Why did the companions leave the conquest of Jerusalem until the end?
Sometimes, certain writers from the Orientalist school raise a historical suspicion regarding the history of the conquest of Jerusalem during the time of Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him. Some Israeli academics and historians claim that the aim of the conquests in the Levant announced by the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, was nothing more than an economic material goal. The conquerors, for example, initially headed to areas in the Levant that Arabs had used as their commercial centers before Islam; thus, for instance, the army of Amr ibn al-Aas, may Allah be pleased with him, directed its efforts to Gaza, where the Quraysh Arabs used to trade during the pre-Islamic period.
The proponents of this view claim that Muslims saw nothing more in the Levant than a land of trade, wealth, and economy. Accordingly, they directed their attention there solely to reap its benefits. They cite as evidence that Muslims left the city of Jerusalem until the end and did not show interest in conquering it until after they had captured all the important commercial cities such as Damascus, Bosra, Gaza, and Homs. Then, when Jerusalem remained in the end, they turned their attention to it only under the influence of the Jews!
The truth is that this claim is overly simplistic; in reality, Muslims did not view the Levant apart from the status of Jerusalem in Islam. The evidence for this can be found in the pages of historical Islamic sources that discuss the conquests of the Levant. In the book "Conquests of the Levant" by Al-Waqidi, we see Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) announcing the launch of the Levant conquest, saying: "I am determined to send the heroes of the Muslims with their wealth and families to the Levant, as the Messenger of Allah informed me about this before his death." This indicates that he was implementing the vision of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who said during the Battle of Tabuk to Awf ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), as reported in Sahih Al-Bukhari: "Count six things before the Hour: my death, then the conquest of Jerusalem..." The term "Jerusalem" was the name used for the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, indicating that the conquest of Jerusalem specifically was a primary goal of the military campaigns.
Read also: Jerusalem From Tactical Planning to Umar's Treaty
Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him, himself clarified this in his message to Khalid ibn al-Walid, in which he ordered him to leave Iraq and head to the Levant. He said, as narrated by Ibn al-Marja: “When this letter reaches you, hasten to aid your brothers in the Levant, for I swear by Allah, a village from the lands of the Holy Land that Allah opens for you is more beloved to me than a large estate from the estates of Iraq.
These signals all indicate that Jerusalem was a fundamental base in the conquests of the Levant. In fact, the delay in the conquest of Iliya (Jerusalem) at that time, until the Levant was cleared of the Romans, was aimed at contradicting what these Orientalists and "Israelis" claim completely. The Muslims wanted to conquer Jerusalem without shedding blood as much as possible, in respect of its great religious significance, and out of fear that rivers of blood would flow there due to its religious importance to both Muslims and Christians. Therefore, they preferred to clear the entire region in the Levant, and once they completed this task and only Jerusalem and Caesarea remained— which they left due to its strong fortifications—they directly aimed for the conquest of Jerusalem, which they achieved in the year 16 AH.
Perhaps the greatest response to these superficial claims is the journey of the Commander of the Faithful, Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), to personally receive this holy city. If it had no significance to Muslims, why would he travel there, especially since he used to trade in Damascus and Busra during the days of ignorance? It must be that the religious status of this pure city is what motivated Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) to traverse deserts and wilderness to take its keys himself.
