The Single Mountain Beside Baitul Maqdis Is an Important Indicator

Series: The Incident of Quraysh Questioning the Prophet About Baitul Maqdis

Introduction

In the previous article, we saw that the mushrik man was not specifically described as Quraysh, nor was he described as a member of the caravan. The narration only describes him as a man from among the mushrikin. Yet his role in the narration is very clear. He appeared as a tester, claimed to be the most knowledgeable about Baitul Maqdis and asked the Prophet SAW about three matters. Those three matters were the structure, the appearance and the nearness of Baitul Maqdis to the mountain.

Structure, Appearance and Nearness to the Mountain

The question of the mushrik man is arranged in three sequences. He began with the structure, then the appearance, then the nearness of Baitul Maqdis to the mountain.

The first wording is:

بِنَاؤُهُ

binā’uhu

its structural construction

It refers to the building, structure or physical arrangement that has been constructed.

The second wording is:

هَيْئَتُهُ

hay’atuhu

its state of form / its outward appearance

It is broader than the structure. It refers to the appearance, state of form, outward presentation or visible arrangement.

The third wording is:

قُرْبُهُ مِنَ الْجَبَلِ

qurbuhu minal-jabal

its nearness to the mountain

This no longer concerns only the structure or the appearance. It concerns the location relationship between Baitul Maqdis and the mountain.

Notice that the sequence of the question is very important. The man did not stop only at the features of the building. He moved the test from the structure to the position of the place. Therefore, in this narration, Baitul Maqdis is not only tested through its visible appearance, but also through its relationship with a geographical feature called الْجَبَلِ.

The Field of Meaning of الْجَبَلِ: Mountain, Rocky Hill and Prominent Elevation

The wording used in the narration is الْجَبَلِ (al-jabal), meaning “the mountain”. In Malay, “gunung” is usually imagined as a landform that is high and large, while “bukit” is lower, “busut” is much smaller, “permatang” is elongated, “puncak” is only the summit and “dataran tinggi” refers to a broad highland area.

However, the Arabic wording جَبَل has a field of meaning that needs to be read more carefully. It refers to a landform that rises, stands out and possesses a distinct mass or structure of earth or rock. It may refer to a large mountain, an elevated rocky area or an elevation that is clear enough in the landscape. Therefore, the translation “mountain” may be used, but the analysis cannot stop at our ordinary image of a mountain alone.

In this narration, the mushrik man did not use wording that points to a small mound, flat ground, an open plain, a valley alone or a low area that does not stand out. He used the wording الْجَبَلِ. This shows that in his knowledge, Baitul Maqdis had a relationship with a landform that was elevated, prominent and sufficiently known as a reference point.

The wording الْجَبَلِ uses alif lam at the beginning of the word. In Arabic, this kind of form makes the meaning more specific and definite. That is why its translation is closer to “the mountain”, not merely “a mountain” mentioned in a general sense. This does not necessarily prove the name of the mountain, because the narration does not name it. Yet this form shows that the mountain was a prominent feature. It became a reference in the question. The man did not say “any mountain”, but asked about the nearness of Baitul Maqdis to that mountain.

What Distinguishes a Mountain from a Hill, a Ridge and a Highland

Technically, we need to distinguish between several landforms so that this wording is not read in passing.

A hill is an elevated piece of land lower than a mountain. In Malay, a hill and a mountain are often distinguished through the sense of height, size and clarity of form. However, in Arabic, the wording جَبَل may still be used for a landform that is not necessarily as high as a large modern mountain, as long as it is an elevation that stands out and is known in the landscape.

A ridge is an elongated form like a crest or ridge-line. If a ridge is read as a clear landform mass, it may appear like an elongated elevated system. However, the wording of the narration does not mention jibāl, meaning mountains. It mentions al-jabal, a single object. Therefore, if what is meant is a ridge, it must function in the knowledge of the person asking as one known mountain, not merely a row of unidentified hills.

A peak is only the uppermost part of a mountain or hill. The narration does not mention a peak. It mentions a mountain. Therefore, the focus is not merely the highest point, but the whole landform known as الْجَبَلِ.

A highland is a broad area that is elevated compared to its surroundings. If a place is located on a highland, that is not the same as being “near the mountain”. A highland may be a site, but the wording قُرْبُهُ مِنَ الْجَبَلِ requires a relationship with one mountain feature as a reference, not merely the general elevation of an area.

