Al-Quds or Jerusalem What’s in a Name? hatem bazian calligraphy:zakariyaMoha m ad

n the ongoing occupation of Palestine and, in particull lar, the city of al-Quds (Jerusalem), not a single aspect of the IMuslim and Arab character of the land has been left uncontl tested. The scope of the disputation and resulting distortions about the character of the land has not only enabled the occupalt tion but has also caused a disservice to the scholarship required for understanding the history of a land holding enormous religl gious significance for many people. seasons With its many names throughout the ages, al-Quds reflects various periods of human history and the many civilizations that

| made their way to the area; the original Canaanites, the Hittites, autumn 2007 2007 autumn the Arabs, the Egyptians, the Romans, the Persians, and the Hebrews are only a few of the peoples that chose a particular name for the city. Our concern here is not to argue for or against any given name; rather it is to explore the names that Muslims | have commonly used for this important city.1 5353 54 | autumn 2007 | seasons

briefly discuss the Islamic tradition’s treatm tradition’s Islamic the discuss briefly al name the of Quds, Palestine, and the Arab world in gene claims of possession. location, which may or may not include legal a with relationship and affinity group’s lar a name is a signpost that indicates a particul ownership of a given land or country; rather, a name by itself does not convey rights to or same levels of reality, which is why, to fully to why, is which reality, of levels same the share necessarily not do names Islam, it. utters who one the on blessings of al utter its and creation divine of multitude the to given name other any than higher is that existence and reality a have to stood name the Muslims, neither arbitrary nor equal to any other. For of the Prophet Mu^ammad name the example, For name. a of concept ment and understanding of the essence and relating to the region. discourse the in research scholarly other or archeological over narrative Biblical the ticular reading of the Bible, which privileges par a through imagined and understood often is area geographical this that is eral ance is believed to be a cause for the bestowa Finally, before tracing the development development the tracing before Finally, Here, a note of caution is needed, in that A second important note relative to al to relative note important second A - Quds, it is worthwhile to to worthwhile is it Quds, Mu^ammad 2

s

is considered s under is 3 In s - a t l l l l l l l thing—have always been a source of disput of source a been always thing—have that necessitate defining what is meant by meant is what defining necessitate that lations. Three phrases appear in the Qur’an order to better comprehend Qur’anic revel define what is meant by a name, not least in to had also have scholars Muslim ditions, named. thing the to relate mentally humans way the of essence the constitute Names cess. that seriousness the indicates which tation, the cially implica theoretical the from aside And, community. given a of consensus the upon whether names have realities not contingent independent of the giver of those names or meanings have names whether asking by ing the meaning and significance of a name ? e understand m with a grappled have n traditions a and d ages all e of e thinkers and n Philosophers e w o d y h w of Jerusalem is based. name Arabic the which upon foundations linguistic the explore then and name, a of concept Islamic the examine first must we it, towards feelings Muslim the and al-Quds name the of roots Islamic the understand uaiy a gvn h nmn pro naming the given has humanity tions of the naming process, names—espec process, naming the of tions Like their counterparts from other tra other from counterparts their Like act of naming a person, place, or place, person, a naming of d t i c l l l l l l l

seasons | autumn 2007 | 55 photo: jason hostetter l l

10

9 At its core, communication is a process which corresponds to it. For if there were no existence in individuals, there would be no form impressed on the mind, and if mind the on impressed form no were there be not would it it, of conscious man no and knowle the word, the So speech. in expressed distinct three are known object the and edge, things, though they mutually conform and by confused sometimes are and correspond; to fail may them of one and dull-witted, the other. the from distinguish Our saying indicates what is in the mind, and mind, the in is what indicates saying Our that of representation a is mind the in is what is verbal and indicative.” About speech, al- then another process ofoccur for naming communication must to take place. On the theoretical level, communication Ghazz¥lÏ, we can see that man has a has man that see can we al-Ghazz¥lÏ, From real existence distinct from that expressed able be to only is then, speak, To speech. in comm a of use the through others to relate to mon set of agreed upon symbols, which he says “can differ” over time and alsocountries.” of “vary usage the to according by shared is that meaning a for mediation of a group of people; if no meaning is found, Ghazz¥lÏ comments: Ghazz¥lÏ

a l l l l 6 and 5 ; The beautiful nine names of and that these - 8 He further argues 7 , or the rational animal The names of all things

4 ; In Arabic, a human being is defined as while existence in the mind is cognitiveformal existence; and existence in speech als is the fundamental and real existence, that “things have existence as individuals, in speech, or in the mind,” three types of existence are not the same. He points out that “existence as individu named, and that those three terms (name, distinct are named) the and naming, of act and not synonymous.” God, maintains that “the name is different object the and naming of act the both from ferentiates humans from other animals. The animals. other from humans ferentiates al-Ghazz¥lÏ, Imam thinker, Muslim seminal in writing about the ninety al-^ayaw¥n al-n¥~iq points, which made the concept of a name scholarship. Islamic in central inition of a name served as a basis for the articulation of foundational theological verses that contained these phrases before each In name. a of concept the investigating defi abstract scholars’ the cases, three the of names of Allah Names that you and your fathers had named. Muslim exegetes could not comment on a name for a proper exegesis: son (or speech) is a characteristic that diff (speaking animal is also used), because reas because used), also is animal (speaking 56 | autumn 2007 | seasons hatem bazian

made this the starting point for differentia for point starting the this made things” (from God) further cements man’s man’s cements further God) (from things” world. Moreover, learning the “names of all itself, is fundamental to man’s mission in the the use of names, and by extension language that conclusion the to scholars Muslim led tion between Adam things.” all of “the names creation new His teaching of spoke Adam when that itself.” “a positor,apositing,andthethingposited al for indicator posited The agency. human from results that thing things,” individual indicate choice segmented letters,whichpositedbyhuman to mankind. a perceived independent agency is God’s gift for man’s production or action by means of possibility the that maintain Muslims ever, how God; from comes meaning mediated all Muslims, For humans. by application its and production its permitting God upon dependent is which agency, human or tion revela divine from either deduced be can meaning mediated this thought, Islamic In not agree on a shared or mediated meaning. can who people two between impossible is ing that language is an indicator of some of indicator an is language that ing Al-Ghazz¥lÏ defines words as “consisting of agency of knowledge of known by man is This interpre 12 can rela and namer, and the conclusion From the Qur’anic text, we can see first pass given name. te the name, e t e

o by means of a through was created, God first first God created, was the world must 13

a and the angelic realm tion leads tha - The fact that God God that fact The tha Ghazz¥lÏ must have have must Ghazz¥lÏ tha the named, t which he t wha t man’s the t is 11 t

o mean t e t n l t l il l l l ability to acquire both worldly and other and worldly both acquire to ability selection of a name; the tri the name; a of selection the process, naming the of element single a to only apply not did narrative creation the in role central Adam’s that conclude with God. relationship his to adherence his to tional propor being by narrative this in restricted all other creation. Man’s honor, however, is the basis for the elevation of mankind above is which knowledge, of source ultimate the and teacher the is God and taught, subject the student, “the names of all things” are the Adam narrative, Qur’anic the In God. worldly knowledge, taught to him directly by fies an agency for the reception of meaning, command “Read!” the first revelation to the Prophet taught “the names of all things.” In addition, imperative verb “Be,” followed by him being the language, of element an with initiated ing, and the creation of the first human was could be used for the transmission of meani that God brought forth in the worldly realm creation of objects first the words, other In tion conveyed through the agency of the Pen. the was Tablet, an instrument used created to store informat God object second The meaning through the agency of language. the Pen, an instrument used to convey a given getes was that the first object God created was given name. a of means by to relate can he which that is man by known is what that and namer, and through the agency of the name, the named, man’s knowledge of the world must first pass that conclusion the to leads interpretation to give names to elements in creation. that man was endowed by God with the ability all things,” one interpretation advanced was of “names the by meant was what on fered Adam teaching of process the in found be can posited” thing the and positing, a positor, “a of paradigm This led Qur’anic commentators to also also to commentators Qur’anic led This Also of great significance to Muslim exe Muslim to significance great of Also 17 e For Muslims, this signif . 14 While scholars dif scholars While - part Ghazz¥lÏan Ghazz¥lÏan part s

