The Gharqad subtext

We discussed about this Hadith:

"The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree, (evidently a certain kind of tree) would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews."

I showed some youtubes from Islamic spokemans about this hadith.

What they all said in common is a fact/rumor they all have heard:

Jews Plant Gharqad around their homes.

Lets see it:

Muhammad Al-Arifi

"Studies conducted in Tel Aviv and in the Palestinian lands occupied by the Jews showed that they plant Gharqad trees around their homes, because the Prophet Muhammad said that when the Muslims fight the Jews, each and every stone and tree will say: Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. The only exception is the Gharqad tree, which is one of the trees of the Jews, and if they hide behind it, it will not reveal their presence. According to reports of people who went there and saw it with their own eyes, many Jews plant Gharqad trees around their homes, so that when the fighting begins, they can hide behind them. They are not man enough to stand and fight you."



Jordanian minister of religious endowments 'Ali Al-Faqir and Jordanian professor of religious law Khaled Al-Qudha:

The Jews know this and that's why they plant a lot of Gharqad trees.
They know the hadith!
They surround their settlments with Gharqad trees.



Muhammad Hussein Yaqoub

"I have heard that they are planting many of these trees now."



well,you can figure it out that most Jews/Israelies never heard about this Hadith.

Even those who heard it don't really know what Gharqad tree is.

BTW Israeli authorities usually plant Pines & Cypress.

And of-course that Jews don't believe in this hadith anyhow...

So bottom line this so called fact is a big lie!

But the question is why? why to lie to your people?

There's an important subtext behind this so called fact,Let follow their logic:

If Jews plant Gharqad tree it means that they believe in the hadith.

If they believe in the hadith - they should become Muslims.

If they believe in Hadith and don't accept Islam - It's only becuase their evil harts!

Why Mecca isn't the capital of Saudi Arabia?

I asked in Interfaith Dialogue forum this question:

Why Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia and not Mecca?
Isn't the holiest city should be also the capital?

All of the responses were - that there is no connection between Holiness of City and being the Capital of a State.

Here are some examples:

• A capital has nothing to do with holiness, it has administrative purpose and the city most accessible and well connected, having good resources can serve as a capital..( Gaurav)

• First you have to know that what is the Criteria to make a it as Capital of Country, and Holyness is Not from that criteria... ( Farhan )

• It is the holiest place. Doesn't mean it should be the capital as well. What fuckall logic. ( Professor )

• NOT necessary ...that is jewish thinking.there are many holi cities which not capital of the country...come out of jewish thinking...... ( nayeem )

Well,I agree with them all...

So now i asked a second question:

Now my question is why arabs demand Jerusalem to be their capital.

Jerusalem wasn't capital of any Arab or Muslim country - So why now?

Till now,no one really answered this question and there's a good explain for that -

The Palestinas want Jerusalem to be their Capital only to spite the Israelies!!!

If you take the Holiness out of Jerusalem - There's nothing really important for the Palestinais there.

Ramallah is far more important than Jerusalem for the Palestinas in any aspect.

So if the Palestinais really want peace,they should stopm spite the Israelies about Jerusalem.

Judaism,Christianity & Islam

I want to summrize the main similiraty & diffrences between those 3 religions:

1.God:

Judaism - One God

Christianity - 3 in 1 God

Islam - One God

2.Holy Scriptures:

Judaism - OT

Christianity - Accept OT and Add NT

Islam - Don't accept OT or NT,Just Quran

3.National or cosmopolitan religion:

Judaism - Religion for the Jewish Nation

Christianity - Cosmopolitan

Islam - Cosmopolitan

4.Calander:

Judaism - Combination of Solar & Lunar Calendar

Christianity - Solar Calendar

Islam - Lunar Calendar

5.Revelation:

Judaism - Public revelation in front whole nation in mount Sinai.

Christianity - Private revelation(Jesus)

Islam - Private revelation(Muhammad)

6.Circumcision:

Judaism - Mandatory on the 8th day after birth.

Christianity - Not needed

Islam - Debate wheater it's mandatory or just recommended

7.Converting:

Judaism - a long process - need to learn all Judaism laws + Circumcision + Full-body immersion

Christianity - declartion of Faith.

Islam - declartion of Faith.

8.Wine/alcohol:

Judaism - no prohibition,used in religious rituals

Christianity - no prohibition,used in religious rituals

Islam - prohibition of any use

9.Can man be perfect?

Judaism - Only God is perfect,Human are imperfect "For there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not."(Ecclesiastes 7:20) and that why we can find faults about biblical figures.

