Criticism of Mecca and Kaaba
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Hello
The Quran does not tell us that the Jews are stone worshippers, so the images above can't be tranlsated as such
on the other hand, in the past they worshipped stones as other gods for example during Ibrahim and Mohammad time
Ayman is trying hard to manipulate the very simple facts to understand
Salam
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Peace Nun de plume,
THE ENTIRE QUR?AN IS THE TRUTH FROM OUR LORD!
Yes, you got it. So now face the truth from your lord! Applying the sectarians' superficial dogma, you would think that this means sticking the book of the great reading on your forehead. But you and I and everyone here knows that this is not what it means.
Do you face the truth from your lord contained in his book by taking his book as a theoretical book? or is it by IMPLEMENTING/INSTITUTIONALISING this truth in your life?
Perhaps someone more knowledgeable can help me with this?
?aythu? used with ?Fawalli? ? appears singular to address ?one face? in any place.
?aythu M? is only used in conjunction with ?Fawall? ? plural to address ?many faces? in many ?places? EVERYWHERE.
Wa Min aythu Kharajta Fawalli Wajhaka Shara Al-Masjidi Al-armi Wa 'Innahu Lalaqqu Min Rabbika Wa M Allhu BighfilinAmm Tamalna (Al-Baqarah 149).
Wa Min aythu Kharajta Fawalli Wajhaka Shara Al-Masjidi Al-armi Wa aythu M Kuntum Fawall Wujhakum Sharahu Li'all Yakna LilnnsiAlaykum ujjatun 'Ill Al-Ladhna ?alam Minhum Fal Takhshawhum Wa Akhshawn Wa Li'atimma NimatAlaykum Wa Laallakum Tahtadna (Al-Baqarah 150).002.149
PICKTHAL And whencesoever thou comest forth (for prayer, O Muhammad) turn thy face toward the Inviolable Place of Worship. Lo! it is the Truth from thy Lord. Allah is not unaware of what ye do.
002.150
PICKTHAL Whencesoever thou comest forth turn thy face toward the Inviolable Place of Worship; and wheresoever ye may be (O Muslims) turn your faces toward it (when ye pray) so that men may have no argument against you, save such of them as do injustice - Fear them not, but fear Me! - and so that I may complete My grace upon you, and that ye may be guided.I doubt that PICKTHAL translation (or anyone) can help you. The only reason he is inserting in parenthesis (for prayer) is that he knows very well the logical nonsense created by interpreting "qibla" as a physical direction.
What were all Prophets before command came to turn facing; not the truth?
Exactly, they were facing the truth NOT some shrine.
Peace,
Ayman
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Peace Warner,
A point of interest is the mention of Masjid ( Midzgith ) as a constructed structure and about prayer by Roman Christian sources while describing the Muslims, soon after Muhammad, which might mean your interpretation of masjid is not correct. Also for early muslims and for Jews the word qibla meant direction of prayer according to the said references without any 8th century manipulation.
The word Midzgith is not the same as masjid. It is probably a Jewish word. Many words in Hebrew sound similar to Arabic words but have different meanings. For example, words such as "3aqiqa" (animal sacrifice) and "3aqida" (religious belief) are originally Hebrew but were appropriated into Arabic religious lingo when Arabic became the religious lingua franca.
What we know from archeological evidence is that congregational sites were the seat of the government. Thus, they had chambers for the ruler attached to them and they were used for political meetings. They were essentially the seat of the local government. They were not religious institutions. Had Mecca been the seat of the lead "masjid", then the political center would have been in Mecca. What we actually see is that the political center of the early Saracene kingdom was Hira (the area from roughly northern Saudi Arabia to West Iraq). Then it moved to Damascus after Mu3awiya defeated someone named in some manuscripts as Abu Turab who was the prince of Hira (possibly his name was later changed to Abu Talib).
Also for early muslims and for Jews the word qibla meant direction of prayer according to the said references without any 8th century manipulation.
The sources don't mention the word "qibla".
Peace,
Ayman
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Peace Adjwi,
May I first mention that I have the same qualities as the human who accepted the offer of trust by the God of the quran who were refused by mountains etc...; I am very unjust and very ignorant. So if the God despite that situation accepted the human for His trust I expect that acceptation from other humans who are seeking to rise together in the challenge. You asked me to define kaaba, you do it for me, as I am ignorant!
