Jerusalem in Islam

Jerusalem in Islam refers to the status of Jerusalem in the Islamic tradition. Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Sunni Islam, after the mosques of al-Haram in Mecca and al-Nabawi in Medina.

Muhammad's journey to the Farthest Mosque is mentioned in the Qur'an, in the verse (17:1). The verse states:

"Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from Al-Masjidil-Haram (Arabic: الـمَـسـجـدِ الـحَـرام‎‎, "The Place-of-Prostration The Sacred") to Al-Masjidil-Aqsa (Arabic: الـمَـسـجـدِ الأَقـصى‎‎, "The Place-of-Prostration The Farthest"), whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing."

It is specified in a hadith (Arabic: حَـديـث‎‎, saying attributed to Muhammad), that the Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa is indeed located in Jerusalem:

"That he heard Allah's Apostle saying, "When the people of Quraysh did not believe me (i.e. the story of my Night Journey), I stood up in Al-Hijr and Allah displayed Jerusalem in front of me, and I began describing it to them while I was looking at it."

Islamic tafsirs (commentaries) hold the term "the farthest Mosque" (literally al-masjid al-Aqsa in Arabic) to refer to the Noble Sanctuary in Jerusalem.

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