Who owns the Holy Land, Jews or Muslims?

OK, we turn on the TV and we see the children of Prophet Abraham, Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims killing each other o er their claims to own the !ol" #and $what we toda" call Palestine or Israel%& 'ut who reall" owns the inheritance of the !ol" #and, the Jews or the Muslims( 'efore we answer this )uestion, let us first ask oursel es* Does the Bible and Qur'an agree that the Holy Land was given to the Israelites and to the Jews in arti!ular? The ethnic Jews are of course Israelites, descendants of Prophet Abraham who had a grandson named Jacob who was also called +Israel+& The answer from the Bible: There are a number of 'ible erses which state that ,od ga e the !ol" #and to Prophet Abraham and to his descendants $which as I mentioned includes the Israelites"& -or e.ample ,enesis /0*/1 sa"s *2On that da" the #O34 made a co enant with Abram, sa"ing, 2To "our descendants I gi e this land, from the ri er of 5g"pt to the great ri er, the ri er 5uphrates $found in Ira)%6& $see also ,enesis /0*7, /7*781, 9umbers ::*0/80;, :<*=8/=, and 4euteronom" //*=:8=0%&
Object 1

The answer from the Qur'an: The >ur?an also agrees the !ol" #and was gi en to the Israelites& It sa"s* 2And $remember% when Moses said to his people* +O m" people@ 3emember the -a or of Allah $,od% to "ou, when !e made Prophets among "ou, made "ou kings, and ga e "ou what !e had not gi en to an" other among the worlds&+ O m" people, enter the !ol" #and which Allah has assigned to "ou and do not turn back and AthusB become losers&+ $>ur?an 0*=C8=/%& $see also 7*/:7, and /7*/C<%& The >ur?an also sa"s the #and was gi en to Abraham as "ou will now see& #$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 'ut we are still not read" to find out who should own or inherit the !ol" #and, we need to answer a couple more preliminar" )uestions* -or e.ample*

Why did %od !hoose one land in all the earth and ma&e it a blessed holy land? The >ur?an sa"s Allah $,od% guided Prophet Abraham to migrate to that land* Allah said* 2And De deli ered him and #ot to the land which De ha e blessed for the nations& $>ur?an =/*7/%& $Eee also ,enesis /=*;87%& Abraham was 4i inel" chosen to be the 2belo ed friend6 of Allah $>ur?an <*/=0%& !e was also tested with great trials which he passed& Then Allah made him the Imam $or leader% of all mankind $>ur?an =*/=<%& Thus there could onl" be one truth, one true religion for all mankind, the faith of Abraham& Dhen Allah guided Abraham to migrate to that land this was to function as the place for the Fltimate Test of truth& Thus, onl" the religion of Abraham could sur i e in the !ol" #and, and all false religions would be e.pelled from there& Truth will triumph in this land and histor" will not end until the Abrahamic faith is ictorious o er falsehood, with Jerusalem as the capitol of that land& #$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 'ow that we &now why %od !hoose that land let us as& ourselves, was the invitation to (braham and his descendants to reside in the Holy Land !onditional or un!onditional? )his is where it gets interesting* Gou see the >ur?an sa"s the promise to inherit the !ol" #and was and is conditional& A conditional promise is based on the 2if8then6 principle& This means that ,od will do or gi e something 2I-6 the people meet !is re)uirements& The >ur?an sa"s* 2And when Abraham was tried b" his #ord with commands and he fulfilled them& !e AAllahB said, +Indeed, I will make "ou a leader for the people&+ AAbrahamB said, +And of m" descendants(+ AAllahB said, +M" Ho enant will not e.tend to include the sinful&+ $>ur?an =*/=<%& Eo we see here that the promise of inheriting the !ol" #and was on the condition of ha ing the faith of Abraham, and ha ing righteous conduct $see also >ur?an /7*1%& The position of the >ur?an is that Allah did not gi e to an" people e.clusi e and unconditional title to the !ol" #and& It onl" belonged to the Israelites $or 'anu Israel as the >ur?an calls them% so long as the" were true to the faith of Abraham& Man" hundreds of "ears later we again see this same conditional promise from Allah to Moses and to the Israelites& As I )uoted before, the >ur?an )uotes Moses as sa"ing* 2O m" people, enter the !ol" #and which Allah has assigned to "ou and do not turn back and AthusB become losers&+$>ur?an 0*=/%& At that time, the Israelites were entitled to li e in the !ol" #and because the" were still following the religion of Abraham and the" had the guidance of Prophet Moses& 'ut when the Israelites disobe"ed Allah the" were pre ented from entering the !ol" #and because the promise was conditional $>ur?an 0*=<8=;%& The condition was the" had to be true followers of the faith of Abraham and be righteous in conduct& The >ur?an sa"s* 2And De ha e alread" written in the Psalms after the reminder that the land is inherited b" M" righteous ser ants6& $>ur?an =/*/C0%&