was the 15 This e

16 is is w f t g l l l l l l l al-quds or jerusalem: what’s in a name? seasons | autumn 2007 | 57 g c g r c c l l l l l l l l 21 It is precisely this ability of each society to society each of ability this precisely is It Thus far, we can say every language develo language every say can we far, Thus temological map for each language. The Qur’anic text establishing that messengers had been sent to every nation with the lan guage of their people leads us to conclude of concept a had group or nation each that the Divine, conveyed to them by the agen cy of revelation in their own language. By of a extension, a name by itself is the result historical process dependent upon a given an in roots its has that epistemology society’s tradition. prophetic ancient develop a particular epistemology founded upon a language divinely bestowed upon it that sits at the center of the purpose of diversity, to give humans the ability to view the world through different divine lenses. It is the collectivity of lenses that fosters an understanding of the divine meaning. The only not loss a is then, language, a of demise to the particular society that used that lan from the Divine, connecting language to the to language connecting Divine, the from Divine remains central to man’s existence in Differences Islam. in understanding and language have served as the basis for sepa which is contrary to Islam’s sacred ethics concerning linguistic diversity. This ethi upheld, been always have not may vision cal are vision the supporting principles the but independently valid and not contested in tradition. Islamic the oped a way of understanding and relating to the world around it and that this histori given the outside and within interaction cal epist an of emergence the in resulted group state structure, -state nation modern the in ration a g l l l l l to read. read. to

s

the “names

19 . e While modern modern While 20 clear for them. But Allah Therefore, from among the 18 And We never sent a messenger except with except messenger a sent never We And (the message) Because of these Qur’anic assertions Another verse in the Qur’an indicates In short, God created the Pen, the Tablet, the Pen, the created God short, In and an adjunct professor at Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, of University the at Law of School Hall Boalt at professor adjunct an and Berkeley. He teaches courses on Islamic law and society, Islam in America, religious Saint the at politics Eastern Middle taught also has He language. Arabic and studies, He Institute. Zaytuna the at fiqh MalikÏ and Arabic and California of College Mary’s graduated with a Ph.D. in Islamic studies from UC Berkeley, specializing in Islamic law and the history of Muslims in Jerusalem. His book about the Islamic history of al-Quds, from which this essay is adapted, is forthcoming. Hatem Bazian is currently a senior lecturer in the Department of Near Eastern Studies Eastern Near of Department the in lecturer senior a currently is Bazian Hatem signs of God is the embedment of the princ the of embedment the is God of signs who uses a given language. given a uses who discourse on language has been divorced pleases. He is the Mighty, the Wise the Mighty, the is He pleases. that have made diversity in creation sacred and the language of revelation not fixed, Muslim scholars have historically honored of regardless languages, various humanity’s ated: the language of his people in order that he might make He whom guides and will He whom error in leaves gives rise to the multiplicity of languages that act divine the of manifestation the and existence. into them brought in out carried were missions prophetic that the multiplicity of languages that God cre And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and heavens the of creation the is signs His of And earth, and the differences of your languages and colors! Lo! Herein indeed are portents for men of knowledge. which family, human the in diversity of ciple and through the ages? Muslim maintain that God, by referringscholars to them as diff the Qur’an: the in this answers signs, His ferences in tongues and modes of speech creation. of act divine the of reflection a are taught the Prophet Adam Mu^ammad Prophet His to mand guages used by humans around the world which is a prerequisite for the transmission transmission the for prerequisite a is which meaning. of of all things,” and gave the imperative comm imperative the gave and things,” all of So what are we to make of the various lan 58 | autumn 2007 | seasons hatem bazian

symbol to relate to the same object. Here, Here, object. same the to relate to symbol Islamic perspective on language. which is the understanding that informs the ourselves, of part lose We maps. human lar simil other to connects that map mological episte an but tongue spoken a merely not loses which humanity, of all to but guage, the name of a given object. For example, example, For object. given a of name the agents that produce diverse possibilities for es in part from the multiplicity of the human given creation. This human conjecture arise a endowed has God which with reality the and essence the to correspond not may or naming is based upon a conjecture that may moment of their creation. Our human act of elements and the names He gave them created at His the of essence the conjecture out permits experience this reality. and only those among His creation who He ous languages. Only God knows this reality, and distinct from the names given it by vario ed thing has an independent reality separate concept of creation suggests that every create then how do we know does, this it name? if and The Islamic name, its achieved it which pendent reality outside the agency through question about whether a name has an indep we see the relevance of the aforementioned Every language group uses a different different a uses group language Every More significantly, only God knows with knows God only significantly, More o m l l l l l l l six cuneiform tablets that are part of a group written reference to al-Quds is contained in r o f In s terms of established e research, the earliest m s a d n u m q i - l l s a u m y l r a e a historical continuity to the present. elation and prophetic hadith, which possess real specific a with land the endowed God that contend Muslims land. the of that to language it also has a reality that corresponds Arabic the in and reality, specific and tinct al name the of discussion the in issue at is naming scends linguistic diversity. ®dam, name the as such name, specific a provide might which revelation, is problem human Muslims, the only exception to this apparent For cup. given a of functionality exact the this area, groups may have differences about in even however, groups; different among of a cup can be a possible point of agreement notion of what a cup looks abstract like. own The its function has group language each level, mental a On wall. a or cup, a horse, a each language uses a different word to name based upon and emerges from Qur’anic reve ity, and that the name al-Quds is organically Precisely this aspect of the human act of of act human the of aspect this Precisely for an element of creation that tran that creation of element an for - Quds. As a land, al land, a As Quds. - Quds has a dis a has Quds t i s l l l l al-quds or jerusalem: what’s in a name? seasons | autumn 2007 | 59

p l l l l l l t - n 26 DÏn Mu^ammad b. - Suy‰~Ï, another promi - Zarkashi, also listed a total of - Quds’ various names were sim He also does not contest or dism or contest not does also He - 25 When confronted with earlier knowle earlier with confronted When 27 Suy‰~Ï could have written about only - While early Muslim writings about al Al In addition to al Suy‰~Ï, al - Suy‰~Ï considered all the names the all considered al-Suy‰~Ï fact In ics. and al-Suy‰~Ï as such scholars Muslim edge, Zarkashi understood their position to be to position their understood al-Zarkashi ties to rectify their ways, not to negate the civilizations. earlier of contributions Quds have always traced foundations of previous names for the city, the historical Muslim of history chronological the tracing even difficult, somewhat is city the for names though the names are readily available. the name he identified withwould andthis negatedbut others, the all of presence the ethi scholarly Islamic to contrary been have included in his work to be “importantlyprecious.” for name; contemporary or earlier any miss al record. scholarly of matter a ply eighth/fifteenth the of scholar Muslim nent century, Imam Badr al ¢Abdallah al in traced, and area the for names seventeen a limited fashion, the background of each name. them; before came what of confirmation the they also understood that Islam’s purpose was to summon individuals and communi

l l l l e disc Quds. bc

- Many schola Many 1400 day al 22 - Muslim names - It^¥f al-akhi||¥ bi fa\¥’il 24 (The Enthralling of the 23 Suy‰~Ï mentions collecting sev - Suy‰~Ï lists the Muslim name for the city Early Muslims recognized that a number a that recognized Muslims Early - first, then includes the non enteen names for present ars consider this to be the city’s first recorde first city’s the be to this consider ars Al Ilia and Urushalim. and Ilia of traditions that existed in Palestinebefore in existed that traditions of the Muslim era gave the landnames. In his book, different al-Masjid al-Aq|¥ the royal citadel in Jerusalem.” in citadel royal the of possibility the for allowing while name ed an even earlier name because the area has of periods earliest the since inhabited been existence. human the King of Urushalim, the late Bronze Age Bronze late the Urushalim, of King the name for Jerusalem, and they “reveal the settled thinly a as kingdom his of character highland region, loosely supervised from Akhetaten, then the Egyptian capital, and between communication of records contain Egypt’s pharaoh, various Asiatic kings, and Canaan’s petty rulers. Significantly for the letters contain tablets the al-Quds, of history Abdi-Heba, by written correspondence and of more than three hundred and fifty such approximately to dating tablets in found were tablets The Egypt. in covered Aq|¥ Mosque), al-Aq|¥ the of Virtues the in Elite Imam al 60 | autumn 2007 | seasons hatem bazian

