Jerusalem's Importance in Early Islam
Sura 2 of the Qur˒ān explicitly states that one should face the Ka˓ba in Mecca during prayer. So important is this direction that in Islam, the dead are buried facing the Ka˓ba.
El-Khatib points to al-Qibla (the prayer direction) and references the second Sura, verses 142, 143, and 145. He explains that, "We are told that Muslims when praying faced towards Bayt al-Maqdis[20] for 17 consecutive months after the Hijra,[21] until this was abrogated by the revelation of Q 2:142–146. These verses ordered the Prophet and the Muslim community to turn in prayer towards the Ka˓ba in Mecca instead of Jerusalem."[22]
El-Khatib points to al-Qibla (the prayer direction) and references the second Sura, verses 142, 143, and 145. He explains that, "We are told that Muslims when praying faced towards Bayt al-Maqdis[20] for 17 consecutive months after the Hijra,[21] until this was abrogated by the revelation of Q 2:142–146. These verses ordered the Prophet and the Muslim community to turn in prayer towards the Ka˓ba in Mecca instead of Jerusalem."[22]