#$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 'ow what about the Bible, does it also agree with the Qur'an that the +romise was !onditional? 4euteronom" =1*/8= )uotes ,od sa"ing to Moses and to the Israelites* 2If "ou will onl" obe" the #O34 "our ,od, b" diligentl" obser ing all his commandments that I am commanding "ou toda", the #O34 "our ,od will set "ou high abo e all the nations of the earthI all these blessings shall come upon "ou and o ertake "ou, if "ou obe" the #O34 "our ,od6 This is followed b" a long list of blessings& The conditions here are cr"stal clear& 'ut starting in erse /0 of the same chapter ,od warns the Israelites of the conse)uences of disobedience& -rom this erse onwards "ou see there are countless warnings of fatalities and plagues that ,od tells the Israelites will befall on them if the" disobe"& Of particular interest to us is erse =/ which sa"s the" will be kicked out of the !ol" #and if the" disobe" ,od& It sa"s* 2The #O34 will make the pestilence cling to "ou until it has consumed "ou off the land that "ou are entering to possess&6
Object 2

Verses ;: and ;< of the same chapter repeat this warning b" sa"ing* 2And Just as the #O34 took delight in making "ou prosperous and numerous, so the #O34 will take delight in bringing "ou to ruin and destructionI "ou shall be plucked off the land that "ou are entering to possess& The #O34 will scatter "ou among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other&&6 $Eee also Joshua =:*//8/:%& Eo the 'ible does in fact agree with the >ur?an that the Promise to inherit the !ol" #and was conditional@ #$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ OK it?s time for a )uick summar" of what we ha e learned so far* Eo far we understand from the >ur?an and 'ible that* /& %od !hoose the Holy Land and blessed it as the la!e ,or the )rue -eligion$ .$ %od gave the Holy Land to (braham and his descendants$ /$ )he descendants o, (braham in!ludes the ethni! Jews be!ause they are Israelites$ 0$ Both the Qur'an and the Bible agree the invitation to (braham and his descendants to reside in the Holy Land was 1onditional, based on ,aith and righteousness$ #$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

9ow that we are getting closer to finding out who owns the inheritance of the !ol" #and, we must start asking the big )uestions* Have the Jews ,ul,illed these 21onditions3 o, inheriting the Holy Land? The >ur?an sa"s in =/*7/, that Allah has blessed that land for 2all of mankind6& This implies that an" person who truthfull" follows the faith of Abraham will also ha e access to those blessings& Get the Kionists claim the land is e.clusi el" for the Jews& #et us look at histor" to see if ,od has appro ed or reJected this Kionist claim to the land& !istor" tells us that the Israelites were punished b" ,od b" being repeatedl" e.pelled from the !ol" #and and scattered around the world& De Just read in 4euteronom" =1*;< that ,od said to the Israelites* 2The #O34 will scatter "ou among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other&&6& And indeed the >ur?an /7*<87 informs us of two of these e.pulsions of the Israelites& ("& In the first e.pulsion $or diaspora) Jerusalem was attacked and destro"ed in 017 'H5& The 'ab"lonians burned the cit", murdered its people and destro"ed the Temple of Eolomon and took most of its Jewish population into sla er" in 'ab"lon& There in 'ab"lon, in one geographical location the Jews remained as a homogenous communit"& The Prophet Jeremiah spoke about this $in Jeremiah :=*:;%& The Israelites were punished in this wa" for their iolation of the Abrahamic faith and conduct& B"$ The second diaspora occurred when the Israelites or Jews had killed the Prophets $>ur?an =*;/%& The" killed Kakariah, John $or Gah"a% and the" tried to kill Jesus $see #uke //*<L80/, and >ur?an <*/07%& 4ue to this, Allah punished them again& The 3omans besieged Jerusalem in 7C H5& The" killed the inhabitants, destro"ed the cit" and the second Temple of Eolomon $as Jesus had prophesied% and so the Jews were again e.pelled from the !ol" #and for their iolation of the Abrahamic faith and conduct& !owe er, unlike the first diaspora which was to one geographical location, in this second e.pulsion the" were scattered all o er the earth according to >ur?an 7*/;1& This strangel" scattered Jewish 4iaspora which lasted for about two thousand "ears was meant to function as a sign from Allah to the Jews of 4i ine anger and punishment& Eo what we learn from this is, historicall" the Jews were e.pelled from Jerusalem and the !ol" #and b" ,od?s 4i ine 4ecree and this happened when the" iolated the Abrahamic conditions of faith and conduct, therefore the Kionist claim is historicall" wrong&