bu ae al ad con and early are about about whether those names were in com in were names those whether about area must begin with the prophetic period period prophetic the with begin must area under difficult circumstances. od and continues until the present, although Muslims that began with the prophetic peri o by refinement and adjustment of process These changes can be seen as part of a long external. and internal both influences, of the area, caused by reference a variety to used terms exact the in changes and The record also points out shifts sources. Islamic in stant references to the area difficult. accurate record even more ability to stitch together an and Palestine has made our Egypt in campaign French as early as modern conflict that began the Finally, record. torical fur even Crusades the of onslaught the while records Abbasid the of all virtually eliminated Baghdad of sacking ran Mongol the Also, byproduct. a being Muslim dynasties, with poor record keeping competing among conflict major witnessed ful materials. In the classical period, the area which often resulted in the destruction of usef is the constant strife associated with the area, be used with qualification. One major reason approximate the period of usage, which can only can we category, latter the For date. a which lack the evidence required to pinpoint in a particular historical context than others, Some names are easier to identify and place Also, Qur’anic revelation took place primari mon currency among people of the period. and in hadith, Qur’an the in appear region the for names of number A references. Qur’anic the and hr rgetd h his the fragmented ther Any discussion of Islamic names for the the for names Islamic of discussion Any certain are we What 1800 28 but there is no explanation with the the with s t l tl l identified with and nega names Islamic scholarly ethics. He lists includes the presence of all about only have been contrary o for He could have written thers, but the city firs t Ilia and the the non-Muslim m s l l l l l the name he Muslim name this would “al to made is reference the Qur’an, the of ter Palestine at the time. in Mecca and Medina but also Arabs living in nity that included not just Muslims and Arabs Jerusalem. It is unclear if these terms of refere study of the the in history of Muslim considered name be usage even for should hadith and Qur’an the in used names the whether Palestine; this has prompted the question of ily in Mecca and Medina, somewhat far from way under normal circumstances. normal under way each month a require to understood they completed his Night Journey ( not it was possible for the Prophet Prophet’s companions the tradition, famous a in reference; this Meccans, though, seem to have understood The Ilia. being city the of name proper the Roman inhabitants of Jerusalem at the time, firmed even from the Biblical narrative. al usage and application of the name al-Masjid ence were common among a larger commun Masjid al-Aq|¥” had no currency among the which by consensus commentators identi commentators consensus by which Urushalim. - Aq|¥ taken from the Qur’an and hadith, hadith, and Qur’an the from taken Aq|¥ In the first verse of the seventeenth chapt coas r cran ht h tr “al term the that certain are Scholars - Masjid al Masjid , then the t ted o -

Aq|¥” (the Farthest Mosque), Mosque), Farthest (the Aq|¥” tence of these routes is conf exis the thereafter; tinued ing on trade routes that pre- and the city of Jerusalem Jerusalem of city the and Palestine in located as fied hundreds of years and cont dated the advent of Islam by travel caravans merchant for stations way regular as were known to the Meccans Palestine and its main cities name. this bearing place Arabs of Mecca knew of the this usage indicate that the to related sources The od. peri prophetic the during used for the area by Muslims and which is the first name l

argued whether or al-isr¥ s 30 ), which

In this this In to have 29

l l l l l l t l l l - i o f al-quds or jerusalem: what’s in a name? seasons | autumn 2007 | 61 e l l l l o t e and is 32

Qur’anic e - , who lived who , e himself sought himself

Qur’anic peri - e Aq|¥ has referred - to travel to Jerusalem to travel to In the Islamic sourc

and back in one night. That the Meccans knew the reference to area the does not necessi tate them establishing a the for record historical usage of the reference, which is in our hands Qur’an the through only hadith. and major three are there es, theories that attempt to address why the in termused been have would the pre s Masjid al - The third possible explanation for the use the for explanation possible third The the first concern after his exit from Paradise from exit his after concern first the Divine. the to again link to attempt an Meccans is their firmly established lineage, which extends through Ishmael Abraham to connected directly Jerusalem. to proximity close in Palestine in od, the first two being that God created the created God that being two first the od, al- (al-Masjid worship of points focal first two in referenced al-Aq|¥) al-Masjid and ±ar¥m era pre-Adamic the in tradition prophetic the Adam Prophet the that or making worship, of points these establish to then is narrated in the hadith in reference no is There Journey. Night Prophet’s the to prior written or oral record of any usage of the term. Despite all the references to this tradition, Islamic the to internal being term of recognition of lack a imply not should this was term the that or Muslims the by area the not used by the Arabs in the pre era; indeed, from the prophetic period to the present, Muslims have unanimouslyagreed that al to Jerusalem. This certainty largely rests on the Meccans’ response of shock and mock journey; night a of tale Prophet’s the to ery they deemed it impossible for the Prophet Aq|¥” by the by al-Aq|¥” “al-Masjid of knowledge and - - t l l l l m l - Also, 31 Masjid al Masjid al - - e m b e d d e d h e x a g o n a l t i l e d e s i g n l l l l - c d Aq|¥) - that appears in a tradition

Masjid al - s Masjid al - The recorded evidence about this is rathe is this about evidence recorded The This, in turn, leads to But how were the Meccans able to connect to able Meccans the were how But was understood to be Jerusalem by the pre sible that al Aq|¥ appears in appears al -Aq|¥ al-Masjid earlier, noted as sequently asked about the second, to which to second, the about asked sequently he is reported to have replied “al them.” between years forty with Aq|¥, the seventeenth chapter of the Qur’an and er scant. There is a statement attributed to the Prophet mosque first the about asked is he which in placed on earth for mankind. He answers subs is he Mecca; in was mosque first the that tion of why this Qur’anic this why of tion term (al Qur’anic Arabs even though the city at the Ilia. as known was time dence of this exists, we advance it only as edu speculation. cated Aq|¥ was known and used and known was Aq|¥ informally by the Arabs among themselves.Because no written evi mal way. Roman control of the city and their new name might have been adhered to by all official poss highly is it but levels, in Palestine (who had tribal links) had used had links) tribal had (who Palestine in a common name for the city—al given name the from distinct was Aq|¥—that to the area by the Romans. The tribal links of those and Palestine of Arabs the between possibili this to support some lend Hijaz the the term and its exact location. exact its and term the these references to Jerusalem from Islam’s sacred history to their existing references that is explanation possible One city? the for counterparts their and Hijaz the of Arabs the the evidence points to the Meccan popula tion having some acquaintance with both the more important quest important more the ity of a shared name operating in an infor photo: abu qasm spiker 62 | autumn 2007 | seasons hatem bazian

al-Aq|¥” was used in reference to Jerusalem the reference might imply an Arab connect ried into the Arabs. If we take the possibil the take we If Arabs. the into ried burial of Abraham Abraham of burial to Mecca (and Ishmael’s connection to the connection Ishmael’s and Abraham upon What is raised is a distinct possibility, based usage. its recorded area the in lived who those nor Bible the neither because lative likewise used by Abraham was name the Whether vicinity. his from Ishmael by period. same between Jerusalem and Mecca to about the Mecca, connections in spiritual the dates also which house” sacred the of dation f that establishes firmly Qur’an the of chapter second the Meanwhile, indicate. might record oral or written the than longer Palestine to tion Abraham with relations and contact Ishmael’s of ity know that Ishmael years prior to the advent of Islam. thousand two almost Mecca and Jerusalem not if actual relations, between the inhabitants of contact, possible to points which al in burial Abraham’s in part taking Ishmael to refers Bible The

participated in the “raising of the foun the of “raising the in participated e

e and the rest of the family, then 34

It is possible that “al that possible is It because Jerusalem was far far was Jerusalem because both e e Ishmael and Abraham Abraham and Ishmael

lived among and marr ), that might explain explain might that ), - KhalÏl (Hebron), (Hebron), KhalÏl e

is more specul 33 We also - Masjid Masjid l l l i l l d after this first term, is Bayt al-Maqdis, which references to al to references it also seems that his contemporaries unders referred to the entirety of the land of of land the of Palestine and its adjacent entirety regions. the to referred as well. For Muslims, al-Ar\ al-Muqaddasah scholars but by Christian and Jewish scholars Muslim by only not interpretations various and theareasitencompasses aresubjectto Jewish understood and to include more than Jerusalem, Christian populations. surrounding the with relations their through Arabs the to known was which Land), Sacred/Holy the hadith has connections to the Qur’anic from name This it. about inquiring ions because there are no reports of his compani stood the term to refer to the land in Palestine on a number of occasions by the Prophet House. be defined as the Sacred, Holy, or Sanctified can and collections hadith the in appears through Qur’anic terminology. confirmed later designation a Mecca, from with Jerusalem being the “farthest mosque” Jerusalem, and Mecca between distance the describe to term a of introduction the al-Maqdis was used in reference to Palestine References to the Sacred/Holy Land Land Sacred/Holy the to References sources, Islamic the in name Another 35 During the prophetic period, Bayt 36 Al - Ar\ al Ar\ - Ar\ al Ar\ - Muqaddasah (the (the Muqaddasah - Muqaddasah was was Muqaddasah s ; l l al-quds or jerusalem: what’s in a name? seasons | autumn 2007 | 63 p l l l l l l t l h s t t Quds to - and therea and Qiblatayn - , (the subsequent ƒla al

baq¥’ Some have argued that

37 39 (complete erasure or anni directed his followers toward followers his directed

