Egypte:Jeruzalem minder belangrijk dan gedacht voor de Islam

[Pascal L.]

Egyptian Ministry of Culture Publication: The Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock were Built to Divert the Pilgrimage from Mecca; Jerusalem was Not the Center of Worship for the Followers of the Prophet Muhammad

On August 5, 2003 Ahmad Muhammad 'Arafa, a columnist for the Egyptian weekly Al-Qahira, which is published by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, wrote an article rejecting the established Islamic doctrine that the Prophet Muhammad's celebrated "Night Journey" (Koran 17:1) took him from Mecca to Jerusalem. 'Arafa, presenting a new analysis of the Koranic text, asserts that the Night Journey in Surat Al-Isra' (that is, "the Sura of the Night Journey") in the Koran does not refer to a miraculous journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, but to the Prophet's emigration (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina.(1)

Two weeks later 'Arafa published another article(2) in the same weekly questioning the sanctity of Jerusalem in Islam. The following are excerpts from this article:

The Change in 'Qibla' Means Jerusalem Lost its Former Priority in Islam

"...Palestine was conquered [by the Muslims] in the year 17 A.H. [638 A. D.] in the time of 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, and in his day, the people [of Palestine] were beginning to adopt Islam. Hence, how could there have existed in Palestine, at the time of the Prophet [i.e. before Palestine was conquered by Islam], a mosque, be it called 'the most distant' [Arabic: al-aqsa] or not...

"Therefore, the mosque known today as the Al-Aqsa Mosque is not the one referred to by the Koranic words: 'From the Al-Haram Mosque [in Mecca] to the most distant mosque (al-aqsa).' It is true that the Prophet did direct himself in prayer, according to Allah's instructions, toward Iliya [i. e., Aelia] - the name of Jerusalem in that period - for 17 months, and then, instructed by Allah, he redirected himself to the Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca. Aelia was the center of worship for the Jews, as it continues to be. This means that, for a while, the Prophet shared with them their direction of prayer (qibla), and then he turned away from it toward another qibla...

"The change of qibla from Jerusalem to the Al-Haram Mosque [in Mecca] meant that Jerusalem was no longer the center of worship for the followers of Muhammad and that it no longer deserved to be respected by Muslims beyond what any historical city in their domain deserved. If this is not understood in this way [namely, that the change of qibla signifies that Jerusalem lost its previous religious status], then the change of qibla has no meaning..."

The Al-Aqsa Mosque was Built and Promoted in the Context of Political Rivalry

"When 'Abd Al-Malik Ibn Marwan became caliph and [his rival] Ibn Al-Zubayr held control of Hijaz, he [Caliph 'Abd Al-Malik] feared that the people would be inclined towards him [Ibn Al-Zubayr] when they made pilgrimage [to Mecca], because the only way they could enter Mecca and Medina was with Ibn Al-Zubayr's permission and under his control. And if he [Ibn Al-Zubayr] received them hospitably... then he would win the allegiance of many of them.... Therefore, 'Abd Al-Malik prevented people from making pilgrimage until [Ibn Al-Zubayr was defeated and] the war ended. He [Abd Al-Malik] began to build a large mosque in Jerusalem, which had been the first qibla. It is from this point in time that some transmitters of traditions started to promote the religious significance of this mosque and turn it into the 'third to the two holy mosques [of Mecca and Medina]'(3)....

"The new mosque [in Jerusalem] was first called 'the Mosque of Aelia,' and prophetic traditions were invented mentioning this name [so as to invest it with Islamic significance]. Then the name 'Al-Aqsa' was stolen for it [from the mosque in Medina], because it [i.e. the mosque of Aelia] was the most distant from Mecca and Medina. It was claimed that the Koranic expression 'the most distant mosque' referred to it [i.e. the mosque of Aelia] because the mosque of the Prophet [in Medina] was neither 'distant' nor 'most distant' for the people of Medina...(4)

"In sum, the mosque of Jerusalem, known as the Al-Aqsa Mosque, began to be built in the year 66 A.H. at the time of 'Abd Al-Malik Ibn Marwan, and construction was completed in the year 73 A. H. The religious connection of Muslims to Jerusalem ended with the change of the qibla from Jerusalem to Mecca. When 'Abd Al-Malik Ibn Marwan prevented the people of Syria and Iraq from performing pilgrimage for a number of years, so they should not be inclined towards Ibn Al-Zubayr, and began to build a large mosque in Aelia, religious traditions appeared glorifying this mosque and the Dome of the Rock. And it was called at first the Mosque of Aelia, and then the name of the mosque Al-Aqsa was stolen for it from the mosque of Medina. And what facilitated this [transfer of the name 'Al-Aqsa'] is that the people of Medina did not call [their mosque] 'distant' or 'most distant,' because it is a geographical term [which was not relevant to them].... We inherited these [traditions promoting !
the sanctity of Jerusalem] as if they were part of [the Islamic] religion."

