Melodious Messages from Mountains of Light: From Gebel Musa, Mountain of Moses, to the Temple-Mountain of Jerusalem and Jabal al-Nour, Mountain of Light of Makkah: On triumphant Exodus/Hijra and fate of Arrogance

 

IMAGE ON LEFT

sunrise,The Mountain of Prophet Moses, PBUH, courtesy of http://www.geographia.com/egypt/sinai/mtsinai.htm
 

    IMAGE ON RIGHT

Temple-Mountain of Jerusalem, and the Noble Sanctuary, courtesy of http://www.noblesanctuary.com/PageMill.Images/imagea.gif

 

Approximation of Muhammad's - PBUH - Mountain of Light, Jabal al-Nour, in Arabia, courtesy of  http://www.mountainoflight.co.uk/
 

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Dear respectful friend, scholar and brother/sister in humanity

Salaam to you.

Today is the 10th of Muharram/March 24, 2002, i.e., the first lunar month in the Muslim Exodus/Hijra new year (1423), and Prophet Muhammad , may God's blessings and mercy be upon him,  and upon all prophets and righteous people everywhere- has instructed the Muslim Umma to celebrate this day by fasting, not  because his grandson al-Husayn- blessings be with him- will be massacred brutally on the same day 50 years later, but because it had been celebrated by the Jews of Medina/Yathrib as the day when Al-mighty God had made Prophet Moses victorious over the oppressor regime of Ramses II in ancient Egypt, around 1250 years BC, (see for instance http://philo.ucdavis.edu/zope/home/bruce//RST23/chart.html, for one Time-Line for the History of Judaism).

The similarity is vivid: we have here 2 events of exodus, by Prophet Moses and Prophet Muhammad, PBUT, and many powerful messages.

On this occasion, may I share this special day with you by inviting you to ponder on profound similarities and messages of light? we have here 2 events of exodus, by Prophet Moses and Prophet Muhammad, PBUT,  occurring 1250 years BC and 622 years CE, emitting  powerful messages, from mountains of light, and from  "ulou al-'azim" i.e., powerful messengers of Allah, to all sensible detectors and seekers of power and peace, on the global fate awaiting those who are excessively puffed up with arrogance, whilst lifting our eyes and souls toward the abundant blessed paths to and undeniable fruits of justice, tolerance and peace- that have been engulfing us- and are yet to come.
 
 

 

The above image  is courtesy of http://www.mountainoflight.co.uk/newpages/lyrics/

So welcome now, dear friend, to this online journey of light; the unfailing light of academic, inter-religious and cultural tolerance!

My humble search over the internet -(I am sure that there are many other sites)-has furnished me with the following academic/religious/scientific/interfaith and cross-cultural readings of the Exodus story of Moses, PBUH,  and its aftermath in history, showing  common civilizational/religious concerns and intersections that are timely and thought provoking.

The Mountain of Moses     
http://www.geographia.com/egypt/sinai/mtsinai.htm

Sinai and the Bible-"In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the
same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai..." --Exodus, Chapter 19,    
http://www.interknowledge.com/egypt/sinai/biblicalsinai01.htm

Pharaoh ( Fir' awn ) Who Was Drowned, at:  http://members.shaw.ca/islam/science/firawn.htm

PROPHET MUSA (peace be upon him), at:  http://members.shaw.ca/islaam/prophets/moses.htm

Ancient History Sourcebook: the Book of Exodus, at:  http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/exodus-rsv.html

Moses and Israel: Community and the Name, at: http://jamesfaulconer.byu.edu/communit.htm

Etymology: Lexical Analysis, Research and Textual Criticism; "Altogether Lovely"? - Uncovering the Secret of Song of Songs 5:16, at: http://shibli.zaman.net/etymology.htm

Umm Ma`bad al-Khuza`iyah's description of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who happened to have passed by her tent on his journey of Migration/Exodus, compared to Biblical-Quranic-Hadeeth-Historical materials, at http://shibli.zaman.net/ss516/ss516-1b.htm

In a world that has become increasingly aware of the necessities of a healthy inter-cultural integration and interaction, I believe in the necessity of a multi-cultural inter-faith endeavour whose aim is to secure a healthy horizon of dialogue that enjoys strength, breadth and openness similar to those of the physical mountains:  strength in the sense of being loyal to one's own roots and grounds, breadth in being capable of striking a comparable intellectual appreciation -if not delight -in that of the ‘other’ on parallel grounds of mutual tolerance and respect.

