Short answer
Not by the name al-Quds or Jerusalem, but the Quran refers to it clearly as the place of al-Masjid al-Aqsa, the land "whose surroundings We have blessed" (17:1), and the Holy Land (5:21). It was the first qiblah of the Muslims and the destination of the Night Journey.
This is a factual question. Masjid al-Aqsa is the third holiest mosque in Islam, and travelling to pray in it is a virtuous act by the hadith of the three mosques.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The Arabic words al-Quds and Bayt al-Maqdis, the usual Muslim names for Jerusalem, do not appear in the Quran. But the city is meant in several places:
- 17:1: Allah took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed. This is the Isra, the Night Journey.
- 5:21: Musa told his people to enter the Holy Land (al-ard al-muqaddasah) that Allah had written for them. Commentators say this means Jerusalem and the land around it.
- 21:71: Ibrahim and Lut were saved to the land We blessed for the worlds, which most commentators understand as al-Sham, including Jerusalem.
- 17:7: the Children of Israel entering "the masjid" a second time. Sahih International translates this as the temple in Jerusalem.
- 2:142 to 144: the change of the qiblah, which had been towards Jerusalem, to the Ka'bah.
Why it matters to Muslims. For about sixteen or seventeen months after the Hijrah, Muslims prayed towards Jerusalem. The Prophet ﷺ led the prophets in prayer there on the night of the Isra. He said that journeys of devotion are made only to three mosques: al-Masjid al-Haram, his own mosque in Madinah and al-Masjid al-Aqsa.
Many prophets lived in or near the city, including Dawud, Sulayman, Zakariya, Yahya and Isa. For the buildings on the site, see al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock. For the stories, see Prophet Sulayman and Prophet Zakariya.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Israa 17:1
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ سُبْحَٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًۭا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ ﴿١﴾
Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
The Night Journey to al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.
Quran, Surah Al-Maaida 5:21
يَٰقَوْمِ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْأَرْضَ ٱلْمُقَدَّسَةَ ٱلَّتِى كَتَبَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَرْتَدُّوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَدْبَارِكُمْ فَتَنقَلِبُوا۟ خَٰسِرِينَ ﴿٢١﴾
O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you and do not turn back [from fighting in Allah 's cause] and [thus] become losers."
The Holy Land that includes Jerusalem.
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:144
قَدْ نَرَىٰ تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۖ فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةًۭ تَرْضَىٰهَا ۚ فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ ۚ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنتُمْ فَوَلُّوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُۥ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ لَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ ۗ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ بِغَٰفِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٤٤﴾
We have certainly seen the turning of your face, [O Muhammad], toward the heaven, and We will surely turn you to a qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you [believers] are, turn your faces toward it [in prayer]. Indeed, those who have been given the Scripture well know that it is the truth from their Lord. And Allah is not unaware of what they do.
The change of qiblah from Jerusalem to the Ka'bah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1189
Sahih... لا تشد الرحال إلا إلى ثلاثة مساجد ...
"Journeys are not to be made except to three mosques."
Al-Masjid al-Aqsa is one of the three special mosques of Islam.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Commentary on Surah al-Isra 17:1 and Surah al-Ma'idah 5:21. Identifies al-Masjid al-Aqsa and the Holy Land with Bayt al-Maqdis.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.