The Night Journey in Prophecy
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I had been directed to a book about early non-Islamic references to Muhammad, and came across this one, with this particular reference
in 'Ad Annum 705' (October 705)
Mhmt came upon the earth in 932 of Alexander, son of Philip the Macedonian
http//www.christianorigins.com/islamrefs.html
Now for anyone else, 932 is merely a number like any other, however I have been studying 'Temple symbolism' for a while, and instantly this number shot into me. Let me explain.
In the Bible we read that "So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died" (Genesis 55). Now 932 is only 2 removed from 930. Yet the ages in the genealogies of Adam are symbolic (I am currently writing an academic paper on this stuff), for example the age 930 should actually be thought of in different terms
?And at the close of the nineteenth jubilee, in the seventh week in the sixth year thereof, Adam died, and all his sons buried him in the land of his creation, and he was the first to be buried in the earth. And he lacked seventy years of one thousand years; for one thousand years are as one day in the testimony of the heavens and therefore was it written concerning the tree of knowledge 'On the day that ye eat thereof ye shall die.' For this reason he did not complete the years of this day; for he died during it.? (Jubilees 429-31)
We should primarily think that Adam lived ?1000 years less 70?, rather than ?930 years?. The dimensions of the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle were 10 cubits each, making a volume of 1000 cubic cubits. Therefore living 1000 years could well be a symbol for entering Allah?s Presence in the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement (?one day in the testimony of the heavens?; the Day of Atonement occurred once a year). You will therefore recall the Jews' desire to live a thousand years (Surah 298, although whether they actually knew of its significance or were just repeating previous statements I don't know, although their denial of Jesus as the Messiah is rather telling!)
However, the term ?1000 years less 70? is also significant in this. According to the Talmud the entry into the promised land was at 1436BCE "850 years, or seventeen jubilees, passed between that date and the destruction of the First Temple" (Jewish Encyclopedia, ?Sabbatical Year And Jubilee?, section ?Talmudic and Samaritan Calculation of Jubilees?). Now the temple was destroyed in 586BC, therefore giving the entry into Caanan as 586+850=1436BC.
Going back 40 years then implies that the exodus was at 1476BCE. Now Moses was also 40 years in Midian (Jewish Encyclopedia, Moses "sojourned forty years, following the occupation of a shepherd") implying that he met the daughters of Jethro at the well (Exodus 216, Surah 2823) in 1516BCE. However, 1516BCE is exactly 1000 years before the second was temple built in 516BCE, and 930 years before the first temple was destroyed 70 years earlier in 586BCE! (I.e. 850+40+40=930.)
But why choose Adam for this historical reference? Based on the symbolism of the hadith which states that Adam was 60 cubits tall (!) I comment this, "the 'Adam' figure is being used by the prophet Ezekiel to refer to the high priest". Now the priesthood after the temple's restoration in 516BC became corrupted - think of Jesus opposing the Jerusalem establishment. They had left the true worship of Allah in which the Light of Allah would appear ("worship in spirit and truth", John 421-24). Now the Light was symbolized by lamps in the temple, and the lamps were symbolized by female figures (see for example my discussion on the hoori of paradise). Now in the Bible Moses meets seven daughters, but in the Quran he meets two daughters (Exodus 216, Sura 2823). Knowledge of the Temple Symbolism resolves any apparent 'contradiction'. 'Seven' refers to the seven-branched lampstand Menorah, whereas 'two' refers to the two sides of the temple (see also Zechariah 43, 'two olive trees'. So the Israelite priesthood had the Light of Allah until it was finally removed 930 years later. Its supposed restoration in the second temple is what was causing the problems leading up to the coming of Jesus (hence the symbol of Mary giving birth to him under a tree with a river appearing, Surah 1923, thereby indicating the re-establishment of the true priesthood of the Divine Light).
The sequence '930 years then 70 years to make 1000' years belongs very much to divine ordering. Now you can start to see why the number 932 for Muhammad leapt out at me! The quotation at the top mentions "932 of Alexander, son of Philip the Macedonian", referring to the dating system that was in use
The Seleucid Era.
The Jews of post-Biblical times adopted the Greek era of the Seleucids. The Greek era ("eshbon hayewanim", or the era of contracts ("minyan shearot", dates from the battle of Gaza in the autumn of the year 312 B.C.
http//www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5827-era
The dates can differ by one year, see http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seleucid_eraThe dating of 932 is based upon the 'era of the Greeks'. However, we should be looking for something that happened in the year 930, which is equivalent to
312BC add 930 years=-312+930+1=autumn 619AD to summer 620AD
(we add one because there is no zero year between 1BC and 1AD).Now is there anything significant which happened about that time, especially regarding the Jews who also used the 'Seleucid Era'?
Islamic tradition relates that in 620, Muhammad experienced the Isra and Mi'raj, a miraculous journey said to have occurred with the angel Gabriel in one night.
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad#Isra_and_Mi.27rajIt was said to have happened either three years or 18 months before the Hijrah.
http//navedz.com/2009/10/10/the-night-journey-al-isra-and-al-miraj/
(The Hijrah occurred in 622AD, although Wikipedia for 'Muhammad' has September, 'Hijra (Islam)' has July ? )The NIGHT JOURNEY occurred at exactly the right time, 930 years following the earlier symbolism! Something divine is certainly happening. What is even more interesting is that 70 years after this (making the 1000 years total) is the year 689/690AD, which is when the DOME OF THE ROCK's construction was started.