As long as we can maintain a horizon of real respect, elevate our own breadth of tolerance and appreciation of the fine values of the other, and continue "to strive, seek, find -and never give up-" an intellectual appetite to best understand, most beautifully commune with and peacefully accept the "other", the international sailing towards "beneficient light" is safeguarded, the cultural and religious mountains of values can neither be endangered, shaken, nor uprooted, and natural difficulties/misunderstandings are bound to diminish before the torch of "spiritual, moral and academic" tolerance. At such an ideal level, the melodious winds of dialogue are of no harm at all; as the fourth guided Caliph 'Ali ibn Abi Taleb - may God be pleased with him - has encouraged us to be exposed to the winds (of tolerance) occurring in Spring time of every year: for these have a remarkably reviving effect on human bodies analogous to their dressing effect on hitherto naked trees!

Obviously the healthiest encounter is when self and other are kept at their best- when no entity is marginalised neither undermined- in light of the Quranic verse 2:83,  "Wa qoulou lin-Naasi Husnan", i.e., approach others in the most palatable terms. In suggesting the above links/ efforts -representing a spectrum of inter-disciplinary inter-faith attempts combining part or whole of academic, scientific, Biblical or Qur'anic initiations and visions), it is necessary therefore to overcome and discard those few residual inter-cultural polemical instincts/remarks and aspire towards a most welcome inter-faith communication level of "husn"; after all, a truly healthy inter-civilisational endeavour and efficient inter-religious dialogue can learn much from those Mountains of light: 
God al-Mighty has kept mountains purposedly at a distance- and has allowed humanity to opt diversely and differently- in order to make them more related, i.e., as the Sufi proverb says: "fil-Bu'di 'Aynul-Qurbi"; that is, in remoteness there is the essence of/we have also planned proximity!

Why, therefore, have the holy sanctuaries of Jerusalem, Sinai, and Makkah been addressed collectively, consecutively and most melodiously in the opening Makkan Quranic Sura of al-Teen??    (95: 1-3) (see 
http://www.unn.ac.uk/societies/islamic/quran/noble/nobae095.htm)

   In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful,
    By the fig, and the olive,
    By Mount Sinai,
    And by this city of security (Makkah),
    Verily, We created man of the best stature (mould),
    Then We reduced him to the lowest of the low,
    Save those who believe (in Islâmic Monotheism)- sic -and do righteous deeds, then they shall have a reward without end (Paradise).
    Then what (or who) causes you (O disbelievers) to deny the Recompense (i.e. Day of Resurrection)?
    Is not Allâh the Best of judges?

The Quranic Sura (95: 1-3) in Arabic: courtesy of http://www.unn.ac.uk/societies/islamic/quran/noble/nobae095.htm

Was it, on the other hand, a coincidence too that this Quranic Sura al-Teen (95)- with its powerful symbolism of Jerusalem's holy Mountain by reference to Jerusalem's most famous produce of figs and olives - was it coincidental to find Sura al-Teen immediately preceding- in the Divinely situated textual order of Quranic Suras - the Quranic Sura of al-'Alaq (96), which is believed to have been the first ever revealed Sura to Prophet Muhammad PBUH, in the Cave of Hiraa', at the peak of Jabal al-Nour/ the Mountain of Light!

There is, undeniably, in one reading, a strong sense of ongoing dynamism between Divine messages and powerful messengers, an implicit current of exchange of messages of light, a subtle continuity running to and fro in reverse orders and individually between each of Jerusalem, Sinai, Makkah; most probably,  the textual placing of Sura al-Teen before Sura al-'Alaq, (Jerusalem before Makkah), is to stress the forgotten unity and global harmony of Divine messages, an invitation to reunite all the community of believers. It creates a melodious resonance of the whole trilateral configuration (95: 1-3), which has been tangentially and organically situated face to face with an equally Makkan Sura 96, and is directionally hinting or contextually heading to the final addressee, (96:1), and bound towards the awaited recipient of the melodious Quranic Message, who is instantly required to recite: iqra',  in the very safe haven of Makkah's Mount of Light, and soon sing the praise of all previous messengers, in an ideal submission /Islam to the One and only Exclusive Eternal Source of all Divine light: 

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful,
Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists),
Has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood).
Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous,
Who has taught (the writing) by the pen [the first person to write was Prophet Idrees (Enoch)],
Has taught man that which he knew not.

