http://www.petewaldo.com/mecca.htmHere is a PDF tract on the subject.
http://petewaldo.com/m28.pdf http://www.historyofmecca.com/Please see links half-way down the page for many more forum threads on the history of Makkah.
Mecca - MakkahMecca or Makkah, is the
historical and geographical epicenter of Islam. All practicing Muslims on earth prostrate themselves toward the Kaaba in Mecca five times a day. Every Muslim is obliged to travel to Mecca, and perform the Islamic ritual of
the Hajj at least once in their lifetime, because it is the "fifth pillar" of Islam. Islamic tradition teaches that the Kaaba, around which Islam revolves, is located in the center of the world and was the first temple on earth. This tradition holds that it was
built by Adam and later rebuilt by
Abraham and Ishmael.
Unfortunately there is not a shred of
historical or archaeological evidence, that suggests that Mecca ever existed before the 4th century A.D., when immigrants from Yemen settled the area around Medina and Mecca.
Please do not take our word for this. Yahoo or Google it for yourself or just click on the following links. Try
archaeology of mecca - or -
historical and archaeological evidence mecca - or -
ancient towns of ArabiaHere's a Wikipedia article on
Ancient Towns in Saudi Arabia. The reason Mecca is not on the list is because there is no evidence that suggests that Mecca is an ancient town.
The archaeological record of Arabia is one of the most well preserved on earth because the relatively low rainfall mitigated the degradation of the archaeological evidence. Many ancient towns such as Yemen, Qudar, Dedan, Tiema, Madain Salih, Magan (Oman) and Dilmun
are well attested in the historical and archaeological record, and in those records they even attest to the existence of each other. The historical record even notes towns of several centuries before the Christian era, that came and went within a few centuries, but
Mecca remains conspicuously absent from those records. Why not ask your Imam to direct you to some historical or archaeological evidence of Mecca rather than relying on 7th and 8th century AD created Islamic "tradition"?
This, even though Mecca was eventually settled on one of the most established trade routes in Arabia, about which historical record abounds, and in spite of the Islamic claims that Mecca had been the center of the religion of Islam for thousands of years before Mohammed. Where do the
Qibla of the oldest mosques point to?
Compare that absence of evidence with Jerusalem,
the historical and geographical epicenter of Judaism and Christianity. Try
archaeology of Jerusalem -
historical and archaeological evidence jerusalem -
temple jerusalemOne will quickly learn that archaeology increasingly
confirms the Bible as a reliable source of ancient historical record. One can hardly lift a shovel full of earth anywhere near the Holy Land without having it contain ancient artifacts. Indeed there are over
a million artifacts just on display!
Mecca being located 1,000 kilometers - across harsh desert - away from the Holy Land, and the record of
Abraham's journey, as detailed in the Bible and
confirmed by archaeology, precludes any notion of
Abraham, Hagar or Ishmael ever having set foot in Mecca. Particularly since they lived almost a thousand years before the first caravan route was ever established along the Red Sea in Arabia. Indeed Abraham’s journey was largely
in the opposite direction of Mecca.
If Mecca had been the epicenter of Islam since the time of Adam, it would follow that there would be increasingly more archaeological evidence, the closer one traveled to this focal point of Mohammed's 7th century religion.
It also follows that there would be a greater pre-Mohammed historical record for Mecca than any other Arabian city - indeed perhaps than any other city on earth - but no such record exists. Again, compare that with Jerusalem where the closer one gets to this epicenter of Judaism and Christianity, the more abundant artifacts become.
It is important to note that Islamic "tradition" was penned in the 7th and 8th centuries A.D. without reference to any historical record that preceded Mohammed. Historical record consists of that which is recorded by those that lived in or near the times that are accounted, not something that folks decide to sit down and pen thousands of years after the fact. Yet some folks will even cite a
false interpretation of scripture, or a historical misunderstanding or two, by 18th and 19th century authors, as if that substitutes for a 4500 year pre-Mohammed historical and archaeological record of Mecca.