#$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 9ow at this point "ou ma" ha e lots of )uestions in "our mind& Ges the Jews ha e been e.pelled from the !ol" #and, "es the" repeatedl" iolated the Abrahamic conditions of faith and conduct, but what about their modern da" return to the !ol" #and( 4oesn?t this pro e the Jews are 2the chosen people of ,od6, and that the" faithfull" adhere to the religion of Abraham( And what about the rest of the 'ible, is there an" 'iblical Eupport for the Kionist8Jewish claim of the !ol" #and( -or the sake of bre it", I will deal with the issue of the modern da" return of the Jews to the !ol" #and in a separate ideo, but here I will discuss the so8called 2'iblical Eupport for the Kionist claim of the !ol" #and6& #$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Most religious Kionists )uote 4euteronom" L*; for proof that the Jewish claim of inheritance of the !ol" #and was not based on their own faith and righteousness but was a conse)uence of the faith and righteousness of Abraham and the Promise made to him& !owe er, m" repl" is that common sense tells us this 'ible erse is a fabrication& 4euteronom" L*;87 describes the Israelites as a 2stiff necked6, stubborn, disobedient and rebellious people& Think about it, if Allah specificall" choose that land and speciall" blessed it as a 2!ol" #and6, and as we saw, !e made it?s inheritance conditional, wh" would !e then gi e it unconditionall" to a 2stiff necked6 disobedient people regardless of whether the" act or don?t act in conformit" to the Abrahamic standard of faith and righteousness( 4oes this Kionist claim make an" sense to "ou( 9O@@ It clearl" doesn?t& And once "ou rightfull" put aside 4euteronom" L*; as a clear fabrication "ou see the 'ible then agrees with the >ur?an that the Promise to li e in the !ol" #and was indeed conditional& I ha e alread" shown historicall" the Jews were punished and e.pelled again and again from the !ol" #and and from Jerusalem b" ,od?s 4i ine 4ecree because of their iolations of the Abrahamic conditions of faith and conduct& Eo not onl" is 4euteronom" L*; pro en to be a fabrication from a logic perspecti e and common sense, it?s also pro en to be a fabrication because it contradicts histor"& In addition, it also contradicts other 'ible erses which pro e the condition was that the people had to adhere to the Abrahamic standard of faith and conduct, see for e.ample* Psalm =0*/=8/<, :7*//, and =L, Joshua =:*//8/:, and Matthew 0*0& Also, remember the erses I read from 4euteronom" =1 where ,od warns the Israelites of !is Hurse and Punishment as a conse)uence of their iolation of the Abrahamic standard of faith and righteousness& These 'ible erses are more than enough to pro e that 4euteronom" L*; is a fabrication&
Object 3

More importantl" I ha e alread" pointed out, in the >ur?an that ,od states that the land was indeed gi en to the Israelites conditionall", the conditions being Abrahamic 2faith in Allah and submission to !im6 and 2righteous conduct6 $>ur?an =/*/C0%& Also, I should point out that there is a growing minorit" of Jews who are against