The word "kaaba" has the same exact meaning as the word "kaab". The feminine in Arabic only adds intensification to a noun but doesn't change the meaning. In Arabic the word "kaab" means "base". Hence, the term "kaab al-wady" (base of the valley not cube of the valley). Also, "kaab" is the base/heel of the shoe or foot (not the ankle or the cube of the shoe). Also, a related word, is "tak3iba", which means the base on which vines climb. The word for cuboid is not kaab, it is mukaab (a shape that is made of many bases).
My point was that it is a rightful term used in the quran, now are you one to criticize the content?
I only criticized the fact that people do not know the meaning of this rightful term. As a result of their ignorance, they end up revering an object that we KNOW FOR CERTAIN was built by the Saudis in 1996 and then declared to be the Kaaba.
My inspiration with kaaba is in its concept, not in it's matter. Successful spirit then a material construction to remember that success. Kaaba, the construction, a physical construction, father and son. By the way, are you building with your father? Do you have a son who is building with you? Are you building with your brother? Are you a builder? The form, if cubical or likewise is inspiring in the sense that it is not a pyramid. A pyramid is in my eyes the symbol of an unjust construction; be it physically in any desert or in any system who imposes itself in any way. Son do this! Slave do this! Muslim, enter bathroom right foot first! As opposed to ''My son I see..., what do you think?''
There is no logical concept in the so-called Kaaba. The ancients took the black cube as a symbol for mysterious beauty (hence the modern term "black box". This has its roots in the Greek mythology of Aphrodite, the fertility goddess (also known to the Arabs as Allat), whose beauty according to Greek legends was kept in a black cube. This is also why the Black Stone of Aphrodite/Allat sits in a vagina-shaped enclosure in the southeast corner of the cube precisely facing the winter sunrise (the annual birth of the fertility-giving sun). This is why the Black Stone is shaped like the newborn baby head coming out from a dilated vagina. This is why people kiss the head (as done in Arab tradition to ask for forgivness) in order to return sinless as if they too are newborns. This is why in the ancient Arab festival of Subu3, which takes place 7 days after the arrival of a newborn child or a pilgrim returns (sinless as a newborn), people spin around the house 7 times. This is why people during the pagan pilgrimage run between two hills as a symbol for looking for water for a newborn. This is why people who go to celebrate Allat giving birth are dressed in newborn-style wraps. As the birth approaches and her water breaks, they drink her "Holy Zamzam water" that heals all ills. etc., etc. It is all pagan symbolism without any logical concept behind it.
I never mentioned a black cube nor a black stone nor any marvel of the matter. I did notice however an apparent connection in the 911 event in New York(destructed destination) and that cube (destructor's departure). What's wrong? Is there a problem in direction? Is it a problem of location? Is the problem with Mecca? Is the kaaba under siege? Should there be a kaaba? What about hajj? Any connection?
I'm just looking to be amongst builders, whose efforts are going towards the same direction as the builders of the past, builders like Abraham and his rightful sons. Any ideas what to do? I'm trying to be a reader of the book of the God. However I don't have the language, I can't read.You will not understand the connection if you don't know the meaning of the words "kaaba" and "hajj" and hence don't translate them. Take "kaaba"/base, for example. We hear in the great reading that Abraham and Ismael raised the foundations FROM the house. Knowing that the house is the "kaaba"/base, we now see how you can raise foundations from the base. We are clearly told about the foundations that we should build our buildings on in 9108-109.
p.s. Ayman, cold chills went down my spine when I saw the pictures of the black stone in your article.
Remember that the book provides guidance to those who are ALREADY from the forethoughtful/"motaqin" (see 22), so people who don't instinctively feel that there is something wrong with revering such objects cannot be helped. So your disgust from the image you saw is a good thing. There is hope for you.
Peace,
Ayman
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Peace Ayman,
Let me get back to the idea of implementing and institutionizing truth in our lives. Now the first franchise was built in bakka, right? All other franchises built afterwards were done using the same business plan? If I read history correctly it took some time before they got the model right. Sacrificing seems a tough business.
It looks as if the building may even have been forgotten for some time. Run down, fallen down, forgotten? Eventually with enough wealth and power the place was rebuilt. Quite a place it seems, a palace for sacrifice!?... The business didn't work. Don't know why? Maybe weekness in judgement.?.. It may have been that only the poor were sacrificing, but I don't know. From what I understand but I may be wrong on this the palace was destroyed. It was then rebuilt, but that business of sacrificing doesn't seem to work well in a palace. It was destroyed again. All's left are walls, people crying in front of walls, wanting to rebuild for hundreds of years now.