What becomes painfully apparent is that any pre-Mohammed "history" of Islam is little more than 7th and 8th century created fiction. The large volume of contradictions, historical blunders, and mathematical errors such as 66 year generations, contained in Islamic “traditionâ€, confirm that fact. What this in turn reveals is that Islamic rituals are little more than thinly repackaged Arabian moon, sun, star and jinn-demon worship, embellished by books inspired by Hebrew and Arabian fables that Mohammed learned during his early travels, was taught by friends like Jabr, his wives and concubines, as well as influence by Zoroastrianism and the 2nd century occult cult of
the Sabians. So deeply involved was Mohammed and three of his cousins in the cult of the Sabians, that folks in his own tribe referred to Mohammed as “the Sabianâ€. The Sabians
prayed five times a day and practiced ablution. Indeed Mohammed mentions the Sabians right alongside Christians in the Quran.
The historical record suggests that the area around Medina and Mecca was settled around the 4th century A.D. by the Yemeni tribe of Khuzaa'h, joined later by Mohammed’s tribe the Quraish. The Kaaba was built around the early 5th century likely by Asa'd Abu Karb, for Arabian Star Family worship after the black stone made it's way to Mecca, most likely from Yemen. Early reporters recounted that prior to the construction of the Kaabah, a tent occupied the site. The Kaaba eventually housed 360 idols dedicated to Arabian moon, sun, star and demon worship. It is no secret that the black stone that Muslims still prostrate themselves toward,
venerate, and circumambulate, is the same black stone that pagan Arabians venerated and circumambulated. In other words, the Quraish established the rituals that Mohammed eventually adopted to Islam.
Mohammed's grandfather,
Abdel Mutaleb, dug the well of Zamzam to establish a Hajj around Asaf and Naelah, the most venerated priest and priestess of the Arabian jinn-demon religion. Indeed some of Mohammed’s closest followers hated to run back and forth between Al-Safa and Al-Marwah because they knew it was a pagan ritual.
Bukhari, V2, B26 #710 (B2 #128)
“Asem told us that he said to Uns bin Malek, a companion of Mohammed, “You were hating to encompass around the Safa and Marwa.†He answered, “Yes, because it was one of the pagan rites of Jahiliyah until Allah gave a verse that the Safa and Marwa are the rites of Allah. If one makes the Hajj to the Kaabah, he must encompass them. The person has no sin when he encompass them.â€Muslims had joined the pagans shoulder to shoulder in circumambulation of the Kaaba in their ritual of the Hajj, right up until the year before Mohammed's last Hajj when the pagans were finally expelled from their own ritual.
Bukhari V2, B26, #689 (V1, B8, No 365): Narrated Abu Huraira:
“In the year prior to the last Hajj of the Prophet when Allahs Apostle made Abu Bakr the leader of the pilgrims, the latter (Abu Bakr) sent me in the company of a group of people to make a public announcement: 'No pagan is allowed to perform Hajj after this year, and no naked person is allowed to perform Tawaf of the Kaba.'â€No Mecca before the 4th century - no Kaaba before the 5th century - means no foundation whatsoever underpinning Islamic "tradition". That leaves Islam as Mohammed’s stand-alone 7th century invention. Since Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael lived over 1,000 km from where Mecca was eventually built, nearly 1,000 years before the first caravan ever traveled along the Red Sea in Arabia, the truth is apparent.
There are historical references to other temples, and even to a great temple "highly revered by all the Arabsâ€, but Mohammed's own tribe, the Quraish went on Hajj, or pilgrimage, twice a year long after the Kaaba in Mecca was built, indicating that the Kaaba in Mecca was a lesser temple than others.
