Apostate prophet argues from silence; no trace of Mecca?

In answer to the video "The Truth About The Kaaba"

The Area around Mecca was a completely unexplored area, appart from Arabia Felix. Historians mainly knew and wrote about cities in and close to trade routes, where there was some significant activity. The internal geographical features of Arabia as a whole and its climate prevented any foreign intrusion into it. Mecca was therefore not a passing point of voyagers nor a trade route, hence the scarcity of non-Arab sources mentioning it, besides the lack of inland explorations of the area by either Greek or Roman writers.

Outside the annual pilgrimage during which all of Arabia flocked in and generated profit to the city and its inhabitants, Meccan was an isolated village and its people had to journey outside their own region to places like Syria and Palestine (in summer) and Yemen (in winter) to sell and buy goods because no trading route passed by or close to them. These long journeys were dangerous at the time and caravans were frequently raided and looted.

The Quraysh however benefited from an immunity that was not provided to any other tribe, for they were given a special respect as the custodians of the Temple and caretakers of the pilgrims. It is with all this background that the Quran admonishes the Quraysh not to become inebriated with these worldly successes and forget the Lord of this House and their ancestral duty towards Him

106:1"For the protection of the Quraysh, Their protection during their trading caravans in the winter and the summer, So let them serve the Lord of this House, Who feeds them against hunger and gives them security against fear".

The Quraysh have specifically been pointed out, for it was their primary obligation to become the torch bearers of the truth. An oath has been sworn in 100:1-11 by the feared raiding horses, that testify to the concrete reality of what was a common feature of the pre-Islamic Arabian society, and the sura further pictures the Quraysh's forgetfulness of the true essence of their privileges in that context.

As already stated, they commanded great respect in the whole of Arabia and all their caravans and settlements were protected in every part of the country. In fact, any tribe who became their ally was also treated with similar regard. The Quraysh instead of being thankful to their Lord for this favour became neglectful and rebellious. 

Mecca was therefore an isolated, seasonal city, far from any trading route. Advanced archaeological research in Mecca and its surroundings has been very limited. In addition the dynasty of the Saud family that now rules over the area that has become known by its proper name; Saudi Arabia, destroyed old constructions, pretexting it might lead to improper veneration. The prophet however is reported as prohibiting the destruction of ancient edifices 

"do not pull them down, as these are the ornaments of AlMadina". 

Both the Quran and ahadith call upon the observation of the archaelogical remains of past nations to whom prophets were sent, so as to learn from their errors. The Thamudic monuments and their idols were present in the prophet's time but were never destroyed. These sites should therefore be preserved. Most reports of artefacts and rock inscriptions therefore come from amateurs in the field, or during the construction projects the city of Mecca and its environs recently underwent. Some of these findings, spanning different periods of human history, include drawings of hunting and of animals, carvings, writings, scattered on rocks, mountains, caves. Tools were recovered dating to prehistoric times. This pattern is found throughout the peninsula, including in the current Meccan province, all testifying to consistent human presence and activity in the whole peninsula and Mecca's surroundings since ancient times. 

Satellite imagery of the Meccan region has revealed an array of human constructions proving continuous habitation in the area. These structures, observable from altitude, represent gates, kites, triangles, keyholes among other things, and are dated beyond to 9000 years old. Some are believed to have been used for hunting purposes, while others are of unknown function. A burial site with hundreds of tombs was discovered east of Jeddah, at a lava field dated between 4000-1000BCE. 

All these data are no evidence of a town thousands of years ago at Mecca's location but neither does Islamic tradition state so. What Islam says is that when Ibrahim settled his wife Hagar and son Ismail at Mecca's location, the place was uninhabited. Ismail and his mother lived at that site and dedicated themselves to the worship of One God. Nomadic tribes would pass by and interact with them, including the Jurhum with whom Ismail married. 

The prophet narrates 

"The House (i.e. Ka`ba) at that time was on a high place resembling a hillock, and when torrents came, they flowed to its right and left. She lived in that way till some people from the tribe of Jurhum or a family from Jurhum passed by her and her child, as they (i.e. the Jurhum people) were coming through the way of Kada'. They landed in the lower part of Mecca where they saw a bird that had the habit of flying around water and not leaving it. They said, 'This bird must be flying around water, though we know that there is no water in this valley.' They sent one or two messengers who discovered the source of water, and returned to inform them of the water. So, they all came (towards the water)." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "Ishmael's mother was sitting near the water. They asked her, 'Do you allow us to stay with you?" She replied, 'Yes, but you will have no right to possess the water.' They agreed to that." The Prophet (ﷺ) further said, "Ishmael's mother was pleased with the whole situation as she used to love to enjoy the company of the people. So, they settled there, and later on they sent for their families who came and settled with them so that some families became permanent residents there. The child (i.e. Ishmael) grew up and learnt Arabic from them and (his virtues) caused them to love and admire him as he grew up, and when he reached the age of puberty they made him marry a woman from amongst them".

