QuranCourse.com
Need a website for your business? Check out our Templates and let us build your webstore!
The Torah told the story of God’s commandment to Abraham to slaughter his only son, and instead of calling him Ishmael, it called him Isaac, and because of this change, the time and the place, where the story occurred, has changed.
Some of what comes in the Torah is as follows:
“he said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah;……. and went to the place of which God had told him…. He said, “don’t lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, , seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me….. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “on the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall posses the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” (Genesis: 22/1-18).
As mentioned earlier, there are several prophecies of the coming of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and we can see the hand of alteration and prejudice trying to conceal these prophecies.
It is a clear alteration to insert the name of Isaac, who was never the only son of Abraham, instead of Ishmael. Describing the slaughtered as “the only son” repeated three times, and we have seen that Ishmael was the only son of Abraham for fourteen years.
The fact that Ishmael was Abraham’s first son is kept even though he was the son of Hajar, Sarah’s servant, whom he took as a wife later.
The status of the mother does not change the fact that he was the first son, nor does it change his status.
In the Torah, “If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him children, and if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved, then on the day when he assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons, he may not treat the son of the loved as the firstborn in preference to the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn, but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the first fruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his.” (Deuteronomy:
21/15-17) This divine command to the children of Israel expresses God’s justice, and Israel should be the first to implement it. Was God unjust to Ishmael the son of the servant? Did He contradict the justice that He will impose over his servants?
Among the evidence, proving that Isaac was not the slaughtered is that Abraham was promised blessings and offspring before Isaac was even born. That he will be as many as the number of the stars.
(See Genesis 17/21) The command to slaughter him was not a test, because he knew that this son would have a blessed offspring.
Jesus, according to Barnabas’ Bible, which we use here only as a supportive quotation, stated this. The disciples said to him, “O master, it is written in the Book of Moses, that the promise was made in Isaac." Jesus answered with a groan: "It is so written, but Moses did not write it, nor Joshua, but rather our rabbis, who do not fear God! Truly I say to you, that if you consider the words of the angel Gabriel, you shall discover the malice of our scribes and doctors …..." How is Isaac firstborn, if when Isaac was born Ishmael was seven years old?” (Barnabas: 44/1-11), and in the common Torah, there were fourteen years between them (See Genesis: 16/16, 21/5).
Therefore, the slaughtered one is Ishmael and God’s mountain is located in the land he lived in, and the blessing is preserved for Abraham in his offspring after he surrendered to the command of God and almost went ahead to slaughter his only son.
Jews and Christians have altered the name of the slaughtered, and they altered the name of the holy place in which the story took place.
The Samaritan Torah called it “the guided land”, while the Hebrew Torah called it “al marya” and possibly it is an alteration of the word “al marwa”, which is the name of a mountain located inside the Holy Mosque in Mecca that is the place, where Ishmael grew up.
Both the Hebrew and Samaritan texts agree on calling this location “God’s mountain”, and that name was not used for any place at that time; therefore, the Jews did not agree in specifying its location. The Samaritans said: It is the mountain of Garzeem. The Hebrews said that it is the mountain of Jerusalem, on which the tabernacle was built several centuries after the story (Chronicles 2:3-1).
In the Holy Bible’s Dictionary, Doctor Post says, “most people think that the location of the tabernacle is the same location where Abraham was getting ready to sacrifice Isaac; however, according to the Samaritan tradition the location to slaughter Isaac was on the mountain of Garzeem. 1
The Jesuit priesthood edition proofreaders say, “The second book of Chronicles (3/1) matches between Morya and Alrabya over which the Jerusalem tabernacle will be built. However, the text points to a land by the name of Morya, that is not mentioned in any other location and the slaughtering location remains unknown”.
The fact is that the location is known, because the slaughtering story took place in the guided land, which is the land of worship, and that is Mecca or Paran. Their disagreement is proof that this is right, and their agreement that the name of the location is God’s mountain is correct. However, their disagreement on locating the place was due to their guessing, and they have connected it to names that only appeared several centuries after the incident. They have ignored the holy house that was built in this spot at that time, and it was called God’s house, just as the mountain in that spot was called God’s mountain.
This disagreement remains one of the most important disagreements that distinguish the Samaritans and the Hebrews. Jesus realized this disagreement, as at one time a Samaritan woman went to him, and asked him about the real location designated for worship. Jesus told her that the place is not the Samaritan Garzeem Mountain nor was it the Hebrew Aybal Mountain on which the tabernacle was built. The woman said to him: "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where the people ought to worship." Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for the father is seeking such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.".” (John: 4/19-24).
Who are the true people who prostrate in a direction other than the one of the Samaritans and the Hebrews? They are the new nation that has not been born yet, because no other nation claimed holiness of their prayer's direction other than Muslims, the direction in which millions of Muslims travel every year.
The words uttered by Jesus, about the time of the true prostrates “But the hour is coming, and is now here”, meaning soon not immediately. In Matthew: "Jesus said to him, “you have said so.
But I tell you, from now on you will see the son of man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Mathew: 26/64) and all the addressed have died and no longer exist, and they did not see him coming on the clouds.
Similarly, Jesus said: "And he said to him, “truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man." (John: 1/51), and see (Samuel 1: 15/28).