Finally, it seems someone from the original line of sacrifice stepped up to do the job to get the model down pat, like the original. He got the job done. More then that he understood to make the business work on a large scale other outlets had to be built. If I understand correctly that's when the franchising began, oriented in the same direction as the original one. From what I gather the franchising worked but somewhere in time a shift in direction occured. I don't know the story but diverging interests may have something to do with it.
Forgive my mistakes but institution building inspired me. Any idea whose holding the plan today? Know of any directions ? Am I finding any sense or am I lost?
peacefully
adjwi
p.s. As I was writing two posts came up, including yours Ayman. I am not one for hoping, but one for making the effort. God bless and thank-you, thank you all
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The Quran does not tell us that the Jews are stone worshippers, so the images above can't be tranlsated as such
on the other hand, in the past they worshipped stones as other gods for example during Ibrahim and Mohammad time
Salam
Dude.. you better get your history fact straight..
The Jews during Ibrahim time ?? Plzzeee...
The jews or any group of people named "Jews" or "Benei Yisreel" did not even exist at Ibrahim / Avraham time..Salam
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Peace Warner,
The word Midzgith is not the same as masjid. It is probably a Jewish word. Many words in Hebrew sound similar to Arabic words but have different meanings. For example, words such as "3aqiqa" (animal sacrifice) and "3aqida" (religious belief) are originally Hebrew but were appropriated into Arabic religious lingo when Arabic became the religious lingua franca.
Minor corrections Aqidah a.k.a Akedah in Hebrew actually means "Bonding".
And "upholding the Akedah" dogma is originally authored by Judaism Priest (the rabbanic) which then quickly picked up and maintained by the Sunni.
No wonder, since many Jews converted into Sunni religion back in 7th-8th century.There is absolutely no "Akedah" word in the Quran
Yet there is "Akad Nika" words in the Quran, which actually means "Marriage Bonding".What we know from archeological evidence is that congregational sites were the seat of the government. Thus, they had chambers for the ruler attached to them and they were used for political meetings. They were essentially the seat of the local government. They were not religious institutions. Had Mecca been the seat of the lead "masjid", then the political center would have been in Mecca. What we actually see is that the political center of the early Saracene kingdom was Hira (the area from roughly northern Saudi Arabia to West Iraq). Then it moved to Damascus after Mu3awiya defeated someone named in some manuscripts as Abu Turab who was the prince of Hira (possibly his name was later changed to Abu Talib).
Another meanings of "Masjid" is derived from "Maqom Sujd"; where Maqom = Place; Sujd = Prostrate
Salam
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Peace Nun de plume,
You will get the same answers if you try convincing one of these guys to turn towards the truth from their Lord. brickwall
http//www.free-minds.org/articles/history/image003.jpg
Indeed, their hearts are alike.
A good one bro....
sometime it is hard to take a look at the picture of yourself or your own group of people in the mirror..The lesson is
We must learn from the Jews and Christians mistakes (or any othe sectarian group such as the Sunnis and the Shias),
and make sure that we do not follow the same mistakes.Salam
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Hello Ahmed
I find it very strange if not Funny that someone ' Who is a Native Arabic Speaker ' and Expert in anything Arabic including the Quran , Could Say that , " The Jews of Ibrahim's Era Worship Stones " . yay . Bro Ahmed The Jews did not appear untill many Centuries after Ibrahim..............Ignorance of the Quran 'Excuses' , However Ignorant of Facts Never do . Cheers mate .
almarh0m
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Peace Ayman
I am quoting again from your article and below is a Roman Christian source independent of 8th century manipulation.
John Moschus
We do not have the direct writings of John Moschus who died in 619CE. We only have the work of Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem who supposedly expanded on the writings of John Moschus and died around 639CE. Here is the only passage from a work originally composed by John Moschus
"The godless Saracens entered the holy city of Christ our Lord, Jerusalem, with the permission of God and in punishment for our negligence, which is considerable, and immediately proceeded in haste to the place which is called the Capitol. They took with them men, some by force, others by their own will, in order to clean that place and to build that cursed thing, intended for their prayer and which they call a "Midzgith"."
Quote Ayman
The word Midzgith is not the same as masjid. It is probably a Jewish word. Many words in Hebrew sound similar to Arabic words but have different meanings
I hope you notice the bold part of the sentence ?intended for their prayer and which they call a "Midzgith"." He is talking about an Arabic word and he is talking about Arab Muslims by using ?their prayer? and ?they call a Midzgith?.
