Hajj in the Bible.

**AhmedBahgat**

See this:

Wensinck identifies Mecca with a place called Macoraba mentioned by Ptolemy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaaba

However, I thought that this guy Wensinck is a Muslim or something, so I googled him and he turned to be a clear enemy of Islam:

Among others, Ginzberg,[1] FriedlÃ???????Ã??????Ã?????Ã????Ã???Ã??Ã?Â¤nder[2] and Obermann[3] claimed that the source of Qur'an 18:65-82 was the "Jewish legend" of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi and Elijah as mentioned in Hibbūr Yāfeh me-ha-Yeshū`a. The Jewish legend tells how Rabbi Levi goes on a journey with Elijah. Like al-Khidr, Elijah lays down a number of conditions. Elijah did a number of outrageous things that affected the Rabbi in the same way that Moses was affected.

The most influential explanation of the source of this story is found in the Encyclopaedia Of Islam under "al-Khadir" written by Arent Jan Wensinck. Wensinck argues that Qur'an 18:65-82 is taken from the "Jewish legend" of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi and Elijah. He writes:

The Jewish legend (printed in Jellinek, Bet ha-Midrasch, V, 133-5) tells how Rabbi Joshua ben Levi goes on a journey with Elijah under conditions laid down by Elijah, like those above of the servant of God in the Kur'an. Like the latter, Elijah does a number of outrageous things, which affects Joshua as it did Mūsā. Zunz, Gesammelte VortrÃ???????Ã??????Ã?????Ã????Ã???Ã??Ã?Â¤ge, X, 130, first pointed out the similarity of this story to the Kur'anic legend.[4]

Wensinck's claim of borrowing is partly based on the assumption that Muhammad(P) imperfectly borrowed this story while at the same time confusing the names of the characters. A similar endorsement has been made by Arthur Jeffery who says:

Wensinck has pointed out that here in this Sura the Jewish legends of Elijah and Rabbi Joshua ben Levi have become mixed up with the al-Khidr and Alexander story.[5]

Ibn Warraq endorses Wensinck's claim without criticism.[6] However, none of these scholars has proved this thesis, since seemingly none of them has thoroughly examined the component parts and particular elements of the two stories.

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Sources/BBarent.html

This means for me that he cannot be lying when he indentified the city of Macoraba mentioned in Ptolemy's writings to be Mecca, i.e. Mecca existed at least 400 years before Islam which should destroy the allegation that Mecca was never found in old writings before Islam

Salam

The

I think there's mistake in that article, brother, and they got the wrong word. In the Pslams (84; 6), the word preceding baka is the word for valley (emeq). The Hebraic 'baka' comes from a root which means 'wailing' or 'bemoaning'.

Now this would fit in with the idea of the general sorrow that might have prevailed when Abraham departed from the place, but it doesn't tally with the Arabic 'bakka' which I have read to have a different connotation.

**AhmedBahgat**

The

In the Biblical verse referenced (Psalm, 84:6), the word for valley is emeq.

And the phrase is translated in many bibles to the effect of 'valley of weeping' rather than simply 'valley of Becca'.

**AhmedBahgat**

The

Ha ha....you don't have to believe me. I have repeatedly pointed out the book and the verse number: Psalms, 84:6 (in the Protestant Bible).

The phrase is 'emeq habaka,' and the reference you gave has mixed emeq (valley) with baka. Look it up and share it here.

**AhmedBahgat**

The

It is a Roman transliteration of the actual Hebrew words; did you mean you want it in the Hebrew script?

**AhmedBahgat**

The

Okay, buddy, here you go:

בעמק הבכא

**AhmedBahgat**

The

Sure, buddy. Let me know what you find about 'bac' and valley.