Interfaith Dialogue in Islam

CHAPTER 3 INTERFAITH DIALOGUE IN ISLAM What is the real message of the Quran, the Bible and the Torah? The common message of these three religious scriptures is monotheism, or the concept of unity of God. There is a verse in the Quran that reads: The believers, the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabaeans, all those who believe in God and the Last Day and do good deeds, will be rewarded by their Lord; they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve. (Quran 2:62) What is the significance of Jerusalem for Jews, Christians and Muslims? Jerusalem holds utmost importance for Jews because an important prophet of Judaism, Solomon, was born there. He established Jerusalem as the capital state of his kingdom. He built a Jewish Synagogue (or Solomon’s Haykal) in 975 BC. For Jews therefore, Jerusalem holds direct significance. Solomon’s Haykal has been razed down twice in history. The first incident was in 586 BC when the King of Babylonia, Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed it. After a long period of time, the Jews re-built their place of worship. This was again brought to ruins in 70 AD by the Romans. Today certain groups of Jews have made it their duty to restore and re-build the Haykal as it was originally built by Solomon. However, according