however, the direction of prayer of direction the however, s fan¥’ 38 Ma^shar (the Land of Ingathering), - Another term appearing in the hadith is al- is hadith the in appearing term Another await the moment of ingathering and pre tice of seeking to spend time in al sibly Palestine as a whole, and is the loca Ar\ al which is a reference to Jerusalem, and pos End of Time and awaiting God’s judgment of humanity. Many Sufis developed a prac pare themselves to meet God. The Land of Ingathering also complemented the Sufi notions of hilation of self) and the city kept the name but had added to it the it to added had but name the kept city the qibla “first” the being of qualifier after became known as (the First of Two Qiblas). This appears in the of chapter second the on commentaries Qur’an, in which verses explain the shiftmonths seventeen Mecca to Jerusalem from after the Hijrah. Prophet the Jerusalem as a way of gaining support from the after Medina in communities Jewish the migration; the and migration, the to prior instituted was settled migrants the once place took change city. new their in tion where all humanity will be gathered together. The term appears in commen taries on Qur’anic verses pertaining to the l l tl l l a t - i , , to s

f s Ar\ al - or to one of his prophetic

s Another name, this one being uniquely ing the early prophetic period. For seven do not have an immediate or direct connect direct or immediate an have not do tion later commanded the this ProphetDuring Mecca). toward prayer the direct or qibla, the as known was Jerusalem period, After prayer. the for orientation of point the Mecca, toward prayer the of redirection the teen months during the prophetic mission, the Muslim prayer was orientedJerusalem, not toward Mecca (a Qur’anic injunc canonical Muslim belief that Islam confirms Islam that belief Muslim canonical Muslims, revelations; and prophets earlier all looking outsiders as not themselves see thus, all the at past traditions but as inheritors of spiritual meaning and significance associ term. the with ated Muqaddasah as pertaining to them, whether them, to pertaining as Muqaddasah Prophet the to directly relates reference the Mu^ammad ancestors. This view is permitted by the which could be taken to imply that Muslims, that imply to taken be could which Mu^ammad Prophet the by represented tion to this spiritual land. The appropriate view Muslims that is notion this to response any reference in the Qur’an to al are associated with the narratives of earlier prophets, such as Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Jesus Islamic, also emerged for Jerusalem dur 64 | autumn 2007 | seasons hatem bazian

spiker m qas abu photo: period of the Children of Israel through the can see that ¢Umar We Qur’an. the of seventeen chapter ing al it called caliph the location, the at arrived he Once heavens. the to ascension and prayers Mu^ammad’s David of g Furthermore, during his tour of Ilia, ¢Umar and ¢Umar name, proper city’s the as Ilia used treaty agreed upon with the city’s inhabitants. The treaty surrender the in expressed was that ¢Umar caliph second the particular in Muslims, The Syria. Greater of most and Ilia quered con armies Muslim d Hijrah, o the of i r years e p c nineteenth i and t seventeenth e the h Between p o r p - t s o p connected to the Final Judgment. notion of dying before one dies is intimately the because being) or existence to return of al-Quds and its spiritual history. significance the of knowledge had Muslims early that show requests ¢Umar’s Also, tion. the Prophet’s Night Journey, two areas relat i connection with the Mosque of David and to ing to Muslim name usage and identifica and usage name Muslim to ing asked to be shown the rock, the Mosque Mosque the rock, the shown be to asked g e , established a status for the city city the for status a established , g , and the location of Prophet Prophet of location the and , did not ask that it be changed. g - Masjid al Masjid made reference to the - Aq|¥, recall Aq|¥,

q l t l l l i using both names, Ilia and Bayt al-Maqdis. mind not did Muslims the that appears it reasons, the Whatever Christians. not were all, after who, rulers, in Muslim new the spite some that to Ilia name the used have might Palestine assume perhaps can we the use of double names for a to period. contributed Finally, have may also Palestine, of conquest Muslim the after slow initially was a dual usage. The rate of conversion, which could have led the administrators to resort to not accustomed to the new name, a fact that city or an area a where administer the to local population difficult was been have would it Additionally, Ilia. as city the to referred fulfillment of the articles of the treaty, which the been have could name the maintaining lowed the teachings of the Prophet foll fervently who Arabia from Muslims the and name, earlier an to accustomed still ics between the local population, which was a possible explanation could be the dynami The Ilia. sources are to not clear why Muslims referred did it so, but that explanation an by accompanied was it however, often, al Bayt was city the for Muslims by used name common most the period, Some writers with ill intentions take this this take intentions ill with writers Some In the early years following the prophetic - Maqdis; Maqdis; s . Also, l l al-quds or jerusalem: what’s in a name? seasons | autumn 2007 | 65 l l - t

t ine t . The . he sure D t omans t A ering e. t ales , literally ‘City ; the choice was choice the ; t P Ott hroughou he 1948 during t t anda t heir en heir h M t t he name al-Quds name he o t ish t There are also ruins called t Ir Ha-Qadesh 41 ed wi ed ri t ine around 1517 around ine her B

t t Qadesh that is distinct from distinct is that Ha-Qadesh Ir 40 orians are also no also are orians ‘ oman rule over rule oman t and was kep was and or prior or whe is ales name remained name H P Ott origina Meanwhile, some maintain that the name the that maintain some Meanwhile, Even though Urushalim was the most freq most the was Urushalim though Even Khateeb, who considered the question Quds actually comes from Hebrew and - - quently used name for the city by the Jewish the by city the for name used quently community, Mohammed Abdul Hameed al about the origin of the name, wrote: “Al Quds, which became its standard designa tion in Islamic sources, recalls the ancient Hebrew name we have possibly is an actual location known location actual an is possibly have we as Jews to Jerusalem. Even though the term appears in the Hebrew Bible Jewish in by used referencemost name the not was toit city, the communities to refer to the city, and it was not the name used for the city when it was in Zionists by occupied designations emerges more clearly during the Ottoman period and might be related of nature bureaucratic and systematic the to rule. their not from Arabic. In the Jewish tradition we (the Ha-Qadesh ‘Ir term the of use the find Holy City), which appears five times in the Hebrew Bible. perhaps is (this Tabris Lake of south Qadesh, in Tiberius or Tiberias, Lake as known better a near and Palestine northeast in West) the What Lebanon. of part northern the in river al Urushalim not ‘Ir Ha-Qadesh. ‘Ir not Urushalim l l a l m l - ). 1948 Maqdis - – 1920 Muqaddasah was still a - Maqdis constituted the larger Ar\ al - - to be a region larger than the city the than larger region a be to

. The name remained throughout Quds, but there is no evidence that - ad

The Muslims maintained Bayt al Historians are also not sure whether the Quds, surfaced in many documents. Quds does have linguistic affinity with al - - Quds was al-Quds that is explanation possible One quered it, and only acquired it after inter action with the local population. The argu area of what we call today the West Bank, and that al larger region, possibly encompassing all of Palestine, parts of Syria, Jordan, and the three the of use This Egypt. of parts northern historical city only, and Muslims viewed Bayt viewed Muslims and only, city historical al-Maqdis proper, with the Ottomans continuing this the that likely is It arrived. they once practice proper, city the to limited was Quds al- name that Bayt al or prior to their entering Palestine around 1517 Ottoman rule over Palestine and was kept during the British Mandate ( the to refer to population the among current beyond this we know little of the background the of little know we this beyond change. the for for its institution has been found. The lack of evidence has caused uncertainty about the underlying cause for the introduction name The name. the of use) continuing (or al but al-Maqdis, Bayt and al-Muqaddasah Ar\ during the Ottoman period a new name, al Scholars are certain the city was referred to as al likewise, name; this of emergence the dates no specific decree, Ottoman or otherwise, tioned by the ruling authorities in Palestine, in authorities ruling the by tioned treaty. the in used name the and as the name of the city for centuries, but ment is plausible but runs contrary to logic; to contrary runs but plausible is ment from name a took Muslims conquering the if local Christian city the sources,of name theyoperative the wouldIlia, used havelikely sanct name the years, hundred five some for double usage to mean that the Muslims did Muslims the that mean to usage double conq they before city the for name a have not Quds originated with the Ottomans Ottomans the with originated al-Quds name 66 | autumn 2007 | seasons hatem bazian

edia.org m upload.wiki Ymn oii fr al for origin Yemeni a Yemen’s Sabr mountain identified as Qads as identified mountain Sabr Yemen’s mon words. com of number a share and tree linguistic because both languages come from the same Ha ‘Ir and Another possibility is that al-Quds in Arabic other names used in the pre-Islamic period. Muslim references to the city, together with Holy Land), which is the term found in early al term Arabic just as easily derived from the Qur’anic and al name The case. this in conclusive not is evidence supporting his city, the of name the about information valuable provides and critical Holiness’.” of present the Qads in Najd, exists in the eastern part of mountain, named similarly a Also, Yemen. with affiliations tribal and links direct had Palestine of inhabitants Arab early the of many because connection a be could that pyramid Another distinct possibility points to to points possibility distinct Another - day Saudi Arabia. It is possible that that possible is It Arabia. Saudi day - - Quds, as we will see below, can be be can below, see will we as Quds, shaped mountain to the south of of south the to mountain shaped - Qadesh in Hebrew are similar similar are Hebrew in Qadesh 42

