Significance of Qibla (prayer direction) changing from Jerusalem to Mecca | James Howard-Johnston | Skepsislamica
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Video Description (from Youtube)
🎙️ In this episode of the Real Talk Podcast, we’re thrilled to welcome back to the channel the eminent Mr. James Howard-Johnston to discuss the contents of his recent article, “The Qur’an as a
Historical Source” 📜✨ (link below ⬇️).
James Howard-Johnston is a Lecturer in Byzantine Studies at the University of Oxford, and author of the monumental Witnesses to a World Crisis: Historians and Histories of the Middle East in the Seventh Century — a masterclass in deep source analysis. His work examines the formative phase of Islam through both Islamic and non-Islamic sources, offering an unparalleled look at this pivotal historical period.
In this discussion, we explore:
🔍 Why he considers the Qur’an a key historical source
📆 What a chronological reading of the text—alongside other materials—can reveal about the Prophet’s evolving role as both a spiritual and political leader of a religion that reshaped the world
🔗 Link to the article:
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/jiqsa-2024-0006/html
💬 Be sure to like, share, subscribe, and let us know your thoughts on this powerful and thought-provoking discussion!
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Jerusalem is a city in the Middle East. It is located on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, and is considered holy to the three major Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Both Israel and the
Palestinian Authority claim Jerusalem as their capital, as Israel maintains its primary governmental institutions there and the State of Palestine ultimately foresees it as its seat of power; however, neither claim is widely recognized internationally.
The Siege of Jerusalem may refer to several historical events, three of which (587 BC, AD 70, 1187) are also called the Fall of Jerusalem. In particular, the Siege of Jerusalem, (70 AD) was a pivotal moment in the first Jewish-Roman war. It resulted in the destruction of the ancient temple of
Solomon and much of the surrounding city by a fire started by the Roman army under the command of the future emperor Titus.
Mecca, or Makkah is a city in the Hejazi region of the Arabian Peninsula, and the plain of Tihamah in Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital and administrative headquarters of the Makkah Region. The city is located 70 km (43 mi) inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of 277 m (909 ft) above
sea level, and 340 kilometres (210 mi) south of Medina. Its resident population in 2012 was roughly 2 million,
We spotlight perspectives in Islamic history that often go unnoticed, keeping you informed on the latest academic research and discussions. Our content is non-sectarian and grounded in rigorous academic approaches to Islamic studies, offering deep and thoughtful analysis.
James Howard-Johnston (born 1942) is an English historian of the Byzantine Empire. He was University Lecturer in Byzantine studies at the University of Oxford. He is an emeritus fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. His approach to Byzantium follows that of Edward Gibbon and concentrates on
comparisons between the Byzantine state and its Western counterparts. Howard-Johnston has also done research on Late Antiquity, especially the Roman-Persian Wars and the early history of Islam.