Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Wasiti was the preacher (khatib) of al-Aqsa Mosque in 1019–1020 (AH 410), the year he wrote a treatise entitled Concerning the (religious) status of Jerusalem, better known as Fada'il Bayt al-Muqaddas, also spelled Fada'il al-Bayt al-Maqdis, literally "Merits/Virtues of Jerusalem".
[3] Their writings are among the early examples of a classical Islamic literary genre praising the virtues of the holy cities, the Fada'il al-Mudun ("virtues of cities"), and specifically to the Fada'il Bayt al-Maqdis, literally, the "Merits of the Holy House", Bayt al-Maqdis being an early Muslim name for Jerusalem.
[5] The fact that al-Wasiti lived before 1099, the year Jerusalem fell to the Crusaders, makes him particularly interesting, as his religious praise of the city is not yet motivated by the purpose of fuelling Muslim fervour for its liberation.
[2] As a native scholar, Al-Wasiti records the religious merits of Jerusalem, which have two main aspects in Early Muslim tradition: eschatological and prophetic.
[2] In this context he writes about the construction of the Dome of the Rock by Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, helping us understand how Mount Moriah became assimilated into the Muslim tradition, with a focus on three elements: Creation and the Last Judgement, David and Solomon, and Prophet Mohammed's Night Journey.