Dome Of The Rock Essay

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In 610 CE, amid quarrels of doctrinal matters between Jewish and Christian people, the Islamic prophet Muhammad began to receive a series of revelations from the Judeo-Christian God. These revelations called him to restore the Abrahamic religion that had been tainted by erroneous Jewish and Christian beliefs. Allah’s revelation to Muhammad did not intend to abolish the laws of the previous prophets, but rather to serve as a reminder that one must not put an institution above God himself. The new call was for the people of Mecca to submit themselves fully to God, inevitably leading to a just society and consequently resulting in prosperity and harmony with divine laws (Armstrong 218). It was necessary for the people to return to the faith …show more content…

However, Muhammad knew that humans easily lose focus. The solution was to create three sacred spaces as physical representations on earth to allow Muslims to remain focused on God. As the Muslim Umayyad Caliphate seized Jerusalem, Caliph Abd al-Malik contracted the Dome of the Rock, the first Islamic monumental space in Jerusalem (Armstrong 237). The Dome of the Rock is a holy center that allowed Muslims the freedom to establish their identity in a Jerusalem already heavily influenced by Christian and Jewish tradition. This Islamic site’s religious significance is conveyed through its Islamic architecture and inscriptions in the already established Judeo-Christian Jerusalem, historical correlation to Muhammad's Night Journey, and direct locational connection to the sacrifice of Abraham and the Jewish temple. These aspects signify Islam as a return to the true Abrahamic faith that surpasses, subjugates and seals other religions in Jerusalem while defining the omnipresent and all-powerful nature of …show more content…

The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, is only an apostle of God, and His Word, which he conveyed into Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him. Believe therefore in God and his apostles, and say not 'Three.' It will be better for you. God is only one God. Far be it from His glory that He should have a son. (Sūrah

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