With the passage of time idols were introduced by Ismail's descendants, progressively making the small Ishmaelite settlement known throughout pagan Arabia, leading to its development into a town. 

With the passage of time idols were introduced by Ismail's descendants, progressively making the small Ishmaelite settlement known throughout pagan Arabia, leading to its development into a town.

Judeo-Christian critics often point to absence of evidence to undermine Mecca and the Kaaba's antiquity yet no archaeological evidence for Solomon's first temple's existence, let alone its location, has been discovered despite years of excavations, on a scope far surpassing any exploration activity invloving Mecca.

Neither are there extra-biblical records of it that have survived, despite it being a place where much more people flocked in for pilgrimage than to Mecca, bringing in all kinds of offerings, sacrificing thousands of animals according to the Bible. The stone palace uncovered at the foot of Temple Mount in Jerusalem could attest that King David had been there; or it might belong to another era entirely, depending who you ask.

There is no archeological evidence even for the second temple built on the first one's rubbles after the Babylonians sacked it in 587BCE. It was supposedly rebuilt by the Jewish exiles returning from their Babylonian captivity 40 years later, even though in this case we do have extra-biblical written sources attesting to it. The only conclusive archeological evidence that exists is for Herod's temple (started in 20BCE and ended 80years after his death), supposedly built instead of the second temple which the rabbis thought was too modest in comparison to Solomon's first Temple.

In fact no evidence exists for any of the events described in the Book of Genesis, such as the Jericho wall toppled by Joshua. More damning is that despite active digging like never before, from the Temple Mount to the Kidron Stream, via the neighborhood of Silwan, including the so-called City of David, with the exception of a few controversial sites, the imperial capital of a mighty unified kingdom as described in Scripture, of David and Solomon has not been found. Even the Timna copper mines, dubbed “King Solomon’s Mines” could hardly have been under Solomon's control; in the 10th century BC, no trace of powerful enough kingdom, to manage and require that amount of copper, stretching as far south as Timna exists.

Islam made Mecca and the Kaaba known to the world, obviously as it spread beyond Arabia. Prior to that, its importance, greatness and historicity was confined to the Arabs and their oral tradition. When it was built by Abraham, who had the habit of building worship sites along his journeys as stated throughout Genesis, it wasnt to be the universal qibla from the start. As stated in 3:96 it was the first house dedicated to the One God, for all mankind. All previous places of worship were meant for a particular community. That universal character however came to fruition with the rise of the last prophet. It was initially a monotheistic settlement, from where God would manifest his promises of blessings to Ismail and his seed, the place where per Abraham's words in the Torah Ishmael "might live before the Lord". 

It is interesting pointing at this point to a Rabbinical exegisis, by the famous Saadia Gaon in the 10th century. He identifies the mysterious town of Mesha mentioned in Gen10 where some among the Semitic ancestors of Abraham had lived, as Mecca. This could have been among the factors that led Abraham in returning to that location specifically. And it is known that historically, people from the Arabian Peninsula migrated towards the fertile lands of Iraq where Abraham lived. It isnt far-fetched to suggest that Abraham himself made such migration.

Apostate prophet asks the Greeks; anyone been to Mecca?

In answer to the video "The Truth About The Kaaba"

Again, we have a 1st centuryBC author, Diodorus Siculus, writing about ALL Arabs revering a singular Temple. The only one which ever commanded the universal homage in Arabia, was the one in Mecca. If that is the case then the very idea that there was none until a few years prior to Islam is a statement divorced from reality and not grounded in any historical or traditional evidence.

We're not speaking of pyramids or some monuments no longer used, but of a living monument kept in high regard by an entire population past, present and future. We're not talking of a single person making a grandiose claim on the origins of a population and its hometown, but of an entire population's claims based on ancestral knowledge. Diodorus places that 1st century BC temple in an area of simple people who hunt land animals, off a particular coast in the Red Sea.

