Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak vowed that he will never sacrifice the sanctity of Islam to preserve his ties with United States President Donald Trump.

"Yes, I was welcomed to the White House. Yes, Donald Trump is my good friend.

"But on principle, I would never sacrifice the sanctity of Islam," he told a crowd of more than 1,000 who attended the “Save Jerusalem” rally at the Putrajaya mosque this afternoon.

Putrajaya had organised the rally to express solidarity with the Palestinians following Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

As a Muslim, Najib said he has a personal obligation to defend the sanctity of Islam against attacks from its enemies.

In this case, Najib cited historical changes to the Palestinian map since 1947 which showed the Zionist regime's continuous attempt to encroach their land.

"It is mandatory (to defend Islam) because do not forget, what is the first principle of the highest objectives of Islam (maqasid syariah)?

"The first principle is to protect and to safeguard the sanctity of the religion. (The) second, comes our own life, and then only wealth," he stressed.

Najib, who cited the status of Baitulmaqdis as a holy site for the three major religions, pledged Malaysia's commitment to free Palestine from the Zionist regime.

"This is not a choice, this is not an option, we must unite against them," he said in stressing that the day's rally has shown how Muslims in Malaysia can stand united for a common cause.

"I also dream (that) one day (I will) be able to pray at the Al-Aqsa mosque, but I do not want to ask for permission from the Zionists," he added.

Najib reminded the crowd that he had from the very beginning expressed Malaysia's stance against Trump's recognition in his winding-up speech during the last Umno general assembly.

The resounding support from Umno delegates, he said, was then further raised during the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation emergency meeting on the issue.

At the end of the rally, Najib also announced that similar solidarity rallies would be held on the third Friday of every month at all mosques across the country.

Putrajaya had previously declared that the government was unfazed by the US' threat that it would be "taking names" of countries that vote in support of a UN resolution criticising the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.