The Truth is Revealed About Makam Abraham In Mecca
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Does that mean that Mecca is not the place for pilgrimage? No.
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the place is in Palestine , and not Mecca , for more information read THE NATURAL REPUBLIC , SECTION " THE LOST LEGACY OF ABRAHAM"
This chapter will deal with the final and most important feature of unity in
the Islamic republic, and that is its ability to interact with other people and
nations in order to share with them the knowledge and merits of a system
that has been designed by the One in the Heavens for all His creation to
live and prosper in peace and happiness.
?The first Dwelling established for the people is the one in
Bakk?a, blessed, and a guidance for the worlds. In it are clear
signs the situation of Abraham. And whoever enters it will be
secure. And God is owed from the people to make Pilgrimage
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to the Dwelling, whoever can make a path to it. And whoever
rejects, then God has no need of the worlds.? (Qur?an 396-
97)
Every year, we see millions of Pilgrims heading towards Mecca for the
annual Pilgrimage/Hajj. The Pilgrimage takes place in the Arabic month
of Zul Hujja and lasts for a period of three days in which the Pilgrims
perform a number of rites, one of which is being dressed in a white cloth
called Ihraam while circling the Kaaba several times, running between the
two stones of the Safa and Marwa and throwing pebbles at the devil.
Who is the Audience?
?And call out to the people with the Pilgrimage, they will come
to you walking and on every transport, they will come from
every deep enclosure.? (Qur?an 2227)
The single most overlooked clue regarding Pilgrimage is the audience.
Abraham was calling out to humankind and not to the believers or Muslims.
This information poses a serious problem to the belief that Pilgrimage
is a set of systematic rituals, as non-believers would not be able to identify
with any of these rituals and would thus not carry them out.
Why Would People Gather?
?The first Dwelling established for the people is the one in
Bakk?a, blessed, and a guidance for the worlds. In it are clear
signs the situation of Abraham. And whoever enters it will be
secure. And God is owed from the people to make Pilgrimage
to the Dwelling, whoever can make a path to it. And whoever
rejects, then God has no need of the worlds.? (Qur?an 396-
97)
?So that they may witness benefits for themselves and recall
God?s name in the appointed days over what He has provided
for them of the animal livestock. So eat from it and feed the
needy and the poor. Then let them complete their duties and
fulfill their vows, and let them traverse at the ancient Dwelling.?
(Qur?an 2228-29)
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Here are the two main reasons people would gather
To witness benefits for themselves.
To be made aware of the system established by God
for the people.
The first objective of Pilgrimage comes naturally from such a large gathering
of different people at an appointed time(s) and place. This opens the
door to opportunities of trade, information exchange, cultural exchange,
networking, etc. This idea of the meeting and mixing of people/races can
be clearly seen in verse 4913 below as part of God?s decree for humanity
?O mankind, We created you from a male and female, and
We made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one
another. Surely, the most honorable among you in the sight
of God is the most righteous. God is Knowledgeable, Expert.?
(Qur?an 4913)
The second objective of making Pilgrimage is to share with all humankind
the system of laws, government, and teachings that God has decreed
to us through the prophets (both physical and spiritual). This teaching is
achieved during a period of a few days when the Pilgrims are invited to
feast on the meats prepared specially for the event while the system of God
Alone is openly discussed and shared with the visitors. Hence, the term
?recalling God?s name? is to remind those present (believers and non-believers)
of our allegiances to God because of what He has made available
for us on this Earth and everything else He has blessed us with.
Location of Pilgrimage
?The first Dwelling established for the people is theone in
Bakk?a, blessed, and a guidance for the worlds. In it are clear
signs the situation of Abraham. And whoever enters it will be
secure. And God is owed from the people to make Pilgrimage
to the Dwelling, whoever can make a path to it. And whoever
rejects, then God has no need of the worlds.? (Qur?an 396-
97)
1.
2.
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Unfortunately, many people have taken for granted what the Scripture
actually says on this and many other subjects and hence they end up following
the teachings of the sects when it comes to God?s system.
The Scripture gives the clear name Bakk?a (not Mecca) as being the
location for the Pilgrimage.
Where is Bakk?a?
?Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they will be still praising
thee. Selah. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee;
in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through
the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also fills the pools.
They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion
appears before God. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer give
ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.?
