Pilgrimage of Ezekiel to Mecca:
The sections of this article are:
1- Pilgrimage of Ezekiel to Mecca.
2- More additions and proofs from brother Silent Wisdom from the Book of Ezekiel.
The following article was sent to me by brother Silent Wisdom; may Allah Almighty always be pleased with him.
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarkatu brother,
Here again, Further proofs of "Islam" in the Bible ...
In the Book of Ezekiel (Ch, 40-47) , He tells us about a journey had been done for him by the Lord (or an Angel) in his vision...from his description to this journey we can conclude the following points...:
1) The Place and Time:
Ezekiel:
40:1 In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither.
40:2 In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south.
In these 2 verses Ezekiel detects the time of this journey (in the beginning of the year,in the tenth day of the month)..In fact I am not sure weather this is the ACCURATE Translation of the verse (or of what Ezekiel really meant) or No...but Jews used to use the Lunar months exactly as Muslims..and it's well known that the 10th day of the LAST month is Eid Al Adha during the pilgrimage o Mecca every year...Whatever, I find the similarities between the 2 dates (Eid Al Adha and the Journey of Ezekiel) ..The rest of the story will make it clear though..!
but What about the PLACE?..Well..let's read :
"God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south."..
The City is in SOUTH to the Land of Israel, Where it's enclosed by Mountains...What is this City?...Without any doubt Mecca just lies in the south of Land of Israel and it's enclosed by Mountains..Yet..Further proofs are followed in his description to that place..!
2) The shape of that Place:
Ezekiel describes to us the shape of that place in Chapters 40-43..:
42:15 Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth toward the gate whose prospect is toward the east, and measured it round about.
42:16 He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.
42:17 He measured the north side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.
42:18 He measured the south side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed.
42:19 He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed.
42:20 He measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place.
According to this shape, this place is foursquare in shape ..!
3) The Sacred House: (Al Ka'aba):
41:4 So he measured the length thereof, twenty cubits; and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the temple: and he said unto me, This is the most holy place.
According to this SHAPE of the HOLY PLACE, it's also foursquare..and it's well known that Al Ka'aba is as well 4square building...Is there any other sacred house having the same shape in Christianity or Judaism?..!
Further more, Ezekiel predicts the enlargement of the House ..Let's read:
41:7 And there was an enlarging, and a winding about still upward to the side chambers: for the winding about of the house went still upward round about the house: therefore the breadth of the house was still upward, and so increased from the lowest chamber to the highest by the midst.
4) Going around the House & Zamzam water:
47:1 Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
47:2 Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
47:3 And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.
47:4 Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.
47:5 Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
Well, in these verses Ezekiel talks about his going around the House and exactly at he side of the Muslim pilgrimage, but..he has found water under the house, what kind of water?..
It's superabundant water coming down from under from the right side of the house and south of the altar (will be discussed later)..!
His description to this water and how it's superabundant, just refers to the Water of Zamzam....it's been now for more than 1400 years used in Mecca and the surrounding places and it's still abundant well...!
Concentrate on Ezekiel's description to the water and Prophet Muhammad's :
"it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over"...Ezekiel in 47:5
"May Allah bestow Mercy on Ishmael's mother! Had she let the Zam-zam (flow without trying to control it) (or had she not scooped from that water) (to fill her water-skin), Zam-zam would have been a stream flowing on the surface of the earth." ..Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)..!
*About the Altar:
41:22 The altar of wood was three cubits high, and the length thereof two cubits; and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the walls thereof, were of wood: and he said unto me, This is the table that is before the LORD.
According to this description, we understand that this altar is just symbolic one not for slaughtering animals, as it's small for such thing,and it's exactly just like the station of Abraham (Maqaam'e Ibrahim) and at the same place described in Eze 47:1..!
5) Pilgrims and Pilgrimage:
44:15 But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD.
44:16 They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.
44:17 And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.
44:18 They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.
44:19 And when they go forth into the utter court, even into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.
44:21 Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.
Well, I think the image of these verses are pretty clear,need no interpretation ..Just to note :
Ezekiel calls the pilgrims "Priests of Levites"..
that would happen when people of Israel go astray from God..(so they aren't from Israel*the pilgrims*)
He describes their clothes when they enter the inner court, "they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within,They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins"..and this is exactly the clothes of Muslim pilgrims..!
Further description to Pilgrims :"and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments." and this is what's called Al'Ihlaal..!
Conclusion:"Ezekiel was in Pilgrimage (Or at least Umrah)"..!
Salaam.
More additions and proofs from brother Silent Wisdom from the Book of Ezekiel:
The following article was sent to me by brother Silent Wisdom; may Allah Almighty always be pleased with him.
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatu brother,
More about Pilgrimage of Ezekiel.
* Al'Ihraam (part of pilgrimage to Mecca):
Ezekiel,
42:13 Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south
chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests
that approach unto the LORD shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most
holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for
the place is holy.
42:14 When the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place into
the utter court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they
are holy; and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to those things which are
for the people.
In these verses Ezekiel refers to the sacrifice during Al Hajj,"the meat offering and the sin offering".
Furthermore, he talks about Al Ihram at the beginning of the Hajj.."they shall lay their garments wherein they minister, and shall put on other garments", and they are the garments described by him in 44:17-19.
* Important Note:
During this Journey, God has asked Ezekiel to preserve the place and its measures...Let's read:
Ezekiel
44:5 And the LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold
with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the
ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering
in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.
44:6 And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the
Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,
But, Why did God ask for such thing?
The answer comes from the Qur'an:
In Surat (Chapter) Al Baqarah (the cow, which is Chapter 2)..we read:
144. We see the turning of thy face (for guidance to the heavens:
now Shall We turn thee to a Qibla that shall please thee. Turn then Thy face in the
direction of the sacred Mosque: Wherever ye are, turn your faces in that direction. The
people of the Book know well that that is the truth from their Lord. Nor is Allah
unmindful of what they do.
(The Noble Quran, 2:144)
The matter of changing the qibla was very confusing matter for Muslims, the jews at Al Madina used that for their own advantage, yet Allah unveiled them in the Qur'an..Allah says clearly "The people of the Book know well that that is the truth from their Lord",so that God ordered Ezekiel to preserve the place and its description to be a prove against them in their own books, even after their corruptions,Indeed."they think they are over reaching God, but God will over reach them"..!
* Is really That description for the House of God represent the Temple that was built by Solomon?
Let's see:
1 Kings:
6:3 And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits
was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the
breadth thereof before the house.
6:4 And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.
6:5 And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of
the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round
about:
6:6 The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and
the third was seven cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed
rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house.
6:7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was
brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in
the house, while it was in building.
* Jurassic` strokes coral's antennae
6:8 The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the
house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle
into the third.
6:9 So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of
cedar.
6:10 And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested
on the house with timber of cedar.
6:11 And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying,
6:12 Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes,
and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I
perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:
6:13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
According to the description of Solomon's temple, it's pretty clear that it differs from the one described by Ezekiel in Ezekiel 40-43, that refutes any tries to claim that Ezekiel described the House of God in Jerusalem.
And that shows that it wasn't a foursquare temple.
Salaam.
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