Posted on 11/07/2005 9:14:49 PM PST by AmericanDave
I've heard the at Mecca in the pilgramage area they worship a black rock that fell, a meteorite. Anybody know the truth of this and the meaning?
Never heard of that.
It's a charred-out Renault
I think it's the sludge from melted polyurethane in your typical automobile interior fire...
Just google or dogpile the words MECCA or DOME OF THE ROCK.
You can see pictures of it, and see for yourself.
ahhh ya beat me to it...
So far as I know, the Black Rock predated Islam. The Black Rock was a pagan symbol that the Arab tribes worshipped as a fetish object (stop laughing, you know what I mean). Mecca was once the center of pagan worship, which was one of the things that Muhammad bemoamed. He felt that paganism was holding the Arabs back from joining the great civilizations, since at that time all the great Empires known to him were monotheistic. Anyway, long story short, when Muhammad began to preach Islam he incorporated some of the pre-existing pagan practices into it in order to facilitate conversion. So the Black Rock survived its pagan purpose to become the center of the new religion.
Prior to Islam, Mecca was a pilgrimage stopping point for the pagan religions of the region. I think the meteorite/black rock dates from those days. It's still there, embedded at the center of the mosque. They don't worship it per se, but it seems like an idol or religious relic. Pagan traditions die hard.
The Rock over which the Dome is built is believed to be the spot on Mount Moriah where Abraham was to sacrifice his son, Isaac but was stopped by an angel.
It's a target for a US tactical nuke:
http://www.datadubai.com/mecca1.htm
Look at it this way. I had a chance to check your profile and was introduced to TruLine interiors!!
well it's work in progress...
IIRC there is a meteoric rock that is in one corner of the Kaaba. It is encased in a large silver band, partially because it was once broken. It is supposed to be the only piece of the original Kaaba that still exists. Muslim pilgrims try to touch or kiss it if they can get close enough, but they make a big point of NOT worshipping it. It may have been the focus of worship in pre-Islamic times.
Thank you google worked well, got the Wikka encyclodpedia version. I think it is a Darth Vader rock, that sucks the humanity out of muslims. Pretty sure Ted and Hillary have kissed it!
Yes, that is my understanding as well. Some of the other Moslem customs (like Ramadan and the Hajj) also pre-date Islam. More info:
Islam : A Short History (Modern Library Chronicles)
by Karen Armstrong
The dome of the rock is under the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Israel. The black rock is in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Photos of Kaaba here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaaba
http://www.3dkabah.com/
Photo of the Black Stone:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Stone
Oh please. Not Armstrong.
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