Therefore, the technical question is not merely “is there a mountain or not?” The more precise question is this: is there beside that place a landform feature that is elevated, prominent and known as a location reference, such that someone who claimed to be the most knowledgeable about the place could ask about its nearness to that mountain?

The Meaning of قُرْبُهُ: Near in What Sense?

The wording used is not only الْجَبَلِ, but:

قُرْبُهُ مِنَ الْجَبَلِ

qurbuhu minal-jabal

“its nearness to the mountain”

The word قُرْب carries the meaning of nearness. Its opposite is distance. So when the mushrik man asked about قُرْبُهُ مِنَ الْجَبَلِ, he was not merely asking whether Baitul Maqdis and the mountain were in the same region. He was asking about the close relationship between Baitul Maqdis and that mountain.

However, “near” in this narration does not come with a number. The narration does not mention one mile, two miles, one farsakh, one day’s journey or any specific measurement. Therefore, we cannot insert a number that is not mentioned.

What can be read is that this close relationship was important enough to be made a question of testing. If the mountain were too far, not visible, not functioning as a location marker or had no clear relationship with Baitul Maqdis, then the question about nearness to the mountain would not carry strong value as a means of verification.

Here, nearness may be understood through several possibilities. It may be near from the angle of sight, meaning the mountain could be seen from the area of Baitul Maqdis and formed a clear backdrop. It may be near from the angle of landscape, meaning Baitul Maqdis was within the same geographical space as that mountain. It may be near from the angle of the foot of the mountain, meaning the place was close to the slope, foot, side or valley connected to the mountain. It may also be near from the angle of orientation, meaning the mountain served as a directional marker for that place.

None of these possibilities can be decided conclusively from this wording alone. Yet one matter remains clear. The mountain was not a distant and functionless element. It was sufficiently connected to Baitul Maqdis for the man who claimed to be the most knowledgeable about the place to make it part of the test.

The Prophet’s Vision of Baitul Maqdis and That Mountain

The question of the mushrik man did not stop at structure and appearance. He also asked about the nearness of Baitul Maqdis to the mountain:

قُرْبُهُ مِنَ الْجَبَلِ

qurbuhu minal-jabal

“its nearness to the mountain”

After that question was asked, the narration mentions that Baitul Maqdis was shown to the Prophet SAW. In Sahih Muslim 172, he mentioned that Quraysh asked him about matters related to Baitul Maqdis which he had not fixed in his memory, then Allah showed it to him. He saw it and answered every matter they asked him about.

In the long narration being read here, that vision is described with the wording that he saw Baitul Maqdis like a person seeing his own house. This shows that his answer did not come from guesswork or a blurred memory. The answer came after that place was shown clearly to him.

Therefore, when the mushrik man asked about the structure, appearance and nearness of Baitul Maqdis to the mountain, the Prophet’s answer came from the vision that Allah showed him at that moment.

This means the Prophet’s vision of Baitul Maqdis cannot be imagined as being separated from the mountain element that was part of the question. If the question required an answer about the nearness of Baitul Maqdis to الْجَبَلِ, then the vision shown to the Prophet SAW had to be clear enough for him to see the relationship between Baitul Maqdis and that mountain.

The narration then mentions:

بِنَاؤُهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا

“Its structure was such and such.”

وَهَيْئَتُهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا

“Its appearance was such and such.”

وَقُرْبُهُ مِنَ الْجَبَلِ كَذَا وَكَذَا

“And its nearness to the mountain was such and such.”

This sequence shows that the Prophet SAW answered all three matters that were asked. He answered about the structure. He answered about the appearance. He also answered about the nearness of Baitul Maqdis to the mountain.

Therefore, the mountain in this narration does not appear only in the question of the mushrik man. It also appears in the Prophet’s answer. The man asked about the mountain. The Prophet SAW answered about the mountain. Then the man affirmed his answer.

Here, the relationship between Baitul Maqdis and the mountain becomes stronger. The mountain is not merely mentioned as a background. It becomes an element that enters the question, enters the vision shown to the Prophet SAW and enters the answer affirmed by the testing man.

Yet the limits still have to be guarded. The narration does not name the mountain. It does not mention its height. It does not mention its exact distance. It also does not state whether Baitul Maqdis was at the foot of the mountain, beside the mountain, in a valley near the mountain or in an area facing the mountain.