Kionism& There are Orthodo. Jews who belie e that the e.ile of the Jewish people is still in effect right now, and no Jews ha e the right to end it on their own, the" sa" this e.ile will remain until ,od redeems them& 5.ile means that the Jews must be scattered around the world, li ing under the rule of arious nations, as lo"al citiMens to their go ernments& These Anti8Kionist Orthodo. Jews also state that the Talmud sa"s Jews are forbidden to rebel or make wars to retake the !ol" #and& The" belie e the" are permitted to li e in the !ol" #and, but onl" as citiMens of a non8Jewish go ernment, not as an independent state& Gou can see the following websites for more about this* truetorahJews&org nkusa&org #$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ OK it?s time for another summar" of what we ha e learned so far* Eo far we understand from the >ur?an and 'ible that* /& %od !hoose the Holy Land and blessed it as the la!e ,or the )rue -eligion$ .$ %od gave the Holy Land to (braham and his descendants$ /$ )he descendants o, (braham in!ludes the ethni! Jews be!ause they are Israelites$ 0$ Both the Qur'an and the Bible agree the invitation to (braham and his descendants to reside in the Holy Land was 1onditional, based on ,aith and righteousness$ 4$ )he Jews have histori!ally ,ailed to ,ul,ill these 1onditions o, inheriting the Holy Land$ 5$ )he Qur'an and the Bible do not su ort the 6ionist !laim o, the Holy Land$

#$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 9ow if "ou?re Jewish, "ou might want to obJect b" sa"ing that I? e been unfair& I? e talked about the Jews as a people, but I did not talk about Judaism as a religion@ This leads me to m" ne.t big )uestion* Does Judaism reserve the religious lega!y o, (braham? M" answer is* Dhen "ou read the 'ible, the book of ,enesis gi es "ou the impression that the legac" of Abraham is all about land& A piece of land that ,od has promised, from the ri er 9ile to the ri er 5uphrates& It?s not so much about faith& 'ut I showed "ou alread" that according to Islam, the legac" of Abraham is not so much about ha ing land, or for e.ample ha ing oil, or wealth, etc& is more about ha ing the spiritual gifts of faith, guidance and righteous conduct& In addition, the character of Abraham does not look er" good in the book of ,enesis, he is portra"ed as a bad father who cares little for his son Ishmael and lea es him in the wilderness due to the demands of his Jealous wife Earah& Gou can read about this stor" in ,enesis =/*L8/:& This stor" is greatl" insulting to Prophet Abraham and it?s e en insulting to ,od !imself because it portra"s both ,od and Abraham as obe"ing the Jealous demands of Earah as she demanded Abraham to dri e awa" Ishmael and his mother& This is opposed to the Islamic historical account, where ,O4 !imself sends Abraham and Ishmael to Arabia for the purpose of starting up a new ci iliMation that worships the one True ,od& The ,enesis stor" of the 'ible also portra"s Abraham?s son Ishmael in a negati e light, but in the >ur?an Ishmael is a great and righteous Prophet of ,od& In addition, from a Muslim point of iew, the Jews are li ing in a state of reJection of ,od because the" do not belie e in ,od?s Prophets such as, John the 'aptist $Gah"a%, the Messiah Jesus $5esa% and the final Prophet Muhammad $pbut%& The Jewish reJection of these Abrahamic Prophets automaticall" dis)ualifies them from inheriting the !ol" #and from Abraham& Eo m" conclusion is that the Jews as a people, and Judaism as a religion, both fail to preser e the spiritual legac" of Abraham@ #$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ (nd at this oint, I might as well also mention the 1hristians and their !laim to (braham$ Does 1hristianity reserve the spiritual lega!y o, (braham? M" answer is 9O, for two reasons* /%& 'ecause the religion of Abraham is a purel" monotheistic one& Abraham ne er belie ed in a Trinit" ,od as Hhristians do, and he ne er called ,od 2Jesus6& =%& Dhen Abraham was pleading with ,od for the people of Eodom and ,omorrah, he had the assumption that ,od would not punish the guilt" people along with the innocent ones& !owe er in the Hhristian concept of Eal ation, ,od supposedl" sends !is son Jesus to die, an innocent man gets crucified and murdered for the guilt" sinners& This Hhristian doctrine is opposed to the faith of Abraham&