Endnotes:
(1) For the previous article by 'Arafa, see http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cg...=sd&ID=SP56403
(2) Al-Qahira (Egypt), August 19, 2003.
(3) The author is repeating a particular theory, expounded by I. Goldziher in 1890 (See Muhammedanische Studien, II, pp. 35-37; English translation: Muslim Studies II, pp. 44-45), that in building the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque 'Abd al-Malik was motivated by his desire to divert the Pilgrimage from Mecca to Jerusalem, as part of his campaign against Ibn al-Zubayr. This theory, which had been widely accepted, found its way into textbooks on Islamic history. It should, however, be noted that this theory was reexamined and refuted by S. D. Goitein (see "The Sanctity of Jerusalem and Palestine in Early Islam," in his Studies in Islamic History and Institutions, Leiden, 1966, pp. 135-137) and is no longer accepted in modern scholarship. Arafa begins this article with a quotation from Al-Uns al-jalil bi-ta'rikh al-quds wa'l-khalil, by Mujir al-Din 'Abd al-Rahman al-'Ulaymi al-Hanbali al-Maqdisi (810/1456-928/1522), stating that the Ummayad Caliph 'Abd Al-Malik Ibn Mar!
wan decided to build the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque to divert the pilgrimage away from Mecca - at that time controlled by his rival Ibn al-Zubayr - to Jerusalem, which was under his control and close to Damascus, his own capital. 'Arafa notes that he borrowed this quotation from an article by Ahmad 'Uthman on the dispute over Jerusalem's holy sites 'Awda ila 'l-khilaf 'ala muqaddasat al-aqsa, al-ha'it wa'l-masjid, published in Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, November 19, 2000.
(4) The author explains that once the name Al-Aqsa was appropriated for the mosque in Jerusalem, this new name was incorporated into the various traditions that were disseminated in order to promote the Islamic significance of Jerusalem.


http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD58303

[Darwin]

Een zeer hoopwekkend artikel.


Hier is het voorgaand artikel:




September 3, 2003 No.564

Egyptian Ministry of Culture Publication: The Prophet Muhammad's 'Night Journey' was Not to Jerusalem but to Medina

Ahmad Muhammad 'Arafa, a columnist for the Egyptian weekly Al-Qahira, which is published by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, wrote an article rejecting the established Islamic doctrine that the Prophet Muhammad's celebrated "Night Journey" (Koran 17:1) took him from Mecca to Jerusalem. 'Arafa, presenting a new analysis of the Koranic text, asserts that the Night Journey in Surat Al-Isra' (that is, "the Sura of the Night Journey") in the Koran does not refer to a miraculous journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, but to the Prophet's emigration (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina.

It should be noted that the belief that Muhammad's Night Journey (Koran 17:1) was a miraculous journey to Jerusalem is one of the most important foundations of the sanctity of Jerusalem in Islam. There is an extensive body of Islamic traditions related to this belief, and these are explicitly or implicitly rejected by the author. This article constitutes a dramatic departure from a standard Islamic doctrine. The fact that this article was published in a government journal adds to its political significance. The following is a translation of the article, titled "Was the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey to Palestine or Medina?" which was published on August 5, 2003: [1]





Where Is Al-Aqsa Mosque?
"'Praise be to Him who took His servant by night (asra) [2] from the Al-Haram [Sacred] Mosque [in Mecca] to the Al-Aqsa [literally 'the most distant'] Mosque, whose environs We did bless, so that We might show him some of Our signs, for He is the All-Hearing and All-Seeing One' (Surat Al-Isra'[17]:1).

