Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said that the first mosque ever built on earth was the holy mosque in Makkah (al-masjid al-haram) and the second one, forty years later, was the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

He also said that a journey can only be undertaken to visit the holy mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s mosque in Madinah and the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, and that a prayer in Makkah’s holy mosque is equivalent to a hundred thousand prayers, in the Prophet’s mosque to a thousand prayers, and in the al-Aqsa mosque to five hundred prayers.

In addition, the Prophet was instructed to adopt the al-Aqsa mosque as the first qiblah (orientation in prayer) for about sixteen months, after which the qiblah direction was changed towards al-masjid al-haram. When he was on his journey to ascension into heaven, the Prophet was taken to the al-Aqsa mosque first, where he later led a group of prophets in prayer.

Humanity was presented with two mutually complementing paradigms

The traditions or hadiths of the Prophet mentioned above are unanimously authentic and have been recorded in the most authoritative collections of the Prophet’s Sunnah. The traditions stand for canons and occurrences which demonstrate - and Almighty Allah knows best – that humanity was presented with two mutually complementing existential paradigms.

One paradigm, associated with the twin holy cities of Makkah and Madinah and their holy mosques, is heavenly and prototypical, and the other, associated with the blessed city of Jerusalem and its blessed mosque, is also heavenly and prototypical, but was allowed to be transformed into a variable worldly reality, echoing all the highs and lows of the terrestrial existence.

Complementing each other, both paradigms are to be adopted and integrated into the workable life systems of man. They are seen as authoritative and trustworthy, so it is expected that man will adjust his thoughts and behaviours accordingly, without trying to manipulate and bend the paradigms in order to subdue them to his own fancies and ambitions.

In their role as a heavenly and prototypical paradigm, Makkah and Madinah were made holy cities, the former as early as when Almighty Allah created the universe, and the latter following the arrival of Prophet Muhammad and his choice of the city of Madinah as the epicentre of his prophetic mission.

Nevertheless, it is important to mention that Makkah's operational holiness was somewhat tainted by the deformation of the monotheistic legacy of Prophets Ibrahim and Isma'il, until the ultimate success of Prophet Muhammad, the final messenger to all of humanity.

Moreover, non-Muslims are prohibited from entering the designated areas that mark the sacred boundaries of Makkah and Madinah. Even Dajjal, the Antichrist, will find it impossible to enter those strictly guarded parameters.

As the objects of the hajj pilgrimage and pious visitations respectively, in which Muslims from all over the world eagerly participate, Makkah and Madinah also stand for the benchmark of righteousness and purity, not just for the soul, but also for the body, and ultimately – in principle - for all matter. Indeed, Makkah and Madinah are the criterion. They are portals into different dimensions of being and extraordinary aspects of the spiritual experience.

On the other hand, as a heavenly and prototypical, albeit practically functional, paradigm, Jerusalem has been a witness to some of the most pivotal moments in the unfolding of history and the creation of civilization. Without exaggeration, Jerusalem – and Palestine in its totality- has seen and has experienced it all.

They signified the focal point of the truth, the land of a great many prophets, and the small-scale version of the perennial confrontations between good and evil. In short, Palestine with Jerusalem at its heart represents the locus of the convergences of the opposing spiritual and moral currents, leading to the intermittent rises and falls of man and his civilizational trajectories. Palestine is the embodiment of life, a microcosm of the dynamics of history and of human destiny.

The gravity of Jerusalem and Palestine in the eschatological perspective

For that reason does Palestine occupy a special place in the province of eschatology. There is a strong basis for that, but things quickly became blown out of proportion. The Prophet mentioned in one hadith that Jerusalem is the land of the resurrection and gathering on the Day of Judgment (Sunan Ibn Majah), and in another, he said that the land of the resurrection is the land of Sham, which includes Palestine as well (Jami’ al-Tirmidhi).

It is as though the former tradition specified the general message of the latter. This makes perfect sense because the resurrection is universal and includes all people, both good and bad. If Palestine was a microcosm of life, it is so even with regard to the threshold of the afterlife.

Against this backdrop, one should also consider the saying of the Prophet about the end of time, when Prophet "Isa (Jesus) will descend after the appearance of Dajjal, the Antichrist. He will do so at the white minaret to the east of Damascus – as part of the Sham region. He will catch Dajjal up nearby and will kill him (Sunan Abi Dawud).

However, several inauthentic traditions were soon added to these authentic ones. An example is the claim, which is somehow linked to Caliph Umar bin al-Khattab, that in Jerusalem in the vicinity of the al-Aqsa mosque there is the valley of Hell (Jahannam). Beneath it is Hell, the dwelling place of sinners.

The common people used to say that anyone who goes to the edge of the valley can hear the voices of the people in Hell. Naser Khosraw sarcastically commented in his travelogue that, out of curiosity and based on the advice of some of those common people, he went to the edge of the valley but heard nothing.

Similarly, it is believed that above the mentioned valley of Hell the invisible bridge called al-Sirat is placed, which is much sharper than the blade of a sword, and which the faithful believers will pass over with the rapidity of lightning to enter paradise; but the infidels who attempt to cross it, will fall down into the bottomless abyss of Hell, which is underneath the bridge (Ali Bey el Abbassi, Travels of Ali Bey).

The Prophet also said that when Prophet Sulayman the son of Prophet Dawud finished building the al-Aqsa mosque (bayt al-maqdis), he asked Allah for three things: judgment that would be in harmony with His judgment, a dominion that no one after him would have, and that no one should come to this mosque (al-Aqsa), intending only to pray there, but he would emerge free of sin as the day his mother bore him. The Prophet then added: “Two prayers (the first two) were granted, and I hope that the third was also granted” (Sunan Ibn Majah).

