A.I. MAKKI

“When Solomon dedicated the Temple, he prayed: “Moreover concerning the stranger that is not of Thy people Israel, when he shall come out of a far country for Thy name’s sake – for they shall hear of Thy great name, and of Thy mighty hand, and of Thine outstretched arms – when he shall come and pray towards this house, hear Thou in Heaven, Thy dwelling-place, and do according to all the stranger calleth to Thee for; that of all the peoples of the earth may know Thy name, to fear Thee, as doth Thy people Israel, and that they may know that Thy name is called upon in this house, which I have builded.”

He had in his lifetime bequeathed the place to a great man – a stranger – who would not be from the Jews! He had commanded the Jews to help this man in every way they could!

(Passage was extracted from the book: “The Wisdom of Israel” Page 608 edited by Lewis Browne first published in Great Britain by Michael Joseph in 1948 and printed by C.Nicholas and Co, Ltd.)

WHO IS THIS “MAN.”? DID THE PROPHET SOLOMON DECREE HIM IN HIS PROPHECY?

“Mohammed adopted the basic Jewish principles and practices: fasting, circumcision, and a ban on eating the flesh of the pig. The Founding Fathers and Prophets were also adopted by the new religion of…Muslims, which words signify, “the surrendering ones” or those who have made peace with God

Peace on earth was not typical of the first centuries of the growth and spread of Islam, but this religion took deep roots, and in almost every part of the world, where it once prevailed, people today still practice it…a billion people today are Muslims believing that: “There is no god but Allah and that Muhammad…is His Principal Prophet. Thus, like the Jews who worship One God – the Muslims also worship One God, whom they call “Allah.”

Muhammad like most Arabs admired, the literacy, learning and industry of the Jews. Repeatedly, he tried to win Jewish support for this new movement, especially among the Jews living in and around Madinah…fleeing from wars in the west.”

DID THE JEWS OBEY THE PARTING COMMAND OF PROPHET SOLOMON?

“However, those Jews declined to acclaim him as a Prophet or to aid him in his battles with the Pagans. They aligned themselves with the pagan tribes around Madinah….”

DID PROPHET MUHAMMAD ESTEEM JERSUALEM AND ITS PROPHETS?

“….At first his followers like the Jews among them, were taught to pray facing in the direction of Jerusalem. But in 623 CE Muhammad changed the direction of prayer to Makkah…

THE FULFILLMENT OF THE PROPHECY OF PROPHET SOLOMON!

“Nevertheless, Jerusalem remained sacred to the Muslim faith, and even now is regarded as the holiest place on earth, after Makkah and Madinah. A…section of the Qur’an (and Hadith) tells how Muhammad astride a miraculous steed was transported one night from Makkah to the site of the former Temple in Jerusalem, with the great Angel Gabriel as his guide. There, Muhammad is said to have led in Prayer the earlier Prophets-Patriarchs Abraham, Moses and Jesus, after which, from the sacred rock, which had stood under the Ark in the Holy of Holies of Solomon’s Temple, Muhammad ascended to the “seventh Heaven,” in the full radiance of Allah-then returned safely back to the rock, and to his own bed in Makkah all before morning, In commemoration of this night ride, later Muslims built and maintained over the very rock (a station) the beautiful octagonal shrine called the Dome of the Rock, which still stands on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.”

“Within the hundred years preceding the middle of eighth century CE the followers of Muhammad dominated half of the known world…. The ensuing Islamic conquest of all Palestine and Syria was not difficult. The populace over there seems generally to have welcomed the invaders, for the Christian Powers in the land had become divided and hostile to one another. Most of the Syrian Christians rejected the Church supported by the Byzantine Government and adhered instead to a branch known as Monophysites…

After Syria safely in hand and Jerusalem taken, the Muslim forces moved south…. The first Caliph Abu Bakr had died in 638 CE and had been followed by a remarkable leader known as Caliph Omar (Umar ibn al-Khattab 582-644 CE). He had been a personal friend of Prophet Muhammad; one of his earliest converts, and was a devout follower…of the faith. It was he who achieved a peaceful surrender of Jerusalem after a long siege. The city had been ruled by the Christian patriarch Sophronius, who was left in charge by the Byzantines. Sophronius sought to preserve the city from destruction and massacre, and at the same time protect Christian interests,

The legends of Omar’s first entry into the city are many and fascinating. He asked to be shown the site of the Temple from which Muhammad had made his great nighttime ascent to the seventh heaven. Sophronius, however, pretended that the site had been forgotten, for he feared that the Muslims would build a house of worship there, or even worse, return the site to the Jews.

Omar persisted and finally found the place. It was in a shockingly filthy state. Romans, Byzantines long had it as a dump for garbage to demonstrate the contempt for the troublesome and filthy Jews. Omar had the site cleared, and even, according to one story, used his own robes to help in the work. At the south end of the temple platform on Mount Moriah, he built a very simple structure for Muslim worship…where the splendid palace of King Solomon had once stood…

Under Omar, Jerusalem was spared from destruction. He allowed the Christians to keep their places of worship and…unlike so many before him – did allow Jews to live in Jerusalem…The Arabs altered the name of Jerusalem…to Bait ul-Muqaddas, which related to the Hebrew name for the Temple, the glory of the lost Jerusalem for the Jews.

(The Prophecy of Solomon had come to pass, and THE JEWS IGNORED THE COMMAND OF PROPHET SOLOMON.)

(The passages have been extracted and abridged for the sale of brevity from the book ISRAEL- LAND OF THE JEWS- a survey of forty-three centuries by Mina C. Klein and H. Arthur Klein – published by THE BOBBS-MERRIL COMPANY INC, INDIANAPOLIS. NEW YORK Ref No, 51592, publshed 1972, pages 127-133)