Lecture 15: Islamic Jerusalem

The Byzantine Era ended as the Sasarians take over Palestine and Jerusalem from 614 to 628 CE. Important to note is that this is the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire. Under their ruling, the Jews were allowed to resettle in Jerusalem for the first time since the end of the Second Revolt in 135 CE (that ended in their expulsion from the city by Roman Emperor Hadrian). Beginning in 615 CE, are Christian pogroms against the Jews in Jerusalem. Then, in 628 CE, Byzantine Emperor Heraclius retakes Jerusalem from the Sasarians and allows the mass massacres of Jews in Jerusalem.

Following our analysis of the end of Byzantine Jerusalem is a study on the Prophet Muhammad. It is known that he leaves no heir, so caliphs (delegates or representatives) are established to lead the Islamic community. The first three caliphs, Abu Baker (Muhammad's closest friend), Umar (Muhammad's companion), and Uthman, suceeded one after the other without much dispute. The first division of power in Islam is between Ali (Muhammad's son in law) and Mu'awiya (Uthman's cousin). Supporters of Ali wanted a kinship based caliphate, collectively known as the Shi'ites, while supports of Mu'awiya were mostly Arab and collectively known as the Sunnis.

Muslim Caliph Umar (the Second Caliph after Muhammad) takes Jerusalem in 638 CE. In a written agreement with the Christian community, he does not allow Jewish settlement; though, he later allowed Jews to move back into the city. Under Muslim rule, Jerusalem is still referred to as Aelia (from Hadrian). Early Islamic descriptions of the city usually entail "house of the Holy place" or "the Holy," as these inscriptions can be found minted on coins in 832 CE. Also, with the conversion of the city into a Muslim settlement, the Temple Mount was renamed the Haram-al-Sharif, which later became the home of the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque.

In Islamic traditions, the term qibla refers to the direction of prayer, while mihrab is a niche pointing to the direction of prayer. This is cited in Qur'an 2: 144, where it is said that one must "turn [his/her] face toward the Place of Worship." Initially, this qibla was believed to be Jerusalem (610 - 623 CE), but then was later shifted to the Kaaba in Mecca (around 622 CE).

The Kaaba is a granite cube shaped building in Mecca. It is believed that a black stone in the corner of the building dates back to the times of Adam and Eve. From this, it can be seen that many traditions that were once attributed to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, started to get transferred to the Kaaba in Mecca, at least under Islamic faith. In fact, for Muslims, the Mecca is the most holy place, followed by the Medina, and finally Jerusalem.

Though the Kaaba is one of the most sacred places for Islamic people, it used to house many Arabian Idols. It was a pagan shrine before Islam, but it is still a very sacred space. It is converted to a sacred space for Muslims when Muhammad throws away the idols and brings about the idea of monotheism (in much the same way as Hezekiah's and Josiah's reforms).

The five pillars of Islam are as follows:
Shahada: "Testimony" or "witness" that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is is messenger.
Salat: 5 Prayers per day
Zakat: almsgiving to the needy
Sawn: fasting in the month of Ramadan in which the Qu'ran was first revealed
Hajj: making a pilgrimage to the Mecca in one's lifetime

The Umayyad Dynasty in Jerusalem lasted from 638 to 750, though the rulers had their capital in Damascus. During this time, Abd al Malik builds the Dome of the Rock in 691 CE (though it was commissioned in 687 CE). The purpose of the Dome was to divert pilgrimage form Mecca to Jerusalem. Then Al Aqsa Mosque was built on the site of Umar's mosque during Caliph Walid's reign from 705 to 715 CE. Jerusalem during this period was considered to be a very tolerant city of both Christianity and Judaism. Further architectural modifications of the city took the form of Islamic Palaces and Administrative Centers near the Southwest end of the Temple Mount.

Interestingly, the Dome of the Rock, though an Islamic shrine, is actually built with a lot of architectural influence from Christianity, as the builders were prominently Christian. In fact, many architectural aspects of the Dome are comparable to Christian Churches, such as ones in Caesarea, the Holy Sepulcher, and the Kathisma Church. In 1099, the Crusaders converted the Dome to a Church. But, in 1187, Saladin converted the Dome back into a shrine. Inscribed on its walls, read a text claiming their first testimony: that there is no God other than Allah, which conflicts with Christianity and their views of Jesus as God's son.

Traditions often associated with the Dome include: Mt. Moriah, the Rock as the Holy of Holies, i was a stop on Muhammad's Miraj, under it lies the "Well of Souls" or the axis to Hell. Right beside the Dome is the Dome of the Chain, which is a much smaller structure believed to be the place of the Last Judgment.

Finally, we discussed the Al Asqa mosque, and how a prayer here is worth 500 prayers outside of Jerusalem. It is referred to as the "farthest mosque" and it was built above the "Stables of Solomon"