Christianity - Like Judaism,But Jesus is perfect cause he's God...

Islam - All the prophets were perfect.

10.Authority:

Judaism - The Authority of Rabbies - According to the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt not turn aside from the sentence which they shall declare unto thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. (Deuteronomy 17:11)

Christianity - pope

Islam - I still don't have a clear statement.

Why KING David, Not Prophet David by Jews?

This is a question was forwared to me by a muslim:

It was Hazarat Daud (A.S) who conquered the sacred land(JERUSALEM) for the jews. Sure he was a King, but a prophet as well, who received Zabur(PSALMS) from Allah. In Bible however, It seems like he was a King alone, and he wrote PSALMS himself. He is potrayed as adulterous too(Nauzubillah). Jews should be having respect for him for what he did to them. They were suffering humiliation untill due to Hazrat Daud they entered Jerusalem again after so long. On the contrary, they only believe him as a king. WHY??In the Quran, it is mentioned that he used to recite zabur so beautifully that even birds and mountains used to sing with him. Why is this not mentioned in Jewish Scriptures? And he used to soften iron in his hand and used to sell hand-made armours to get his income. Why these things are ommitted by them?I just want to know brothers that why Jews remember David as a King but not as a Prophet.Thanks in advance for sharing your views.Jazak Allah

This is my answer:

1.Jews attitude towards David

King David is one of the most appreciated figures by Jews.King David era consider as the Golden era,the highest peak in Jewish History.The hope for the return of David Kindom created one of the most known religious terms - "Massiah"

read here:http://shabtayorkuting.blogspot.com/2009/04/concept-of-masshia.html

2.King or Prophet

Is considering David as a King Only is a decrease in his respect?
King and Prophet are diffrent functions in the Jewish nation leadership.
Do you expect from the heart to function also as a brain?
Both are important and should be seperate.

read here:http://shabtayorkuting.blogspot.com/2009/07/anatomy-of-nation.html

3.Psalms - Prophecy?

What is the diffrent between prophecy and Prayer?
The direction.
Prophecy - From God to Man.
Prayer - From Man to God.
So what is the direction of Psalms?

A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.LORD, how many are mine adversaries become! Many are they that rise up against me.Many there are that say of my soul: 'There is no salvation for him in God.' SelahBut thou, O LORD, art a shield about me; my glory, and the lifter up of my head.With my voice I call unto the LORD, and He answereth me out of His holy mountain. SelahI lay me down, and I sleep; I awake, for the LORD sustaineth me.I am not afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God; for Thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek, Thou hast broken the teeth of the wicked.Salvation belongeth unto the LORD; Thy blessing be upon Thy people. Selah
(Psalms 3)

For the Leader; with string-music. A Psalm of David.Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness, Thou who didst set me free when I was in distress; be gracious unto me, and hear my prayer.O ye sons of men, how long shall my glory be put to shame, in that ye love vanity, and seek after falsehood? SelahBut know that the LORD hath set apart the godly man as His own; the LORD will hear when I call unto Him.Tremble, and sin not; commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. SelahOffer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.Many there are that say: 'Oh that we could see some good!' LORD, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us.Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than when their corn and their wine increase.In peace will I both lay me down and sleep; for Thou, LORD, makest me dwell alone in safety.
(Psalms 4)

if we read Psalms carefully we get the feeling that the direction of the Book is from Man to God (Prayer).

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
(Psalms 72:20)

If you open the current Jewish prayer Book(sidur) you will find that most of it are quotes from Psalms.

And David spoke unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul;
(2 Samuel Chapter 22:1)

Again we see the direction Man -> God.

4.David and other Prophets

King David met during his life several prophets.
The First Prophet was Samuel which anoint David:

And the LORD said unto Samuel: 'How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? fill thy horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite; for I have provided Me a king among his sons.' ...Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
(1 Samuel 16:1-13)

Another Prophet Who was with David is prophet Gad:

And the prophet Gad said unto David: 'Abide not in the stronghold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah.' Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth.
(1 Samuel 22:5)

the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying...
(2 Samuel 24:11)

Another Prophet Who was with David is prophet Nathan:

And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies round about, that the king said unto Nathan the prophet: 'See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.' And Nathan said to the king: 'Go, do all that is in thy heart; for the LORD is with thee.' And it came to pass the same night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying: 'Go and tell My servant David: Thus saith the LORD: Shalt thou build Me a house for Me to dwell in?
(2 Samuel 7:1-5)

And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him: 'There were two men in one city: the one rich, and the other poor.
(2 Samuel 12:1)

As i already said earlier that King and Prophet are 2 diffrent function in the leadership of Israeli nation we can understand why David needed Prophet who served along with him.