"This text tells us that Allah took His Prophet from the Al-Haram Mosque [in Mecca] to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Thus, two mosques are [referred to] here, the first of which is the Al-Haram Mosque, and the second of which is the Al-Aqsa Mosque. 'Al-Aqsa' is a form of superlative which means 'the most distant.' Therefore, the place to which the Prophet was taken must be a mosque, and not a place where a mosque was to be established later, nor a place where a mosque had once stood. This place must be very far from the Al-Haram Mosque. It need not be [actually] built, as the Al-Haram Mosque [itself] was at that time merely an open space around the Ka'ba [and not a building].

"But in Palestine during that time, there was no mosque at all that could have been the mosque 'most distant' from the Al-Haram Mosque. During that time, there were no people in [Palestine] who believed in Muhammad and would gather to pray in a specific place that served as a mosque. Most of the inhabitants of Palestine were Christians, and there was among them a Jewish minority. Although the Koran refers respectfully to Jewish and Christian houses of worship, it does not call any of them a mosque, rather 'churches and synagogues' (Surat Al-Hajj [22]:40). The construction of the mosque situated today in Jerusalem and known as the Al-Aqsa Mosque began only in the year 66 of the Hijra of the Prophet – that is, during the era of the Omayyad state, not during the time of the Prophet nor that of any of the Righteous Caliphs. So much for the mosque."

The Night Journey – The Prophet's Flight From His Enemies
"As for the word asra, if we open the Koran and trace the instances in which it occurs we find the following [five] verses.… [3] Hence [the verbal noun] isra' means 'moving secretly from a place of danger to a safe place.' The meaning of the [Koranic] expression 'He took His servant by night' is that He ordered him to journey in secret from his enemies to a place where he and his mission would be secure. In other words, the text speaks of the Hijra of the Prophet from Mecca to Medina, and not of a visit to Palestine. [Indeed], the Hijra of the Prophet [to Medina] was carried out unbeknownst to his enemies.

"Let us go back to the beginning of Surat Al-Isra': Allah explains the reason for the Night Journey (Isra') by His words 'so that We might show him some of Our signs.' The exegetes and the transmitters of Hadith usually interpreted this as a reference to [Muhammad's] seeing the prophets and leading them in prayer. Some add [Muhammad's] ascent to heaven, and [his] seeing Paradise and Hell. How do we interpret the signs of Allah in this instance? Which of the interpretations is most acceptable?

"We [on the other hand] interpret this [i.e. the signs] as [signifying] the Prophet' s deliverance from his enemies who were cunningly plotting to murder or capture him, and Muhammad's founding of the [Islamic] state in Medina, his triumph at the Battle of Badr, his making the Al-Hudaybiyya Treaty, and then the conquest of Mecca, and the spreading of his call (Da'wa). These were palpable signs placed in the world of mankind, and they all resulted from the Prophet's Night Journey from Mecca to Medina.

"In contrast, the signs cited by the exegetes and the transmitters of Hadith are not of this world. They are [to be understood] either as shown to the Prophet metaphorically, or that the Prophet's physical nature underwent a change that permitted him to actually see them [that is, the heavenly sights]. Either way, these would not be signs, because the precondition for a sign being truly a [divine] sign is that it be actually seen, and that the man who sees it is in his real physical form. Furthermore, the fact that the reason for the Night Journey is explained with His words ' so that We might show him some of Our signs ' indicates that the Night Journey was a precondition for seeing these signs – that is, he [Muhammad] would not see any of these signs unless he went to a specific place."

The Night Journey Was to Medina, Not Jerusalem
"But we say that the triumph of the Prophet's call (Da'wa) was dependent on the journey to Medina, where the Ansar [i.e. the Prophet's supporters in Medina] were. In contrast, the Prophet's journey to Jerusalem is not a precondition for him seeing some or all of the prophets that preceded him, because the miracle of their being resurrected or the Prophet's admission into their [heavenly] abode does not depend on his journey to Jerusalem. Even if we assume, for the sake of argument, that all the prophets [who preceded Muhammad] were buried in Jerusalem and took it as a place of worship, it would be more fitting that they would come to him, to Mecca, out of esteem for him and for Mecca, which was about to be the new center of worship of God.