However, the narration still gives one piece of data that cannot be erased. In that test, Baitul Maqdis was shown to the Prophet SAW clearly. In that question, the mushrik man asked about its nearness to الْجَبَلِ. In that answer, the Prophet SAW answered about that nearness. Therefore, the mountain meant in the narration had to be sufficiently near, sufficiently prominent and sufficiently functional as a marker for it to be suitable as material for verification between the questioner and the Prophet SAW.

The Prayer of the Prophets, Direction and the Orientation of Place

In the incident of Isra’, the Prophet SAW was not only connected to a journey to a place. Sahih Muslim 172 also connects this incident with prayer. In that narration, the Prophet SAW mentioned that he saw Musa AS standing in prayer, saw Isa bin Maryam AS standing in prayer and saw Ibrahim AS standing in prayer. Then when the time for prayer came, he led them in prayer.

This shows that in the incident of Isra’, there are elements of a space of worship, the position of prayer and the orientation of place. Prayer is not an act without direction. Prayer takes place with bodily position, a forward direction, the arrangement of followers and the position of the imam.

Yet the limits must be guarded and we cannot guess. This narration does not mention from which direction the Prophet SAW entered that space. It also does not mention that he entered from behind people who were praying. The narration does not mention the position of the rows, the direction of his gaze during prayer or whether the mountain was directly in front of him when he led the prophets in prayer.

What can be read is the broader arrangement of meaning. The Prophet SAW saw the prophets in a state of prayer. Then he led them in prayer. Therefore, in this incident, he did not merely see a place, but was also present in an atmosphere of worship that had direction and orientation.

Here, the question about the mountain becomes more striking. The mushrik man asked about:

قُرْبُهُ مِنَ الْجَبَلِ

qurbuhu minal-jabal

“its nearness to the mountain”

Then Allah showed Baitul Maqdis to the Prophet SAW clearly, like a person seeing his own house. So when he answered about the structure, appearance and nearness of Baitul Maqdis to the mountain, the answer came from a clear vision, not from a blurred memory.

Therefore, the relationship between Baitul Maqdis and that mountain cannot be imagined as a relationship that was too distant, too vague or not functioning as a marker. If the testing man made the mountain a subject of the question and the Prophet SAW answered it after the place was shown to him, then that mountain had to be sufficiently clear within the vision of Baitul Maqdis that was shown.

As for the issue of prayer, it may serve as an additional consideration in the analysis of orientation. If Baitul Maqdis was a space of worship linked to the prayer of the prophets and the Prophet SAW led them in prayer, then that place must be read as a space that had front, back, direction and position. However, we still cannot decide conclusively that the mountain was exactly in the direction of the qiblah of the prayer, because the wording of the narration does not provide that detail.

What can be affirmed is that in this narration, Baitul Maqdis is not only mentioned as the name of a place. It is linked to a journey, Quraysh’s questioning, the Prophet’s vision, the prayer of the prophets, the Prophet’s position as imam and one geographical element called الْجَبَلِ. Therefore, the geographical analysis of Baitul Maqdis cannot be separated from the element of orientation and the space of worship.

Closing

From this entire discussion, one matter becomes clear. The question of the mushrik man was not only a question about a building. He asked about the structure, appearance and nearness of Baitul Maqdis to the mountain.

Therefore, Baitul Maqdis in this narration needs to be read as a place with physical appearance and geographical relationship. It is not merely a name floating without landform. In the question of the tester, Baitul Maqdis has a relationship with الْجَبَلِ, meaning the mountain.

However, the narration does not give all the answers. It does not name that mountain. It does not mention the height of that mountain. It does not provide an exact distance. It also does not mention the direction of that mountain from Baitul Maqdis.

What the narration gives is an indicator. The mountain is mentioned in the question. Its nearness to Baitul Maqdis is made material for the test. The Prophet SAW answered about it after Allah showed Baitul Maqdis to him. The testing man then affirmed his answer.

For that reason, the mountain element cannot be treated as small. It is one of the keys to rereading the question of the geography of Baitul Maqdis in the narration of Isra’. After this, only then can we enter the larger question: does the location long associated with Baitul Maqdis truly possess the mountain feature that fits the indicator of this narration or do we need to open a wider review?