The accounts of those that live by the coast and eat fish are also mentioned, without mention of the Temple being in their area, which gives further evidence that the Temple was located inland. He doesn't equate it with the northern Nabateans and he doesn't do it with the Southern Arabian kingdoms. Something very important to noteis that Diodorus isn't even an authority on Arabia, he didn't venture into Arabia but was simply relating history according to 2nd-3rd hand records. But assuming Diodorus did not mean the Meccan Kaaba as the singular Temple revered by all the Arabs, how does one explain the error of judgment committed by the likes of Muir and Gibbon, the same error, when neither of them are known to be sympathetic to Muslims, meaning they had every reason not to admit to Diodorus' allusion to the Kaaba? Gibbon was known for his accuracy in quoting primary sources, providing in-depth detail regarding his use of sources for his work, which included documents dating back to ancient Rome. So, again where is the single temple revered by all of Arabia in the 1st centuryBC, if it wasnt the one in Mecca?  Although William Muir viewed the story of Ishmael's settlement in Mecca as "A travestied plagiarism from Scripture" he still could not deny the antiquity of that belief among the Arabs of Hijaz. He maintained that Abraham’s association with the Kaaba “must be regarded as of ancient date even in Mahomet’s time". Others yet like Nöldeke and Schwally, suggested that the Kaaba's Abrahamic connection may have been created before the Prophet by Arabian Jews or Christians who, despite abandoning paganism, would have wanted to continue participating in the Kaaba’s rites. Muir therefore posits that Muhammad could not have invented it, rather that it was brought by the northern Nabateans after they settled in the area of Mecca.

Then there is another Greek writer, Ptolemy, writing in his 2nd century work on geography that also covers the western region of the Arabian Peninsula, of "Macoraba". He puts it at a Latitude of 22 and another city which he calls "Lathrippa" at 23. Historians reading Ptolemy's work know that a margin of error of around 2 degrees was common to him, as happened with other known cities like Byzantium. If we correct the 2 degree margin, we get extremely close to where both Mecca and Yathrib actually are. There is unanimity that Lathrippa stands for Yathrib, or Medina, but the views vary concerning Macoraba, although more scholars lean in favor of it being a reference for Mecca. Many different etymological suggestions were proposed to explain the connection between Mecca and Macoraba, they are all irrelevant to the fact that nothing historically can account for mentioning a city at that location but Mecca. Also, Mecca and Macoraba arent further from oneanother phonetically than “Lathrippa” is from “Yathrib”. The word mkrb, and which sounds close to Macoraba, is known from late Sabaic texts (Old South Arabian language spoken between c. 1000 BC and the 6th century AD) with the meaning “shrine, temple, synagogue, assembly hall”. Ptolemy wasnt an Arab anyway. He was transliterating his own phonetical perception of a word he heard either from an Arab who might have stated the name with a description, in his own dialect, such as Makka al mukarrama, which is close phonetically to Macoraba, or from a non-Arab who reported to him about the city and who was in turn repeating the name as he understood it. To further corroborate, in ancient 7th-8th century Greek and Syriac texts, Christian writers used Magaritai and Mahgraye as cognates for the Arabic "Muhajirun", in reference to the early Muslim conquerors.

Also and throughout time, the name of one and the same place might vary. The Quran itself attests to this with Mecca, formerly known as Becca.

Nothing is certain but the simple fact that Macoraba is placed geographically near modern Mecca and the fact that the name itself sounds plausibly close enough, should in and of itself raise eyebrows. And it is evident that almost every thing – apart from longitude which is a general problem with Ptolemy’s Geography-fits well with Mecca and that is where the consensus came from; Yathrib a little to the north and a river bed a little to the south.

Apostate prophet cant avoid it; the single temple of Arabia?

In answer to the video "The Truth About The Kaaba"

The fact is, no other Temple has ever served as a central point of pilgrimage, despite the fact that Arabia, during these days, had temples all throughout the region that were all established subsequently to and in imitation of the Meccan Kaaba. The Yemeni Kaaba is an example. It is because of such prominence of the Meccan Kaaba that Abraha marched towards it to destroy it. Sura Fil refers to this episode.

But none of those shrines were older than the Kaaba, nor was any one of them regarded by the Arabs as of similar antiquity and commanding comparable veneration. The Arabs identified Mecca originally as Becca as corroborated in the Quran in addition that it is the first monument of worship of the One God and that it will remain so 3:95-99. When asked 

"which mosque was set up first on the earth? He said: Al-Masjid al-Haram".

The name itself "kaaba" is attested in ancient south Arabian epigraphy as a word used to describe a shrine for divinities. 

It is also mentionned several times as the Ancient/Atiq House because it was so old that it came to be known throughout Arabia by that name 22:29,33 and its history went back to the days of Ibrahim and Ismail 2:125. The word Atiq conveys also the meaning of honor and reverance since it had been made sacred by God 27:91. The root word rataqa conveys also the deeper sense of freedom from bondage and the Kaaba effectively has always been free from the bond of ownership of the mortals and in no time it had a possessor, save Allah.

Interestingly, when Moses had fled Egypt where he was wanted for man slaughter, and hid in Midian/Madyan, which is nowhere else than in the Arabian Peninsula, a "foreign land" in Moses' own words, from where he had to "return to Egypt" to free the Israelites Ex2:22,4:18, the Quran mentions his encounter with a righteous man in that land of Arabia, saying to him

28:27"I desire to marry one of these two daughters of mine to you on condition that you should serve me for eight hijaj/pilgrimages; but if you complete ten, it will be of your own free will, and I do not wish to be hard to you; if Allah please, you will find me one of the good".

