Allah Promised the Holy Land to the Jews
Northeast exposure of Al-Aqsa Mosque on the
Temple Mount, in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
A reader asking not to be named emailed me today who disagreed with my assertion in an old article of mine that Mohammed Ordered the Jews to Live in Palestine. Her argument is that Mohammed merely demanded that only Muslims inhabit the holiest regions of Arabia and that the Caliph `Umar ibn Al-Khattāb moved the Jews to Syria and Palestine for no reason other than those countries were close by and not because of a specific command by Mohammed.
What this Muslim reader probably doesn't know is that the Caliph `Umar didn't simply throw a dart at a map and relocate Arabia's Jews to Palestine; `Umar was an expert in Islamic law and when Mohammed on his death bed uttered the injunction, "Let there not be two religions in Arabia," the Caliph went to the Qur'an to see how that command was to be fulfilled. This is what he found at Sura 5:20-21:
Recall that Moses said to his people, "O my people, remember GOD's blessings upon you: He appointed prophets from among you, made you kings, and granted you what He never granted any other people.
O my people, enter the holy land which Allah has decreed for you, and do not rebel, lest you become losers."
When Muslims say that Jews in Israel are invaders and occupiers, they obviously ignore the Qur'anic verses wherein Allah promises Israel to the Jews.
Here are a few things to consider: The Jews made Jerusalem their Capital more than 3,000 years ago, pray in its direction, mention it any almost every single one of their prayers, and wrote it into their Holy Book 660 times.
By contrast, The Muslims never made Jerusalem the capital of any Muslim state, do not pray in its direction, never once utter its name in their prayers, and never once mention it in the Qur'an.
Muslims only want Israel just so Jews cannot have it. It's simply a case of Malvy.
Seen above is the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem which Muslims like to use as proof that Jerusalem is mentioned in the Qur'an. Actually what is mentioned in the Qur'an is Mohammed's Night Journey from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to the farthest Mosque. Muslims would have us believe that the farthest mosque refers to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Only problem? The Al-Aqsa Mosque wasn't built until after Mohammed's death (1).
At the time of Mohammed, the farthest Mosque was used as a metaphor for the mosque in Heaven, so wherever that farthest mosque is supposed to be, it ain't Jerusalem - but nice try Fatima.
ENDNOTES
(1):
noblesanctuary.com, Al-Aqsa Mosque
After completion of the Dome of the Rock, construction began at the site of the original timber mosque built in the time of 'Umar. A vast congregational mosque rose up, accommodating more than five thousand worshippers. Originally commissioned by 'Abdul Malik ibn Marwan, it was apparently completed by his son Al-Walid in 705AD.