- While al While r al Ar\ 0 0 9 1 n i n e k a t h p a r g o t o h p a m o r f ® ß q a - l a d i j s a m - l a - Muqaddasah (the (the Muqaddasah - - us Tee s a is There Quds. Khateeb’s work is is work Khateeb’s l m

mately derived from the name al name the from derived mately al or House) tion as Bayt Allah al-Muqaddas (God’s Holy from the root blessed. Also, as the verbal noun that comes Muqaddas, or the house that is purified and idols. of meaning that it was purified by the removal protected from al Another term of common reference, al-Bayt where the purification of sins can take place. dedicated, and consecrated, or the location sanctified, sins, all of purified place a notes loca the to refer to Arabs for common was pure, holy, blessed, and sacred. As noted, it root e m trilateral a n e h t r The o linguistic f origin for s al-Quds s is e d the Arabic c u r q u - o l s a c i m a l s i was known to them before their migration. plateau because of the similarities with what the to name a applied area the settled who Arabs other and Yemenis early the of some - Muqaddas, is a place that is exalted and and exalted is that place a is Muqaddas, 44 The name al name The - qadusa, at al Bayt qadusa shirk (association with God), al-Quds refers to holin - , which means to be be to means which , ads wih con which Maqdis, - Quds, then, is ulti is then, Quds, - Bayt al Bayt 43 n l - l l l t m al-quds or jerusalem: what’s in a name? seasons | autumn 2007 | 67

, - - - - , f for so [al Quds - , and can brought it brought Quds and qadusa - ) 1 : [al-Qudd‰s] 62 qadusa [R‰^ al-Qudus] [R‰^ . The fact that both Qudus means that - s [R‰^ al-Qudus] [R‰^ ) 102 : ) 16 ) 23 . ( . , the Mighty, the Wise. ( Wise. the Mighty, the , : 110 the name of the Archangel Gabriel Archangel the of name the : , while in another, the recipient is the the is recipient the another, in while , 59 45 5 ( e ( It is important that the name R‰^ al-Qudus R‰^ name the that important is It We can see from the above verses that the that verses above the from see can We Qudus, which al-Qudus, R‰^ as Arabic in appears that you spoke to mankind in the cradle as in matur in as cradle the in mankind to spoke you that fies Allah, the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One Qudd‰s] ened you with the Holy Spirit Spirit Holy the with you ened rity. Spirit Holy The Say: those strengthen to truth, in Lord your from down to tidings good and guidance a as and believe, who enteri thereby Allah, (to surrendered have who those Islam) ing He god. other no is there whom besides Allah is He One Holy the Lord, Sovereign the is the Source of Security, the Keeper of Faith; the Guardian, the Mighty One, the All Powerful, the to ascribe they partners above He be Exalted Proud! Him. Whatever is in the heavens and in the earth glorif earth the in and heavens the in is Whatever Quds and Gabriel and al-Quds between link a is there ∑ in the Islamic tradition. Islamic the in ∑ the to reference in only used is Qur’an the in Mu^ammad and Jesus to sent revelations to Gospel the and Qur’an the linking clearly two transmits al-Qudus R‰^ Thus, area. the Qur’an uses the trilateral root various words that all share some aspect of of number a In it. in contained meaning the verses, e comes from the same root be translated as the Holy Spirit. Gabriel ∑, who is the conveyer of God’s revelations to His prophets, is directly related to al area, the to sent prophets many the through three In revelations. transmitted he whom to verses, R‰^ al-Qudus conveys revelations to Jesus Prophet Mu^ammad through revelations of recipients were both the agency of R‰^ al prophets had connections to al

l l e l - f - - ) ) qadusa Ar\ al - 87 : 253 : 2 2 ( Ar\ al- [al-Ar\ . ( . ) 30 : 2 . ( . ) [R‰^ al-Qudus] [R‰^ [R‰^ al-Qudus] [R‰^ 21 : Your name? He replied, Surely I 5 are in the following verses: following the in are that Allah has ordained for you. ( qadusa [nuqadis] The Qur’anic reference to al Other occurrences of words derived from derived words of occurrences Other We gave Jesus son of Mary the clear miracles (to serve serve (to miracles clear the Mary of son Jesus him gave We strengthened and sovereignty) Allah’s of proofs as Spirit Holy the with Remember Mary! of son Jesus O say: Allah will Then strengthe I how mother; your and you to favor My after him We sent messenger after messenger.as We serve (to miracles clear the Mary of son Jesus gave him strengthened and sovereignty) Allah’s of proofs Spirit Holy the with They asked: Will you put there one that will work sanct and You praise we when blood, shed and evil tify not know you what know And assuredly We gave Moses the Scripture, and Recall the time when your Lord told the angels I am I angels the told Lord your when time the Recall vicegerent. a as earth the on (Adam) man a setting “O my people! Go into the Holy Land Holy the into Go people! my “O Muqaddasah] turn then would you surely for flight, in not Turn losers.” as back fied land), the only specific and direct ref the root the the actual city. In the Qur’an, ten verses that that verses ten Qur’an, the In city. actual the root trilateral the on based words use to directly refer these of three found; be can the actual area. For example, the following Land: Holy the of speaks verse text and linguistic roots of the purification, text and linguistic sacredness, and holiness associated with the name. The Muslims during (or before) the Ottoman period must have had this in mind when they established the name of sacred, pure, and blessed attributes. blessed and pure, sacred, erence to Jerusalem and Palestinecont its inthrough insight the us gives also Qur’an, ness, sacredness, and sanctity, making it an appropriate name for a city that possesses Muqaddasah (the sacred, blessed, or puri 68 | autumn 2007 | seasons spiker qasm abu photo: hatem bazian

involved with Prophet Mu^ammad’s mirac Mu^ammad’s Prophet with involved God’s name al name God’s stood: al Imam creation. in exists that holiness all of purified, and holy in Himself and is the cause sacred, is God that means which nification, al is bute of many the Holy One is used, which the in Arabic to revelations prophets. convey to Palestine of land the traversing ∑ Gabriel as demonstrated above, is further blessed by al of religious attachment to the land. The name Islamic for foundations the of one stitutes ( Journey Night ulous their benefits. of portion no have them reject who those tion, and sacredness can be achieved, while purifica guidance, which through means the them within contain that books sacred a noun from a form in Arabic used for magn place between Mecca and al and Mecca between place - which thinking demands. I do not say: free free say: not do I demands. thinking which or moved, be may conscience the which by or turn instinctively may imagination which perceive, or imagination may conceive, or to free from every attribute which a sense might Al Ghazz¥lÏ defines and comments on how how on comments and defines Ghazz¥lÏ In two verses ( intimately was ∑ Gabriel addition, In - - - Qudd‰s. The attribute of al of attribute The Qudd‰s. Qudd‰s—The Holy—is the one who is is who one the Holy—is Qudd‰s—The Quds, already linked to R‰^ al R‰^ to linked already Quds, - Qudd‰s should be under be should Qudd‰s 59 : 23 and al-isr¥' 62 - s con and Quds : 1 ), which took took which ), ), God’s attrib - Qudd‰s is is Qudd‰s - Qudus Qudus u l l l l l l s t

as their knowledge and power, hearing, seei Him attributes taken from their imperfec their from taken attributes Him form for one to say: the king of the country is bad is it insult; on borders that of mention from defects and imperfections, for the mere reflecting their imperfection. Indeed God God Indeed imperfection. their reflecting those does He as much as perfection their from taken attributes High—transcends tion. But God—may He be praised, the most ( speaking—and and seeing ing, hear power, knowledge, perfection—from their from taken attributes by Him describe ( is Him, qualifying and high most the God praising in do, can they most the So convey these meanings. to words these employ they and dumbness; deafness, blindness, debility, ignorance, what isimperfectregardingthem,liketheir ( contain also attributes the But terms. these meanings, and say these are perfection convey to words these employ they ing—so into ( divided are they that realize and attributes, their of aware become themselves, to first look creatures For perfection. as of thinks creatures of majority the which perfection of attributes the of one every transcends who one the is Holy The say: rather will I false implication. possibility, andthereisimperfectioninthat something’s existence could falsely imply its neither a weaver nor a cupper, since denying ing and speaking, their willing and choos and willing their speaking, and ing 1 ) what is perfect regarding them, such 2 ) deny of of deny ) 1 ) to to ) 2 ) t i l l i l l