Sura 96:1-5, Al-'Alaq, courtesy of http://www.unn.ac.uk/societies/islamic/quran/noble/nobae096.htm

Peace be with Moses, peace be with Muhammad, peace be upon all Prophets, promoters and Messengers of peace, may God's peace be with His creation at large, in an era most thirsty to any, peace be with you!

(Presently: Adjunct Assistant Professor of Arabic at Institut des Lettres Orientales, at Facultè des Lettres et des Sciences Humaines, in Universitè Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, http://www.usj.edu.lb, celebrating its Centennial year in April 2002, Beirut-Lebanon).

 

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Notes and Observations:

1- "Mount Hira is a mountain three miles north of Mecca, the holy city for the Islamic religion. This mountain is sometimes called Jabal Nur. Mt. Hira contained a cave that Muhammad would go to...", from
http://web.presby.edu/~gramsey/Religion_310/Islam/Hira.html

2- Jabal al-Nour: Ghar -E- Hira (Cave of Hira) This Cave, the sanctum of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the place of His devotions and meditations and the sacred spot where the Holy Quran began to be revealed. The Cave is situated on mount Al-Noor on way to Mina near Makkah and its peak is visible from a great distance. Muhammad (peace be upon him) had jus stepped into the forty-first year of his life, when during a night in the month of Ramadan the first 5 verses of the Surah Al-Alaque were Revealed to him. (from http://www.islam.org/Culture/history/Ghar%20-E-%20Hira.htm). Other pictorial sites on Jabal al-Nour: http://www.brain.net.pk/~sunnah/8hira.jpg, and http://www.brain.net.pk/~sunnah/7hira.gif . I would welcome further updated pictures of religious sites in Sinai, Jerusalem and Arabia.

3-  On the exact location of Mount Moses (PBUH) in Sinai, the aforementioned link
(http://www.interknowledge.com/egypt/sinai/biblicalsinai01.htm),  modestly states:

"In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day, came they into the wilderness of  Sinai--Exodus, Chapter 19... So begins one of the Bible's most memorable sagas, the 40-year wanderings of Moses and the Israelites through the vast and barren prison of Sinai...most of the places mentioned in Exodus are unknown: where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, where they first set foot in Sinai, and even the location of biblical Mt. Sinai itself is the subject of relentless argument among scholars, historians, and theologians. Exodus may have put Sinai on the map, but putting Exodus back into a geographical context is an unfinished labour that often involves sifting through desert sands and Old Testament manuscripts for minute clues. There are three main theories as to the route the Israelites used when they crossed into Sinai. The first has Moses and his tribes moving out of Egypt past modern-day Suez, then crossing into Sinai near Ain Musa. The second places the crossing further south, near a place called Ain Sukna. The third and most popular theory focuses on the north and the Nile Delta region. This region is far richer in pastures, water, and manna-producing tamarisk trees, and it also would have been the safest: the southern routes would have taken the Israelites dangerously close to Pharaoh's turquoise and copper mines, (http://www.interknowledge.com/egypt/sinai/serabit.htm), which were heavily garrisoned. However the Israelites entered Sinai, the mystery of where they roamed once they got there is even greater. Central to the story of the wanderings is the location of Mt. Sinai, the sacred height where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The variety of mountain theories is practically endless. One theory even says that Mt. Sinai is really a low mount in southern Israel, another that it's a highland in Saudi Arabia. Within the Sinai Peninsula itself, there are so many possibilities that a rigorous study could only narrow the search to 20 peaks. Wherever the "real Mt. Sinai" is, it is indisputable that Southern Sinai's Gebel Musa ("Mountain of Moses") carries enormous spiritual and historical significance for Christians, Jews, and Muslims. In the 4th century AD, Coptic Christians came to the mountain and founded a small church at the spot where it was believed God spoke to Moses in the form of the burning bush. Later on, the site evolved into St. Catherine's Monastery, http://www.interknowledge.com/egypt/sinai/stcatherine.html, revered by many as one of the most sacred places on Earth". On Quranic reference to one of God's speeches to Moses (PBUH), by the burning bush, see 20:9 ff. "

4-  See other pictorial images of The Noble Sanctuary of Jerusalem, al-Haram al-Shareef, including Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock Mosque at http://www.noblesanctuary.com/whharam.jpg, http://www.noblesanctuary.com/whharam.jpg, and at http://www.noblesanctuary.com/cdpics/explorepic2.jpg It is useful to remember those dates: David, PBUH making Jerusalem his capital: ca. 1010-970, Solomon,PBUH and building of the Temple: ca. 970-931 BC, see http://philo.ucdavis.edu/zope/home/bruce//RST23/chart.html

