Why Muslims worship the meteorite located in Mecca?

[William Viteri]

As this rock located in Mecca is a meteorite, why worship it? Why
do you think this meteorite was sent by Allah? Before Mohammed converted
the local tribes around Mecca, these tribes use to worship the
meteorite. The Islamic prophet decided to incorporate this pagan
worship into his new found religion. May be the Islamic prophet felt
it was easier to convert the local tribes by incorporating the worship
of the meteorite.

[Syed Yusuf]

Do you then claim that Jews worship the wailing wall because they pray
facing it?

Muslims do not worship it.

> do you think this meteorite was sent by Allah?

It was a gift to Adam (RAA), it's the only part which remains of the
house he built (insedently it was white when it was given to him but
turned black from being touched over several thousand years)

> Before Mohammed converted
> the local tribes around Mecca, these tribes use to worship the
> meteorite.

The house was rebuilt by Ishmael and Abraham. His children remained in
Mecca as custodians of God's House. Later they fell into idolatry
What pagans worshiped doesn;t change where the rock originated or who
build the house. Does Jewish idolotry in the Temple in Jerusalaam make
IT a Pagan shrine? does that make Jews who worship there now pagans?

-- Syed Yusuf http://www.uidaho.edu/~yusuf921 --
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Official Silly Sig 3, collect all 5

[SAFIA]

Assalamu alaykum,

> William Viteri wrote:
>
> As this rock located in Mecca is a meteorite, why worship it? Why

> do you think this meteorite was sent by Allah? Before Mohammed converted

> the local tribes around Mecca, these tribes use to worship the

> meteorite. The Islamic prophet decided to incorporate this pagan
> worship into his new found religion. May be the Islamic prophet felt
> it was easier to convert the local tribes by incorporating the worship
> of the meteorite.
>

This is a very *limited* piece of dis-information; how did you stumble on
it? I am sure you didn't arrive on this on your own. Now, tell us: who
sent you with the silly blurb? I am sure, whoever they are, they don't
have your best interest at heart. Now you may give us their names so we
could take up the issue with them. They are the guilty ones, not
you, poor thing!

Wassalam
N.B
If you are under-aged, please, excuse the above. And do feel free to ask
about Islam, if it is guidance you are after, you are most wellcome. But
don't ever try any monkey tricks; these will only block your light and
stand in the way of your salvation. Think about.

[short]

On 13 Feb 1997 22:07:45 GMT, in soc.religion.islam you wrote:

>As this rock located in Mecca is a meteorite, why worship it? Why
>do you think this meteorite was sent by Allah? Before Mohammed converted
>the local tribes around Mecca, these tribes use to worship the
>meteorite. The Islamic prophet decided to incorporate this pagan
>worship into his new found religion. May be the Islamic prophet felt
>it was easier to convert the local tribes by incorporating the worship
>of the meteorite.

As for Kaaba we know that Abraham called God saying <<O God fill the
hearts of some people with love towards my offsprings>> [S XIV - 37]
And God accepted Abraham's call and made the mosque built by Abraham a
place to be loved and visited by pilgrims from all parts of the world.

We cannot imagine that a reasonable man might think that God wanted to
santify the house of Abraham and Ishmael for its stones and walls. We
realize that sancity here is not material but spiritual. A man does
not visit a beloved friend for the sake of his house stones but for
the sake of that friend himself.

Therefore, Kaba is symbol of God's honouring to Abraham and Muhammad.

As the Quran says, <<We see the turning of your face (for guidance) to
the heavens; now shall we turn to qibla that shall please you. Turn
then your face in the direction of Sacred Mosque : Whereever you are,
turn your face in that direction>>. [S. II - 114]. Kaaba, then is a
symbol of unification for the minds and hearts of men. The proof is
that the Quran told us that the real qibla is God's face only :
<<Whithersoever you turn, there is the presence of God>> [S. II -115].
Holiness, therefore, is not for the stones of Kaba itself but for the
divine order. Obeying His order is the essential thing is this
subject. And if the divine order were not there we should not find any
holiness in the place. Theoretically we see that the Muslim's turning
in one direction is a symbol of the unity of their belief and aim.

1. Turning towards Kaaba is done by the body alone while the heart and
the soul are directed towards God.

2. None of the Muslims would think of turning towards Kaaba for its
stones. A Muslim realizes that his mind, soul and heart, in case of
prayer, are directed towards God.. <<Whithersoever you turn, there is
the presence of God>>> [S. II. 115].