The prophet Micah mentioned Mecca, the Holy mosque and people going for pilgrimage to the mountain of Arafat. "It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it. And many nations shall come, and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD," (Micah: 4/1-2).
The prophet Isaiah called Makkah "the barren” and talked about the crowds that will come to it. He promised them safety, blessings and glory. He said: "Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor, for the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married,” says the LORD.
Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes; For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate. Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. For the LORD has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth, when she is cast off, says your God. For a brief, I deserted you, but with great compassion I will I gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer. “this is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you.
For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of agates, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones. All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression; for you shall not fear; and from terror; for it shall not come near you. If anyone stirs up strife, it is not from me; whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you. Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy; No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication from me, declares the LORD." (Isaiah: 54/1-17).
There is a comparison between Jerusalem and Makkah in the text, he called Makkah "the barren" because it did not give any prophet before the prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It cannot be that he used "the barren" for the Jerusalem, because it is the house of prophets and the core of revelation. One may say that if the prophecy about Ishmael happened in Makkah, then, the word “barren" will not be used. What it means is a comparison between him (Mohammad PBUH) and the prophets of Jerusalem. Isaiah’s saying: for the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married” means that its children or its visitors are more than those of Jerusalem. These words, “the children of the desolate” indicate the children of Ishmael, who has a description in the Torah as a "And the angel the LORD said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has listened to your affliction. He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen." (Genesis: 16/11-12).
Psalms also talk about the city of the savior messiah, the blessed city that has the house of God where the rewards are multiple. Good deeds in this city are equal to thousands in other cities, and he called it by its real name (Baca). It says, "Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. O LORD, God of hosts, hear my prayer, give ear. O God of Jacob, Selah. Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed. For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." (Psalms: 84/4-10).
The Hebrew text called it Baca, saying, [ בְּעֵמֶק הַבָּכָא ], and it reads:
(be’eamaq Habaka), meaning the valley of Baca. The text as it appears in the catholic translation is as follows: "Passing through the vale of tears, they make it a place of springs. For the lawgiver shall give a blessing, they shall go from virtue to virtue: the God of gods shall be seen in Zion" (Psalms 84/6-7).
This great name (Baca) is Muhammad's (PBUH) hometown name.
The name that the Holy Quran uses to name the holy town of Makkah {Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for Al-'Alamîn (the mankind and jinns).} (Al- Emran: 96) The blessing of this house is the multiple rewards that God gives its residents and visitors. One prayer (as Muhammad (PBUH) said) is equal to more than one thousand prayers anywhere else1, and that agrees with what comes in Psalm: "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere." However, the Holy Bible’s scholars will not agree that “the weeping valley” is Baca valley. They changed the "Baca valley" from a geographical name to a degraded idea; you will not be able to find its location on any map. They say, "Regarding the weeping valley that is mentioned in Psalms 84:6 it is possibly a geographical location.
However, it is probably a thought that has a deep meaning, as those who have a good experience with the Lord, with his blessings, the misery in their lives will turn into joy". 1
However, some international translations have deleted the name (Baca and the weeping valley) completely, replacing it with the word (the Balsan valley) as in the Jesuit priesthood edition and other editions, in doing that they depended on old writings.
In the Jesuit priesthood edition, the Jesuit fathers comment on why they use the phrase "the Balsan valley": "the Balsan valley" in old translations and in some of the writings "the weeping valley” and the pronunciation of the two are the same". 2
In spite of the deliberate alteration of changing the name (Baca) to (the weeping or the Balsan valley), there is clear evidence that these two words, which used commonly in the editions and translations, are an indication to Mecca and no other.
Baca was named after the Balsan tree, from which glue that looks like tears is extracted. These trees grow in Makkah as stated by the Holy Bible’s scholars. The writers of the Holy Bible’s dictionary say about the weeping trees: "Maybe it meant the balsam trees or something similar to it. In the Arab countries, near Makkah, trees with that name can be found, similar to the balsam or Balsan trees, and it has a hot white juice, it was named the weeping tree, because these trees produce glue, or in relation to the mist drops that fall on it". 3
The Clerical Knowledge Encyclopedia gives us affirmation that the valley of Balsan is the valley of Makkah, it says, “The original balsan that was mentioned by the old authors, it is "Makkah's Balsam" which Egypt still imports from the Arabian Peninsula as in the old times. It is the juice of the tree that is scientifically known as (Balsamo Dendron Apabatsmum) which grows in the south of the Arabian Peninsula and in Abyssinia. It is a small tree with an irregular shape, its bark is yellow, the same as that of the plane-tree ". 4
1 Holy Bible’s Dictionary (859)
1 In this regard Muhammad (PBUH) said: {{one prayer in this mosque of mine [meaning the mosque in Medina] is better than one thousand prayer elsewhere except in the holy mosque}} narrated by Al-Bukhari (1190), and by Muslim (1395)
2 The Clerical Knowledge Encyclopedia (2/187). and the Holy Bible's Dictionary (507).
3 The Holy Bible's Dictionary it is mentioned that, "the word Baca might mean Balsan" (178).
3 The Holy Bible’s Dictionary (507), and look in The Clerical Knowledge Encyclopedia (2/187).
4 The Clerical Knowledge Encyclopedia, (2/189).
Reference: The Promised Prophet Of The Bible - Munqidh Bin Mahmoud Assaqqar
Build with love by StudioToronto.ca