Dr. Sigrid Hunke [1913–1999] quoted the European historian Michael Dreyer as follows:
“How the Patriarch himself marched through the alleys of Jerusalem, his sword dripping with blood, reaping anyone in his path. He did not stop until he reached the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the tomb of Christ. There, he washed his hands to rid them of the blood, reciting the following psalm: The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that men will say, 'Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth.' - [Psalm 58:10–11]. Then he proceeded to perform the Mass, saying that he had never brought a greater sacrifice to the Lord in his life to please Him.” (4)
Thus began the Western Christian myths about Jerusalem, and this is how the Crusaders implemented and practiced them.
These Western Christian myths motivated Christopher Columbus [1451–1506] after the defeat of the Crusades in the East and following the success of the Crusaders in capturing Granada in January 1492. Columbus sought to seek a new crusade to reclaim Jerusalem from Islam and Muslims. He wrote to the monarchs of Spain, Ferdinand [1479-1516] and Isabella [1474-1504], saying:
“His goal is to find gold in large quantities so that the two monarchs can open the Holy Lands within three years... I have declared to Your Highnesses that all the spoils my project brings will be spent on the conquest of Jerusalem. You both smiled, Your Majesties, and said that this pleases you.” (5)
In another letter, Columbus spoke to the monarchs of Spain that the purpose of his life, projects, and voyages, was to prepare for a Crusade to reclaim Jerusalem for the Catholic Church. He said:
“I spent seven years discussing this matter at your court with many men, and for this reason, we must believe that the matter of launching a crusade to reclaim the city of Jerusalem will indeed be achieved. Jesus Christ the Savior has spoken about it, and it has been mentioned in the letters of the saints...
Cardinal Pierre has mentioned a lot about the end of the Muslims, and Father Joachim Fiore has stated that the person who will rebuild the Holy Shrine for Christ on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will come from Spain... so be confident of achieving victory in the matter of reclaiming the Holy Shrine and the city of Jerusalem for the Catholic Church!” (6)
Those are the Western Christian myths about Jerusalem as believed by Christopher Columbus, which are still taught to our children in schools as one of the great geographic explorers!
Protestantism introduced (the Jewish dimension) into these myths, which were the driving force behind seizing Jerusalem and Palestine, when Martin Luther [1483–1546] issued his book “Jesus Was a Jew” in 1523, where he stated:
“The Holy Spirit has revealed all the books of the Holy Scriptures through the Jews alone. The Jews are the children of God, and we are guests and strangers. Therefore, we must be content to be like dogs that eat from the crumbs that fall from their masters' tables." (7)
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(1) Pages 123-124 - conformed by Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah Al-Haidar Abadi - Cairo Edition, 1956.
(2) Maximus Monroond [History of the Advanced Wars in Thievery, Known as the Crusade War] - Volume I, Pages 12-14 - Translated by Maximus Mazloum - Jerusalem Edition, 1815.
(3) Same source as above - Volume I, Pages 172-175.
(4) Sigrid Hunke [Allah is Not Like That] - Pages 25-34 - Translated by Dr. Ghareeb Mohamed Ghareeb - Dar Al-Shorouk Edition, Cairo, 1995.
(5) Al-Ahram Newspaper on April 28, 2004 - Article titled “First Israel, Last America” by Ahmed Abdel Maati Hegazy.
(6) Dr. Hatem Al-Tahawy [Nara Document: After Granada, Jerusalem's Turn Came] - Al-Arabi Magazine, Kuwait, Issue 532, March 2003, Pages 62-67.
(7) Mohamed Al-Samak [Evangelical Fundamentalism or Christian Zionism and the American Position] - Page 36 - Center for Islamic World Studies Edition, Malta, 1991.
Source: “Al-Azhar Magazine,” April 12, 2015.
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