Even Muhammad could not ascend into Heaven from Mecca

Islam explains that Muhammad flew from Mecca on a horse, and ascended into Heaven from a far away Mosque.

Since the city of Mecca is the Holy city of Islam, many have raised the question why the prophet Muhammad has to leave Mecca to get the Koran.

One of them is Theology Professor Zwi Werblowsky at Hebrew University. He ask two important questions related to Islam:

Why did Muhammad have to come to Jerusalem?

Why did He not ascend to Heaven directly from his residence in the sacred Mosque of Mecca?

Werblowsky responds to his own question with the comment that in todays terms, you could say that even early Islam knew there was no direct flights from Mecca to Heaven. The direct flights took off only to Jerusalem.

But was is Islams connection of Jerusalem?

The Prophet Muhammad lived and was acive in the Arabian peninsula, in Mecca and Medina. He was never even in the city of Jerusalem.  The Koran tells of the winged horse, who transported his servant by night from the sacred Mosque of Mecca to the furthermost Mosque. That is in Arabic «al mashid al aqsa».

From its early days, Islam has identified the furthermost moque with Jerusalem.  Muhammad ascended into Heaven, and brought down the Koran.  The Koran does not mention Jerusalem, not even once. The Koran tells us about a Holy city «Al Quds». The city of Jerusalem was concurred by Islam in the 7th century.

Source: The Magazine Jerusalem Post.