Verse 127 says that Abraham and Ishmael built the Kaaba. Verse 125 claims that the Kaaba was the house of God since Abraham's time. However, according to other historical accounts Abraham never traveled to the Arabian Peninsula. The Bible teaches that Abraham was called from Haran to the land of Canaan (see Genesis 12) and there built an alter to God in the land promised to him and his offspring. The Biblical account in Genesis never mentions Abraham traveling to the Arabian Peninsula, nor does it say that he and Ishmael built the Kaaba. If the Quranic account was true the Jews would have sanctified the Kaaba long before Mohamed's time. Moreover, history does not support the Kaaba's antiquity or its connection to Abraham. Historical evidence indicates that the Kaaba was simply a pagan temple used to worship Saturn. In fact, the Kaaba in Mecca is only one of many. There were approximately 20 Kaaba-style temples in surrounding Arab lands including: Al- Lat House, Najran Kaaba, the Shaddad Kaaba, Ghatfan Kaaba and the Du-Khesla House (The Kaaba in Yemen). Before Mohamed's time a poet named Zohair Ibn Abi Salma mentions that the ones who built the Kaaba came from the Quraish tribe. His poem reads: "I swear by the house, which the people turn around, who also built it, the Quraish and the Georhem." (The Georhem was a tribe that lived around Mecca at the same time as the Quraish

@nossycheek,

Right. That's another issue that I've been considering; but there again you anticipated me.

What I don't get is this: If the black stone of the Kaaba has no power to do either good nor evil, what is the idea behind Muhammad's having kissed it? Even further, what can we deduce from the reaction of some of his companions who didn't see any sense in following the example of Muhammad, but only did so because he did it??

Sample the following traditions:

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Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 26; #673:
|| Narrated Salim that his father said: I saw Allah's Apostle arriving at Mecca; he kissed the Black Stone Corner first while doing Tawaf and did ramal in the first three rounds of the seven rounds (of Tawaf).

Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 26; #667:
|| Narrated 'Abis bin Rabia: 'Umar came near the Black Stone and kissed it and said "No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit anyone nor harm anyone. Had I not seen Allah's Apostle kissing you I would not have kissed you."

Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 26; #679:
|| Narrated Zaid bin Aslam that his father said: "I saw 'Umar bin Al-Khattab kissing the Black Stone and he then said, (to it) 'Had I not seen Allah's Apostle kissing you, (stone) I would not have kissed you.' "

Sunan Abu-Dawud Book 10; #1813:
|| Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: A person who performs umrah should shout talbiyah till he touches the Black Stone.

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Now, it bothers me that when Muslims know the Black Stone can neither do good nor harm anyone, they still take a pilgrimage to it, for no other reason than that Muhammad kissed it. The question that follows (which has been asked before) is:

Was Muhammad sent by the God revealed to the prophets of the Old Testament?? Nevermind the political answer offered to circle round this; but then, a second question must then be asked: Why is there no mention of the Black Stone in the worship of the Jews at all??

For Muslims who claim that it is the same God who sent Muhammad, may I ask if they have taken a look at what God said regarding bowing down to a stone they way Muhammad made the Black Stone the center of his worship? Here are a few:

Lev. 26:1 - "Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God."

Deut. 27:15 - "Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen."

Act 17:29 - ". . . we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device."
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When one carefully reads about the warning to not "set up any image of stone" (Lev. 26:1), nor to "put it in a secret place" (Deut. 27:15), are we then speaking about the same issues here that brings about a contrasted worship devoted to the secret place of "between the two corners (i.e. the black stone and the Yemenite corner)" in Islam? (see Sahih Bukhari Vol. 5, Book 59; #557).

