I continue my analysis of Q. 17:1, a text that exposes Muhammad as a false prophet (https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/30/another-verse-that-exposes-muhammad-as-a-fraud-the-nonexistent-temple-pt-1/).
The Ahadith to
the Rescue?
Turning to the hadiths won’t help the Muslims since these are
the same sources that prove that masjid
al-aqsa in Q. 17:1 refers to an actual building, not merely a
place or site.
Note the following:
Qaza’ah reported: I heard a hadith from Abu Sa’id and it
impressed me (very much), so I said to him: Did you hear it (yourself) from
Allah’s Messenger? Thereupon he said: (Can) I speak of anything about Allah’s
Messenger (which I did not bear? He said: I heard Allah’s Messenger saying: Do
not set out on a journey (for religious devotion) but for THE THREE MOSQUES-for
this mosque of mine (at Medina) the Sacred Mosque (at Mecca), AND THE MOSQUE AL-AQSA (Bait
al-Maqdis), and I heard him saying also: A woman should not
travel for two days duration, but only when there is a Mahram with her or her
husband. (Sahih Muslim,
Book 007, Number 3099 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=007&translator=2&start=0&number=3038)
Abu Huraira reported it directly from Allah’s Apostle that he
said: Do not undertake journey but to THREE MOSQUES: this mosque of mine,
the Mosque of al-Haram AND
THE MOSQUE OF AQSA (Bait al-Maqdis). (Sahih Muslim, Book
007, Number 3218 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=007&translator=2&start=0&number=3139)
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger as saying: One should
undertake journey to THREE
MOSQUES: the mosque of the Ka’ba, my mosque, AND THE MOSQUE OF ELIA (Bait
al-Maqdis). (Sahih
Muslim, Book 007, Number 3220 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=007&translator=2&start=0&number=3141)
Seeing that the Kabah and Muhammad’s mosque are clearly physical
buildings, this means that bait
al-maqdis must be a physical building as well. There’s simply
no way around this.
The following narrations even speak of Muhammad literally
entering inside the Temple or the masjid:
“It is narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik that the
Messenger of Allah said: I was brought al-Buraq who is an animal white and
long, larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule, who would place his hoof a
distance equal to the range of version. I mounted it and came to THE TEMPLE (Bait Maqdis in
Jerusalem), then tethered it to the ring used by the prophets. I ENTERED THE MOSQUE and
prayed two rak’ahs IN
IT, and then CAME
OUT and Gabriel brought me a vessel of wine and a vessel
of milk. I chose the milk, and Gabriel said: You have chosen the natural
thing…” (Sahih Muslim,
Book 001, Number 0309 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=001&translator=2&start=0&number=0309)
Glory be to Him — an affirmation of God’s transcendence — Who
carried His servant Muhammad (s) by night laylan is in the accusative as an
adverbial qualification; isrā’ means ‘to travel by night’; what is instructive
about this mention of laylan ‘by night’ is that through its being indefinite
there is an indication of the brevity of its duration from the Sacred Mosque
that is Mecca to the Farthest Mosque THE HOLY HOUSE OF JERUSALEM so
called because of its distance from the former; the environs of which We have
blessed with fruits and rivers that We might show him some of Our signs the
marvels of Our power. Indeed He is the Hearing the Seeing that is to say the
Knower of the Prophet’s sayings and deeds. Thus He God was gracious to him by
way of carrying him on the night journey which comprised his encountering the
other prophets his ascension to heaven and the sight of the marvels of the
Divine Realm and His communion exalted be He with him. For he the Prophet said
‘I was brought al-Burāq a white animal larger than a donkey but smaller than a
mule; it was able to place its hoof back towards its extremity and so I mounted
it. It set off carrying me until I reached THE HOLY HOUSE OF JERUSALEM. There I
