Orientalist Custer's views on the status of Jerusalem among Muslims

Abstract

Abstract: Caster attempted to cast doubt on the sanctity of Jerusalem for Muslims، arguing that it only gained importance after the second century AH due to political factors that encouraged the attribution of sanctity to the city. Among these factors was the Umayyads' efforts to prevent people from going to Mecca for pilgrimage during the revolt of Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (may God be pleased with him). Caster tried to prove the importance and sanctity of the city by relying on numerous hadiths and anomalous narrations. Caster adopted the views of the orientalist Goldziher، and many other orientalists followed this approach

Custer attempted to cast doubt on the sanctity of Jerusalem for Muslims. He tried to discredit the hadith, "Travel is not undertaken except to three mosques," a sound and authentic hadith from the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Custer also attempted to question the reliability of the hadith's narrator, al-Zuhri, one of the most famous narrators of hadith, whose integrity is unanimously agreed upon by hadith scholars. He tried to establish the sanctity of Jerusalem, but this sanctity can only be established through sound evidence from the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He relied on many weak hadiths and anomalous narrations to prove the sanctity of Jerusalem. Custer followed in the footsteps of Goldziher and echoed his views on the issue of questioning the sanctity of Jerusalem for Muslims, a path followed by many Jewish Orientalists.