Eo m" conclusion is that like Judaism, Hhristianit" also fails to preser e the spiritual legac" of Abraham@ #$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 9ow, lets us remember our original )uestion at the beginning of this ideo* 2Who really owns the inheritan!e o, the Holy Land, the Jews or the Muslims?3 De ha e Just seen that the Jews, Judaism, the Hhristians and Hhristianit" ha e all failed to fulfill the Abrahamic Honditions of inheriting the !ol" #and, but what about Islam and the Muslims( 4o the" fulfill them( -irst of all, it?s a fact that in the religion of Islam Abraham is a central figure& The >ur?an sa"s he was a man of great faith and sacrifice, a Prophet and Messenger of ,od& There is a full Hhapter $or Eurah% in the >ur?an named after him called 2Eurah Ibrahim6& In Islam he is so important that e en Allah Almight" called him 2a 9ation6 $an Fmmah% A>ur?an /;* /=CB& Indeed it can be said that Islam is the most complete representation of the spiritual legac" of Abraham& Eo much of the religion of Islam is connected to him& The >ur?an makes this connection er" clear& It sa"s* 2Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Hhristian, but he was a true Muslim 8 !anifa $One with the Original Pure Monotheist -aith% and he was not one of the pol"theists& Veril", among mankind who ha e the best claim to Abraham are those who followed him, and this Prophet $Muhammad% and those who ha e belie ed $Muslims%& And Allah is the Protecting !elper of the belie ers&6 $>ur?an :*;78;1%& The >ur?an is teaching us here that we should not merel" attribute the following of Abraham to oursel es but the ke" is actuall" following Abraham& And indeed, Muslims are commanded to accept the faith of Abraham& Allah sa"s in the >ur?an * 2Then De re ealed to "ou* AO MuhammadB -ollow the faith of Abraham, the True in -aith,, and he was not of the pol"theists&6 $>ur?an /;*/=:%& The Prophet Muhammad was thus commanded to follow the faith and the essentials of the religion of Abraham and this command e.tends to the Muslims who are the followers of Muhammad& #$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

(lthough mu!h more !an be said about this im ortant to i!, I have sele!ted at least 7 ra!ti!al e8am les to show that the Muslims are the eo le who a!tually ,ul,ill the (brahami! 1onditions o, inheriting the Holy Land$ I sa" 2practical e.amples6 because the 'ible )uotes Jesus as allegedl" sa"ing to the Jews who were claiming to be the children of Abraham* 2&&&If "ou were Abraham?s children, "ou would be doing the works of Abraham6 $John 1*:L%& In other words, if we ha e a true connection to Abraham, it does not need to be a ph"sical one, but a Epiritual one& This Epiritual connection is pro en b" our faith and actions or works& In the ne.t erse Jesus sa"s to the Jews* 2'ut now "ou are tr"ing to kill me, a man who has told "ou the truth that I heard from ,odI Abraham did not do this6 $John 1*<C%& Jesus has made it clear, the Jews are no longer the Epiritual children of Abraham because the" tried to kill Prophet Jesus, and this e il action is not something that Abraham did or would appro e of& Eo let?s get back on topic, and look at the practical e.amples of the Muslims to show that the" fulfill the Abrahamic Honditions of inheriting the !ol" #and& 9: +-(;<-= In the >ur?an =*/=0 we are informed that Abraham?s method of pra"ing consisted of bowing and prostrating& It sa"s* 2And De charged Abraham and Ishmael, Asa"ingB, +Purif" M" !ouse for those who perform Tawaf and those who are sta"ing AthereB for worship and those who bow and prostrate Ain pra"erB&+ $this method of pra"er is also confirmed in the 'ible, ,enesis /7*:%& The ancient Jews and Hhristians used to pra" that wa", howe er after the Temple in Jerusalem was destro"ed in 7C H5 the" discontinued this Abrahamic method of pra"ing& Jews continued to do onl" an abbre iated prostration without actuall" touching the ground and the Hhristians knelt down without bending forward to touch the ground& Gou will notice toda" it?s onl" the Muslims who fulfill and continue this Abrahamic method of pra"ing, bowing and prostrating in their dail" Ealah pra"ers& Also in the 'ible, ,od sa"s to Abraham* 2I will bless those who bless "ou, and the one who curses "ou I will curse&&&6 $,enesis /=*:%& And it?s interesting to note that a Muslim alwa"s concludes his or her dail" Ealah pra"ers with words mentioning the blessings of Abraham and his famil"& Eo according to the 'ible, Muslims are blessed b" ,od&