"If we move another step forward in the holy text, we find that it says in what appears to be an explanation of the reason for signs seen by the Prophet: 'He is the All-Hearing and All-Seeing One.' This means that Allah took His Prophet from the Al-Haram Mosque to the most distant mosque because He heard and saw things which have connection with this event. Can anyone claim that the Prophet asked Allah to show him Palestine, or the site of the Temple of David, or a number of the prophets that had been sent [by Allah] before him, or the celestial world and Paradise and Hell? If anyone claims this, he is fabricating a lie about the Prophet.

"We, however, say that Allah [the All-Hearing One] heard the Prophet's supplication to protect him from the cunning plot of his own tribe [the Quraysh], and to provide for his mission a safe haven within the Arab environment. And He [the All-Seeing One] perceived their plot to murder or capture him [the Prophet]. Therefore, the Isra', which is the equivalent of emigrating (Hijra) in secret, took place on the very same day they decided to murder or capture him."

The Medina Mosque
"One of the traditions about the Hijra of the Prophet relates: 'He then continued on his way to Medina and entered it after 12 nights had passed from the month of Rabi' Al-Awwal. The Ansar [i.e. his supporters in Medina] gathered around him, each of them trying to grab the bridle of his camel and asking him to be his guest. But he [the Prophet] said: Let her [the camel] alone, for she has orders. His camel kept walking through the narrow paths and the alleyways of Medina until she reached a mirbad (a place where dates are put to dry) [4] belonging to two orphan youths of the Banu Al-Najjar [clan], in front of the house of Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari. Then the Prophet said: 'Here is the stopping place, Allah willing. This place had been used by As'ad Ibn Zurara as a praying place before the Hijra of the Prophet, and he [Ibn Zurara] used to lead his friends in prayer there.' The Prophet then gave an order that this place be built as a mosque, and he bought its land for 10 dinars.' This is an abridgement [of this tradition] from the book Fiqh Al-Sira by Al-Buti. [5] The word 'praying place' [musalla] occurring in the above text is the equivalent of the word masjid [mosque]. In other words, this traditional account confirms that the final destination of the Hijra of the Prophet which was carried out secretly was a mosque -– that is, a praying place -– in Medina. "In conclusion, the Night Journey (Isra') was not to Palestine; rather, it was to Medina. It began at the Al-Haram Mosque [in Mecca] after the Prophet had prayed there with his companion, [6] and both of them had left it, and the journey ended at the mosque of As'ad ibn Zurara, in front of the house of Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari, in Medina, where the Prophet built the mosque known as the Mosque of the Prophet. The details of the journey of the Hijra are the very same details of the Night Journey (Isra'), because the Night Journey is indeed the secret Hijra."



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[1] Al-Qahira (Egypt), August 5, 2003.

[2] This Arabic verb means "to lead or carry [someone] in a night journey" or "to cause [someone] to set out on a night journey." From this verb is derived the verbal noun isra', which is the name of the 17th chapter (Sura) of the Koran.

[3] The author cites here and interprets five Koranic verses in which this verb appears - 11(Hud):81; 15(Al-Hijr):65; 20 (TaHa):77; 26 (Al-Shu'ara'):52; 44 (Al-Dukhan): 23 - so as to establish the meaning of isra' in Koranic usage.

[4] The author gives here, in parentheses, an interpretation of the term mirbad, which he rightly assumes to be unfamiliar to present-day readers. Another meaning of this word also given by the classical Arab lexicographers, “a place in which camels and other animals are confined or stationed,” (cf. Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon) seems to be more suitable in this case.

[5] The religious scholar Dr. Muhammad Sa'id Ramadan Al-Buti.

[6] According to the generally accepted Islamic tradition, this companion was Abu Bakr.

http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cg...=sd&ID=SP56403

[circe]

Ik heb in feite ook nooit echt geloofd dat Mohammed op één nacht met zijn paard met vleugels over en weer kon vliegen naar Jeruzalem!

[Darwin]

Ik weet niet juist wat het gewicht is van Egypte in de arabische wereld. Maar volgens mij komt dit artikel over als een verklaring waarbij het regime meedeelt dat het kan leven met een volledig Joods Jeruzalem.

En dat is nu juist het moeilijkste punt in de hele Joods-Palestijnse kwestie.

Als de Egyptenaren verklaren dat de Joden Jeruzalem mogen hebben en als hun stem het zwaarst weegt, dan is de oplossing van het vraagstuk in Palestina maar een kwestie van enkele jaren meer.