This means that although Jerusalem will frequently go through periods of both religious and worldly prosperity and adversity, and will be the site of the meeting between the forces of good and bad, the al-Aqsa mosque, as both a concept and a physical reality, will remain intact. It will function as a timeless source of light and a guiding beacon of hope. It will furthermore serve as the antidote for all the potential negative influences that may infiltrate the city of Jerusalem and defile it in some way.

The fusion of the Jerusalem and Makkah models

Owing to this status of the al-Aqsa mosque, the Prophet said that Dajjal will not be able to come to it, just as he will be prevented from approaching the three other mosques: al-masjid al-haram in Makkah, the Prophet’s mosque in Madinah, and the mosque of al-Tur (Sinai) (Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal). In the same vein is a somewhat weak tradition or hadith of the Prophet to the effect that whoever enters the ihram and begins the talbiyah for ‘umrah (the lesser pilgrimage to Makkah) from bayt al-maqdis (Jerusalem and its al-Aqsa mosque), that will be an expiation for all his previous sins (Sunan Ibn Majah).

The last hadith draws attention to the already prominent axis between the Makkah and Jerusalem paradigms. While Makkah and its holy mosque are the pinnacle, and the end of all other ends, Jerusalem and its al-Aqsa mosque play the role of an important means of approach and of an intimately close level in the hierarchy of stations and grades. It is true that Jerusalem is not indispensable, but its importance is undisputable.

It cannot be overstated in the broader context. If Jerusalem fails to meet the required standards as a city, Makkah is always there as an oasis of goodwill and optimism. It is there as a sanctuary in every sense of the word. Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque is that thread connecting the two and maintaining relationships. While the fall of the city of Jerusalem cannot bring about the fall of its mosque, the rise of the al-Aqsa mosque can definitely cause the rise of its city.

This point can be further corroborated by the following. Since the three mosques: the holy mosque of Makkah, the Prophet’s mosque in Madinah and the blessed al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, are the only mosques to which a journey can be undertaken for the sole purpose of a pilgrimage, a man stood on the day of conquest (of Makkah) and said: “Messenger of Allah, I have vowed to Allah that if He grants conquest of Makkah at your hands, I shall pray two rak'ahs (units of prayer) in Jerusalem.”

The Prophet replied: “Pray here.” The man repeated (his statement) to the Prophet and he said: “Pray here.” The man again repeated (his statement). He (the Prophet) replied: “Pursue your own course, then” (Sunan Abi Dawud).

According to the hadith, the man – who must have already prayed in Madinah - vowed that if the holy mosque of Makkah is liberated and purified, and he prayed there, he would go to Jerusalem as well, in order to complete the trio of the most consequential mosques on earth.

However, the Prophet told him that doing so, even though meritorious, was not necessary. To pray “here”, i.e. in the newly liberated holy mosque of Makkah, was sufficient for him, as there was no mandate to travel to Jerusalem for religious purposes, and in discretionary matters the Makkah holy mosque was deemed supreme.

As he was determined though, the Prophet did not deter the man. Which implies that the relationship between Makkah and Jerusalem was not merely spiritual. It also materialized in the world of physical existence, though not at the expense of the former.

The way forward

Today’s events in Gaza in general and in Palestine in particular bring to the fore these truths. While Palestine grapples with its susceptibility and fate, the Muslim world on the opposite side of the spectrum (axis) is also being put to the test by Palestine.

As Muslims and the only advocates of the revealed righteousness and morality, we are all thrown into battles, whether it be for resistance, defence and sheer survival, or in ideological clashes over ideas, ways of life and principles. Everyone is affected and should think and act like a soldier (mujahid). It is incumbent upon each individual to stand up and be accounted for.

Aiming at the oscillating paradigm of Jerusalem and its blessed al-Aqsa mosque, the inviolable and pure paradigm of Makkah and its holy mosque ought to serve as a unifying force and a rallying cry. The perpetual orientation towards Makkah should prompt us to remember the necessary prerequisites for delivering and empowering the sister paradigm in Jerusalem.

Those prerequisites revolve around the notions of unity, faith, steadfastness, strong will and coordinated action in all fields of engagement, corresponding to the nature and intensity of the crimes committed in Palestine.

Indeed, Palestine suffers only because, as a paradigm, it has been separated from the rest of the Muslim organic body or society, represented by the Makkah (Muslim ummah) paradigm. That was only possible because other Muslims also experience spiritual, moral and intellectual suffering.

The situation led to people becoming disconnected from the Makkah model, which, because of the dynamics of the Makkah-Jerusalem axis, further alienated Muslims from the compass of Jerusalem and Palestine en bloc.

There is no liberation of the Jerusalem paradigm without Muslims liberating themselves first and forging healthy relationships with the Makkah paradigm. At the end of the day, it all boils down to people. It is only people, not places, that can be conquered or liberated, or become conquerors or liberators.

Places are but the loci of conquests or liberations, reflecting the ultimate inner conditions of their people. Accordingly, people have the ability to dictate their own personal and collective destinies. The origin of all consequences can be attributed to the freedom and decision-making of people.

It is hoped that Muslims have received the clear message from Gaza, which is that Palestine was not taken away from Muslims; they lost it. According to a harsher appraisal, they abandoned it.

Needless to say that only Muslims as real and genuinely functional people: soldiers, leaders, intellectuals, educators, professionals and generally good and morally upright people - with the supplementary help of other people of good will - can reclaim Palestine and can prevent the West-Israel axis of evil from winning.

So intricate and powerful is this axis that only the Jerusalem (Palestine)-Makkah (Muslim ummah) axis can counterbalance and vanquish it.