This righteous Arabian man, whom tradition identifies with Shuayb, is quoted as counting the years in terms of pilgrimage, as it happened every year. Also, the valley where God first spoke to Moses is called Tuwa 20:12. The word tuwa means to fold, from the root ta-waw-ya, it is used as a name of the valley because a valley is by definition folded between higher ground, and in this case, figuratively folded with holiness. Dhi tuwa, which is near Mecca might very well be this same Tuwa of Moses where he had been dwelling with his Madian or Arab family prior to his return to Egypt and confrontation with Pharao. Much more could be said on that topic, specifically the true location of Mt Sinai but that is besides the subject of this video.

Apostate prophet looks for a special cube; No mention of Kaaba in history and archeology?

In answer to the video "The Truth About The Kaaba"

The Adnanites of whom the prophet Muhammad was a descendant, were conscious of Ibrahim having constructed the Kaaba. Hadith books, which are based upon oral tradition and oral tradition in any culture, precedes the writing of that tradition, abounds with evidence.

The pre-Islamic poems of Umayyah ibn Abi as-Salt speak of the trial of the sacrifice which Ibrahim and Ismail went through. All history is a 'written' attestation to an ORAL tradition, meaning written word comes AFTER THE FACT. Just because pre-Islamic history became written down after a certain time period does not predicate it never existed. History did not fail to exist, because it was not written down.

There is evidence much prior to Islam or Christianity's advent, of references to a singular Temple in Arabia by Greek historians, which mentions a single Temple venerated by all of Arabia. For example Muir and other orientalists, as well as Bible scholars quote Diodorus Siculus speaking in the 1st century BC of a "temple" in Arabia which was "greatly revered by all the Arabs" and all conclude, like anyone aware of the location's historicity that it cannot be anything else than the Meccan Kaaba.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica further adds that the first to wrap the shrine in a veil was a pious King of the Homerites, who reigned 700 years before the advent of Islam. There is a reason why the Quran refers to Mecca as umm al qura/the mother of the towns 6:92,42:7. Edward Gibbon equally recognizes

"the genuine antiquity of Caaba ascends beyond the Christian era".

Apostate prophet finds no spiritual need; purpose of changing qibla?

In answer to the video "The Truth About The Kaaba"

As an anticipation to the people's reaction in Medina regarding this last change of qibla the Quran answers

2:142"The East and the West belong only to Allah; He guides whom He likes to the right path".

As similarly stated in 2:115,26:28,73:9 and more particularly in 2:177, Allah is the Omnipresent grasping the universe as a whole, present in all directions one may like to face and therefore Jerusalem, the Kaaba and all other places belong to Allah, Who intrinsically has no house and no place. The prophet Solomon in the Bible similarly conveyed that transcendental notion. After he had erected the Jerusalem Temple where God was to settle and "dwell in forever", the direction where all obedient servants were to face in prayer if they wanted to be hearkened by God in Heaven,

1kings8:27"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You; much less this temple that I have erected".

This reality is also echoed in the book of Isaiah

Isa66:1"So says the Lord, "The heavens are My throne, and the earth is My footstool; which is the house that you will build for Me, and which is the place of My rest?". 

Without God's commission, no place has spiritual excellence or preference in its own essence. The direction in itself is therefore not something to be disputed and argued about. If one wishes to remain in a specific direction as if the place is intrisincly sacred then he may do so, however the core message would be missed; to obey a divine injunction above one's personal desires and preferences, and concentrate one's energy in outdoing one another in good deeds instead of disputing about what the Quran views as a moot point

2:143,148,177"and We did not make that which you would have to be the qiblah but that We might distinguish him who follows the Messenger from him who turns back upon his heels, and this was surely hard except for those whom Allah has guided aright...And every one has a direction to which he should turn, therefore hasten to (do) good works; wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together...It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the last day and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for (the emancipation of) the captives, and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate; and the performers of their promise when they make a promise, and the patient in distress and affliction and in time of conflicts-- these are they who are true (to themselves) and these are they who guard (against evil)".

This is the general principle behind every ritual, to do as one is told, as evidence of submission to the way of God. That is one of the reasons prayers for instance, are made at specific times, with even intervals where they cannot be offered. Islam is the purest form of servitude to God's will, leaving no place even for religious arrogance 

"The Prophet forbade praying after the Fajr prayer till the sun rises and after the 'Asr prayer till the sun sets". 

One can of course recite the Quran, reflect on spiritual matters or make dua/supplications in those restricted intervals.

The change of qibla indicated to the Israelites they had been definitely deposed from their spiritual leadership over mankind, a leadership that what was for them to honourably carry 2:63-64,3:187,28:5,32:24. This prophecied supplanting, as stated by Jesus in Matt21, meant they werent worthy of carrying the flame anymore, that the geographical center of monotheism has switched to another location, under a new established nation under God 

33:45-46"We have sent you as a witness, and as a bearer of good news and as a warner, And as one inviting to Allah by His permission, and as a light-giving torch". 

