๐ฅThe Bible Speaks About Muslim Pilgrimage (Hajj)
๐ฅ๐ Hajj: Pilgrimage to Ba’ca (Makkah)
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Hajj, the pilgrimage to Ba’ca (Makkah), is the important pillar of the religion of unity in Islam. The Qur’an commands those who can afford to go on this pilgrimage as follows:
๐”And proclaim among men the pilgrimage: they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, coming from every remote path.”
(Suratul Hajj 22:27)
It states further that Ba’ca is the first house of worship appointed for mankind:
๐”Most surely the first house appointed for men is the one at Ba’ca, blessed and a guidance for the nations.”
(Sura Al-Imran 3:96)
๐ฅ๐ Biblical References to Hajj
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The Bible mentions that at a place chosen by God, people should come and glorify His name.
Deuteronomy 12:5-7 says:
๐โBut you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for His dwelling. To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.โ
๐ฅ๐ Pilgrimage and Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)
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When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) came, he carried out this instruction. Muslims go to Makkah, a place in the wilderness of Paran as the Bible said in Genesis 21:21. It is a place blessed by God where Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) built a house of prayer or a house of God.
๐ฅ๐ Confirmation of Hajj in the Bible
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Psalms 84:6-7
๐”Who passing through the valley of Ba’ca make it a well, the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeared before God.”
Psalms 86:9-10
๐”All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and does wondrous things: thou art God alone.”
๐ฅ๐ Qur’anic Confirmation
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๐”Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for Al-Alamin (the mankind and jinns). In it are manifest signs (for example), the Maqam (place) of Ibrahim (Abraham (AS)); whoever enters it, he attains security. And Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka’bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses (for one’s conveyance, provision and residence); and whoever disbelieves (denies Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah), then he is a disbeliever of Allah), then Allah stands not in need of any of the Alamin (mankind and jinns).”
(Qur’an 3:96-97)
๐ฅ๐ Additional Biblical References
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Psalms 84:5-6
๐”Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the valley of BACA (Makkah), they make it a place of springs; the rain also fills it with pools (Zamzam water).”
Matthew 21:42-43
๐”Jesus said to them (the Jews), ‘Have you never read in the scriptures: The stone (black stone of Makkah) which the builders rejected has become the CHIEF CORNER STONE. This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.'”
๐ฅ๐ Hajj in the Time of Moses
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๐”And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.”
(Exodus 12:14)
In this verse, the King James translators rendered the uninflected noun “Khag” (ืื) as โfeastโ. This word “Khag” is wholly cognate to the Arabic “Hajj” (ุญุฌ).
๐ฅ๐ช Sacrifices in Mecca
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Isaiah 60:1-7
๐”…The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come, they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall show forth the praises of the LORD. All the flocks of Kedar (Ka’bah) shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory…”
Revelation 7:9-10
๐”After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude of people from different nations, tribes, and languages whose number could not be counted, standing before the throne and before the lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. And they were proclaiming, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb.'”
๐ฅFACTโ๏ธ
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This biblical fact refers to the great multitude of Muslim pilgrims wearing white robes called Ihram during Hajj, irrespective of their nations, tribes, geographical locations, or status.
The throne of God mentioned in the verse is a symbolic explanation of the sacred House of God in Makkah called Ka’aba or Baca in Psalms 84:4-6 and Qur’an 3:96.
The Lamb is also the parabolical or symbolic personality of the noble Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in his innocence, purity, and charismatic attitudes. Every single Prophet can be a lamb of God in his dispensation or period of time. Since the book of Revelation came after Jesus Christ and it unveils all that will happen in the future, the Islamic pilgrimage is the fulfillment of this biblical prophecy.
The palm branches in their hands mentioned above were the scrolls of the Glorious Qur’an or books of Zikr for the celebration or remembrance of Allah’s praise always during Hajj.
๐ฅ๐๏ธ Isaiah 2:2-3
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“AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS THAT THE MOUNTAIN OF THE HOUSE OF GOD SHALL BE THE HIGHEST OF ALL THE MOUNTAINS (IN TERMS OF GLORY AND IMPORTANCE). IT SHALL BE EXALTED ABOVE THE HILLS. AND PEOPLE OF ALL NATIONS WILL FLOW TO THAT MOUNTAIN…”
๐ฅThis mountain is Mount Arafat and the House of the LORD is Ka’aba.
See also the elaborations of Micah 4:1-3, Psalms 84:2-6, Isaiah 60:6-7, and Isaiah 42:10-12 about Muslims’ pilgrimage.
โ๏ธALLAHU AKBAR! CHRISTIANS, ARE YOU NOT SURPRISED?
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 