The Dome of the Rock was erected between 689 and 691 CE
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_Rock#Location.2C_construction_and_dimensionsConstruction on the Dome of the Rock was initiated by Umayyad Caliph Abd Al-Malik Ibn Marwan in 689
http//jerusalem.com/articles/islam/dome_of_the_rock-a711Now what I have given above are factual verifiable dates. Below is my interpretation of the 'Dome of the Rock' built to commemorate the Night Journey (whether Muslims believe it happened there or at the 'Al-Aqsa Mosque'.
According the hadith, Muhammad visited an already existing building which some Muslims associate with the CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE
There still lies more to be discussed. What about several Hadiths which specifically talk about a Masjid in form of a building in Jerusalem.
?
"It is narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said I was brought al-Buraq Who is an animal white and long, larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule, who would place his hoof a distance equal to the range of version. I mounted it and came to the Temple (Bait Maqdis in Jerusalem), then tethered it to the ring used by the prophets. I entered the mosque and prayed two rak'ahs in it, and then came out and Gabriel brought me a vessel of wine and a vessel of milk."
Part of a long Hadith Sahih Muslim Chapter 75 Book 001, Number 0309Similarly Ibn Kathir writes in his Tafsir
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'He claims that he went out of our land, the land of Al-Haram, in one night, and came to your sanctuary in Jerusalem, then came back to us the same night, before morning came.'
"The Patriarch of Jerusalem was there, standing next to Caesar. The Patriarch of Jerusalem saidI know that night.' Caesar looked at him and said,How do you know about this' He said, `I never used to sleep at night until I closed the doors of the sanctuary. On that night I closed all the doors except for one, which I could not manage to close. I asked my workers and others who were with me to help me deal with it, but we could not move it. It was like trying to move a mountain. So I called the carpenters, and they looked at it and said The lintel and some part of the structure has fallen onto it. We cannot move it until morning, when we will be able to see what the problem is. So I went back and left those two doors open. The next morning I went back, and saw that the stone at the corner of the sanctuary had a hole in it, and there were traces of an animal having been tethered there. I said to my companions This door has not been closed last night except for a Prophet, who prayed last night in our sanctuary.'''
Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Surah Al-Isra Chapter No. 17 verse no 1 under the heading "An interesting Story"This creates a confusion that if there was no mosque or Temple in Jerusalem then where did Muhammad (saw) prayed two rakats.
But the answer lies itself in this Hadith. This hadith clearly shows that the sanctuary where Muhammad (saw) prayed two rakats was a Christian sanctuary.
http//islam.thetruecall.com/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=316
Hadith Muslim 1/75/0309 can be found at http//www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=001&translator=2&start=0&number=0309#0309
Ibn Kathir's hadith can be found at http//www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2856&Itemid=72 although some say this hadith is weak.So Muhammad prayed in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which is the true 'Farthest Mosque' mentioned in Surah 171, "Glory to Who did take His servant for a Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless". Why did Allah bless a place where icons are venerated, where crosses are venerated, and where Christian rites are performed? This is the place of Jesus' three-day burial, where Jewish Christians had in about AD 70 to AD 135 oriented a Torah scroll niche "towards the site of the Holy Sepulchre, which would seem to indicate that the Christian community that had built it had already began to transfer many of the religious traditions originally associated with the Temple to the sites they associated with Christ's death and resurrection" (Wikipedia, Church of the Holy Sepulchre ). If Jesus is the Messiah, then the Holy Sepulchre is the new 'Temple', and as such the 'Farthest Mosque' mentioned in the Quran.
The construction of the Dome of the Rock goes against the ethos of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Muslims here reject the hadith and state that it was the early Umayyad Caliphs who corrupted the shahada, see http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9597475.msg185948#msg185948
However, having rejected the hadith of later Islam, methinks it is also necessary to unlearn some of the understanding of Islam associated with this 'corrupted' Islam. Then again, all I am thinking about is just accepting the mainstream Christians of Muhammad's day as being true Muslims without any need for conversion. You yourselves do not need to accept their understanding of Islam, and neither they yours.
You might not appreciate this sentiment, but it is one which is historically borne out. (See my topic Is the Quran against mainstream Christianity?; I will update it soon on page 3.)
Peace, let us worship one God with an open mind.
Richard
PS. One thousand years of Christianity was celebrated in Russia in 1988, starting in 988AD when many baptisms took place. Yet 930 years after this is 1918 when Moscow become the capital of Soviet Russia and the start of the anti-Soviet 'Russian Civil War', with the Soviet Revolution having started in late 1917. One year after the celebration of Christianity, in 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, starting the collapse of communism. Again 930 years and 70 years making 1000 years May our loving Allah recompense the suffering of those who belong to Him. -
Salaam Eastern Qiblah,
Thanks for this very pleasant reading. Very informative and gave me new ideas to ponder upon. It opens up for new possibilities of what the Truth can be like, since I am myself researching on this at them moment.
I am a bit touchy about using hadith as a source of information, but it does seem to be viable as a reference at some occasions. But as long as it is only to hint in a direction and not as solid proof I am content with it.
That which you ended with seems to be a sign of God, clearly is.
God bless you for bringing some fresh ideas to my already overloaded brain