5.Did David had revelation?

Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
(1 Samuel 16:13)

The spirit of the LORD spoke by me, and His word was upon my tongue. The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me...
(2 Samuel 23:2-3)

6.David as adulterous

And it came to pass at eventide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house; and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said: 'Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?' And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness; and she returned unto her house.
(2 Samuel 11:2-4)

We find a lot of biblical stories that show us the dark side of the great figures.
The bible don't do idealization to anyone.

For there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
(Ecclesiastes 7:20)

The focus shouldn't be on the sin but on "sin managment":

And David said unto Nathan: 'I have sinned against the LORD.' And Nathan said unto David: 'The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
(2 Samuel 12:13)

The focus should be on David repent!

7.Summary of David in bible

There is a verse that summarize David Status in the eye of the jews:

Now these are the last words of David: The saying of David the son of Jesse, and the saying of the man raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet singer of Israel
(2 Samuel 23:1)

8.Talmud & Islamic prespective

As i said before The bible don't do idealization to anyone.
But the Islamic prespecive that believe that Prophets can't commit sins like this is probably developed from the talmud:

R. Samuel b. Nahmani said in R. Jonathan's name: Whoever says that David sinned is merely erring, for it is said, And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways: and the Lord was with him.Is it possible that sin came to his hand, yet the Divine Presence was with him?
(Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 56a)

Jews & Judaism

People usually are confused about the connection between Jews & Judaism.

Even Jews themselvs are confused!

It's very simple:

Judaism is a religion.

Jews are member of the Jewish Nation.

So What is the connection between them?

Definition of Judaism is a reilgion of the Jewish Nation.

So you can be a jew but not practice Judaism and still consider to be a good Jew.

Is there a documentation on Muhammad?

I asked this question in Interfaith Dialogue community:

Is there a non-islamic documentation on Muhammad during his living?
please don't bring sources after the year 632 AD.

Here are some responses to this question:

Shekhar:

Interesting. I never thought like that. Looking forward to some interesting information.

Zubia was the first muslim who tried to give an answer:

writing books or knowing how to read n write was not a norm these days. according to a source, there were only 17 ppl in Makkah who can read n write. in arab, the ppl in those times were simply illiterate.

So Zubia is aware of that there is no such documentation and try to explain why.

Then the discussion diverted to other places.

It was Jay who Explain my question far better than i did:

Friends purpose of this topic as I understood is to share the history of Arabia from a Pagans perspective ie perspective of victims of Islam.
As islam was the winner it would naturally demonise the pagans exactly the way British Historians demonised Indians and Muslim historinas demonised Hinduism/Sikh Gurus during Muslime rule in India.
Invaders and their associates always demonsie teh victims.
But there is always a perspective of the same event from a victims point of view.
Naturalyy muslims will glorify Mohammed and justify his every actions.
However there is a need to understand the same vent from a Pagan point of view.
Are there any contemporay sources that highlight pagans point of view about Mohammed and his mission.
After reading both points of views only we can know unbiased truth.
But unofrtunately muslim invaders in every part of teh world attacked temples , universities and libraries from taxshila to Nalanda and put the books on fire they hardly allowed any book avaialable other then Quran to surviwe due to simple reason.
Does this books anything better then Quran?
Yes it has : you are lying it is impossible . so get kileld and burn the book.
If it doesnt : then its not required. again burn it.
That's why Pre Islamic sources of history were destroyed completelt to make sure uninterrupted glorification of Mohamemd buy carrying out onesides propaganda.
That's why none here is able to bring even a single source of victims point of view.
I am amazed by Zubia's justification that there were all illeyral people except 17 in mecca those days. She never gave any reference of her information though? Is it a naturally biased Islamic source of some unbiased pre Islamic source?

Kamel also joined saying:

topic being documentation ON muhammed , by his contemporaries !
it is shown to NOT exist , and one wonders why !?
I mean its not like it is 3000 - 4000 years ago , surely the copts , the jews of that time , pagans , Zoroastrians , these are / were Arabia's neighbors.
NO ONE recorded anything ??

Khuldoon which is Muslim guy answered:

an account by a non-muslim upon prophet at that time, I dont know. havent heard of any.

So buttom line there's no such documentation,the question is why?
Is it cause in this time and area people weren't such developed to write such documents? or Is it cause muslims destroyed such documents?

Why are Jews?