#$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 9. )H< H(JJ +IL%-IM(%<= Islam teaches Muslims to fulfill the obligation of performing the !aJJ to Mecca as ,od had instructed Abraham and his son Ishmael& The !aJJ is thus an Abrahamic pilgrimage& Again, the same >ur?anic erse which we Just read sa"s* 2And De charged Abraham and Ishmael, Asa"ingB, +Purif" M" !ouse for those who perform Tawaf and those who are sta"ing AthereB for worship and those who bow and prostrate Ain pra"erB&+ $>ur?an =*/=0%& This erse is describing the Eacred !ouse in Mecca $the Ka?bah% and the rituals of the !aJJ& !istor" books record that the Jews used to perform the pilgrimage to that ancient !ouse in Arabia, but the" stopped doing so when idolatrous Arabs placed idols in it& $Ibn Isha)* Eeerat 3asul Allah& Translated b" A& ,uillaume as ?The #ife of Muhammad?& O.ford Fni ersit" Press& Karachi, /L;7, page L%& Eo, Islam is the onl" religion and Muslims are the onl" people who still fulfill this Abrahamic obligation toda"& #$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 9/ ('IM(L >(1-I?I1<>= 4uring the !aJJ Muslims also sacrifice animals to commemorate the e ent when Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son although he did not do so, because ,od pro ided for him an animal instead& Muslims do this to reflect their own willingness to sacrifice for ,od in sincerit" and faith and the" are the onl" people who do this as a religious obligation& #$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 90 1I-1@M1I>IA'= ,enesis /7*/C tells us that ,od told Abraham to perform circumcision and Muslims do this also& #$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 94 ?(>)I'%= In Islam, Muslims fast on the da" of Ashura $the /Cth da" of Muharram% based on narrations attributed to Prophet Muhammad $p%& This fasting is to commemorate the da" when Moses and his followers were sa ed from Pharaoh when Allah created a path for them in the 3ed Eea $The 5.odus%& And remember, during the time of Moses, it was he and the Israelites who followed the faith of Abraham& Eo this fasting of the Muslims is a further confirmation that the" follow Abraham&

#$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 95 (B-(H(MI1 LI'<(%<= B(,ter all we did see that the Holy Land was given to (braham and his descendants" In m" ideo titled* 2IE!MA5#, EO9 O- T!5 HOV59A9T6 I showed from the >ur?an and the 'ible that Ishmael is the 2primar"6 son of the Abrahamic Promise and Epiritual Ho enant of ,od $which included land ownership% and that Prophet Muhammad as a descendant of Ishmael was the fulfillment of that Ho enant& Dhen Abraham pra"ed for a son, Allah responded b" gi ing him Ishmael $>ur?an :7*/CC8/C/%, and later while Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the Eacred !ouse in Mecca, Abraham pra"ed again for a Prophet to arise from the descendants of Ishmael& !e said* +Our #ord@ send among them a Messenger of their own, who shall rehearse "our Eigns to them and instruct them in scripture and wisdom, and sanctif" them* -or Gou are the 5.alted in Might, the Dise&+ $>ur?an =*/=L%& Allah again answered Abraham?s pra"er b" sending Muhammad into the world as the final Prophet& Prophet Muhammad himself confirmed this fact when he said* 2I am the response to the pra"er of m" ancestor Abraham who said while he was erecting the columns of the K?abah* Oh our #ord@ 3aise up in their midst a Messenger& !e then recited the erse $=*/=L%&&6 $ibn E?ad* Kitab al8Taba)at al8Kabir%& Prophet Muhammad is a true Prophet from the descendants of Abraham, and it?s onl" the Muslims who follow him& !owe er, as I mentioned before, as a Muslim I belie e that our relationship or link to Abraham, does not need to be a ph"sical link, it?s not about 49A, but it?s about following Abraham b" our faith and actions, this will pro e that we are true spiritual descendants of Abraham& Eo the relationship is not a biological one, but a Epiritual inheritance of the faith that Abraham belie ed in and the righteous actions that be did&