3. Turning round Kaaba in Hajj, though by the body, round a material
building, the tongue of the pilgrims and his heart are repeating this
prayer <<Labbaika Allahuma Labbaik, La Sharika Laka Labbaik -- Here I
am at your servive My Lord, you have no partner- >>. This kind of
prayer is said to God, not Kaaba.

We have never heard anybody say: <<O, kaaba here I am at your
service>>. This is very well explained by the saying of one of the
Muslim pilgrims: << My body has turned round the house, but my heart
has turned round the Lord of the house>>.

As for the Black stone we should say something about Hajj in general
to explain kissing the stone or pointing at it. It is enough to quote
here the Quranic verse about the aims and uses of Hajj. God addresses
Abraham:

<<And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men, they will come to you on foot
and on every kind of camel, lean on account of journey, through deep
and distant mountain highways, that they may witness the benefits
provided for them and celebrate the name of God, through the Days
appointed, overthe cattle which He provided for them (for sacrifice):
then eat thereof and feed the distressed ones in want>> [S. XXII - 27
- 28]

In Hajj then there are material and moral benefits, spiritual, social
and economic. The general assembly held at Arafat ( near Mecca) is a
symbol of the unity of all Muslims. All the affairs and problems of
the Muslim world are discussed in that assembly. Every Islamic nation
has its own industry and its products and through this conference many
agreements can be made in the fields of economy, education, health ...
etc.

In Hajj once can notice the real practical equality between the high
ranked people and the ordinary ones. All of them wear the same kind of
clothes, all of them live a similar life. There is sublimity over the
consideration of wealth, nobilty, ranks or any other material fact.

This Islamic conference is unique. While pilgrimage in other religions
is done to graves, in Islam it is to God.

As for kissing the Black stone we should notice that Arabs worshippped
several things before Islam but that stone was never considered a god.
It was considered holy only because it is one of the remains of
Abraham's building.

So Islam did not accept any kind of paganism from the pre-Islamic
period. Besides, touching or kissing the Black Stone in Hajj is a
symbolic act, not a kind of consecration of the Stone itself. When
Quraish rebuilt Kaaba the various branches quarrelled among themselves
upon who would put the Stone in its place. That was five years before
Muhammad became a prophet. He solved the problem by spreading his
mantle, putting the stone in the middle and ordering members of all
the various families of Quraish to carry the mantle. Then he himself
took the Stone and put it in the right place.

Once the second caliph, Omar ibn - al Khattab stood in front of the
Stone addredding it saying : <<I know you are a stone which can not do
any good or harm. I would not have kissed you if I had not seen the
Prophet kiss you>>. Therefore, kissing that stone is not a compulsion
and Hajj can be done without it.

[Mo]

>>Once the second caliph, Omar ibn - al Khattab stood in front of the
Stone addredding it saying : <<I know you are a stone which can not do
any good or harm. I would not have kissed you if I had not seen the
Prophet kiss you>>. T<<

If this is not idol worship what is ?

[Syed Yusuf]

Thus spake Mo (10033...@compuserve.com):

> If this is not idol worship what is ?

1) Thinking that the object has any harm or benifit for you
other than what God has already written for you.
2) that it contains some 'element' of god which by directing your
worship at it you worship God.
3) Thinking that God appointed other to share in his administration
of the universe and worshiping these lesser administrators
4) Thinking that God appointed 'intercessors' who by directing worship
at them, their presentation of the worship of God will be more
acceptable to God

The stone is not God, does not contain any element of God, we kiss it
as an appointed form of worship. We run between the two hills in Mecca
in commemoration of God saving Hajar and the infant Ishamel with the
well of ZamZam as an appointed form of worship, we stone the pillars not
because we think Satan is in them but in commemoration of Abraham's and
Ishamel's rejection of his temtation not to follow God's orders and
sacrifice Ishamel. see the difference?

--
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DILBERT: Evolution is true because it is a logical conclusion of the
scientific method. DOGBERT: But science is based on the irrational
assumption that, because we can't experience reality all at once, things
like time and cause and effect must exist. DILBERT: That's what I was
taught and that's what I believe. DOGBERT: Sounds cultish.
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