This meant that their hopes of seeing the Jerusalem Temple rebuilt for the 3rd time through Divine sanction by their messianic salvific figure was over. The era of prophethood itself has now ceased

33:40"Muhammad..is the Messenger of Allah and the khaatim of the prophets; and Allah is cognizant of all things".

This last change of qibla was also an announcement of the glad tidings of the near conquest of Mecca, a forecast of its cleaning and purification from the idols placed in it over time. It signified the near return of Islam as a fulfilment of Ibrahim's prayers and God's subsequent promise of placing in it, the righteous from among his descendants as the leaders of mankind 2:124-130. The appointment of the Kaaba as the Muslims' qibla was in honor of Ibrahim and Ismail, a confirmation of the Quran's claim about the Muslims being closer to Ibrahim than any group claiming spiritual descendancy from him 2:135. It was a favor in a series of favors bestowed upon the believers by Allah 2:150, such as the sending of a messenger from among themselves who brought them wisdom and spiritual purification

2:151"We have sent among you a Messenger from among you who recites to you Our communications and purifies you and teaches you the Book and the wisdom and teaches you that which you did not know".

At all times, the believers are told to keep their remembrance of these favors

2:152"Therefore remember Me, I will remember you, and be thankful to Me, and do not be ungrateful to Me". 

However immediately after announcing this favor, God warns the Muslims that leadership is not a bed of roses but a bed of thorns. They will be confronted with all kind of difficulties, and trials and that if they went through their ordeals with fortitude and proceeded on in the way of Allah, they would be blessed with countless blessings and rewards by Him 2:153-7 just as their failure would cause their uprooting.

Apostate prophet reaches the summit; the ultimate qibla of mankind?

In answer to the video "The Truth About The Kaaba"

In Medina, when the prophet and the Muslims prayed northward they could not afford the opportunity of praying with the Kaaba in front of them anymore, like they did in Mecca. In addition their backs were now turned to the Kaaba when facing Jerusalem. This matter greatly disturbed them. They had in addition to contend with the annoying talk of the people of the book who saw in this a proof of themselves being on the right path, and that the Muslims were trying to compete with them in this regard. But they are told

2:145"even if you bring to those who have been given the Book every sign they would not follow your qibla, nor can you be a follower of their qibla, neither are they the followers of each other's qibla, and if you follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, then you shall most surely be among the unjust".

The prophet is told that no sign will make the rejectors among the people of the book follow his qibla since their confusion and prejudice is so deep that, although they read the same scriptures, they follow divergent qibla (ways) and accuse eachother of being misguided 2:113.

This early Medinian period was a means of seperating the obedient from the disobedient just as all the previous hardships and sacrifices seperated the believers from others, the submissive from the arrogant. The Muslims were not only uprooted from their homes but had now lost the comforting sight of what they regarded as their spiritual center

2:144"Indeed We see the turning of your face in heaven, so We shall surely turn you to a qibla which you shall like".

The experience was so difficult that the prophet's face was in heaven, conveying the picture that Muhammad was anxiously awaiting the day the qibla would be restored to its original foundation to the extent that it was as if he was in heaven, awaiting for the command. We can almost feel the restrained desire of the Prophet and his reluctance even to say a prayer that reflected his desire. TSuch a decision is one that is only up to God and the servants cannot but patiently endure that hard trial. After several months of waiting, the command for changing the Qibla was finally revealed. It was while the Prophet was praying the noon prayer and he had already performed only two rak'at of the prayer in Bani-Salim Mosque towards the direction of Jerusalem. According to tradition Gabriel took his arm, turning his body so as to make him face the direction of the Kaaba. At the same time Muslims immediately changed their rows, too. Because they had to face southward, the women had to change place and stand in rows behind the men.

In Medina and aproximately a year after the Hijra, the first Temple of monotheism, the Kaaba, was thus definitively established as the Muslims' qibla

2:144"turn then your face towards the Sacred Mosque, and wherever you are, turn your face towards it, and those who have been given the Book most surely know that it is the truth from their Lord; and Allah is not at all heedless of what they do". 

This SECOND change of qibla, from Jerusalem towards/ash-Shatr the Kaaba in Mecca was an event of greatest religious significance, and one of the most important commandments given to the Muslims, further cementing their unity and fulfilling the promise made to Ibrahim and Ismail as they were building the Temple long ago. The unity of the divine is thus reflected in the unified manner in which the prayer is performed, which obviously would not be the case if every individual prayed toward a separate direction or in dispersive rows. Wherever Muslims are, they are to turn towards the direction of the sacred Mosque 2:146-150.

