Tag
Mecca
Mecca, the city of the Kaaba and of the Prophet’s birth.
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The Kaaba before Islam: 5 ancient witnesses, weighed
Diodorus, Ptolemy, a new inscription, a Psalm and the Quran: 5 witnesses to the Kaaba, each weighed. Read on.
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Jerusalem, then Mecca: 5 facts about the change of qibla
The first Muslims prayed towards Jerusalem. Critics call that a problem. 5 facts about the change of qibla. Read them.
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Muhammad’s raids, Badr and the conquest of Mecca: 6 facts
The caravan raids, the battle at Badr and the entry into Mecca: 6 facts from the early sources, with the critics’ strongest points conceded.
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5 facts about why the first Muslims kept the faith in Mecca
Refused offers of wealth, a small but growing community, boycott and exile: 5 facts that fit poorly with an invented scheme.
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The revisionist case: 6 answers on manuscripts, coins and Mecca
Early manuscripts, coins, inscriptions and the location of Mecca: 6 answers on what the revisionist case shows and what it does not.
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Ishmael in the Quran and Genesis: 6 facts
Was Ishmael a prophet or only a tribal chief? 6 facts from Quran 19:54, Genesis 16 to 21, the hadith and Josephus. Read on.
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6 rites of Hajj and what they mean
Niyya, ihram, tawaf, the standing at Arafat, sacrifice and stoning: 6 rites of the pilgrimage to Mecca and the story behind each.