With this background we can better understand Ibn Kathir account of the two rabbis who protected the Ka’bah from destruction. The Tafsir of Ibn Kathir (born 1302 CE) is one of the most widely used explanations of the Qur'an in the Arab world today. While explaining Quranic verse 44:37 ibn Kathir relates the following events:
“One of the Tubba` (rulers) left Yemen and went on a journey of conquest until he reached Samarkand, expanding his kingdom and domain. He is the one who founded Al-Hirah. It is agreed that he passed through Al-Madinah during the days of Jahiliyyah. He fought its inhabitants but they resisted him; they fought him by day and supplied him with food by night, so he felt ashamed before them and refrained from harming them.
“When (on his return) he passed by Makkah, he wanted to destroy the Ka`bah, but two rabbis told him not to do that. They told him about the significance of this House, that it had been built by Ibrahim Al-Khalil, peace be upon him, and that it would become of great importance through a new Prophet who would be sent towards the end of time.
“So he respected it, performed Tawaf around it, and covered it with a fine cloth. Then he returned to Yemen and invited its people to follow the religion of guidance along with him. At that time, the religion (Judaism) of Musa, peace be upon him, was the religion followed by those who were guided, before the coming of the Messiah (Jesus), peace be upon him. So the people of Yemen accepted the religion of guidance (Judaism) along with him.”
No comments:
Post a Comment