Islam's Integrity

    In the early 1000s CE, Islam was flourishing in Jerusalem, and it needed a beautiful holy site to rival the Christian and Jewish sacred spaces. Although muslims were in power during this time period, they wanted physical proof that they belonged with the other Abrahamic religions in Israel. Abd al-Malik launched the construction of the Dome of the Rock in 1023 CE to enshrine the rock from which Muhammed ascended to heaven. Armstrong writes that the temple "was a dramatic assertion that Islam had arrived and was here to stay" (Armstrong 239). The construction of the Dome of the Rock reveals the Muslims' approach to reorienting Jerusalem. Instead of outlawing Christianity, an inscription on the temple denies the "notion that God had sired a son." Instead of banishing Judaism, the Muslims used the Dome of the Rock to show that "the Jews were not the only children of Abraham" (Armstrong 240). It seems like Muslim politicians relied on argument instead of persecution and violence to legitimize their religion in Jerusalem; however, the dhimmi system still lowered the status of Christians and Jews in Jerusalem under Muslim rule. Eventually, it included the law that Christian and Jewish places of worship couldn't "tower above the mosque" (Armstrong 231). They did take over Jerusalem by force! But the early methods of maintaining Islamic power in the 600s-1000s were partly about building Islam's integrity as a relatively new religion. 

    Some authors of the Quran also used argument to prove that Islam was the true religion. Sura 53 attemps to discredit pagan Arabs' beliefs by using Muhammad's ascension. The author begins by asserting that the Quran is the actual word of God, not just what Muhammad believed: "he does not speak from his own desire" (53:3). They then refer to a contradiction in the pagans' religion—although the pagans believed having a daughter was a disgrace, their god also had a daughter. While muslims know the true will of God because they have his revelation, pagans "follow guesswork and the whims of their souls" (53:23). It seems like the Quran authors had a little cognitive dissonance—how did they know for sure Muhammed wasn't just following a whim of his soul? But I think all religions have certain contradictory or hypocritical beliefs. That doesn't necessarily mean that their faith is wrong. Maybe it just means that God has contradictory opinions or that humans have trouble interpreting the word of God? The Quran authors say that the unbeliever "only gave a little and then he stopped" (53:34). Islam needs its believers to pour their hearts into their faith & to completely accept God's word so that they can become the new successful children of Abraham!

Dome of the Rock