When Islam’s Ka’ba And Solomon’s Temple Unite – OpEd
Prophet Jesus told his disciples not to be alarmed: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” (Matthew 24:6-8)
The Scrolls of Abraham (Arabic: صحف إبراهيم, Ṣuḥuf Ibrāhīm are referred to by the Qur’an as the oldest of the monotheistic revelations still available: “This is in the Books of the earliest (Revelations) The Books of Abraham and Moses. (Qur’an 87:19) and “Nay, is he not acquainted with what is in the Books of Moses and of Abraham who fulfilled his (duties of) engagements?” (Qur’an 53:36)
The Book of Moses clearly refers to the Torah, and the Book of Abraham might logically refer to the opening chapters of the Book of Genesis 1:1-11:9. If the reference in Qur’an 53:36 to ‘Abraham, who fulfilled his (duties of) engagements,’ refers to the famous double test of Prophet Abraham and his two sons, then The Scrolls of Abraham would logically be Genesis 1:1-22:19.
Miriam, the Prophetess (Exodus 15:20), the older sister of Prophet Moses, who helped save his life in Egypt, must have told Prophet Moses to include in his Torah, the Ṣuḥuf Ibrāhīm that are referred to by the Qur’an as the oldest of the monotheistic revelations. The Qur’an also refers to Prophet Abraham as a community or a nation: “Abraham was a nation/community [Ummah]; dutiful to God, a monotheist [hanif], not one of the polytheists.” (16:120)
But shamefully, politicalized religious leaders on both sides have turned sacred sites and texts into battlegrounds for their brand of religious exclusivity. Yet an ancient Jewish and Muslim legend predicts that when the Messiah comes and resurrection day occurs; the Kaab’a in holy Mecca, will go to join the Temple Mount’s Foundation Stone in holy Jerusalem, bringing with it the inhabitants of Mecca, and they shall be joined together. When the Foundation Stone sees the Kaab’a approaching, it shall cry out, “Peace be to the great guest”. ( Zev Vilnay, Legends of Jerusalem)
There is another wonderful legend in both Arabic and Hebrew that explains what made these two sacred sites holy to the descendants of the two sons of Prophet Abraham. The fable transmitted orally in both Arabic and Hebrew for many centuries; and finally written down in the mid 19th century, in both languages and in several different versions; reveals a truth about the religious importance of true brotherly love.
Two brothers who inherited a valley to hilltop farm from their father, divided the land in half so each one could farm his own section. Over time, the older brother married and had four children, while the younger brother was still not married. One year there was very little rain, and the crop was very meager. The younger brother lay awake one night praying and thought. “My brother has a wife and four children to feed and I have no children. He needs more grain than I do; especially now when grain is scarce.”
So that night the younger brother went to his barn, gathered a large sack of wheat, and left his wheat in his brother’s barn. Then he returned home, feeling pleased with himself. Earlier that very same night, the older brother was also lying awake praying for rain when he thought: “In my old age my wife and I will have our grown children to take care of us, as well as grandchildren to enjoy, while my brother may have no children. He should at least sell more grain from his fields now, so he can provide for himself in his old age.”
So that night, the older brother also gathered a large sack of wheat, and left it in his brother’s barn, and returned home, feeling pleased with himself. The next morning, the younger brother, surprised to see the amount of grain in his barn seemed unchanged said “
I did not take as much wheat as I thought. Tonight I’ll take more.” That same morning, the older brother standing in his barn, was thinking the same thoughts. After night fell, each brother gathered a greater amount of wheat from his barn and in the dark, secretly delivered it to his brother’s barn.
The next morning, the brothers were again puzzled and perplexed. “How can I be mistaken?” each one thought. “There’s the same amount of grain here as there was before. This is impossible! Tonight I’ll make no mistake – I’ll take two large sacks.” The third night, more determined than ever, each brother gathered two large sacks of wheat from his barn, loaded them onto a cart, and slowly pulled his cart toward his brother’s barn.
In the moonlight, each brother noticed a figure in the distance. When the two brothers got closer, each recognized the form of the other and the load he was pulling, and they both realized what had happened.
Without a word, they dropped the ropes of their carts, ran to each other and embraced.
God looked down at the two brothers and said: “Their love and concern for each other sets a holy example; so I will make these two places into a holy sanctuary. Someday their descendants will each build and rebuild a holy House in this valley and on this hill.
When all those, both near and far, who revere this place as a standard, share it in love with everyone else who reveres it, then I will do as Abraham requested, and “Make this a land of Peace, and provide its people with the produce of the land”. (Qur’an 2:126). Then will all the children of Adam and Abraham live in Holiness, Peace and Prosperity.
This narration, transmitted orally in both Arabic and Hebrew for many centuries, was finally written down in several versions in the 19th century. Jews believe the hill is Jerusalem. Muslims believe the valley is Mecca. I believe, God willing, someday we all will see both beliefs as correct.
The Qur’an refers to Prophet Abraham as a community or a nation: “Abraham was a nation/community [Ummah]; dutiful to God, a monotheist [hanif], not one of the polytheists.” (16:120) If Prophet Abraham is an Ummah then fighting between the descendants of Prophets Ishmael and Isaac is a civil war and should always be avoided.
Christians and Jews say the hilltop is Jerusalem. Muslims say the valley is Makka. I say that both views are correct.
God gave humans one heart to love God as individuals, and a pair of lungs to enable religious communities to continually recycle the holy spirit of God within human beings, among human communities, and between all humans and God.
When all those, both near and far, who revere these two sacred places as a standard, share it in love with everyone else who reveres it, then Abraham’s request for Allah to “make this a land of peace, and provide its people with the produce of the land” (Qur’an 2:126) will be extended throughout the world; and all the children of Adam, Noah and Abraham will live in Holiness, Peace and Prosperity.
But the real lesson from all this is that humans should not look forward to a Judgement Day when all our enemies, and all evil, will suddenly disappear in a cataclysmic purge. Instead, we should have faith and trust in the ability of religiously inspired human stewardship to expand and transform our world into a Messianic Age of political and ecological justice and peace. As Prophet Jacob says: “O my sons! go you and enquire about Joseph and his brother, and never give up hope of Allah’s Mercy: truly no one despairs of Allah’s Mercy, except those who have no faith.” (Qur’an 12:87)
In the words of a 15 year old Jewish girl who was soon to die: “It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death.
“I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again. In the meantime, I must uphold my ideals, for perhaps the day will come when I shall be able to carry them out.” From the Diary of Anne Frank” whose words have been read by tens of millions of people throughout the world.
If all Arabs and Jews can live up to the ideal that ‘the descendants of Abraham’s sons should never make war against each other’ is the will of God; we will help fulfill the 2700 year old vision of Prophet Isaiah: “In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. On that day Israel will join a three-party alliance with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing upon the heart. The LORD of Hosts will bless them saying, “Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance.”…(Isaiah 19:23-5)