seasons | autumn 2007 | 69 - l c is l . e Quds; and as and - Ar\ al , - al-isr¥’ 48 Muqaddasah - is Muqaddas; s Ar\ al - ), God gave the land a land the gave God ), 21 : ); Allah also says, “He will 5 2 : 62 and the city name is al ; Qudus; the land is named al ). Or it can mean purified of blamewort of purified mean can it Or ). - . There is an intrinsic relationship in relationship intrinsic an is There . 16 : 5 We have established that God is al-Qudd‰s; is God that established have We Q¥\Ï ¢Iya\ points out that God’s name al- name God’s that out points ¢Iya\ Q¥\Ï ( Qur’an the In purify you” ( light” the into darkness the of out you bring ( attributes. base and qualities thy he is the one by whom people are purified of purified are people whom by one the is he wrong actions and that following him frees people of wrong actions as Allah says, “... to R‰^ al the name of the Prophet the name of the Archangel Gabriel Muqaddasah and all of these names share the same root qadusa meaning and in significance between the Qudd‰s has been directly linked to one of Muqaddas names, own Prophet’s the such shares with it the concept of purity or that believe Muslims this, Through holiness. to connected intimately is al-Quds name the that and œ Prophet the of names the of one of episode the in origins its has this His of one to related and from derived name names; the attributes emanating from this name bestow sanctity, blessings, and purifi translation English The land. the on cation commonly used for al is Holy Land, which is defensible on some all convey to fails nevertheless but grounds, term. Arabic the of meanings the n t l l l

l l l g ). al- was

, men s ). It has It ). (the Most ), or that or ),

Muqaddas 2 : al-Quddus (Jerusalem) 48 al-Shif¥’ Qudd‰s - R‰^ al-Qudus R‰^ which conveys a more more a conveys which 47 ) and the Spirit of Purity Bayt al-Muqaddas Bayt 46 Q¥\Ï ¢Iya\ in his book - Al Qudd‰s. He writes He -Qudd‰s. al from derived also is It means the One disconnected from imperf from disconnected One the means It fections and pure of all traces of in-timeness. of traces all of pure and fections [or Spirit of Holiness] ( Holiness] of Spirit [or come down from the books of the Prophets is names Prophet’s the of one that (Pure). That is, he is purifiedactions as Allah says, “That Allah might for of wrong ( actions” wrong your you give It is said that the that said is It is called so because in it the Prophet root this From actions. wrong from purified ( Valley] Sacred [or Valley Pure the comes W¥dÏ al-Muqaddas One of Allah’s names is the Pure ( Pure the is names Allah’s of One is free from every attribute of which the crea the which of attribute every from free is and them transcends He conceive; can ated is above anything similar to them or like them. emphatic meaning of purification, sacred Holy, the All-Holy), the Holy, Quds is thus related in its root to one to root its in related thus is Al-Quds bute. of the names of God, al s following: the ness, and holiness of the land. the of holiness and ness, tions that one of the names of the Prophet given the land a name related to one of His of one to related name a land the given of meaning the that and names ninety-nine attrib the of that to related directly is al-Quds Accordingly, Muslims believe that God has 70 | autumn 2007 | seasons hatem bazian

(active bestowal of sanctification, dedica sanctification, of bestowal (active verses: following the in clear made is which land, the to specific purpose a for linked and ed shared in the root Prophet Quds. In the same way that the name of the Praise), also clarifies God’s of connection to al- Source and Praiseworthy (The ±amÏd Mu^ammad name Prophet’s the origins of the name are unclear. Considering the surrounding circumstances the though even name, this received that land the for purpose of manifestation clear a to points al name the Muslims For constant. is recipient and source between connection the and ation, cre in occurs that holiness of state any for of the reception of God’s favors. making al-Quds, as a city, in a constant state tion, purification, and blessings) to the land, of extension His in consistent is God blessings, and the source is also a direct one. as the recipient of the act of purification and Further, the relationship between the land, name, but on the spiritual, or eternal, plane. poral plane of the source and recipient of the itself; it points to a direct link, not on the temp the name is an act that is significant in and of of choice His blessings, and purification all Because Muslims believe God is the source of the name He has used to designate the land. name thatGodhaschosenforHimselfand relates in its root to one of God’s names, al- you are in the sacred valley of >uw¥. Moses! I am your Lord. So take off your sandals; for But when he reached that place a voice was heard: O called out for him in the sacred valley of >uw¥, >uw¥, of valley sacred the in him for out called the Worlds. tree: O Moses! Lo! I, even I, am Allah, the Lord of right side of the valley in the blessed field, from the God, as al-Qudd‰s, is Holy and is the cause Has the story of Moses reached you? How his Lord And when he reached it, he was called from the - Quds cannot be random; rather, it it rather, random; be cannot Quds s ( is linked to God by the meaning 28 : 30 ) ^amida, al-Quds is selecte ( 20 : s 11 , which which , – 12 taqdÏs ) t l l l l a

passing a number of modern of number a passing word indicates that God purified and blessed the valley al-Muqaddas, and the form of this him directly in the valley of >uw¥. God called to spoke God that believe also they and ∑ >uw¥. Muslims believe in the Prophet Moses in God from him to came that call the and erence to the story of the Prophet Moses ∑ Egypt. The sacred nature of the land is in in desert refe Sinai the of part southern the in is which >uw¥, valley sacred the of speak root the from derived al is Arabic in valley, which sacred the verses, these of two In a narrow valley opposite the Mount of Olives nate the plateau that has a sweeping view of the name currently used by Muslims to design parts of Egypt, and parts of Iraq). Al-Quds is Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, (Jordan, states Muqaddasah designates a larger area encomp Quds refers to the actual city, Al while al-Ar\ land. - al the of parts various to reference in Muslims by used are that others many the land of Palestine. Muslims even prior to the coming of Islam to the for significance its and history, its land, opment of a cohesive idea about the sacred devel the to clearly point above provided verses Qur’anic The location. geographic of the sacred land of Palestine, including its the Prophet Mu^ammad of time the during Muslims, the that tainty The textoftheQur’anestablisheswithcert their interaction with the Jews and Christians. al name the that Muslims have no connection to the land and text casts great doubt upon the claim that the with which al-Quds is linked to the intimacy Qur’anic the Additionally, text. Qur’anic the to traced be can that foundations tic the valley. bounds! " all transgressed has he Pharaoh: to "Go (saying) Al al name the Clearly, - Quds, then, is only one name among among name one only is then, Quds, ( 79 : 15 – 17 - Quds resulted only from from only resulted Quds ) - W¥dÏ al W¥dÏ qadusa - s Quds has linguis has Quds , had a clear idea - . These verses verses These . Muqaddas, is is Muqaddas, - day nation day t l - l l l l l - o al-quds or jerusalem: what’s in a name? seasons | autumn 2007 | 71 g m - l l l , DÏn - Hijri Kit¥b, - 875 , and the , Vol. I, ). 192 encouraged his encouraged Bible Unearthed 1991

. The command Ummah lil Suy‰~Ï, and some 3 - s Baqara (Beirut: (Beirut: al-Baqara , - : 2 >al¢at Hijri. The third copy copy third The Hijri. . with the commentary the with 96 . 8 It^¥f al-akhi||¥ bi fa\¥’il , s 875 327

, and . (Cairo: al . . 1 : 1. 22 4 TasfÏr ibn KathÏr . The book has a number of Suy‰~Ï, : : : >al¢at - 31 : 96 DÏn Mu^ammad b. Mu^ammad al-Maq|ad 94 - 2 68 30 14 – 93 DÏn al . - 8 ), . Suy‰~Ï’s name are the ones found in the MaqdÏsÏ. The copies that bear Jal¥l al - - A strong emphasis on learning other language other learning on emphasis strong A Finkelstein and Silberman, Jal¥l al Ibid., Ibid., Qur’an See al-Ghazz¥lÏ, Ibn Kathir, Qur’an See See Qur’an Qur’an See Qur’an See A primary indicator of the Islamization of a N‰r al-¢Ilmiyyah, al-N‰r Maktabat Library of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, one with the code number date of the writing is recorded as (Islamic calendar), and the second with the number code which text, the in included author the about be to date the states etc. In many parts of the world, the arrival of arrival the world, the of parts many In etc. Islam led to the strengthening of local lan guages because attempts to translate Islamic texts and the Qur’an called for the engage languages, those of forms highest the of ment a fact that is presently occurring in English classical of translations where areas speaking undertaken. are texts is it and period, prophetic the in present is es Prophet the that reported followers to learn languages including those of their enemies. It is also reported that he employed translators to communicate with Byzantium. and Persia in leaders 238 al-Masjid al-Aq|¥ 1982 conflicting manuscripts, with three having author, the as al-Suy‰~Ï al-DÏn Jal¥l name the ¢Abdallah Ab‰ to book the attribute two while Mu^ammad b. Shih¥b al al al Commentary on Chapter on Commentary “Read!” appears a total of three times in the Qur’an, twice in the first verses revealed to Mu^ammad Prophet languages refined of emergence the is people but materials linguistic existing on draw that bear the stamp of Islam; Hausa, examplesSwahili, include Malay, Urdu, Turkish, Persian, to Kam¥l al