fastened the animal to the ring where the prophets fasten their animals. I
then WENT IN and
prayed two units INSIDE
IT. As I
CAME OUT Gabriel came to me with a jug of wine and a jug
of milk and so I chose the milk. Gabriel said to me “You have made the right
choice by choosing the primordial nature fitra”.’ He the Prophet continued the
narration ‘We then ascended to the heaven of this world whereat Gabriel asked
to be let in. Someone asked “Who are you?”. He replied “Gabriel” “And who is
with you?” “Muhammad” he said. “Has he been sent for?”. “Yes he has been sent
for”. Then it was opened for us and lo! Adam stood before me; he greeted me and
prayed for well-being for me. We then ascended to the second heaven and Gabriel
asked to be let in. Someone asked “Who are you?”. He replied “Gabriel” “And who
is with you?” “Muhammad” he said. (Tafsir
al-Jalalayn, Q. 17:1 https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=17&tAyahNo=1&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2;
bold and capital emphasis mine)
“… The truth is that the Prophet was taken on the Night Journey
when he was awake, not in a dream, and
he went from Makkah to Bayt Al-Maqdis riding on Al-Buraq. When he reached THE DOOR OF THE
SANCTUARY, he tied up his animal by THE DOOR AND ENTERED, where he prayed two
Rakahs to ‘greet the Masjid‘…
“Then
he came back down to Bayt Al-Maqdis, and the Prophets came down with him and he
led them in prayer there when the time for prayer came. Some
claim that he led them in prayer in heaven, but the reports seem to say that
it was in Bayt Al-Maqdis. In some reports it says that it happened when he
first ENTERED…
“Then
he came OUT OF BAYT AL-MAQDIS and rode on Al-Buraq back to
Makkah in the darkness of the night. As for his being presented with the
vessels containing milk and honey, or milk and wine, or milk and water, or all
of these, some
reports say that this happened in Bayt Al-Maqdis, and others
say that it happened in the heavens. It is possible that it happened in BOTH places,
because it is like offering food or drink to a guest when he arrives, and Allah
knows best.” (Tafsir Ibn
Kathir, Q. 17:1 http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2857&Itemid=72;
bold and capital emphasis ours)
Once again, it makes absolutely no sense to speak of Muhammad
entering and exiting from the door of the sanctuary, and of praying inside it,
if these narrations aren’t referring to a literal, physical building that
Muhammad and the Muslims erroneously assumed still stood there in Jerusalem at
that time.
This next one is rather interesting:
Jami` at-Tirmidhi
Chapters on Tafsir
Narrated Zirr bin Hubaish:
“I said to Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman: ‘Did the Messenger of Allah
perform Salat IN BAIT AL-MAQDIS?’ He said: ‘No.’ I said: ‘But he
did.’ He said: ‘You say that, O bald one! Based upon what do you say that?’ I
said: ‘BASED UPON THE QUR’AN, (the Judge) between you and I is the Qur’an.’
So Hudhaifah said: ‘Whoever argues using the Qur’an, then he has indeed
succeeded.’” (One of the narrators) Sufyan said: “He means: ‘He has indeed
proven’” – and perhaps he (Sufyan) said: “He triumphed.” He (Zirr) said:
“Glorified is He Who took His slave for a journey by night from Al-Masjid
Al-Haram to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa (17:1).’ He (Hudhaifah) said: ‘DO YOU SEE
(this proves that) HE PERFORMED SALAT IN IT?’ I said: ‘No.’ He said: ‘If he
had performed Salat in it, then it would have been required upon you that you
perform Salat in it, just as it is required that you perform Salat in Al-Masjid
Al-Haram.’ Hudhaifah said: ‘The Messenger of Allah was brought a beast with a
long back – stretching out like this – one stride of it, is as far as his
vision. So, the two of them remained upon the back of Al-Buraq until they saw
Paradise and the Fire, and all of what has been prepared for the Hereafter,
then they returned back to where they began.’ He said: ‘They say that he was
fettered, but for what? Because he might flee? The Knower of the unseen and the
witness subdued him.’”