The verses 2:142-152 dealt with all the controversies surrounding the 2 qibla changes, comforting the believers and preparing their minds for the ultimate change of qibla. This was done first by revealing the story of Ibrahim, the various honors bestowed on him by Allah, as well as the honor accorded to his son, Ismail; their prayers for the Kaaba and Mecca, as well as for a prophet and a nation submitted in Islam; their construction of the House and the order then received to cleanse it for the sole worship of Allah, by all the nations, until the Day of Resurrection 5:97,22:25-7.

If Ibrahim's seed was to be blessed in Ismail's progeny, as even stated in the Torah, it was necessary that the new Spiritual Centre should be the house built and purified by Ibrahim and Ismail, and make their nation the inheritors of all those Divine blessings which had been promised to the seed of Abraham.

Apostate prophet cant find political motives; change of Qibla to appease a people?

In answer to the video "The Truth About The Kaaba"

The Quran then clarifies how this first qibla change, that occured in Mecca, away from the Kaaba to Jerusalem was extremely difficult, for the Kaaba was the very symbol of the Abrahamic religion that Muhammad was sent to revive. Muhammad was supposed to be the answer to Ibrahim and his son's prayers centuries ago as they raised the Kaaba, praying God to send a prophet from among the inhabitants of the land, to purify them and dedicate them to God 2:129,62:2. The descendants of Ibrahim and Ismail, Arab Muslims and pagans alike, held the Kaaba in great veneration. This exposed the prophet to more opposition and those who rejected him would argue that he claims to revive the way of Ibrahim through his spiritual claim over the Kaaba, but is now telling his followers to face Jerusalem. The verse 2:143 refers to that incident

"And we did not make the direction of facing/Qibla that you were on, except to know who follows the footsteps of the messenger from who turns upside down on the back of his feet. And it was burdensome except on those that God gifted guidance".

The verse speaks of how this first Qibla change, away from the Kaaba, to Jerusalem was very burdensome to many early followers who started harboring doubts. What history later showed and what the Muslims at the time couldnt have known, was that through this divine command, the Kaaba was being prepared to fulfill its universal role, to be freed from its ancient, immemorial tribal confinement to the Arabs. Islam, and more precisely the ummatan wasatan, the balanced nation as the Quran calls its adherents 2:143, should be above customs, traditions and cultures. The Arabians who became Muslims had to purge their minds of these barriers which the Quran repeatedly brings down.

This transfer of the qibla from Mecca to al-Quds was a denationalization test for the Muslims, to show that they could make the transition from culture to covenant, from tradition to taqwa or God-consciousness. They had to shed their “national” pride by abandoning Mecca and embracing al-Quds. All the history and folklore associated with Mecca in the pre-Islamic Arabian mind and conscience had to be left behind.

But the prophet proceeded with that burdensome order while subtely keeping sight of the Kaaba, to the pagans' dislike and to the believers' relief, by facing the southern wall of the Kaaba towards the north, so as to face both the Kaaba and Jerusalem during prayer BukhariV6,B60,N16 & Tafsir Ibn Kathir

"In Makkah, the Messenger of Allah used to pray in the direction of Bayt Al-Maqdis, while the Ka`bah was between him and the Qiblah. When the Messenger migrated to Madinah, he faced Bayt Al-Maqdis for sixteen or seventeen months, and then Allah directed him to face Al-Ka`bah in prayer".

After his migration to Medina, the prophet had no choice but to pray exclusively towards Jerusalem as previously ordained in Mecca. The sacred area of the Farthest Masjid

17:1"whose precincts We did bless"

where the Temple of Solomon once stood and his people prostrated to God. Very devout Jews even considered the Temple as the only place fit for a complete prostration. The Jews performed rituals and prayers, including prostrations in that area even before the Temple was built 1Sam1. It was a blessed and sacred area, a terminology always associated with the land given to Abraham and those that followed him among the Israelites, including Solomon 5:21,7:137,21:71,81. This is why the Muslims were told to prostrate in that direction, regardless of whether a temple stood there or not.

Apostate prophet loses track; Why did God change Qibla?

In answer to the video "The Truth About The Kaaba"

In Mecca before the Hijra, the prophet and his early followers prayed facing the Kaaba which was always regarded as the first temple ever dedicated to the One God, for all mankind 3:96. All previous places of worship were meant for a particular community. The universal character of the Kaaba came to fruition with the rise of the last prophet. It is also mentioned several times as the Ancient House because it was so old that it came to be known throughout Arabia by that name 22:29,33 and its history went back to the days of Ibrahim and Ismail 2:125,14:35-41. But to the pagans who overtime had transformed this symbol of monotheism by including polytheistic innovations, this stance of the prophet was unacceptable since he was reforming the spiritual meaning of the most sacred pagan shrine.

