If you look at modern History it would seem that before the advent of Islam, Arabia had no culture or History which is not true. The ancient practices as well as current practices have great similarity to Vedic Indian culture. The concept of kinship, Tribal bonding, Reverence to elders and parents, Hospitality are some of them.
After visiting the old Sharjah museum in Bank street,and seeing old photographs of the Kaaba, I always used to tell my friends that The stone they rever in the Kaaba resembles the Shiva Linga . This is the very stone they worship and respect as it marks the stone which accompanied Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) when he descended after a visit to heaven. To this date the day is celebrated as Miraj.
But, Those were days when mobile phones were not prevalent and I could not take any photographs of the old Kaaba before nineteen fifties. As luck would have it I chanced upon it recently in my friends blog , with a picture of the Kaaba during 1950's and a shiv ling being circambulated by Hajis. Immediately i sat down to blog this. Hope you enjoy.
One can see the Shiva Linga with Avudaiyar clearly.
In pre-Islamic Heritage of the present Islamic Middle east, Vikramaditya’s Kingdom extended to Arabia, His inscriptions are found in Kaaba, Arabia was called Aravasthan, meaning land of Horses, which find reference in Tamil literature as well, the practice of awarding poets being a Tamil Kings practice is found in Ancient Arabia.
Ganesha Idol was found in Kuwait, Mecca is a Shiva Temple, 786, considered holy by the Muslims is Flipped OM, Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) Uncle composed a Hymn in Praise of Lord Shiva, Sapthapathi was practiced in pre-Islamic Arabia and Navagrahas were worshiped.
Islamic History also states that there were seven padhumas (figurines) around the present day Kaaba and Prophet had a vision once when he was sitting despondent that he could not succeed in propagating Islam to his people in Mecca. The vision detailed him to go and behead the figurines around Kaaba and only then he could succeed in propagating Islam. My guess is that the seven figurines could be that of saptha kannigais.
The above is the image of the black stone which is now on the outer peripherals of Kaaba, It has been encased in a silver casing which the Hajis touch and kiss and derive great bliss. I will reproduce below another aerial view of the image and please note that it does resemble Shivalinga.
The stone was venerated at the Kaaba in pre-Islamic pagan times. According to Islamic tradition, it was set intact into the Kaaba's wall by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the year 605 A.D., five years before his first revelation. Since then it has been broken into a number of fragments and is now cemented into a silver frame in the side of the Kaaba. Its physical appearance is that of a fragmented dark rock, polished smooth by the hands of pilgrims. Islamic tradition holds that it fell from the heaven as a guide for Adam and Eve to build an altar, although it has often been described as a meteorite, a hypothesis, which is now uncertain.
Muhammad is credited with setting the Black Stone in the current place in the wall of the Kaaba. A story found in Ibn Ishaq's Sirah Rasul Allah tells how the clans of Mecca renovated the Kaaba following a major fire which had partly destroyed the structure. The Black Stone had been temporarily removed to facilitate the rebuilding work. The clans could not agree on which one of them should have the honour of setting the Black Stone back in its place.
They decided to wait for the next man to come through the gate and ask him to make the decision. That individual happened to be the 35-year-old Muhammad, five years before his prophethood. He asked the elders of the clans to bring him a cloth and put the Black Stone in its centre. Each of the clan leaders held the corners of the cloth and carried the Black Stone to the right spot. Then, Muhammad himself set the stone in place, satisfying the honour of all of the clans (Wiki)
The Black Stone plays an important role in the central ritual of the hajj, when pilgrims must walk seven times around the Kaaba in a counterclockwise direction. They attempt to kiss the Black Stone seven times, once for each circumambulation of the Kaaba, emulating the actions of Muhammad. In modern times, large crowds make it practically impossible for everyone to kiss the stone, so it is currently acceptable to point in the direction of the Stone on each of their seven circuits around the structure. It is interesting to note that this circumambulation is similar to the hIndu Practice in Temples, only that it is done anti clock wise.
Enjoy here the Kaaba as seen in 1950. The Kaaba had 360 images worshipped during Pre Islamic times.
“The word Kabaa may originate from Tamil and the word Kabaalishwaran. Tamil is considered one of the oldest languages of the world.Dravidian’s worshiped Lord Shiva as their Primal Deity – from the Indus valley civilization. Shiva Temple’s in South India are called as Kabaalishwaran temple’s. Kabaali, therefore – refer to Lord Shiva.
There are many other words in Islam that appear to be connected to Hinduism. For example, in Sanskrit Allah, Akka and Amba are synonyms. They signify a goddess or mother. The Islamic practice of Bakari Eed (Eid) derives from the Go-(M)edh and Ashva-(M)edh Yagnas or sacrifices of Vedic times. Eed in Sanskrit means worship. The Islamic word Eed for festive days, signifying days of worship, is therefore a pure Sanskrit word. [Note: The word Bakari is an Indian language word for a goat. (Muslims sacrifice goats during Eid).
Since Eed means worship and Griha means ‘house’, the Islamic word Idgah signifies a ‘House of worship’ which is the exact Sanskrit connotation of the term. Similarly the word ‘Namaz’ derives from two Sanskrit roots ‘Nama’ and ‘Yajna’ (NAMa yAJna) meaning bowing and worshipping.
Recital of the Namaz (Nama-smaranam in Hindi) five times a day owes its origin to the Vedic injunction of Panchmahayagna (five daily worship- Panch-Maha-Yagna) which is part of the daily Vedic ritual prescribed for all individuals.
Laylat Al Qadr is considered the holiest night of the year for Muslims, and is traditionally celebrated on the 27th day of Ramadan. It is known as the "Night of Power," and commemorates the night that the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Any Prayers said that day is said to be equivalent to prayers said for 1000 months and angels are said to be passing by that night to carry your prayers and answer them. This belief is very similar to Maha Sivarathri and Vaikunta Ekadesi.
Onre Kulam Oruvane DEivam. There is One God and One Humanity.
Vasudeva Kudumbakam- The entire universe is one family.
Let us find unity in Diversity.
Om.
Krishnamachari Santhanam
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