Quran 106:1 For the covenants by the Quraish, 2 Their covenants journeys by winter and summer,- 3 Let them adore the Lord of this House,
To our Muslim friends, that are still capable of critical thought, please research the history of Mecca for yourself. The preceding material is derived largely from the Religion Research Institute that you can visit online, and the book “Islam: in the Light of Historyâ€, penned by Dr. Rafat Amari after his extensive 20 year full-time study of the history of Arabia, Mecca and Islam.
An alternate title of this thread should be -
Twilight of Islam - but that would perhaps be inconsistent
with Bible prophecy.
THE TRUE STORY OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE OF MECCACLASSICAL WRITERS SHOW MECCA COULD NOT HAVE BEEN BUILT BEFORE THE 4th CENTURY ADARCHAEOLOGY OF ARABIA SHOWS THAT MECCA DID NOT EXIST BEFORE CHRISTIANITYTHE ROLE OF THE TEMPLE AT MECCA IN THE JINN RELIGION OF ARABIATHE BIBLE AND THE ANCIENT MECCA CLAIM THE SMALL HAJJ CALLED UMRAWHO WAS ALLAH IN THE WORSHIP OF ARABIA?THOSE WHO REWROTE HISTORY FOR MUSLIMSIS MOHAMMED A DESCENDENT OF ISHMAEL? (Ismail, Muhammad)DID HAGAR FLEE TO MECCA? (Hajar, Makkah)THE KAABAH AS TEMPLE OF THE ARABIAN STAR WORSHIPIshmael, Hagar, Abraham, Paran & Mecca (Ismail, Hajar, Ibrahim)Occultism in the family of MohammedRAMADAN AND ITS ROOTS"...a famous temple, whose superior sanctity was revered by all the Arabians..."PTOLEMY'S SURVEY AND THE LOCATION OF MACORABAValley of Baca - Mecca? (Makkah)WHERE DO THE QIBLA OF THE OLDEST MOSQUES POINT TO? The Well of Zamzam and Hagar (Hajar)Ishmael, Hagar, Abraham, Paran & Mecca (Ismail, Hajar, Ibrahim) Ancient Towns in Saudi ArabiaAllah the Moon godhttp://religionresearchinstitute.org/mecca/index.htm *
The Classical Writers and Mecca - By Dr. Rafat Amari
*
Archaeology and Mecca - By Dr. Rafat Amari
*
The Bible and Mecca- By Dr. Rafat Amari
*
The Kaabah and the Arabian Star Worship - By Dr. Rafat Amari
*
The Role of the Temple at Mecca in the Jinn Religion and in the Arabian Family Star Religion - By Dr. Rafat Amari
*
The True Story of the Construction of the Temple of Mecca - By Dr. Rafat Amari
Considering the absence of historical and archaeological record of Mecca ever having existed before the 4th century A.D., could this be what the Saudi's are trying to hide? While the Saudi's (yes that's whose
money will finance the 9-11 ground zero mosque through various conduits) want to build a grand mosque in New York city (there are already over a hundred of them), the fact is that if
99.4% of U.S. citizens (non-Muslims) even set foot in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, we would be
subject to arrest.
Ahmed Deedat has trained Muslims to knee-jerk quote 18th century English author Edward Gibbon's misunderstanding of Ptolemy regarding
a famous temple in Arabia. Besides his focus being the Roman Empire,
Gibbon even characterized himself as "I am ignorant and carelessness", in regard to "the blind mythology of the Barbarians" of Arabia.
Another example trotted out is "In the Encyclopedia of Islam, Wensinck identifies Mecca with a place called
Macoraba mentioned by Ptolemy. His text is believed to date from the second century AD." As if somehow an early 20th century Islamic author's misunderstanding (or intentional misrepresentation) of Ptolemy's writings, is supposed to substitute for 4500 years of non-existent pre-Mohammed historical and archaeological record of Mecca! Even if Macoraba had been Mecca, it would only reinforce the absence of a pre-Christian era history of Mecca, because Macoraba was a relatively new town of interior Arabia when Ptolemy wrote about it.
