Kaba and Becca (Petra or Mecca?) - True Qiblah?

[Link]

Salam

This has shaken me. I thought I knew for sure Mecca is what it claims to be but there is history theories that original Qibla (and Kaba) was in Petra and not Mecca.

It has a lot to do with archaeology and what they are revealing was original Qibla of Masjids.

I don't know what do with this debate. Easy to just go with majority and say it has to be Mecca.

At the same time, it's new to me, and I don't have the time to go in depth of it.

If anyone knows both sides very well, and can bring me their conclusions having investigate both sides, it would be appreciated.

 

[mangalavara]

This has shaken me. I thought I knew for sure Mecca is what it claims to be but there is history theories that original Qibla (and Kaba) was in Petra and not Mecca.

I remember watching a YouTube video where Mufti Abu Layth explained that there was an important man from Petra who moved to Makkah, and he innocently transferred titles of Petra such as 'Mother of Settlements' to Makkah. This occurred before the reception of the Qur'an. The same mufti theorizes that the structures that supposedly have a mihrab facing Petra were originally older structures built by a pre-Islamic people who held Petra in high regard. In my opinion, it could be that the mihrabs originally pointed toward Mecca and were changed to the direction of Petra (but maybe not Petra itself) for some political reason. After all, some other ancient masjids face directions other than Makkah. Maybe it was all just errors in calculation?

I don't know what do with this debate. Easy to just go with majority and say it has to be Mecca.

Perhaps Ahlul Bayt know Makkah is the holy city of Islam?

Something worth thinking about is that the revisionists like to insist that Makkah was of no importance because it was not on a map until sometime after Muhammad. What they do is cite the city's absence on ancient maps and in texts produced by people who probably found Nabataea more noteworthy than the Hejaz due to the literacy of the former. Also, considering that the Hejaz was a land of oral culture, it's not as if people today are going to find Arabic texts from there that describe the Hejaz and mention Makkah.

I used to have the theory that Makkah was the original qiblah and then Al-Khalil/Hebron became the new one. My reasoning was that the latter city is where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are buried. Al-Khalil would be a good qiblah because Islam, after all, is supposed to be the religion of Abraham. Plus, Hebron was a safe city, that is, a city of refuge back in the days of the Hebrew Bible. You can grow lots of fruit there too. My theory included the idea that the people who 'turned on their heels' or rejected Muhammad after the change in qiblah kept Makkah as their qiblah and founded the mainstream Islamic tradition.

If I have made any mistakes in my post, please forgive me.

 

[Link]

Salam

Thanks for that.

 

[mangalavara]

Salam

Thanks for that.

Salam/Namaste. I found the video of Mufti Abu Layth explaining the connection between Petra and Makkah. The important person that I mentioned in my previous reply but never named was Qusai ibn Kilab, the paternal great-great-great-grandfather of Muhammad. Abu Layth believes Qusai probably lived in Petra before relocating to Makkah and shaping it. One way he shaped Makkah was calling it what his previous city was called: the Mother of Settlements. This theory explains why the holy city in the Qur'an has that epithet. Another thing Abu Layth explains in the video is his theory about ancient structures pointing toward Petra.

 

[Link]

Salam/Namaste. I found the video of Mufti Abu Layth explaining the connection between Petra and Makkah. The important person that I mentioned in my previous reply but never named was Qusai ibn Kilab, the paternal great-great-great-grandfather of Muhammad. Abu Layth believes Qusai probably lived in Petra before relocating to Makkah and shaping it. One way he shaped Makkah was calling it what his previous city was called: the Mother of Settlements. This theory explains why the holy city in the Qur'an has that epithet. Another thing Abu Layth explains in the video is his theory about ancient structures pointing toward Petra.

Salam

Thank you so much for this!