Did Adam AS And All Prophets Did Pilgrimage?
Please note that the word used in verse 3:96 is Bakka, not Makkah. The hypothesis that Makkah and Bakkah are names of the same town is not found outside of the traditional Islamic narrative and has no independent evidence. This claim is also rigorously contested by independent scholarship, both among western scholars and muslim circles. Makkah is mentioned in verse 48:24 in the context of battle between believers and rejectors, as a battle place. From evidence in Quran, we know that many of the Prophets either lived in the “blessed land”, or were directed by God to settle there. When Noah AS mounted the arc, he prayed to God to lead him to a blessed place: [23:29] And say: “My Lord, cause me to embark upon a blessed place, for You are the best for those who embark.” When God saved Abraham AS from the persecution of his people, and when God made Lot AS escape the towns which He destroyed, both of them were lead to the “blessed land”: [21:71] We saved him and Lot to the land which We have blessed for the worlds. We also know that Solomon AS also lived in the “blessed land”: [21:81] To Solomon the gusting winds run by his command all the way to the land which We have blessed. We were aware of everything. The location of this blessed land is strongly hinted by God in the verse 17:1 as the location where al-Masjid al-Aqsa (Farthest Mosque) is located, generally agreed upon to be Mount Moriah (or Temple Mount) in Jerusalem where Solomon AS built a temple and where Dome of the Rock now stands: [17:1] Glory be to the One who took His servant by night from the Restricted Temple to the most distant temple which We had blessed around, so that We may show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearer, the Seer. In verse (24:35), the word mubarak (blessed) is used for olive tree (شجرة مبركة زيتونة ), which, again interesting to note that, is a native plant in the area of Palestine, but is not found in or around present-day Makkah. It seems that the entire geography including the flora and fauna of this land is blessed. These verses give strong clues as to why so many of the Prophets mentioned in Quran lived in or moved to the area that is Palestine today, which God tells us that He has blessed for the worlds. Please also note that Bakkah is also mentioned in Psalms in the context of pilgrimage: [84:5] Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. [84:6] As they pass through the Valley of Baka , they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. [84:7] They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. (Mount Zion is a hill in Jerusalem, located just outside the walls of the Old City. The term Mount Zion has been used in the Hebrew Bible first for the City of David and later for the Temple Mount, but its meaning has shifted and it is now used as the name of ancient Jerusalem’s Western Hill. In a wider sense, the term Zion is also used for the entire Land of Israel. ~ Wikipedia) Coming back to 3:96, please note the use of word “mubarak” (blessed) for the First House of God, which may be a common thread that links this verse to other verses quoted above that speak of blessed land. It also gives us the reason why might have God chosen the land of Palestine to be blessed for the worlds for all times to come? Because a blessed Temple site is located there. While there is no Quranic or independent evidence that Prophets Noah, Abraham, Lot, and Solomon travelled to Makkah for pilgrimage, the Quran does tell that they all were present in the land of Palestine, the blessed land. Solomon AS even built a grand Temple there. Having all worldly power and authority, he chose to built Temple for God on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, not in Makkah. Why were all these Prophets not asked by God to go to Makkah but to the blessed land of Palestine? We need to think about that.