What does Palestine mean to us?

Recently, while chatting with an acquaintance who prays five times a day, is cultured, and follows a disciplined reading routine, he suddenly stopped and said, "I've been thinking... We put too much blame on Jews regarding Jerusalem and Palestine. Historically, if we consider, they are already right. Before the Arabs, there were Jews in Palestine. What are the Arabs defending their case based on? When you look at the claims of both sides, the reasons presented by Jews seem much more logical to me. They founded Jerusalem anyway. All sources confirm the same thing..."

At first, I thought he was joking. No, he was quite serious. He had thoroughly internalized all the historical theories presented by Jews and had closed the file, convinced of the injustice towards Arabs. As best as I could, I tried to explain the issue:

"Let's start with the claim that Jews founded Jerusalem... Yes, racially, the establishment of Jerusalem as a celestial city was carried out by the Children of Israel. The foundations of the city were laid during the periods of Prophet David and Prophet Solomon, the Temple Mount was built, and Jerusalem entered the stage of history. However, this situation is not enough to say, 'Jerusalem should belong to Jews,' because the Children of Israel were Muslims of that time since Prophet David and Prophet Solomon were Islamic prophets. The Temple Mount was not a 'Jewish temple' but an Islamic mosque, with its qibla directed towards Mecca and the Kaaba.

At this point, one of the biggest mistakes a Muslim can make is to label some of the Islamic prophets, who have been continuously present from Prophet Adam to Prophet Muhammad, as the 'prophets of the Jews.' Doing so will remove Jerusalem from the mental map. Judaism and Christianity are branches that have deviated from Islam. Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus... they were all Islamic prophets, so it is necessary to revive this chronology in one's mind. Otherwise, thinking of Judaism and Christianity as if they were independent religions from the beginning will inevitably lead to reversing the historical perspective of Islam."

In the continuation of the conversation, I realized that my interlocutor was not familiar with some basic chronological relations in the history of prophets. For example, he had no idea who Isaac was the son of and who his father was. Names, historical sequences, and the most basic information were completely mixed up in his mind. He made some confident comments, but the skeleton on which he built his interpretations was in complete disarray. Consequently, the conclusions he reached were distorted and disconnected from their contexts.

I observe such intellectual wanderings in many people of this kind. Interestingly, while two of the three mosques mentioned in the famous hadith of the Prophet ("A journey for prayer should be undertaken to three mosques: Mine, the Sacred Mosque, and the Mosque of Aqsa") find their place in the perspective of every Muslim, the third has been placed in a separate category. Although no sensible Muslim says "Saudi cities" when talking about Mecca and Medina, when it comes to Jerusalem and the Mosque of Aqsa, it is possible to encounter expressions like "the problem of the Arabs." However, in the blessed language of the Prophet, Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem are mentioned in the same category. For a Muslim, Jerusalem should be mentioned in the same sentence as Mecca and Medina, in terms of sanctity.

Do we only care about Palestine and Jerusalem because there is 'oppression' there? Although yet-to-be-stabilized periodic memories create such an image, no. The fundamental basis of our interest in Palestine and Jerusalem lies in the guidance of the Prophet we believe in, directing us towards the Mosque of Aqsa after Mecca. Even if the occupation and oppression were to end one day, our interest in Palestine and Jerusalem would not end. Just like the excitement and eagerness to pray at the Kaaba and the Prophet's Mosque, we will continue to feel it throughout our lives at the Aqsa Mosque.

Knowledge forms the basis of consistent and stable actions. To act correctly on a subject, it is possible only by knowing that subject thoroughly. Therefore, to answer the question, "What does Palestine mean to me as a Muslim?" we must consistently fill all these gaps. Otherwise, in the hands of current debates, social media temptations, and ill-intentioned manipulators, our thought codes will be wasted.