The name Bakk?a has been retained in ancient scriptures and is the given
as the name of the area which is reached as pilgrims exited the valley of
Rephaim from the southwest that led to mount Zion in the heart of Jerusalem
(Samuel 522-23).
In-fact, the name Bakk?a is still retained for that very same area that
approaches the heart of Jerusalem from the south west.
Photograph of Jerusalem (Dome of the Rock)?The first Sanctuary
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This evidence of Bakk?a being Jerusalem is bizarrely supported by Islamic
history itself, which records that the Prophet, while in Medina, used
to perform the communion (Salat) towards Jerusalem for a number of
years, but then the focal point (Qibla) was changed away from Jerusalem
(until today, the Muslims refer to Jerusalem as the first of the two Qiblas
?Uwla Al Qiblatain).
The Change in Focal Point (Qibla)
The source of all the confusion that has occurred seems to have been caused
by the change in the Qibla (focal point) during the time of the Prophet
?The foolish from amongst the people will say ?What has turned
them away from the focal point that they were on?? Say ?To
God is the east and the west, He guides whomsoever He wishes
to a straight path.? And as such, We have made you a balanced
nation so that you may be witness over the people, and that
the messenger may be witness over you. And We did not make
the focal point that you became on except to distinguish who
follows the messenger from those who will turn on their heels.
It was a great thing indeed except for those whom God had
guided; God was not to waste your belief. God is Merciful and
Compassionate over the people.?(Qur?an 2142-143)
According to traditional history, the Muslims were focused on the original
Qibla of Jerusalem. Then, after some time, God suddenly gave a new
decree that told them to face ?away? from that Qibla. This change in Qibla
is supported with the Scripture?s verses of 2142 and 2143, and is further
supported by archeological evidence that existed in the city of Medina of
a mosque (masjid) with two Qibla directions (one towards Jerusalem and
one opposite to Jerusalem?assumed to be towards Mecca).
The Sunnis and Shia claim that the command was for the Prophet to
now face Mecca?Arabia as the permanent Qibla. However, what the sects
fail to explain is why the Prophet was facing Jerusalem to begin with, especially
if the Temple was located in Mecca?Arabia all along as per their
claims?Digging deeper into this issue, we find that the sectarian argument that
Mecca?Arabia was being faced in this change of Qibla holds no water as
turning away from Jerusalem would not put the Muslims on a path with
such a supposed locationWhat further raises suspicion that the Qibla was simply shifted ?away?
from Jerusalem and not towards any city in particular (especially not
Mecca ?Arabia) is that the original mosque with two Qiblas has been
demolished by the Saudi government and a new one built with a possible
realignment done towards Mecca?Arabia.
The Final Qibla
While the initial change in Qibla may have caused the confusion for people
to lean towards the location of Mecca?Arabia, it seems that most commentators
have missed the verses which speak of reverting of the Qibla
back to the Restricted Temple (Jerusalem).
?We see the shifting of your face towards the sky; We will thus
set for you a focal point that will be pleasing to you ?You shallset yourself towards the Sacred Temple; and wherever you may
be, you shall all set yourselves towards it.? Those who have been
given the Scripture know it is the truth from their Lord. And
God is not unaware of what you do.? (Qur?an 2144)
The sectarian commentators of the Scripture tried to promote the idea
that the change that God speaks about in verse 2144 was the original one
from Jerusalem to the Restricted Temple (which they make to be Mecca
?Arabia). The problem with this argument is that it ignores the fact that
in verse 2142 God announces that a change has already taken place and
that the foolish amongst the people will comment saying ?What made
them change from their Qibla?? (i.e. there was a Qibla-1 which is the
original, and a Qibla-2 which has sparked the questions).
Then in replying to the people in verse 2143, God?s answer is given for
the reason for the change by saying ?it was a test to distinguish the true
followers of the Prophet.?
Finally, after this sequence, we are told that the Prophet has been directed
in verse 2144 to make the Restricted Temple his permanent Qibla
(which cannot be Mecca ?Arabia because there has already been one
change of Qibla away from Jerusalem and towards the opposite location).