Midzjith is Masjid. It?s the pronunciation of an Arabic word by a non Arab which deceived your understanding, I hope.
What is evident from the early sources is Muslims and Jews had a direction of prayer and it had been continued up to date. There is a question of the change of direction or to which direction but nevertheless a direction for prayer has been in existence. When these facts and the evidence from the Quraan are put together the idea of direction of prayer is more cohesive than your line of thinking.
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Peace Warner,
I hope you notice the bold part of the sentence ?intended for their prayer and which they call a "Midzgith"." He is talking about an Arabic word and he is talking about Arab Muslims by using ?their prayer? and ?they call a Midzgith?.
Midzjith is Masjid. It?s the pronunciation of an Arabic word by a non Arab which deceived your understanding, I hope.He doesn't say that it is an Arabic word. Given that we are told in other manuscripts that the building was a Jewish building, it is most likely a Hebrew word.
What is evident from the early sources is Muslims and Jews had a direction of prayer and it had been continued up to date. There is a question of the change of direction or to which direction but nevertheless a direction for prayer has been in existence. When these facts and the evidence from the Quraan are put together the idea of direction of prayer is more cohesive than your line of thinking.
The writings do not mention "Muslims". Most people, including pagans and Christians had a supposed physical direction and it was not only for prayer. For example, sectarians burry their dead and do a host of other activities while supposedly facing Mecca. So the concept that it was not a direction just for prayer is there even amongst the sectarians. The great reading likewise doesn't say that "qibla"/target is only for prayer. It clearly says "wherever you are" so that implies all the time. What all misguided people had in common was a physical "qibla"/target. The god corrected that and guides those who are not foolish to a "qibla"/target that puts us on the straight path (2142). But to the hypocrites the physical target (whether a stone cube or a wailing wall) is a big deal and they are not really interested in following the messenger (who came with the truth from their lord). So they are not facing the truth from their lord.
Peace,
Ayman
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Peace Jafar,
A good one bro....
sometime it is hard to take a look at the picture of yourself or your own group of people in the mirror..Yes brother. It is arrogance that prevents people from looking at their group objectively. Thus, if anyone here who is defending the stone idols in Mecca came upon some people in his home town who have setup a stone and are spinning around it, praying and prostrating towards it, and kissing it, they would certainly think that those guys must be some weird pagan cult. The reason why they don't get the same reaction when seeing the same exact thing going on in Mecca is that now it is "OUR group", so that makes it somehow OK!! It is nothing but arrogance.
The lesson is
We must learn from the Jews and Christians mistakes (or any othe sectarian group such as the Sunnis and the Shias),
and make sure that we do not follow the same mistakes.Indeed we can be guided to the straight path by contrasting it to the path of those who are misguided. This is what we are told right at the beginning of the book (16-7).
Peace,
Ayman
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tanveer wrote
As everyone can see, tg keeps lying that almasjid alharam is a physical building per al-qur'aan. I have asked him multiple times to produce any evidence for this from al-qur'aan and to date he has produced ZERO evidence for his lies....
did u find the physical almasjid alharam to which the commitee almasjid alharam belongs...in keeping with ur false parallel?
...u dont want the remaining doubts about u to be confirmed...do u? -)
...
- He will selectively comment on my posts avoiding those parts that refute his preposterous claims,
another lie....do u ever count how many times u lie in a thread?
...dont even try (counting)...as it is u cant seem to remember! -)
i started to reply, but stopped when i realised that running in circles, vicious and deceptive circles of assumptions, is all that u were doing...remember?...never mind...i ll refresh ur memory -)
i wrote
i would ve paid attention to the rest of ur post...but all u have done thus far is what others have already done.....this forum included pivoted ur beliefs on assumptions and false analogies! my experience with most of them has been that they simply keep running in circles...inventing new meanings on the go to suit their disbelief...confusing english grammar along the way...or disappear from the dialog..so i ll wait till u clarify that which u have written thus far! -)
...but then u lied (yet again!) that i wasnt doing justice to u, and that the succeeding part of ur proof had some substance!