Grade: SAHIH (Darussalam)
English reference: Vol. 5, Book 44, Hadith 3147
Arabic reference: Book 47, Hadith 3440 (sunna.com https://sunnah.com/urn/641660;
capital and underline emphasis ours)
Here we have Muslims using Q. 17:1 to prove that Muhammad
entered in bait
al-maqdis to perform prayer. Note that the disputant doesn’t
deny that Muhammad visited and/or entered an actual building. He simply rejects
the notion of Muhammad praying inside there.
For more on the Islamic sources identifying masjid al-aqsa as
a physical building, specifically the Temple in Jerusalem, that Muhammad
physically entered in, please read my post “Muhammad’s Visit to a Non-Existent
Temple” (https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/04/15/muhammads-visit-to-a-non-existent-temple/).
Since the mosques in Mecca and Medina refer to actual physical
buildings, then the mosque
al-aqsa must also be a physical building as well.
Finally, as I already noted in the first part of my discussion,
the Quran itself proves that masjid
al-qsa has to be a physical building. Note the texts one more
time:
Glory be to Him, who carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque (al-masjid
al-haram) to the
Further Mosque (al-masjid al-aqsa) the precincts of which
We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our signs. He is the
All-hearing, the All-seeing… ‘If you do good, it is your own souls you do good
to, and if you do evil it is to them likewise.’ Then, when the promise of the
second came to pass, We sent against you Our servants to discountenance
you, and to
enter the Temple (al-masjida), as they entered it the first time,
and to destroy utterly that which they ascended to. S. 17:1, 7 Arberry
In these verses, masjid
al-aqsa is mentioned alongside of masjid al-haram and
within the context of Allah stating that he sent his servants to destroy al- masjid for a
second time, which can only be the Temple in Jerusalem that was destroyed on
two separate occasions. Even the Muslim commentators concede this point:
And We said ‘If you are virtuous through acts of obedience you
are being virtuous to your own souls since the reward thereof is for them your
souls; and if you do evil by way of working corruption it is for them’ your
evildoing. So when the time the occasion for the other prophecy comes We will
raise them forth that they might ravage you make you grieve through their
slaying and taking captive of you a grief that will be manifest on your
faces and that
they might enter the Temple the Holy House of Jerusalem and destroy it just as
they entered it and destroyed it the first time and that
they might destroy lay waste all that they conquered all that they gained
ascendancy over utterly with an utter wasting. They indeed wrought corruption a
second time when they slew the prophet John. Thus Nebuchadnezzar was roused
against them and so he slew thousands of them and took their children
captive and
destroyed the Holy House of Jerusalem. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=17&tAyahNo=7&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2;
bold emphasis ours)
Therefore, since masjid
al-aqsa is the Kabah, as I already demonstrated, and
since masjid in
v. 7 is clearly the Temple of Jerusalem, then masjid al-aqsa must also be a
physical building, and not merely the Temple site or some unknown place. There
is simply no way of getting around this fact.
What the foregoing shows is that surah 17, or at least a part of
it, specifically verse 1, is a later interpolation that must have been composed
after the caliph ‘Abd al-Malik bin Marwan built the mosque actually known
as masjid al-aqsa in
Jerusalem in the year AD 690-691. As such, this part of the Quran did not come
from Muhammad but is an insertion into the text of the Quran by Muslims long
after Muhammad’s death, that wanted to legitimize their claim to Jerusalem.
After all, what better way to justify the Muslim conquest of
Jerusalem than to claim that their prophet had been taken there as a sign that
Allah had given him and his followers the right to it seeing that he is the
seal of all the biblical prophets, and therefore the rightful heir to this holy
place?
Yet unfortunately for Muslims, these Muhammadans who added this
text into the Quranic recitation didn’t realize and could not foresee that this
would come back to expose Muhammad as a fraud and a false prophet!
I now proceed to the final section where I address some of the
objections raised by a Muhammadan greenhorn (https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/30/another-verse-that-exposes-muhammad-as-a-fraud-the-nonexistent-temple-pt-3/).
IHS
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