Beneficial Knowledge

Jerusalem is known to be one of the oldest cities in the world and is the focal point of the three monotheist religions of the world—Judaism, Christianity and Islam . The following provides some facts on the underlying beliefs of the three religions. These are extracted from the e-book, “Jerusalem is OURs” – Jerusalem was Islam’s first Qibla (direction for prayers) and it was from Jerusalem that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) ascended to the heavens in the famous event that has come to be known as “Al-Israa wal Me’raj”. According to Judeo-Christian historical accounts, during the biblical times, Jerusalem was the capital of the entire Kingdom of Israel (1020 BCE – 931 BCE). The “City of David” is considered to be the oldest part of Jerusalem from which Jerusalem eventually flourished into a full-fledged city. Jewish scriptures extensively discuss “Temple Mount” in Jerusalem, a sacred site in Jewish history. According t...

THREE YEARS OF SECRET CALL: It is well-known that Makkah was the centre for the Arabs, and housed the custodians of Al-Ka‘bah. Protection and guardianship of the idols and stone graven images that received veneration on the part of all the Arabs lay in the hands of the Makkans. Hence the difficulty of hitting the target of reform and rectitude in a place considered the den of idolatry. Working in such an atmosphere no doubt requires unshakable will and determination, that is why the call unto Islam assumed a clandestine form so that the Makkans should not be enraged by the unexpected surprise. THE EARLY CONVERTS: The Prophet (Peace be upon him) naturally initiated his sacred mission right from home and then moved to the people closely associated with him. He called unto Islam whomsoever he thought would attest the truth which had come from his Lord. In fact, a host of people who nursed not the least seed of doubt as regards the Prophet (Peace be upon him), immediately respo...

IN THE CAVE HIRA: When Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was nearly forty, he had been wont to pass long hours in retirement meditating and speculating over all aspects of creation around him. This meditative temperament helped to widen the mental gap between him and his compatriots. He used to provide himself with Sawiq (barley porridge) and water and then directly head for the hills and ravines in the neighbourhood of Makkah. One of these in particular was his favourite resort — a cave named Hira’, in the Mount An-Nour. It was only two miles from Makkah, a small cave 4 yards long and 1.75 yard wide. He would always go there and invite wayfarers to share him his modest provision. He used to devote most of his time, and Ramadan in particular, to worship and meditation on the universe around him. His heart was restless about the moral evils and idolatry that were rampant among his people; he was as yet helpless because no definite course, or specific approach had been availab...