...but what did v find? more manipulations and lies! not shocked
now u dont expect that i ll read ten pages of what every wannabe writes...do u? especially when i have seen that it starts off with manipulations and simply keeps adding to it! -)
or are u trying to say the part i dealt with, what u started off with, is where u have resorted to lying and manipulating? and that later u have included something substantial? is that it? in that case it is ur fault bro...u should have kept the honest part right at the start...so that ppl dont get repelled by the manipulations at the very start! -)
and as everyone can see he has lived up to his expectations. I hope he brings forth his proof soon and stops telling baseless lies to others.
so if u have anything to offer in support of ur claims..do so! -)
but...i will repeat (for the third time?)....i am not interested in manipulation of quran, arabic and english! -)
and yeah...no lies and no double standards...cool?....u remember(?) the "al-masjid al-azhar" fatwas failure...right?
...dont lie about something being "common" in arabic just to gain leverage for ur other lies....so no lies! -)
...and even if u lie...atleast dont dispute what is common in arabic language (masjid as physical place is common)...so no double standards! -)
and i could respond to the rest of ur manipulations...but it will do naught save add to ur embarrassment...and to embarrass u and ur ilk is not my purpose! in anycase, u do that pretty well urself....v have seen "al-masjid al-azhar fatwas" thingy...below is another example
Similarly, I might be sleeping but my aim/target/goal is to abstain from the forbidden, so as long as I am not sleeping with someone I am not supposed to be sleeping with, or I went to bed early so I can get up early to do a good deed, or perform salat for remembrance of One God early am, my "qibla"/target/goal is "al-masjid al-haram" throughout the night, even while sleeping.
so here u are saying if a guy sleeps with his woman..he is committed to "al-masjid al-haram"!
The sign simply says that we shouldn't have sexual relations with our spouses while we are committed to "the institution of the hearing and obeying" (masajid) of The God (such as while we are reciting the great reading in our homes).
here u say one should not have sex with spouse while one is committed to "al-masjid al-haram"...which means if a guy is having sex with his woman, he is not committed to "al-masjid al-haram"!
...self-contradiction! not shocked
in perfect keeping with what is expected of u...u add in brackets "such as while we are reciting the great reading in our homes"...ofcourse, the verse does not have any brackets...but u remorselessly try to supplement god's book!
like i said...i dont seek to embarrass u...u do it to urself with ur lies against god! -)
v know what the quran says about the distorters...
then again...woe be the lot of the distorters ! -)
and yeah...what about the people of sheba "hearing and obeying" the sun...did u figure out that 1? -)
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ahmedbahgat wrote
I agree with what you said above, but you forgot something that he always do now, defaming mei know...but they are in such a mess...u feel sorry for them! -)
u know what...i was expecting them to come up with manipulations and lies as proof...which is why i asked for it!
grinand now when i show them their lies and manipulations..others would expect them to stop lying...but what do they do? they simply turn blind to it! -)
and as the quran says, its not the eyes but their hearts that have grown blind!
here they are..living testimony to quran's verses! -)
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Salam
Dude.. you better get your history fact straight..
The Jews during Ibrahim time ?? Plzzeee...
The jews or any group of people named "Jews" or "Benei Yisreel" did not even exist at Ibrahim / Avraham time..Salam
Pal
my commnet was straight, did the Quran called the JEWS stone worshippers?
Thanks in advance if you try to answer the Question
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Hello Ahmed
I find it very strange if not Funny that someone ' Who is a Native Arabic Speaker ' and Expert in anything Arabic including the Quran , Could Say that , " The Jews of Ibrahim's Era Worship Stones " . yay . Bro Ahmed The Jews did not appear untill many Centuries after Ibrahim..............Ignorance of the Quran 'Excuses' , However Ignorant of Facts Never do . Cheers mate .
almarh0m
Thank bro
I guess Jafar got it totally wrong then
I never said that the jews existed during Ibrahim era neither I said the Quran called them stone worshippes, the Quran however called then Igl worhsipper, i.e. sort of a statue made of steel but not stone as afar as I remeber
Cheers
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Salam.
I was thinking of going on a hajj this year or the next, God willing and now i don't know where to go - Mecca or Jerusalem?
I mean, i don't want to go to Mecca because they throw stones at the wall and i don't wanna die there, even though i have no problems dying for Islam in a normal way - battle, not suicide.
If i go to Jerusalem, .....Peace.
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Peace Ayman
The Development of Classical Arabic
Kees Versteegh
From The Arabic Language
? 1997 Kees Versteegh
Used by permission of the Edinburgh University Press.....there was a large number of words that came in straight from Syriac/Aramaic, such as
Salaat 'prayer' fromAramaic Slthaa
teen 'fig' fromAramaic teenaa
sifr 'large book' fromAramaic sifraa
masjid 'place of worship' from Aramaic/Nabataean msgd' .