5- Song of Songs 5:16: In reference to the historical receipt of Israel the Holy book: Song of Songs, following the story of the Exodus day,  at http://shibli.zaman.net/etymology.htm, it is stated:

" ...the book itself is an allegory depicting in great detail the experiences of the nation in its relations with its God from the Exodus down to the coming of the Messiah and the building of the Third Temple...for all the writings are holy, but the Song of Songs is the holiest of the holy." [Rabbi Akiva (died AD 135), Tractate of Yaddayim (3:5), Mishna]; This in general is also the interpretation of the Midrash Rabbah and such famous scholars as Saadia ben Joseph, Rashi, and Ibn Ezra, although they differ considerably among themselves in details." [The Interpreter's Bible Encyclopedia] ...", from
http://shibli.zaman.net/ss516/ss516-1a.htm,"

Here a new lexical and contextual analysis aims to revealing who the "MACHAMADim" mentioned in the Song of Songs- (Shir Hashirim) 5:16 of the Hebrew Old Testament - actually is, and is described by the author himself to be "against recorded historical records"; the author adds:

"...the area in question is chapter 5 of Shir Hashirim which is titled "Song of Songs" or "Song of Solomon" in English translations: It is a poem which uses heavy allegory. It is a description of a woman's yearning for her "beloved" whom she is telling "the daughters of Jerusalem" about. The Christian world interprets this as a metaphor that one should love God with the same passion as one loves their lover. To the Jewish world it is no secret that the Book of "Shir Ha-Shirim", or Song of Songs, is an allegorical chronology of God's Message to Mankind culminating in the appearance of the Messiah, the Prophet, and the Last Temple,"  from http://shibli.zaman.net/ss516/ss516-1a.htm.

Finally, under the heading "Song of Songs 5:16 - Analyzing the Context Against Recorded Historical Records", a highly detailed comparative linguistic-contextual study of materials which "are hundreds of years, a different language and an entire nation apart...", provides striking resemblances between each verse of the Song of Songs, Biblical Concordance-Hebrew and Christian Old Testament(s), and Prophet Muhammad's authentic Hadeeths, al-Qur'an, Seerah literature (history of Prophet Muhammad-PBUH) and some of Umm Ma`bad al-Khuza`iyah's description of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who happened to have passed by her tent on his journey of migration, which she told her husband as recorded in Zad al Ma`ad, 2:45 and found in the earliest books of "Seeratun-Nabi" or "History of the Prophet". The awaited addressee of the daughters of Jerusalem is eventually identified: "His words are most sweet, yea he is definitely Muhammad, this is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jersusalem!" see http://shibli.zaman.net/ss516/ss516-1b.htm

No doubt, this study - despite few unnecessary polemical remarks - carries a new inter-faith flavour, if not a challenge to the "classical torch" of academic/religious tolerance, or as put by author himself ''against recorded historical records" of the established Judeo-Christian readings of Shir Hashirim 5:16 / the Song of Songs 5:16 of the Hebrew Old Testament, whilst aiming to reveal who the "MACHAMADim" mentioned in the Song of Songs-(Shir Hashirim) 5:16 of the Hebrew Old Testament - actually is:

Song of Songs-(Shir Hashirim) 5:16 of the Hebrew Old Testament, scanned from the Tanakh (Jewish Publication Society), courtesy of  http://shibli.zaman.net/etymology.htm and  http://shibli.zaman.net/ss516/ss516-1b.htm

The above text reads in English:

"His mouth is most sweet, yea he is MACHAMADim, This is my beloved and this is my friend, oh daughters of Jerusalem." [Song of Songs 5:16]-

6-  There are 136 Quranic references to Prophet Moses PBUH. Quranic references to each of Sinai/Mount Sinai /Tour-i- Seyneen- is at the following Quranic Suras:  2: 63, 93; 4:154; 19:52; 20:80; 23:20; 28: 29,46; 52:1; 95:2, reference to Prophet Moses being God's addressee at 4:164. See also an online English and Arabic texts together "Rough Translation of the Meaning of The Noble Quran In the English Language A Summarized Version of At-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir with comments from Sahih Al-Bukhari By Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali, and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, at:
http://www.unn.ac.uk/societies/islamic/quran/naeindex.htm.

7- An earlier inter-civilizational treatment of mine entitled: "Pearls of Civilizations" is at http://www.flwi.UGent.be/cie/attar1.htm .