Jerusalem is the barometer of the world, a measure of its spiritual health. But the restoration of Jerusalem must begin with the restoration of man himself.
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
In this age of confusion, chaos and anarchy, mankind clings desperately to the securities of its own making. Nationalism, capitalism, liberalism, socialism and the many competing ideologies of modernity promise order, prosperity and salvation. Yet when these become substitutes for God, they offer only illusions of permanence.
As Shakespeare warned:
“Security is mortals’ chiefest enemy.” [1]
Where, then, is man’s security?
A young, healthy man relies upon the strength of his body, until sickness and age overtake him. Where is his security?
A wealthy man relies upon his possessions, until bankruptcy and ruin strip them away. Where is his security?
Others place their trust in family, tribe, nation and homeland. Yet famine, disease, war and death expose the fragility of every worldly refuge.
Only God is Everlasting. Only He is the Absolute Security that never fails.
This is a reality our brothers and sisters in Gaza have demonstrated before the eyes of the world. Stripped of homes, possessions and worldly assurances, their extraordinary steadfastness reminds us that when everything is taken from man, his Lord remains.
The Truth Written Upon Our Souls
I wish to remind us of a truth written upon the very foundation of our souls, a truth mankind has repeatedly forgotten.
We are all children of Adam, branches of one tree, divided into tribes and nations yet originating from one father.
Before our worldly existence, the children of Adam testified to a single eternal Reality. When God asked, “Am I not your Lord?” they affirmed, “Yes.” [2]
There is no god but the One God.
He is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful, the Compassionate, the Infinite and Eternal. He is Uncreated, without beginning or end, the Creator of time and everything within it.
Nothing resembles Him. No imagination can encompass Him, no image can contain Him, and no creation can compare with Him.
The commandments given to Moses forbade the worship of other gods and the making of idols. [3] Yet the One God, transcending all creation, remains nearer to man than his jugular vein. [2]
Here lies the greatest of good news.
Though man is utterly dependent upon Him, God Himself is Self-Sufficient, Loving, Forgiving and Merciful. He invites His servants to return, repent and seek His forgiveness. [4]
Prayer is our living connection with Him. Through worship, love and submission, the soul finds its true refuge.
Attachment to the perishable world enslaves man to what must perish. Attachment to the Eternal liberates him from that slavery.
The Sacred Gateways
Man was not created merely to consume and possess. He was appointed a trustee upon the Earth, entrusted with the responsibility of establishing Truth, Justice and Compassion.
When he fulfils this trust, he becomes a mercy to creation, as rain is to barren land. When he abandons it, he becomes an exploiter of the very world entrusted to his care.
We are temporary trustees, not absolute owners.
Among the sacred places of the Earth, two stand apart: Makkah and Jerusalem.
The Qur’an recounts how Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the Kaaba, while the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ identified al-Masjid al-Haram and al-Masjid al-Aqsa as the first two sanctuaries established for worship upon earth. [5]
These sacred abodes are spiritual gateways, calling mankind away from worldly distractions and towards remembrance of the One God.
Makkah, sheltered within its remote valley, represents the heart of the world.
Jerusalem, standing at the crossroads of civilisations, represents its face.
It was to al-Aqsa, whose surroundings God declared blessed, that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was taken upon his miraculous Night Journey. [6]
Jerusalem is thus no ordinary city. It is a place where the spiritual and worldly histories of mankind have repeatedly converged.
Jerusalem: The Crown of Authority
From the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans to the Crusaders, Ottomans and British, the great powers of history have sought influence or dominion over Jerusalem.
Its possession became a declaration of worldly legitimacy, a prize by which empires sought to crown themselves.
Jerusalem became the Crown of Authority and the Sceptre of Power.
Yet its sacred significance was never founded upon worldly conquest.
The descendants of Abraham, through Jacob, were entrusted with carrying the knowledge and worship of the One God. But such a trust is a responsibility, not an unconditional hereditary entitlement. The Qur’an itself reminds us that God’s covenant does not extend to wrongdoing. [7]
When men exchange that sacred responsibility for worldly dominion, they betray the very purpose for which they were honoured.
Jesus, the son of Mary, came to renew the call to God, warning against the seductions of this passing world:
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” [8]
His message was a reminder that earthly authority, wealth and power amount to nothing when the soul is lost. Islamic teaching affirms that Jesus will return before the end of time, again establishing justice. [8]
Centuries later, the final Prophet Muhammad ﷺ restored the Kaaba to the worship of the One God. Jerusalem subsequently came under Muslim custodianship, becoming once more a great centre of worship and learning.
But the history of Jerusalem continued to expose the ambitions of empires.
The Crusaders sought its conquest. Later, following centuries of Muslim rule, British imperial power helped establish the political foundations of the Zionist project in Palestine. Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem since 1967 represents the latest chapter in this enduring contest over the Holy City. [9]
Yet Jerusalem is more than a prize to be seized, a territory to be administered or a symbol of national supremacy.
It is a sacred trust.
Its custodianship carries a responsibility to uphold worship, justice and compassion, not arrogance, dispossession and domination.
The Barometer of the World
Jerusalem reflects the spiritual condition of mankind.
When its sanctity is honoured, when justice is upheld and worship is protected, it offers a vision of the order that mankind was created to establish.
When it becomes an instrument of oppression and worldly ambition, it reflects the moral disorder of the age.
Jerusalem is the barometer of the world — a measure of its spiritual health.
But the restoration of Jerusalem must begin with the restoration of man himself.
For God has already given us the principle of true transformation:
“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” [10]
When man returns to God, Jerusalem will follow.
Footnotes
[1] William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act III, Scene V. Folger Shakespeare Library.
[2] The Qur’an, 7:172, 42:11 and 50:16.
[3] The Bible, Exodus 20:2–4, the commandments concerning exclusive worship of God and the prohibition of idols.
[4] The Qur’an, 35:15 and 39:53.
[5] The Qur’an, 2:127; Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3366, concerning the first two mosques established upon Earth.
[6] The Qur’an, 17:1, concerning the Night Journey and the blessed surroundings of al-Masjid al-Aqsa.
[7] The Qur’an, 2:124, concerning God’s covenant with Abraham; see also 3:113.
[8] The Bible, Matthew 16:26; Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3448, concerning the return of Jesus.
[9] UK House of Commons Library, Balfour Declaration; United Nations, The Status of Jerusalem.
[10] The Qur’an, 13:11.
