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Document Details : Title: In Search of a Qur'anic Theology of Sacred Space Author(s): BANI ASSADI, Nasrin Journal: Studies in Interreligious Dialogue Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Date: 2026 Pages: 83-98 DOI: 10.2143/SID.36.1.3295558 Abstract : This article examines the Qur’anic conception of holiness as it relates to land/space, arguing that the Qur’an does not articulate a theology of sacred land as such but rather a theology of sacred space grounded in cultic performance and ritual practices involving the experience of Divine presence in those spaces. Through a philological analysis and a historical-critical approach, the article demonstrates that sacredness of space, as suggested by the Qur’an and inferred from early Muslim history, arises from the presence of a specific structure — like the sacred House (ka'bah) in Mecca — that serve as focal points for ritual performance, rather than from territorial claims to land made by God or religious authorities. By engaging classical Qur’anic exegesis alongside recent scholarship, the article further investigates if the same reading applies to the Qur’anic vision of the Biblical Holy Land. In its final section, the study turns to modern political disputes over sacred sites in Israel and Palestine, situating the exclusivist approaches to these sites within a broader paradigm of the politics of territorial control. |
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