#$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 9C HI>)A-;= I mentioned at the beginning of this ideo that ,od ga e the !ol" #and to Prophet Abraham and to his descendants, stretching from the ri er 9ile in 5g"pt to the ri er 5uphrates in Ira) $,enesis /0*/1%& !istoricall", the Israelites and Jews ha e ne er been the rulers of the land stretching from the 3i er 9ile to the 5uphrates& This Promise of ,od to Abraham has onl" been fulfilled through the Muslims, as the" are both biological and spiritual descendants of Abraham& The Arab Muslims in particular are both spiritual and biological descendants of Abraham because of their Islam and because the" are Ishmaelites, the other Muslims in the region such as the Turks and the Kurds being spiritual descendants of Abraham also because of their Islam& 9ow regarding the specific !ol" #and which we are talking about $Palestine or Israel%, Allah Almight" had alread" caused the Muslims to inherit it when a Muslim arm" under the leadership of Haliph Fmar, con)uered it& This e ent fulfilled the prophec" of >ur?an ;*/;0& And e.cept for brief periods of interrupted rule $for e.ample during the Hhristian Hrusades and during the present Israeli occupation%, the Muslims ha e been the rulers of the !ol" #and for more than /,<CC "ears& This Muslim 3ule which has lasted for more than /,<CC "ears includes not Just Palestine but all the land stretching from the ri er 9ile in 5g"pt to the ri er 5uphrates in Ira), and e en more land than that& Dhen Haliph Fmar con)uered Jerusalem, it was a clear sign of 4i ine appro al from Allah, a rule of Abrahamic faith and Justice& Dhen the Kionists established a Eecular Etate in Israel, this was a clear sign that the Kionist claim was false& The 4i inel" ordained conditions of Abrahamic faith and conduct were plainl" absent from the Kionist struggle for Israel, and when the Kionist Etate was established it was nothing more than a modern secular state, alien to Prophet Abraham& Then there is the famous ,old 4ome in Jerusalem, the isible Islamic monument, and the Al A)sa Mos)ue on the co8called 2Temple Mount6 which is considered the Most !ol" Place in Judaism& To the Jews these Islamic Eites on the Temple Mount should ser e as a wake up call, a alidation stamp for Islam as the true faith of Abraham& This site has been the place for Muslim pra"ers for o er /,<CC "ears and e en before that, the Prophet Muhammad had pra"ed there& The Temple Mount, where the Temple of Eolomon is supposed to ha e been built is a central point of reference for all Jews, Hhristians and Muslims& It?s Just interesting that for o er /,<CC "ears, e en toda" under Israeli occupation and e en after man" attempts b" e.tremist Kionist Hhristians and Jews to destro"ed these Islamic sites, e er" time we see the Temple Mount we are reminded of Islam& #$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

9D MA'A)H<I>M= Jews, Hhristians and Muslims all know that Abraham worshipped the One True ,od, and compared to Judaism and Hhristianit", Islam has the purest form of Abrahamic Monotheism& This pure Monotheism of Abraham can be read about in the >uran& Eurah =/*0/80L sa"s that Abraham destro"ed the idols that the people where worshipping at his time& And following Abraham?s e.ample, it?s a historical fact that during the Islamic con)uest of Mecca, Prophet Muhammad and the Muslims did the e.act same thing when the" destro"ed the idols that the pagans had placed in the Ka?bah& #$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 97 Lets read some Jewish and 1hristian o inions about Muslims ,ul,illing the (brahami! 1onditions$ Hommenting on ,enesis /7*=C, the Etone edition of The Hhumash $a Jewish Hommentar" on the Torah%, agrees that the rise of Islam is the fulfillment of ,od?s promise to Abraham and Ishmael& In addition, a famous Italian Jewish 3abbi and Echolar named 5liJah 'enamoMegh, illustrated from Jewish literature, that there is such a thing as a common faith, a uni ersal fundamental religion which all people are born into& !e taught that this is a basic faith which is an obligation on all mankind& 3abbi 'enamoMegh pointed out that in the past this fundamental religion was known b" names such as the !ebrew 2bnei noah (Children of Noah), howe er he also admitted that this fundamental +religion+ is called b" the name 2Islam6& 3abbi 'enamoMegh belie ed that this religion called 2Islam6 predates Mosaic religion, which was specificall" designed for the Jewish people $Mosaic religion means, the religion at the time of Moses%& !e claimed that Islam is far more ancient& Islam is the fundamental religion of Prophet 9oah& Its principal message is the unit" of ,od, pure Islamic monotheism& Another Jewish 3abbi and !istorian 'en"amin Abrahamson while identif"ing the non8 Jewish belie ers of the ancient past describes them with the Aramaic terms 2Salamai, Muslamai, and Muslimi, then he states 2&&&this could be a clear indication in our literature that Islam is an ancient religion dating back to the time of the Eecond Temple or e en earlier& And if the roots of Islam are the same as what we call 'ene 9oah $bnei noah%, then for us it is much older& This is the religion of 9oahI this is the religion of Adam himself&6 If "ou are unfamiliar with the Aramaic language, its the language that Jesus spoke, in addition it?s the language of parts of the 4ead Eea Ecrolls, and large sections of the biblical books of 4aniel and 5Mra& It?s also the main language of the Jewish Talmud& And now for a Hhristian opinion on this matter, there is the famous historical account of 9aJashi, the Hhristian King of Ab"ssinia who after hearing the >ur?an said about the Muslims* 2these are the people of Abraham6& #$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 9ow that I ha e shown that the Muslims ha e indeed fulfilled the Abrahamic Honditions