The only way to explain the current state of Islam (giving priority to
Mecca?Arabia) is that the change back to Jerusalem did not take place
until very near the end of the Prophet?s mission and that he died shortlyafterwards whereby the Muslims fragmented and entered into several civil
wars, as per the Islamic history books. The victors from these conflicts
managed to maintain the power base in Arabia and declared that the temple located in what later became known as ?Mecca Arabia? was the place
where the Sanctuary established by Abraham is found and is the location
of the Pilgrimage.
This would also explain why there is some archaeological confusion in
why the construction of some early mosques had the facing of the Qibla to
be far to the north of Mecca, while even some of the early Muslims such as
Abdul-Malik Bin Marwan believed that Jerusalem was the true Qibla and
center for Pilgrimage and proceeded to expand the building of the Dome
of the Rock by 691AD into the architectural masterpiece that it is today.
Mecca in the Qur?an
More importantly, with regards to Mecca, we find that the Qur?an does
indeed refer to a city/town by such name and that such was an obstacle
for Pilgrims who were trying to make their way to the Restricted Temple
in Bakk?a!
?And He is the One who withheld their hands against you,
and your hands against them in the interior of Mecca, after
He had made you victorious over them. God is Seer of what
you do. They are the ones who rejected and barred you from the
Sacred Temple, and barred your donations from reaching their
destination. And there had been believing men and women
whom you did not know, and you may have hurt them, and on
whose account you would have committed a sin unknowingly.
God will admit into His mercy whomever He wills. Had they
become separated, We would then have punished those of them
who rejected with a painful retribution.? (Qur?an 4824-25)
This is a far cry from the claims that Mecca itself was the name of the
city where the Temple is located, or that Mecca was simply another name
for Bakk?a.
The Kaaba
Allah hath appointed the Kaba,
the Sacred House, a standard for mankind, and the Sacred
Month and the offerings and the garlands. That is so that yemay know that Allah knoweth whatsoever is in the heavens
and whatsoever is in the Earth, and that Allah is Knower of
all things.
We are told that the word ?Kaaba? means a ?cube shape? and that the site
in Mecca has been constructed in accordance with this design requirementHowever, the meaning of ?cube? associated with this word is not completely
accurate as the word ?Kaab/Kaaba? is associated in Arabic with any
feature that is protruding, such as the bones to the side of the ankles as can
be seen below
?O you who believe, if you rise to hold the communion, then
wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe
your heads and your feet to the ankles (Kaabain); and if you
have had intercourse, then you shall bathe. And if you are ill,
or traveling, or you have excreted feces, or you have had sexual
contact with the women, and you cannot not find water, then
you shall select from the clean soil; you shall wipe your faces and
your hands with it. God does not want to place any hardship
on you, but He wants to cleanse you and to complete His blessings
upon you that you may be appreciative.? (Qur?an 56)
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Thus, any construct, regardless of its shape can be called a ?Kaaba? as long
as it stands out from the plain.
What we need to ask to be more detailed is ?are there any special features
that are protruding at the site of the temple of Mecca?Arabia or
Jerusalem that would give it the description of being a Kaaba?
With regards to the temple of Mecca?Arabia, we have no apparent evidence
of any special structure other than those buildings which are manmade;
however, with regards to the temple area of Jerusalem, we have a
unique rock formation that protrudes from the earth as part of the original
mount and upon which the Dome of the Rock was built (hence the
name).
Photo of the Rock within the Dome (Jerusalem)
The Situation of Abraham (Maqam Ibrahim)
Another feature which is noted with regards to the location of the Temple
in Bakk?a is the ?Maqam Ibrahim? (Station/Situation of Abraham) which
we are told is to be found at the site of the Temple
?The first Dwelling established for the people is the one in
Bakk?a, blessed, and a guidance for the worlds. In it are clear
signs the situation of Abraham. And whoever enters it will be
secure. And God is owed from the people to make Pilgrimage
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to the Dwelling, whoever can make a path to it. And whoever
rejects, then God has no need of the worlds.? (Qur?an 396-
97)
Here we can note an apparent discrepancy for the site of Mecca where
the alleged ?Maqam Ibrahim? has been placed outside the alleged sanctuary/
temple while it is supposed to be inside.
It seems that some early Muslims were aware of this glaring discrepancy,
and as such, a solution was invented that pilgrims were to ?imagine? that the
Maqam/Hijr is located inside the temple domain and thus during the Hajj
the area of the Maqam/Hijr is to be walked ?around? andnot ?through? just
as if they are circling a continuous physical part of the temple.
