This book sheds new light on Jerusalem's status in early Islam. The sanctity of the city is already discerned in the Qurʾān. The vision of redemption that the Qurʾān displays coincides with the messianic expectations that have swept throughout the entire region, especially among the Jews, due to the attempted renewal of Jewish liturgy in Jerusalem following the Persian victory over Byzantium in 614.
On the other hand, the Qurʾān also portrays the holiness of Mecca and the Kaʿba. This book shows how it promotes their pre-Islamic holiness around the image of Abraham and Ishmael. The...