Quranic Sciences and Tradition

Quranic Sciences and Tradition

A Quranic Analysis of the Spiritual Development and Evolution of Earlier Religious Centers (Babylon/Jerusalem and Mecca/Medina)

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
Associate Professor, Department of Quran and Hadith Studies, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
10.22059/jqst.2026.410226.670593
Abstract
Most ancient religions developed centers of religious significance based on factors such as the birthplace of a prophet, the existence of a principal temple, or the occurrence of important religious, political, and heroic events. Over time, however, many of these centers declined or lost their spiritual functions. Babylon, Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina, despite their differences, are four cities that have remained significant in this regard. The present study demonstrates that the fate of Babylon became intertwined with transgression and corruption, ultimately leading to its decline; Jerusalem, which once became the center of Solomon's kingdom and retained certain religious and spiritual legacies, was transformed into an ethnic and racial center and became detached from the spirituality of the earlier prophets. Mecca, despite its significance as Umm al-Qurā (the Mother of Cities), Balad Amīn (the Secure City), Balad Ḥarām (the Sacred City), and the location of al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (the Sacred Mosque), ultimately did not become a suitable host for the Final Prophet and his revealed law. Following his expulsion from Mecca, the Prophet established in Medina the foundations of a religious and human civilization free from the contamination of polytheism and tribal and racial conflicts. Many dimensions of this model remain worthy of further investigation and reconsideration. The central concern of this article is the instability of earlier religious centers and the enduring significance of Medina as a model of religious and spiritual civilization that remains relevant for the study and evaluation of civilization and human society in the contemporary world. The centrality of God and His Messenger, the theoretical and practical presentation of Islam and the ḥanīf religion (the primordial monotheistic faith), the religion of fiṭra (primordial human nature), and the virtues of piety, knowledge, and wisdom constitute among the civilizational dimensions of the Prophet's Medina.
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