of inhereiting the !ol" #and, it?s time for our ,inal 1A'1L@>IA'= De ha e seen in this ideo that the conditions and commandments gi en to Abraham were not obe"ed b" the Israelites and are not being obe"ed b" the Jews, and this cancels their right to possess the !ol" #and& I?m not claiming that indi idual Jews cannot li e in or isit the !ol" #and, I?m Just sa"ing that as a nation, the Israelites of the past and the Jews of the present, along with their religion of Judaism, ha e iolated and are still iolating ,od?s Honditions gi en to Abraham for inheriting that #and, therefore the" are not the rightful rulers and possessors of the !ol" #and& The Jews insist that the" are the ?chosen people? of ,od who should posses the !ol" #and but I ha e shown from the 'ible and the >ur?an that this is no longer true& The last 3e elation from ,od $The >ur?an% sa"s the Muslims are the chosen people* 2And stri e for Allah with the stri ing due to !im& !e has !hosen you and has not placed upon "ou in the religion an" difficult"& AIt isB the religion of "our father, Abraham& Allah named "ou +Muslims+ before Ain former scripturesB and in this Are elation 8 >ur?anB6 $>ur?an ==*71%& I ha e also pro en that the Muslims $the people of Islam% hold the right to inherit the !ol" #and& The >ur?an sa"s* 2Veril", among mankind who ha e the best claim to Abraham are those who followed him, and this Prophet $Muhammad% and those who have believed $Muslims%& And Allah is the Protecting !elper of the belie ers&6 $>ur?an :*;1%& ,od?s 4estin" will confirm this fact when the Messiah Prophet Jesus returns to establish Jerusalem as the capital cit" of the future Islamic Etate& I do not support some kind of Palestinian Eecular Arab 9ation Etate, I support the Islamic right for all Muslims to inherit the !ol" #and as the Epiritual Hhildren of Prophet Abraham& I now end this ideo with )uotes from the 'ible and the >ur?an* Perhaps the following 'ible erse will be )uoted b" the Messiah Jesus when he con)uers the !ol" #and, it sa"s* +And Eamuel said to him, +The #O34 has torn the kingdom of Israel from "ou this da", and has gi en it to a neighbor of "ours, who is better than "ou&+ / Eamuel /0*=1& And sa ing the best for last, the >ur?an sa"s* 2The" sa", +'e Jews or Hhristians AsoB "ou will be guided&+ Ea", +3ather, Awe followB the religion of Abraham, the !anif AIslamic Monotheist%, and he was not of the pol"theists&+ Ea", AO belie ersB, +De ha e belie ed in Allah and what has been re ealed to us and what has been re ealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the 4escendants and what was gi en to Moses and Jesus and what was gi en to the prophets from their #ord& De make no distinction between an" of them, and we are Muslims Ain submissionB to !im&+ $>ur?an =*/:08/:;%&