21 22 23 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 i - l l l c l - . The 24 . : ); Keith ); 76 59 – ); William ); . See espe . (New York: 74 2001 , and , 23 : 8 1999 : 2007 ). 53 20 , al-Maq|ad al-asn¥ fÏ . , trans. David Burrell David trans. , (Grand Rapids, MI: 6 2001 , and , – 110 : 5 , Spring 40 : ), 17 , 12 ); Thomas L. Thompson, L. Thomas ); . , Ghazz¥lÏ, The Invention of Ancient Israel: - 180 1995 : 31 71 Seasons : : 7 The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology’s 2 7 1996 (New York: Free Press, Free York: (New What Did the Biblical Writers Know and Know Writers Biblical the Did What . 8 . . . – 6 6 7 7 (New York: Basic Books, Basic York: (New Aq|¥ (the Farthest Mosque) and - Ibid., Ibid., Ibid., Ibid., Badawi, “Invoking Blessings on the on Blessings “Invoking al-Badawi, Mostafa Qur’an, See Qur’an See Qur’an See Ab‰ ±¥mid al For a more detailed discussion of the Bible and Bible the of discussion detailed more a For My interest in investigating this aspectPalestine’s of Islamic history stems primar and Nazih Daher (Cambridge, UK: Islamic Society, Texts shar^ asm¥’ All¥h al-^usn¥ All¥h asm¥’ shar^ G. Dever, G. When Did They Know It? Publishing, Eerdman’s Prophet,” in Prophet” the Bless We “Why cially New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its of Origin the and Israel Ancient of Vision New Texts Sacred W. Whitelam, The Silencing of Palestinian History Routledge, of Myth the and Archaeology Biblical Past: Mythic Israel rary occupation’s narrative over that of the Palestinians. recommend I archaeology, in research recent reading Israel Finkelstein and Neil AsherSilberman, see in this approach not a mere removal of Palestinian rights to their land but also an historical distinctive own their of affirmation Muslim rejecting or debating Thus, narrative. undertaken not is al-Quds to related specificity purposes; intellectual or academic “pure” for contempor the affirming in vested is it rather, ily from the ongoing attempts, scholarly and ily from the ongoing otherwise, to dismiss the validity of a unique to al-Quds. It should Muslim context related be clear that such a dismissal or removal of Islamic context is often supported by pro Israeli groups, Jewish and otherwise, who

ßakhrah (the Dome of the Rock). Rock). the of Dome (the al-ßakhrah Qubbat uments, two distinct Muslim buildings, al Masjid al 8 9 10 11 4 5 6 7 3 2 n o t e s 1 that encompasses, among many other mon u other many among encompasses, that 72 | autumn 2007 | seasons hatem bazian

24

D¥r al D¥r MaqdÏsÏ’s name is available in D¥r al-Kutub in We sanctify and separate from you those ele those you from separate and sanctify We

Thus the meaning of Bayt al Bayt of meaning the Thus person uses it to perform acts of purification. reason a bucket is also called ments that are not becoming of you. For this [Qur’an sanctity) your also comes it From purity. and holiness causes and spirit holy a is he because ∑ GibrÏl is Spirit) Holy al R‰^ Thus sanctification. and purification of meaning the has that noun holy. or blessed, purified, word the from is purified from all pollution and it is derived its virtues. . . . Bayt al-Maqdis is the place that sacred house of God), narrated by al-Wasi~i in Bayt Allah al-Muqaddas (the purified means holy or which common), also are Elia and The Prophet is in the center, neither to this side nor to that. was because it is in the middle of the world, it ¢Abdallah b. Sal¥m told the Prophet tant from filth and impurity. It is reported that it is said [that it is so called] for its’ being dist and worship, for place no is there it beyond and where reward is sought out. It is said that visited is which (Mecca) Mosque Sacred the because it is the most distant of mosques from al-Aq|¥ Al-Masjid precious. importantly all and names enteen al-mas¥jid a^k¥m the of place author the The of named. honor the of indicator an is names numerous of presence the that Know to the cussion of this issue, see Ahmad’s introduction by Ab‰ ¢Abdallah al-Suy‰~Ï. For a complete disc written likely most was book the that edition the publishing before manuscripts the of authentication his in concluded Egypt in Ahmad Ramd Ahmad of ¢Ain Shams University 92 al include a copy that is preserved in al al-Khaz¥nah ¢Abdallah Ab‰ is book the of number of sources have indicated the author Egypt and has the code ber al Jal¥l with n h frt hpe al chapter first the In Mosque” why He named it al-Aq|¥. He said it he recited the words of the Exalted “to al-Aq|¥ - Z¥hiriyyah in Damascus with the code No. No. code the with Damascus in Z¥hiriyyah , and another copy is owned by Ilias Sarkis. It is also named the “Mosque of Ilia” (Elya T¥rÏkh >al¢at T¥rÏkh 1982 - Kutub al Kutub edition of the book, - DÏn al DÏn s nuqaddisu laka nuqaddisu said: “You have said the truth.” al-quds - Mi|riyya with the code num code the with Mi|riyya

said: “I have collected sev collected have “I said: 1827 , and it is called called is it and , - Suy‰~Ï’s name is found in in found is name Suy‰~Ï’s meaning the location location the meaning . One copy that has al has that copy One . T¥rÏkh 2 : 30 Al-quds - ], which means, means, which ], - u‰Ï writes: Suy‰~Ï I¢l¥m al-s¥jid bi bi al-s¥jid I¢l¥m qudas Maqdis (House (House Maqdis No. (We proclaim proclaim (We 15 - - Suy‰~Ï; they they Suy‰~Ï; Qudus (the (the Qudus – is a verbal verbal a is 279 43 because a s al-Aq|¥ . -F when 1982 47 . A , b - m l l l l l e

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al-Aq|¥ this was said by Ab‰ ¢Ubaydah to ¢Umar b. al- Ursalimmu.” The name is a compound con compound a is name The Ursalimmu.” Bible has a reference to this name in the epis Muthanna. However, the majority spell it with a shÏn a with Urushalim, peace of house the called is and the being its origin comes from dance of angels of mercy upon it. Ibn M‰s¥ said idols. [. of . emptied .] place It is sacred called pure, a fying fat^ah a with House), is it al called addition, In paganism. by taminated said that it means the “Upraised Place” uncont we may obtain purification from sin. It is also where place a is Consecrated) or Holy the of sode of the “Prophet Abraham meeting with with meeting Abraham “Prophet the of sode shalim Urr origin. Jebusite earlier, an of even possibly that both origins, we can say with some level of accuracy word’s the on cast is doubt while etymology, sisting of two parts: the Amarna letters of the Rushalimum” and then again “in Akkadian in the of Texts Execration Egyptian “the in appearing first city, the for names oldest the of one is Urushalim respectively. Hebrews, the and are the names given to the area by the Romans See al-Suy‰~Ï, but it is not called al-±aram (the Sanctuary). is referred to as al-Zayt‰n (the Place of Olives) House) Purified or Holy, Consecrated, (the a the House of the Lord, ßih‰n, the Shallum with word may have a last the and vowel short or long with either Salun. In Qasrun . . . Pabush, Kurat Shalah (Zion), Sihiun Ayyil, Bayt Salem, Elia, Kurat fat^ah Ilia and Urushalim, two of the names he lists, Ibid. a synonym for Bayt al-Maqdis. . . In Hebrew it al that the words Bayt al-Maqdis may be spelled \ammah - kasrah Muqaddasah (the Holy Land), al Land), Holy (the Muqaddasah means “to found” or “to establish,” and and establish,” “to or found” “to means and a short short a and over the refers to the Canaanite god Shalm. The over the the over shÏn 19

(the Farthest Mosque), Elia and Ailia, l¥m under it. Also, al Also, it. under - Bayt al Bayt MuthÏr al-ghar¥m urr th over the the over , which is a foreign following the - and 18 tashdÏd It^¥f shÏn th centuries centuries th - \ammah d¥l Muqaddas (the Consecrated Consecrated (the Muqaddas suk‰n shalim kasrah , and the

93 salim , which has has which , urr hamzah , Urushalim, which means – shallam and . It is also named al-Ar\ 94 are of a Canaanite and , because of the abund under the the under over the the over . he (al-MaqdÏsÏ) said 14 shÏn l¥m - Bayt al Bayt , a a , shalim th century bce ; the initial letter shÏn has . It is also named fat^ah tashdÏd , in the form form the in . In terms of in this case, Shalim, and tashdÏd - mÏm Muqaddas Muqaddas |¥d over the the over lam - having , and a and , Masjid Masjid , signi , bce ; and and ; . It is as f l l l l l s al-quds or jerusalem: what’s in a name? seasons | autumn 2007 | 73

