Question:

May Allah reward you with good, O Your Eminence Sheikh. Some people refer to Makkah Al-Mukarramah as “the land of the heavenly religions.” Is this expression correct?

Answer:

This is a false expression, because the prophets of the Children of Israel—among whom are Musa (Moses) and ‘Isa (Jesus)—were actually in “the Levant region” (Al-Sha’b/Al-Sham), not in Makkah. However, Makkah is the land of the dispatch of the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and Madinah is the place of his migration, where the Islamic state was established, the banner of jihad was raised, and the Islamic religion was consolidated.

Thus, Makkah is the starting point of the mission, and Madinah is the culmination of the mission—meaning the culmination of the religion with which the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him and his family, was sent in Makkah. Yes.