The histories of Islam’s Ka'ba and Judaism’s Temple in Jerusalem have inspired millions of monotheists throughout the ages. Focusing on the peaceful synergy between these sacred sites can motivate believers to work towards miracles of peace.

Buildings come and go, but when Allah designates a site as holy, it remains sanctified forever. Unlike polytheists who venerated various natural objects—trees, mountains, rivers—monotheistic traditions have a distinct approach. While some polytheistic worshippers built structures near their sacred sites, many did not.

For the monotheistic descendants of Ishmael and Isaac, the story is different. Abraham and his sons were commanded to visit sacred sites (consecrated since Adam's time) to perform special acts of devotion. For Prophet Abraham and Prophet Ishmael, this involved the joint construction and reconstruction of the Ka'ba in Mecca.

For Abraham and Isaac, a generation later, it was a sacred journey to a holy place where they were tested by God, a test which would forever connect two ancient, primordial sanctuaries to future global religious communities. Allah’s plan was for these two holy sites to serve as twin pillars of spiritual strength for the world's believers.

Abu Dhar narrated: "I said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Which mosque was first built on the surface of the earth?' He said, 'Al-Masjid-ul-Haram (in Mecca).' I said, 'Which was built next?' He replied, 'The mosque of Al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem).' I said, 'What was the period of construction between the two?' He said, 'Forty years.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari: Vol. 4, Book 55, Hadith #585)

The Rabbinic Midrash Pesiqta Rabbati relates a similar reverence: “So the Lord remembered Hannah (1 Samuel 2:21)… David went immediately. As written, David, according to the saying of Prophet Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. Araunah (the landowner) looked and saw the king and his servants approaching; Araunah went out, and bowed before the king, his face upon the ground (2 Samuel 24:19–20).

“There, where Araunah bowed down, Prophet David discovered the altar where Prophets Adam, Noah, and Abraham had offered sacrifices. As soon as David found the place, he began measuring it, saying: from here to there will be the Temple Court, from here to there will be the Holy of Holies. 'Then David said, This is the House of the Lord God (1 Chronicles 22:1). From which point were the measurements made? [From]: 'This is the (rock) altar of burnt offerings’” (ibid.).

In the centuries following Prophet Ishmael’s death, the Ka'ba in Mecca became filled with idols. Simultaneously, the descendants of Prophet Jacob were living in Egypt, far from Jerusalem. When Prophets Moses and Aaron led the Jewish people out of bondage in Egypt, God instructed Moses to build the Tent of Meeting—the Tabernacle, which is mentioned nearly 130 times in the Hebrew Bible: "Then have them (the Jewish people) make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell (Shekinah) among them." (Exodus 25:8)

A precursor to the Temple in Jerusalem, the Tabernacle was a portable place of worship for the Israelites. It was where God met with Prophet Moses and Prophet Aaron to reveal His will. When the Israelites camped in the desert, the Tabernacle was placed at the center of the camp, with the twelve tribes encamped around it and the Shekinah within it.

The entire compound of the Tabernacle would cover nearly half the area of a football field. Inside the Tent of Meeting was the Ark, which contained the Covenant. The outer cloth walls of the Tabernacle were similar to the cloth that enwraps the Ka'ba.

The Holy Qur'an states, "And their Prophet said to them: 'A sign of his authority is that there shall come to you the Ark (Tabut), and in it Sakina, with a Covenant therein of security from your Lord, and relics left by the family of Moses and the family of Aaron, carried by angels. In this is a symbol for you if you indeed have faith" (Qur'an 2:248).

The Ark, referred to as 'Tabut' and the Covenant as 'Sakina,' i.e., Tabut Sakina (Ark of the Covenant) in Qur’an 2:248, represents the tranquility of God’s presence in the Qur’an (9:26, 48:26).

God communicated with Moses "from between the two cherubim" on the Ark's sides. "You shall put the mercy seat cover on top of the Ark, and in the Ark you shall put the testimony (inscribed tablets) which I will give to you. There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat cover, from between the two cherubim on the Ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all the commandments I shall give you for the Israelites." (Exodus 25:21-22)

The Ark of the Covenant (Hebrew: אָרוֹן הַבְּרִית Aron HaBrit), also known as the Ark of the Testimony, was a chest containing the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed. The Ark may also have contained Aaron's staff and a jar of manna; however, the later Hebrew Bible records: “There was nothing in the Ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.” (2 Chronicles 5:10)

Once the Israelites were firmly established in the Land of Israel, King David expressed a desire to build a more magnificent house for the Ark of the Covenant: "I dwell in a house of cedar, but the Ark of God dwells within tent curtains.” (2 Samuel 7:2, tenth century BCE)

However, it was David's son, Prophet Solomon, who fulfilled this dream: "You know that David my father was unable to build a house for the Name of the LORD his God because of the wars which surrounded him until the LORD put them (David’s enemies) under his feet." (1 Kings 5:3, sixth century BCE)

David’s desire to house the Ark of the Covenant in a more permanent and splendid structure reflects a shift in religious focus—from a temporary, mobile sanctuary to a grand, stationary temple. Unlike pagan temples that housed statues of gods or goddesses, the Jerusalem Temple contained only sacred items, like the Ark (Tabut), and in it, Sakina, with a Covenant of security from the Lord.

The Jerusalem Temple, though physically empty, was spiritually filled with the praise of Allah's name.

In 70 CE, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem—a devastating event for the Jews, but of less significance to early Christians, who were taught by Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” Yet, Jerusalem and other sites in Israel remain sacred to hundreds of thousands of Christian pilgrims.

For over 500 years, both spiritual lungs of the monotheistic world were desecrated—the Ka'ba by idols and the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Then, exactly 500 years after the Jerusalem Temple's destruction, Prophet Muhammad was born. Shortly before his death, he purified the Ka'ba, which remains idol-free to this day, although it has been rebuilt many times.

Now, these two holy sites—one an ancient city of pilgrimage with a Jewish space adjacent to a Muslim shrine, the other a primordial site for Islamic pilgrimage—have the potential to provide spiritual energy for the world. Someday, they may simultaneously become twin pillars of spiritual revival.

Then, all those, near and far, who revere these sites as standards for the world and share them in love with others will fulfill Abraham's prayer: “Make this a land of peace, and provide its people with the produce of the land.” (Qur'an 2:126)

As the Qur'an states: "Believers, be steadfast in the cause of God and bear witness with justice. Do not let your enmity for others turn you away from justice. Deal justly; that is nearer to being God-fearing." (5:8)

May Christians, Jews, and Muslims overcome the many acts of hatred in today's world. As the Qur'an also says: "Good and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with what is better; then you will see that one who was once your enemy has become your dearest friend." (41:34)

May these twin spiritual pillars provide the energy all humans need to live in God’s peace.