A special category of loanwords is constituted by those words that came in by a southern route, from languages such as South Arabian or Ethiopic, e.g.
Sanam 'idol? fromSouth Arabian Snm, Safaa'itic Snmt .
The oldest commentaries on the Qur?aan, such as the one by Mujaahid (d. 104/722), had no qualms in assigning words in the Qur?aan to a foreign origin. Mujaahid stated, for instance, that the word Toor 'mountain' came from Syriac, the word sijjeel 'baked clay' from Persian or Nabataean, and the word qis Taas 'balance' from Greek. In the cases mentioned here, he was not that far off, since Toor comes indeed from Syriac Toor, sijjeel from Pahlavi sang 'stone' + geel 'clay', and qis Taas perhaps ultimately derives from Greek dikast?s 'judge', through Syriac deeqas Toos . Some of the etymologies quoted by the commentators may be fanciful, but the important thing is that they looked upon the enrichment of the vocabulary as an advantage and as a sign of the superiority of the creative genius evidenced in the Qur?aan . By the end of the second century of the Hijra, however, some philologists had started to attack the notion that the Qur?aan could contain foreign loanwords, and attempted to connect the vocabulary of the Qur?aan with a Bedouin etymology. Thus, for instance, 'Aboo 'Ubayda (d. 210/825) says that 'the Qur?aan was revealed in clear Arabic language, and whosoever claims that the word taahaa is Nabataean makes a big mistake' ( nazala l- Qur?aanu bi-lisaanin 'arabiyyin mubeenin fa-man za'ama 'anna taahaa bi-n-Nabatiyyati fa-qad 'akbara, Majaaz I, ed. F. Sezgin, Cairo, 1954, p. 17). Although most Arab lexicographers, such as as-Suyootee (d. 911/1505), continued to assign a foreign origin to many Arabic words, the idea of the purity of the Arabic language remained the prevalent attitude among some Islamic scholars, and attempts by Western scholars to find traces of other languages in the Qur?aan were and still are vehemently rejected.
http//arabworld.nitle.org/texts.php?module_id=1&reading_id=17&print=1
The words masjid and salat have Syriac/Aramaic or Aramaic/Nabataean origins. You are aware about the related inscriptions and the periods. The meaning for masjid has been "the place of worship and salat "prayer"in these languages from which the words were imported to Arabic.
What are your opinion on this ?
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Peace Warner,
The words masjid and salat have Syriac/Aramaic or Aramaic/Nabataean origins. You are aware about the related inscriptions and the periods. The meaning for masjid has been "the place of worship and salat "prayer"in these languages from which the words were imported to Arabic.
What are your opinion on this ?Syriac and Nabataean Aramaic were languages of religious liturgy. On the other hand, Arabic was a common people language. Therefore if you look in Classical Arabic dictionaries for words like "salat" you will see that it is used, for example, to describe two horses following each other closely in a race. This is a common meaning that has nothing to do with any organized religious prayer or rituals. Those types of meanings for "salat" are not found in Aramaic/Syriac. So in "salat" we can see a good example of an Aramaic/Syriac religious word that took on completely non-religious meanings in Arabic. This is completely normal when words migrate between languages they can take on different meanings. The same can be said about "masjid".
Another word that is also in Aramaic/Syriac is "sirat" path. In Aramaic/Syriac it literally means a physical path/road. In the great reading it is always used in a non-physical sense. Again, the same can be said about "masjid". No one can logically claim that the "straight path" is a physical highway to Mecca/Jerusalem/any place no more than "qibla" is a physical direction to Mecca/Jerusalem/any place or that "masjid" is primarily a physical floor, four walls and a ceiling.
In the case of "masjid", the archeological evidence further supports that early congregational sites were used as the seat of the local government and not as they are used today as mere places for prayer. When one talks about goverment, no logical person thinks that we are primarily talking about the physical floor, four walls and ceiling of a building but everyone knows that we are talking about an institution. The word "sjd" in the great reading means "obedience". Thus, it is used with other creatures that do not physically prostrate on their hands and knees. This plus the indisputable fact that someone who physically prostrates but disobeys the god hasn't really done "sujud" to him makes the meaning clear. So "masjd" is an institution of obedience (i.e., an institution of authority like government) and not primarily a physical building. A physical floor, four walls and a ceiling have nothing to do with "sujud".
Peace,
Ayman