With regards to explaining why the Maqam is located in the wrong
place to begin with, the Muslim scholars have opted for a crude explanation
whereby they claim that the Kaaba walls were destroyed by flash
floods during the life of the Prophet, but that he could not muster enough
money together to rebuild the Kaaba to its original size, so he opted for asmaller Kaaba leaving the Maqam outside the sanctuary!
To locate the true Maqam and its relation to the Pilgrimage, we need
to explore the word as it occurs in the Scripture. The word ?Maqam? occurs
in the following verses 2125, 397, 5107, 1071, 1414, 1779, 1973,
2566, 2576, 2658, 2739, 3313, 37164, 4426, 4451, 5546, 7940. The
meanings ascribed to this word as per its usage are ?Position, status, station,
situation, place.?
Looking at the stories of Abraham in the Scripture and trying to find
the one that is nearest in subject to the Pilgrimage rites, we come across
the famous story when Abraham has a dream in which he is sacrificing
his son. God in His mercy intervenes and ransoms Abraham?s son with an
animal sacrifice.
?And when he grew enough to work with him, he said ?My
son, I am seeing in a dream that I am sacrificing you. What do
you think?? He said ?O my father, do what you are commanded
to do. You will find me, God willing, patient.? So when they
both had surrendered, and he put his forehead down. And We
called him ?O Abraham, you have carried out the vision.? It
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was such that We rewarded the righteous. Surely, this was
an exacting test. And We ransomed him with a great animal
sacrifice. And We kept his history for those who came later.?
(Qur?an 37102-10
This episode recorded in the Scripture describes the trial/situation of
Abraham with his son. Thus, for all purposes, the place where this event
took place may be described as Maqam Ibrahim.
Looking back at the Temple area of Jerusalem, we find a stone outcropping
underneath the Dome of the Rock where it is claimed that Abraham
was about to sacrifice his son in fulfillment of 37102-108.
Photo of the Rock within the Dome (Jerusalem)
It is also found that there are channels carved into the rock which are
designed to siphon liquid to a chamber below, thus making the Maqam
an ideal location for the animal sacrifice which isamongst the rites of the
Pilgrimage. -
Salamun alaykum
Why are people still obsessed with rock and stone and "holy footprint" after supposedly following the Qur'an alone and serving god only ? What is the agenda of people wishing to move the 'graven image' in the shape of a stone cube from the current center of "pagan Arab" holiest rock and stone to Jerussalem ?
The best meaning for Makam Ibrahim to me is The Stance or The Principle of Ibrahim and not a holy foot-print . One can easily confirm or refute this understanding by looking at the root list meanings of word the in question . Is this not a sign of a people being shackled to the ignorance of the past ? We still have the Qur'an with us as a source of guidance , is that not sufficient as a source of guidance anymore ?
Peace
almarh0m
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Salamun alaykum
Why are people still obsessed with rock and stone and "holy footprint" after supposedly following the Qur'an alone and serving god only ? What is the agenda of people wishing to move the 'graven image' in the shape of a stone cube from the current center of "pagan Arab" holiest rock and stone to Jerussalem ?
The best meaning for Makam Ibrahim to me is The Stance or The Principle of Ibrahim and not a holy foot-print . One can easily confirm or refute this understanding by looking at the root list meanings of word the in question . Is this not a sign of a people being shackled to the ignorance of the past ? We still have the Qur'an with us as a source of guidance , is that not sufficient as a source of guidance anymore ?
Well said. I totally agree with you, especially the meaning of "maqaam". It's very wrong, and naive, to understand it as " a place where he stood". If there was an important incident where Ibrahim "stood", it was when he stood in the face of his nation against their idol statutes and ignorance, and that's what we should do when we are told that we have a good example in Ibrahim.
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Peace,
What keeps me wondering is... Did he kept standing on this place while building the kaaba... did not he move around? Also, the height on the kaaba.. he could not have make is this high with such a low standing point. However, we don't know how high the kaaba was originally... the place where he stood.. is it a rock which is used as a bench and moved around or is it a fixed place on the land?
I see the maqaam to mean stance more logical. However, have not cover this part yet. Need to do more research on it insha allah.