- l l . 2 585 . Masjid al al-SÏrah al- al-SÏrah - , No. 55 ). The fools among the 1998 : , Bk . 4 94 And when Abraham and 144 – : 2 93 , , Vol. . and : “As they sat down to eat their reads, : His sons Isaac and Ishmael It^¥f 21 …Indeed We see the turning of your of turning the see We …Indeed : 9 : 25 5 , trans. Trevor Le Gassick, Vol. . : . 127 142 : : 25 s 37 2 2 If the intention was to gain the support of >abari’s history for a more a for history al->abari’s of 1 volume See subj this of discussion and treatment detailed Genesis Qur’an Qur’an See Qur’an Genesis KathÏr, b. Ismail Fi\a al- Ab‰ Imam face to heaven, so We shall surely turn you to a qibla a to you turn surely shall We so heaven, to face the towards face your then turn like; shall you which face your turn are, you wherever and Mosque, Sacred Book the given been have who those and it, towards Lord; their from truth the is it that know surely most do they what of heedless all at not is Allah and the local Jewish community, it would seem more appropriate to maintain it for a longer period of time and some indication in the years.” He added, “Wherever (you may be, and) the prayer time becomes due, perform so do to is thing best the for there, prayer the time).” in prayers the offer to (i.e., these on touches also KathÏr Ibn TafsÏr the ject; narr Adam’s of commentary the during issues rative. buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Zohar of son Ephron of field the in Mamre, Hittite. the Ishmael raised the foundations of the House: Our Hearing, the art Thou surely us; from accept Lord! Knowing the people will say: What has turned them from their qibla which they had? Say: The East and the West to likes He whom guides He Allah; to only belong path.­ right the Prophet Prophet meal, they looked up and camels saw aTheir caravanGilead. of from coming Ishmaelites and myrrh, and balm spices, with loaded were they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.” Nabawiyyah Publishing, Garner (N.p.: Sa^i^ al-Bukh¥rÏ Narrated Abu Dharr: the on built first was mosque IWhich Apostle! said, “O Allah’s surface of the earth?” He said, “al ±aram (in Mecca).” I said, “Which was built (in -Aq|¥ al of mosque “The replied He next?” Jerusalem).” I said, “What was the period “Forty of said, He two?” the between construction See al-Suy‰~Ï, See

38 32 33 34 36 37 29 30 31 35

- e l l l , ), The 135

– 1998 ) and he and ) 132 19 Hebrew era - . The Romans The . Al-Quds: ad 135 – DÏn b. ¢Abdallah al - Khateeb, - ) Then Melchizedek king Melchizedek Then ) 132 18 Capitolina, a name given to - : ( : 20 – I¢l¥m al-s¥jid bi a^k¥m al-mas¥jid ) And blessed be [c] God Most High, Most God [c] be blessed And ) Ha Publishers, Ta-Ha (London: . 18 20 . 195 – 23 Ilia is the Arabized shortened version of . During this period and thereafter, up – C Mu^ammad Badr al Hadith constitutes the second Islamicsource law and consistsof of the authenticat the name Aelia i conquer after Graeco-Romans the by city the Zarkashi, 193 ed statements, actions, and consent of the of the Arabic names or epithets to identify the identify to epithets or names Arabic the of Mohammed see above, the on more For city. Abdul Hameed al Islamic and Judaic Classical in Jerusalem of Place Traditions 21 name derived from Hadrian the Emperor’s second name while Capitolina is a reference the of deities the Minerva, and Juno, Jupiter, to patrons the became who Rome, in Capitoline of Hadrian’s new city.” Early one Muslimwith conjunction in textsname this used often took control of the city after putting down the down putting after city the of control took year the in Revolt Kochba Bar Jewish B to the Muslim conquest of the city, Romans banned Jews from worshipping or livingand inrebuilt, redesigned, was city The area. the a being Aelia with Aelia-Capitolina, renamed lived in Palestine and who came to the area in area the to came who and Palestine in lived northw migrating tribes Arab Yemeni of wave a Dam. Ma’rib the of destruction the after ward around area the ing “from Greek writers the name passed into Latin into passed name the writers Greek “from Hierosolyma.” or Hierusalem, Ierousalem, as for English and Hebrew in used names Thus, the city originate from the pre in the area. Furthermore, the name comes to both languages from the Canaanites who out the first part of the name. The English name leaving but Urushalim, city English same the to refers The name. the of part first the out articulation Hebrew the from comes Jerusalem Yerushalayim, written is which Urushalim, of then when translated into Greek becomes Ierousalem or aspirated Hierousalem, and He was priest of God Most High, ( High, Most God of priest was He Abraham be “Blessed saying, Abraham, blessed and heaven of [b] Creator High, Most God by ( earth. hand.” your into enemies your delivered who everything. of tenth a him gave Abraham Then here “Salem” name the that certain are We Melchizedek, king of ‘Salem’ in Genesis.” Genesis: of Salem [a] brought out bread and wine.

27 28 spiker qasm abu photo: 74 | autumn 2007 | seasons hatem bazian

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“turning your face” toward the heavens seek heavens the toward face” your “turning œ facing Jerusalem in prayers but when he he when but prayers in Jerusalem facing œ Prophet the see to pleased be to used tures immediately. Jews and the people of the script Kaaba the towards direction their people changed those that, Hearing Kaaba).” (the have prayed with Allah’s Apostle facing Mecca said addressing them, “By Allah, I testify that I He Jerusalem). (facing prayers their during bowing were who mosque a in people some that prayer with him came out and passed by offered had who those of one Then people. the was Kaaba the facing offered he which prayer first The Mecca). (at Kaaba the facing pray could he that wished he but months, teen Bayt al facing prayers his offered He An|¥r. the from uncles maternal or grandfathers his with first stayed he Medina, to came œ Sa^i^ al-Bukh¥rÏ further consideration. warrant not does hypothesis this presented this new argument and until such evidence is or a Jewish source is available to us relative to Finally, not a single narration from a Muslim an orientation that he would be pleased with. ing change and then responds by granting him Prophet not yet granted. The Qur’an is directed to the intent was to pray toward Mecca though it was s Prophet the to points itself Qur’an The ent. pres is evidence such no move; diplomatic a Qur’an would have appeared to warrant such y al by - looking and searching for guidance, as his Maqdis (Jerusalem) for sixteen or seven or sixteen for (Jerusalem) Maqdis - Bar¥’ (b. ¢Azib): When the Prophet Prophet the When ¢Azib): (b. Bar¥’ ¢a|r s , informing him that God sees him prayer in the company of some some of company the in prayer , Vol. 1 , Bk 2 , No. 39 . Narrated t l l l l i e 43 42 41 40 48 47 46 45 44

(Beirut: D¥r al-±amr¥, istration and the name might have been instit Maktabat al-Mu^tasib, appointments to the bureaucracy. of purpose tuted in order to define a specific area for the Muslims were valid) ( (prayers) revealed: then Allah prayers). their (regarding them killed and we did not know what to say about prayers, some Muslims had died or had been in (Mecca) Kaaba the towards direction our it. of disapproved they prayers, the during Kaaba, the towards direction his changed Trust, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Medinah Press in association with Islamic Book Aisha Abdarrahman Bewley (Granada, Spain: Messenger of Allah: Ash-Shif¥ of Qadi ‘Iyad All Holy, and the Holy One. tion of 16 Uns al-jalÏl bi t¥rÏkh al-quds wa al-khalÏl al-falis~iniyyah al-qur¥ wa al-mudun asm¥’ wa Farahallah Salah Deeb, Ibid., See al-Khateeb, well a had Ottomans The al There are different possibilities for the translat al-Ghaz¥lÏ, verses Qur’anic See al-Qadi Mujir al-Din al -Hanbali Abu Ayman, - Q¥\Ï ¢Iy¥\ b. M‰s¥ al : 102 Al 24 - Bar¥’ added, “Before we changed changed we “Before added, Bar¥’ al-Qudd‰s . . And Allah would never make your faith to be lost be to al-Maq|ad waqf waqf al-Quds , including the Most Holy, the (endowement), zakat, and and zakat, (endowement), (i.e., the prayers of those those of prayers the (i.e., , 2 2 59 : : 1973 1991 , 143 87 Mu¢jam ma¢¥ni wa u|‰l - 23 – Ya^|ubi, 60 , , - . structured admin structured ). 2 ), . ), : 153 6 157 1991 . , , Mu^ammad, , 5 235 : (Amman: ), 110 131 . , trans. , and and , . al- l l l i