There are references to lots of other temples, and even to a great temple "highly revered by all the Arabsâ€, that was likely the one of the Bythemaneas, located near Ilat in the Aqaba gulf area. (
forum thread)
Indeed the Qibla (direction to point when praying) of three of the oldest Mosques do not point to Mecca but rather to an area about 500 miles to the north of Mecca. Please visit the "Oldest Mosque Qibla" page for more on that subject.
The Quraish pilgrimages were to the north, and one during the summer was to the city of Taif where there was also a temple called Kaabah of Ellat, or Kaabah of the Sun.
Quoting Dr. Amari "This Kaabah was more significant and much older than the Kaabah of Mecca. All Arabs, including the tribe of Quraish from which Mohammed came, venerated this Kaabah." (
forum thread)
"The stone was considered the main shrine, or sacred element, in each temple, called Kaabah in Arabic. This revered stone, which represented the moon, was considered to be divine. The worship of the Arabian Star Family with Allah, who was the moon as its head, revolved around the black stone. Ellat, Allah’s wife, was the sun, and al-'Uzza and Manat, his daughters, represented two planets. (
below)
There was no shortage of Kaabas in Arabia each with it's own black stone. Arabian Star Family temple design left its indelible fingerprints on those temples as well as on the Kaaba in Mecca, demonstrating that Abraham could not have built it even if the city of Mecca had existed before the 4th century AD."
Indeed no Muslim will deny that there may have been as many as 360 stone idols located in and around the Kaaba in Mohammed's day. Mohammed took issue with the polytheists, and finally gained the power to expell all of the stone idols, which he did ...... except for the black rock that Muslims still bow toward five times a day. In Islam, each Muslim is required to travel to Mecca to circumambulate the stone, just as the pagans did before Mohammed.
Here are a few excerpts from a
Wikipedia article that may explain the source of the black stone.
"The reverence of the Black Stone evidently preceded the rise of Islam. The Semitic cultures of the Middle East had a tradition of using unusual stones to mark places of worship, a phenomenon which is reflected in the Hebrew Bible as well as the Qur'an.[8]
Grunebaum, in Classical Islam, says that the Kaaba was a place of pilgrimage even in pre-Islamic times, and was probably the only sanctuary built of stone, but that there are other sources which indicate there were other "Kaaba" structures in other parts of Arabia. A "red stone" was the deity of the south Arabian city of Ghaiman, and there was a "white stone" in the Ka'ba of al-Abalat (near the city of Tabala, south of Mecca). He points out that the experience of divinity of that time period was often associated with stone fetishes, mountains, special rock formations, or "trees of strange growth."[11]
It has been suggested that the Black Stone may be a glass fragment from the impact of a fragmented meteorite some 6,000 years ago at Wabar, a site in the Rub' al Khali desert some 1,100 km east of Mecca. The craters at Wabar are notable for the presence of blocks of silica glass, fused by the heat of the impact and impregnated by beads of nickel-iron alloy from the meteorite (most of which was destroyed in the impact). Some of the glass blocks are made of shiny black glass with a white or yellow interior and gas-filled hollows, which allow them to float on water. Although scientists did not become aware of the Wabar craters until 1932, they were located near a caravan route from Oman and were very likely known to the inhabitants of the desert. The wider area was certainly well-known; in ancient Arabic poetry, Wabar or Ubar (also known as "Iram of the Pillars") was the site of a fabulous city that was destroyed by fire from the heavens because of the wickedness of its king. If the estimated age of the crater is accurate, it would have been well within the period of human habitation in Arabia and the impact itself may have been witnessed.[13]."
Since Yemen is a neighbor of Oman, this explanation would be consistent with Dr. Amari's suggestion that the black stone made it's way to Mecca in the early 5th century by way of the Yemeni immigrants that settled Mecca in the 4th century.
