Who should be entrusted with Jerusalem?

Daily Sabah says Jerusalem, unlike most cities (excluding Mecca), transcends mere physical geography. Its profound spiritual significance makes it a moral imperative to contemplate rightful ownership and stewardship. Caliber. Az reprints the report.

Heaven, Earth and everything in between unconditionally and unequivocally belong to God. No one has the absolute right to claim property, nor can anyone dominate nature or his fellows by deriving his legitimacy from his power or any other source. Anyone who violates this law, which is the universal principle of religion, is considered an oppressor or a trespasser. Human beings do not own but only “benefit from” things as trustees. The limits and rules of this benefit are determined by religion or law following the same principle of universality. It is not about faith or disbelief; a faithful believer must shape his worldview in this framework.

When the discussions about Jerusalem (Al-Quds) and “the promised land” have increased, I wanted to write on this subject, raising these questions: Who should reside in Jerusalem and to whom is Jerusalem entrusted? Jerusalem stands out from other cities (except Mecca) as it is more than just a physical and geographical location; it holds a more profound reality and spiritual meaning and therefore, it can be morally an obligation to think about who does or should own it or rather who should be entrusted with it.

The true meaning of Jerusalem

First, we should focus on Jerusalem’s meaning and what should come to mind when we talk about it.

If Jerusalem is just a geographical location, no particular reason makes it distinguished from other cities or even superior to them. In this case, the residents of Jerusalem should be the ones who have been living in the region for the longest time and they should continue to live there in peace. However, history demonstrates that no one thinks of Jerusalem as a physical and geographical location. For a Muslim, a Jew, or a Christian, Jerusalem is the embodiment of eternal meaning and reality; in the words of the late versatile poet, writer, and politician Sezai Karakoç, it is a city “built in the heaven and brought down to earth.”

The name of the city declares this truth per se: Quds (meaning “holy” in Arabic) is the holy city built upon divine law, saved from being defiled by the raw instincts and emotions of mankind and it is the city of truth established to guide humanity toward fulfilling their goal of existence. Whoever gazes upon Jerusalem remembers these principles and whoever lives there follows them. In this respect, Jerusalem is acknowledged as the ideal city – as al-Farabi stated – setting the ideal principles and models for all the cities to be built in the world. Therefore, talking about Jerusalem should bring justice, humanity, mercy, human virtues, and moral values based on faith in God.

Considering that the significant part of the stories about the prophets mentioned in the Holy Quran and the Torah takes place here and Jerusalem and its surroundings were built by these prophets, it becomes a necessity to think of Jerusalem as “the ideal city,” “the holy city” or to some extent “the main city.”

Defining Jerusalem as “holy” or “ideal” can answer our question of whom it is entrusted with or whom it is promised to. The main laws stated in the Torah can be guiding for us. We said “also” because it is crucial to understand that the rules in question are the main principles of any Abrahamic religion. Apart from that, the different approaches of Islam and Judaism toward the laws would explain the roots of the problems faced today.

In Judaism, laws are for the regulation of internal affairs and relations. On the other hand, Islam is the religion that introduced the universality of rules in history. Not only has it claimed universality, but it has also “abrogated” other religions, claiming that they never went beyond being local and tribal and reclaimed the universal values formed around religious faith. In other words, Judaism lost its right to be the primary religion not because it was falsified but because it was invalidated by the last prophet. Islam becomes crystallized in terms of universality-locality compared with other religions or philosophical traditions: The laws are universal and must be applied to everyone at every place and time.

Seeking worldly power through God’s name

Then, the first answer to the question would be that Jerusalem should be entrusted with the ones who have faith in God because the first law of the ideal city is faith in God. Whoever believes in God and does not associate partners with God is entrusted with Jerusalem. Man’s knowledge of God is limited by his understanding of divine names.

Divine names tell us how God behaves and what He asks from us while showing us how to act and behave. Therefore, whoever acknowledges the moral values deduced from divine names as “the ideal” has the right to claim Jerusalem; if anyone would inherit a land in this world, it would be the one who has adopted the divine names as the guiding values. Only then would humanity and nature be safe.