The Ka’ba and The Temple Mount are Humanity’s Two Oldest Sacred Sites

Arabia’s Ka’ba and Jerusalem’s Temple Mount are humanity’s two oldest Monotheistic Sacred Sites, and although politicalized religious leaders on both sides have turned sacred sites in both India and Israel into battlegrounds for their brand of religious exclusivity, an ancient Jewish legend predicts that when the Messiah comes and resurrection day occurs; the Kab’a in Mecca, will go to join the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, bringing with it the inhabitants of Mecca, and they shall both be joined together.

When the Temple Mount sees the Kaab’a approaching, it shall hail the Kaab’a: “Peace be to the great guest”. (Zev Vilnay, Legends of Jerusalem)

Both the Kaab’a and the Temple were built in historic times on sites that according to Islamic and Jewish tradition had been holy for millennia prior to the beginning of recorded history.

According to archeologists and paleo-anthropologists, when modern human beings left east Africa, they traveled out of Africa along two gate ways. One gateway out of Africa was Egypt.

There is lots of evidence that the exodus from Africa started between 90,000 and 70,000 years ago; and spread all over Europe, Asia and Australia by 40.000 years ago.

In addition to the northern route, through Egypt and Sinai; there is also some genetic and archaeological evidence that some Homo sapiens took a southern route out of Africa through Ethiopia into Arabia perhaps 20-30,000 years earlier than the northern route. These people may have traveled no farther than Arabia and the gulf coast and so left no genetic trace in modern Eurasians.

After crossing from the Horn of Africa to Arabia, some of these early migrants probably went north along the Red Sea coast, passing where Jeddah is now, and then up along the Mediterranean coast, passing where Tel Aviv is now. Mecca is about 50 miles inland from the coastal city of Jeddah. Jerusalem is about 43 miles inland from the coastal city of Tel Aviv.

The Muslim Ka’ba in Mecca was primordial; a very ancient ruined holy site that was rebuilt under God’s direction by Abraham and his oldest son Prophet Ishmael.

The Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was built by Solomon the son of King David on a special site, later said to be where Abraham and his younger son Isaac were tested by God.

There is a wonderful narrative that explains what made these two sacred sites especially holy to the descendants of the two sons of Prophet Abraham. Some say this happened in the days of Prophet Noah.

Two brothers who inherited a valley to hilltop farm from their father, divided the land in half so each one could farm his own section. Over time, the older brother married and had four children, while the younger brother was still not married.
One year there was very little rain, and the crop was very meager. This was at the beginning of a long term draught that would turn the whole valley into an arid, treeless, desert where grain did not grow and all the springs were dried up.

The younger brother lay awake one night praying and thought. “My brother has a wife and four children to feed and I have no children. He needs more grain than I do; especially now when grain is scarce.”

So that night the younger brother went to his barn, gathered a large sack of wheat, and left his wheat in his brother’s barn. Then he returned home.

Earlier that very same night, the older brother was also lying awake praying for rain when he thought: “In my old age my wife and I will have our grown children to take care of us, as well as grandchildren to enjoy, while my brother may have no children. He should at least sell more grain from his fields now, so he can provide for himself in his old age.”

So that night, the older brother also gathered a large sack of wheat, and left it in his brother’s barn, and returned home.
The next morning, the younger brother, surprised to see the amount of grain in his barn seemed unchanged said “I did not take as much wheat as I thought. Tonight I’ll take more.”

That same morning, the older brother standing in his barn, was thinking the same thoughts.

After night fell, each brother gathered a greater amount of wheat from his barn and in the dark, secretly delivered it to his brother’s barn. The next morning, the brothers were again puzzled and perplexed.

“How can I be mistaken?” each one thought. “There’s the same amount of grain here as there was before. This is impossible! Tonight I’ll make no mistake – I’ll take two large sacks.”

The third night, more determined than ever, each brother gathered two large sacks of wheat from his barn, loaded them onto a cart, and slowly pulled his cart toward his brother’s barn. In the moonlight, each brother noticed a figure in the distance. When the two brothers got closer, each recognized the form of the other and the load he was pulling, and they both realized what had happened.

Without a word, they dropped the ropes of their carts, ran to each other and embraced.

No human can make a physical location holy. But God favored the two brothers for their love and concern for each other and made their descendants worthy to build and rebuild a holy House in this valley and on this hill.

As Ibn Abbas [one of the greatest authorities on the Qur’an] states: Adam built the House [the original Ka’ba] from [the stones of] five mountains; Mount Sinai, Mount of Olives, [Mount] Lebanon, [Mount] al-Judi, and Mount Hira. Sinai and Olives refer to the future revelations for Prophet Moses and Prophet Jesus. Lebanon and al-Judi refer to the future revelations for Prophet David and Prophet Noah. Hira refers to the last revelation for Prophet Muhammad.

Because no place is ever holy through the choice of humans, but because it has been chosen in Heaven and revealed by God’s prophets when all those, both near and far, who revere this place as a standard, share it in love with everyone else who reveres it, then Allah will do as Abraham requested, and “Make this a land of Peace, and provide its people with the produce of of the land”. (Qur’an 2:126). Then will all the children of Adam and Abraham live in Holiness, Peace and Prosperity.

The above narration, transmitted orally in both Arabic and Hebrew for many centuries, was finally written down in several versions in the 19th century. Jews believe the hill is Jerusalem. Muslims believe the valley is Mecca. I believe, God willing, someday everyone will see that both beliefs are correct.

On the Temple Mount a small Jewish structure equipped to broadcast religious services worldwide could be built adjacent to the Dome of the Rock, over 650 feet north of the Al-Aqsa mosque, (provided Muslims cooperate) which would fulfill the words of Prophet Joel (3:16) stateing: “The Lord broadcasts from Zion, uttering His voice from Jerusalem”