The first change of Qibla occurred in Mecca itself, where the believers were commanded to face Jerusalem in prayer. This means the prophet was facing Jerusalem at a time when the Jewish involvement in his life was totally insignificant. Also, the political, cultural, social and every other interests in Mecca were to stay with the Kaaba as the center of prayer. The Prophet's purpose from the very beginning was to restore the Abrahamic religion to its purity, which included cleansing the House of God from idolatry.

This move, openly declaring a new direction of prayer was contrary to all political wisdom. The Arabs and Muslim hypocrites would argue that those who turned away from the Kaaba were traitors that abandoned the age-old Arabian traditions, customs, heritage, and culture, so intertwined with it.   Some critics argue that at the first stage of his migration to Medina the prophet sought validation from the Jews, but due to their rejection, the qibla to Jerusalem was changed to Mecca. Yet when the prophet arrived in Medina, among the first people to convert and join Muslim ranks was Abdullah ibn Salam, the most respected and knowledgeable religious figure of the local Jewish community. Had the prophet's motivations been what the critics allege, he would have kept Jerusalem as the qibla regardless of the Jewish layman's rejection of him. The revelations as regards the qibla, as will be shown below, were unrelated to these suppositions.

It was, before anything, a tense period of spiritual resolve among the Muslims. The idea that Muhammad would then change the qibla to appease a minority group of people is absurd. The religious, political and economical centers of interest were, as stated earlier, in Mecca and controled by the pagan Arabs, some of whom had recently converted to Islam.

And in fact we read in the Quran that it was the Jews and Christians themselves, out of envy and jealousy, who wanted him to follow their religion and join their ranks, not the other way around 2:109,2:120.

The pagans similarly went out of their way and tried all possible means to make him yield somehow to their position and compromise some of his principles with theirs. It is also interesting to note that, when the second change of qibla was issued in Medina, away from Jerusalem to the Kaaba exclusively, the people of the book took offence and protested. This is contrary to what one would expect from someone claiming to be on the truth, but everything one would expect from a group of people looking at another out of jealousy

2:109"after the truth has become manifest to them".

Besides basic tribal prejudice, these envious Jews and Christians disliked the Qibla change away from Jerusalem because of a deeper reason. And while some learned men among the Jews and Christians let go of their pride, joining the Muslim ranks, many remained blinded by their prejudice

2:147"Those whom we have given the Book recognize him as they recognize their own sons, and a party of them most surely conceal the truth while being aware".

They could not help but see the unfolding of the divine will in front of their eyes, through the change of qibla, the removal of a group from being the torch bearers of the truth to the nations, in favor of another group which their scriptures despised

2:142-6"..what has turned them from their qibla which they had?...those who have been given the book most surely known that it is the truth from their Lord. And Allah is not at all heedless of what they do...and if you follow their desires after the knowledge has come to you, then you shall surely be among the unjust".

Apostate prophet landlord issues; Muhammad should have relocated idols instead of breaking them?

In answer to the video "The Truth About The Kaaba"

This isnt the prophet's decision, but a divine one inscribed within an established pattern. the Quran retells the stories of past nations who were ordained, against a mightier ennemy and with God's help, to uproot unrighteousness and establish the will of God in a specific land. Such was the case with the Israelites back in the times of Moses who were commanded to cleanse the blessed land of Canaan from its unrighteous dwellers, to Saul/Talut and David 2:246-252, down to the Ishmaelites.

Under the IShmaelite prophet and just as was commanded to the previous semitic prophets, they had to purge the ancient temple of monotheism in Mecca from its unworthy guardians who had swayed into the ways of polytheism

22:40-1"Those who have been expelled from their homes without a just cause except that they say: Our Lord is Allah. And had there not been Allah's repelling some people by others, certainly there would have been pulled down cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques in which Allah´s name is much remembered; and surely Allah will help him who helps His cause; most surely Allah is Strong, Mighty. Those who, should We establish them in the land, will keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and enjoin good and forbid evil; and Allah´s is the end of affairs".

So just like it was ordained to Muhammad and the Children of Ishmael, Allah previously ordered in the days of Moses and the prophets of the children of Israel to fight in His way for specific purposes, see Deut1:41,Deut7,9:4-6,12:1-3,20:16-18 and allthroughout Deuteronomy. The Israelites are commanded to cleanse the land from idolatry, destroying all altars and not leaving a physical trace of it.

