Jerusalem: In the Prayers of Islam‪.‬

HADIA DAJANI-SHAKEEL teaches Medieval history and Arabic literature in the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilization at the University of Toronto. In AD 1099, the Islamic world was rocked as Jerusalem fell to the Christian armies of the First Crusade. For Muslims, this could only be interpreted as a divine rebuke, resulting from their own failure to fulfil the obligations of the faith. Until this time, Islam had enjoyed centuries of spectacular success, spreading quickly, winning converts, and nurturing great centres of wealth and knowledge. Flushed with such achievement, Muslims seemed destined to lead humanity in all matters of the arts, science and, most important, faith. The shock of Jerusalem's loss cannot be overstated.