Please, answers.

nossycheek:

Verse 127 says that Abraham and Ishmael built the Kaaba. Verse 125 claims that the Kaaba was the house of God since Abraham's time. However, according to other historical accounts Abraham never traveled to the Arabian Peninsula. The Bible teaches that Abraham was called from Haran to the land of Canaan (see Genesis 12) and there built an alter to God in the land promised to him and his offspring. The Biblical account in Genesis never mentions Abraham traveling to the Arabian Peninsula, nor does it say that he and Ishmael built the Kaaba,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

@nossycheek and stimulus,
Thanks for the question. To answer it, we do not even need to go to the Biblical account; we just need simple arithmetical sense (not even mathematical sense)

In the Quran, when Muhammed was asked which is the oldest Mosque, he answered that it is the Kaaba and he also said the second oldest mosque is the Al-aqsar mosque in Jerusalem (currently occupying the site of the temple built by Solomon). When Muhammed was asked how many years separated the two "oldest mosques", he said 40 years.

Now, it is on record and we know that the temple built by Solomon was built around 950BC; thus by Muhammed account in the quran, that means the earliest time that the Kaaba could have been built was 40 years earlier i.e around 990BC; assuming that the temple was destroyed and the Arab occupation of Israel occured immediately after building the temple (which is definitely not the case, as the Arab occupation occured much later)
The simple arithmetical question is this: How could Abraham who lived and died at least 1000 years before the temple of Solomon build the Kaaba? Did he come back from the dead? I don't think so! Thus Muhammed and the Quran are lying? Definitely! We do not need the Bible to prove that, only a small Casio calculator possibly.

Abraham and Ishmeal built the ka'aba indeed! Mohammad sure had a humorous sense of time and mathematics.

Truth hasa come falsehood is bound to disappear.

That is what muslims believe; it's in their Koran.

batu:

@nossycheek and stimulus,
Thanks for the question. To answer it, we do not even need to go to the Biblical account; we just need simple arithmetical sense (not even mathematical sense)

In the Quran, when Muhammed was asked which is the oldest Mosque, he answered that it is the Kaaba and he also said the second oldest mosque is the Al-aqsar mosque in Jerusalem (currently occupying the site of the temple built by Solomon). When Muhammed was asked how many years separated the two "oldest mosques", he said 40 years.

Now, it is on record and we know that the temple built by Solomon was built around 950BC; thus by Muhammed account in the quran, that means the earliest time that the Kaaba could have been built was 40 years earlier i.e around 990BC; assuming that the temple was destroyed and the Arab occupation of Israel occured immediately after building the temple (which is definitely not the case, as the Arab occupation occured much later)
The simple arithmetical question is this: How could Abraham who lived and died at least 1000 years before the temple of Solomon build the Kaaba? Did he come back from the dead? I don't think so! Thus Muhammed and the Quran are lying? Definitely! We do not need the Bible to prove that, only a small Casio calculator possibly.

@batu,

Na wah for you!! I'm waiting for the Mathematicians in Islam to convert this figures in time difference for us.

The hallucinogens in the desert sands around Mecca obviously messed with Moh'd's accounts, we all think that men live for 2,000 years when under the influence

Islamic tradition claims the Ka'aba was first built by Adam, rebuilt by Abraham, later destroyed and rebuilt by the descendants of Noah.
Mohammed claims the Ka'aba was built 40 years before the Al' Aqsar mosque in Jerusalem, on the site of Solomon's temple.

However, there is no evidence that there was a mosque in Jerusalem as at the first building of Solomon's temple as it is not recorded that Solomon had to demolish any spiritual symbol on the mount of Moriah.
The same mount Moriah was where God told Abraham to go sacrifice Isaac. Clearly no mention is made of any mosque being on that site!
So we can safely deduce that the Al aqsar mosque DID NOT exist before Solomon's temple. King Herod's temple (a rebuilding of Solomon's temple earlier destroyed by the babylonian empire) was destroyed by the Romans never to be rebuilt in AD 70. Therefore the earliest the al-aqsar mosque could have been built was AD 70.

If indeed the ka'aba was built 40 years before the al-aqsar mosque, then it could not have been built any earlier than AD 30. It is impossible that Adam, Abraham or Noah could have built the Ka'aba for history acknowledges they lived more than 2000 yrs before AD 70!

no need calculating david, like I said, the 'abraham' 'noah' and all the other figures in the 'quran' are all figments of Moh'ds imagination - caused by the cheap hashish prevalent at the time corrupting his memory of the Christian education he previously had

What does the kaaba really stand for or signify in islam??