All subsequent Israelite prophets were to purge all remaining traces of idolatry and evil from the land, by the sword without holding back whether it involves killing Jews or non Jews as prophecised in Isa1:25. In the HB, we read that God's established way of erradicating idolatry is so forecful that He sometimes even tasks non-Jews to do the job where the ISraelites failed, as stated in Jer48:10 concerning the Chaldeans sent to destroy the Moabites

"Cursed be he who performs the Lord's work deceitfully, and cursed be he who withholds his sword from blood"

or the Assyrians of Sennacherib raised by God and through whom He destroyed, exiled and enslaved the idolatrous Kingdom of Israel Amos6:11-14 or the Babylonians of Nebuchadnezzar whom God calls His servant for performing His will, sent firstly to inflict massacre upon the Israelites for their repeated transgressions, and then upon those Ammonites and Edomites that occupied the holy lands and reintroduced idolatry in it Jer25:9,49:19. Later on it would be the non-Jew Cyrus, king of Persia who would be divinely aroused and commanded to wage war against the Babylonians until their defeat, expulsion from the holy land and the return of the Jews to Israel so as to re-establish monotheism in it Jer50:14-21,51:1,53.

The same semitic pattern of prophethood is thus found in regards to Muhammad, the Ishmaelites and the Kaaba. God does not and never did tolerate the presence of idolatry in a land declared sacred and dedicated to monotheism. So God tasked His prophet with re-establishing the monotheistic practice at the Kaaba, and should his opponents try fighting and exiling him and his followers, they will consequently be uprooted from the land they had complete dominion over 17:76-7. It was not the prophet's job to relocate the uninvited idols of the Kaaba, especially after years of warning those that put them there, against their corrupt practices, and the impending forceful expulsion.

Apostate prophet would prefer them out; idols in Abraham's sanctuary?

In answer to the video "The Truth About The Kaaba"

Prior to the rise of the prophet Muhammad and the retribution befalling the heedless Ishmaelites, idol worship continued to flourish and even spread to the centers inhabited by their Christian and Jewish neighbors, namely Najran and Yathrib. The Jews of Yathrib tolerated idol worship, coexisted with it, and finally befriended it so as to develop their trade with the pagan Arabs. Although idolatry was important to the pre-Islamic Arabs, yet they did not develop any elaborate mythology around their gods and goddesses as did ancient people around the world such as the Greeks, Romans or Hindus. No trace of such things can be found in the pre-Islamic poetry and traditions. This fact further indicates that polytheism and idol worship were not indigenous to the Ismailite Arabs but were grafted on to the Abrahamic tradition. One of such polytheistic influences came from Noah's descendants.

For instance it is documented in Arab history as well as the Torah that some of them -such as the branch descending from Ham- inhabited the region of Canaan. This Noahide branch reverted to idol worship. This is why in the HB these Noachide descendants of Ham, along with all pagan tribes including the Philistines who apprently knew God despite their perverted spirituality 1Sam4:7, were systematically slaughtered by the Israelites. The Canaanites and Noahide descendants had reached the utmost of their spiritual depravation Gen15:16,Deut9 and had to be uprooted in order to make way for a new nation to be tested in turn. Archaeological evidence suggests that Canaanite pagan worship was ongoing on the location of what would later become Temple mount.

The Canaanite relatives of the Israelites, who are actually Abrahamic descendants, such as the Moabites descendants of Lot and Edomites whose father is Esau may very well have emulated their ancestors by worshiping YHWH. Jethro Similarily proclaims to Moses that YHWH is greater than all gods Ex18:7-12. Jethro was a Midianite-Kenite (from Midian the son of Abraham and Kenite from Cain whose descendants lived among all the people of the Levant). That monotheism preceding the arrival of the Israelites in Canaan was corrupted with time, as happened to the Israelites themselves.

These non-Israelite Abrahamic descendants grafted their own evil inclinations and foreign religions to their original monotheism. These crimes made them unworthy of remaining in a land declared sacred by God and dedicated to monotheistic worship. The same would be done through the Ishmaelite prophet Muhammad, commanded to uproot, willingly or forcefully, those who had disfigured the religion of their forefather Abraham, who had perverted the purpose for which a settlement was established on that land of Mecca 8:34-35,53. The Quran names the idols brought by these Noachide descendants, and the Arabs of the peninsula adopted them 71:21 among other gods mostly because of the Nomadic migrations throughout the peninsula. It is well documented archaeologically that most gods of the Arabian peninsula were introduced into the Southern kingdoms of Saba and Himyar in the 2nd century BC, through these nomadic routes. This also led to the Arabization of these idols' names. Some of these idols of Noah's times who were associated with the One God 23:24 include the Nisr, which is the "vulture-god". It was worshipped all throughout the Middle East, whether it went by this name or another.

After Noah, generations after generations kept returning to polytheism all the while they worshipped the One supreme God 23:31-44,11:53-4,46:21-2. The names of these idols were thus preserved, just as the Israelites in their books carried on the name of Baal and other regional gods whom they started worshipping again at different portions of their history. The Meccans were thus originally monotheists, who lapsed into idolatry. Just as the Israelites lapsed into idolatry as recounted in the Hebrew Bible even intermarrying with polytheist Canaanites.