Notice here how he ignores the Jewish population that supported Muhammed in what follows.
From “Once Upon a Country,” by Sari Nusseibeh (Farrar, Straus & Giroux):
...1,300 years of forbears, all the way back to the hot sands of Arabia.
My family's story in Jerusalem begins with Mohammed's Night Journey. By the time the Prophet took his legendary pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he and his few companions had already been forced out of Mecca to Medina. It was on the outskirts of this desert town that he was met by his first followers: fourteen tribal leaders who pledged their allegiance to him and to Islam.
Surprisingly, given the way the contemporary world views the role of women in Islam, four of the fourteen tribal leaders were women, and one of these was Nusaybah, from the warrior tribe of Khazraj. (She was also called Umm Umarah al-Maziniyyah, which is short for Umm-Omara al Maazinia al-Khazrajiyyah min Bani-Amir al Ansaria.) After the Prophet returned from his Night Journey, he and his followers, including Nusaybah and her clan, directed their prayers toward Jerusalem.
Hey, Sari, where were the Jews?
Here's one record:-
It is noteworthy that Mohammed's idea of the "people of the Book," as regards their influence in Arabia and their importance to his cause, does not appear to have been changed by his removal from the one city to the other; also, that the attitude of his Jewish hearers; as a whole toward his teaching (so far as can be shown by the allusions and addresses to them in the Koran) was substantially the same during his last years in Mekka was it was in Medina at the outset of his career in that city. The Jewish population of the Hijaz was both extensive and homogeneous, and the settlement at Mekka was by no means small. There was constant communication from city to city, and the Israelite estimate of the Arabian prophet was well understood and the same all the way from Mekka and Ta'if to Teima. Mohammed nevertheless had received considerable encouragement from certain Jews in Mekka. Some had accepted Islam; others, doubtless, had flattered him, or even hailed him as a prophet, in the hope of bringing him over to Judaism. He certainly exaggerates this Jewish support in such Mekkan passages as 13:36 ("Those to whom we gave the scriptures rejoice in that which has been revealed to thee"); 28:52f; 29:46; 46:9, etc. Other contemporary passages show that he had considerable controversy with the "men of the scriptures," though he tried to avoid it, and hoped that these stubborn opponents would soon see the light. Thus for example 6:20, 89, 148; 7:168; 28:48. "Contend with the people of the Book only in a mild way — except with those who are a bad lot" (29:45).1 It is plain that he was desperately desirous of obtaining from the Jews some general and authoritative recognition, not merely the adherence of a few. The Jews of Mekka, for their part, had no reason to offer formal opposition to a small and persecuted sect. The strife between the adherents of the new revelation and the unbelievers of Qoreish may even have been entertaining to them. Mohammed very naturally persuaded himself that their prevailing indifference meant more than mere tolerance, and that the support which he had received from the minority would eventually be given by the majority.
The change came with the removal to Yathrib. It was not so much change in the attitude of the Jews as in Mohammed's comprehension of the attitude. A new political situation had suddenly arisen. The Muslims were in possession of the city, yet even now were a small force in th Hijaz; and sure to have trouble soon. The Jewish settlements in the outskirts of the city were large, wealthy, and in part well fortified. It was no time for long parleying. Mohammed was lord of the city (henceforth "Medina"; madinat an-Nabi, "the city of the Prophet"), and in a position to demand - as he certainly did - that the "people of the Book" should now at last join the evidently triumphing cause, acknowledge the authority of its leader, and profess faith in the new Arabian scripture which "confirmed" their own. Neutrality would be a great danger - as it proved to be. For the first time since Mohammed's first appearance as the Arabian prophet, a large and representative body of the Jews was compelled to "show its hand." It did so, and the reply was negative; they would not accept him as a prophet continuing their line, nor his book as in any way on a par with their own.
Mohammed could not accept this answer as final while there remained any possibility of gaining the support which had seemed to him indispensable...
Ah, here are the Jews:-
MEDINA (formerly Yathrib): Town in ARABIA. At the time that the Prophet Mohammed settled there in 622, Medina. and its immediate neighborhood harbored the largest Jewish community of North Arabia. The origin and previous history of these Jews is unclear, but they may have arrived shortly after the destruction of the Second Temple. They formed three main communities, Banu-Lnadir, Banu Kainuka, and Banu Kuraiza, who occupied themselves mainly with the cultivation of palm-groves but also exercised other callings. Numerous quarrels and feuds forced them to erect forts for protection. A few years after the arrival of Mohammed, who at first was friendly to them, all the Jews were either expelled or massacred. No Jews have since been allowed there.
BANU-L-NADIR: One of the three Jewish tribes in Medina, in the vicinity of which they owned landed estates and strongholds. Through cultivation of the soil, moneylending, and trading in weapons and jewels they accumulated considerable wealth. They were besieged in their forts by Mohammed and surrendered after about two weeks (c. 626); their immovable property was confiscated, but they themselves were permitted to depart. They left for the North and founded new settlements, partly in Khaibar and partly in Syria.
BANU KAINUKA: One of the three Jewish tribes in MEDINA. Possessing no land, they lived from commerce and as goldsmiths. They were the first to suffer from the hostile attitude adopted by MOHAMMED after his failure to win the Jews over to Islam. They were attacked and besieged in their strongholds, probably in 624, and were forced to surrender after 15 days. Mohammed first wished to have all the men executed but spared them on condition that they quit the town, leaving all their property in the hands of the Moslems. They first migrated to the Jewish centers in Wadi-l-Kura and later further N to Adhriat.
BANU KURAIZA: One of the three Jewish tribes in MEDINA. They inhabited several villages to the S of the town, and their main occupation was agriculture. At the rise of Islam, they numbered 750 fighting-men and held some fortified positions in the neighborhood. The B.K. were the last Jews to be attacked by Mohammed who charged them with treason. When forced to surrender, they were treated more cruelly than their two fellow-tribes, the men being executed and the women and children sold into slavery. Raihana, a woman of the tribe, was married to Mohammed. Among the B.K. were several poets, some of whose Arabic verses are extant.
Several Jewish colonies were also found North of Medina including a) Khaibar, b) Fadak, c) Wadi 'I-Qura, and d) Taima. The Jewish population increased through the conversion of Arabs to Judaism. Some Jews lived in Mecca, at least temporarily, before the rise of Islam. Mohammed subdued the Jewish colonies North of the city but permitted the inhabitants to stay. Under the reign of Omar, the Jews were expelled from Khaibar and Fadak and possibly from Wadi 'I-Qura. In Wadi 'I-Qura they were able to reestablish themselves in the 10th cent, but after that there are no subsequent traces of Jews in Hejaz (Saudia Arabia).
In 628 Khaibar, an oasis north of Medina was subdued by the Prophet Mohammed. The origins of its Jewish community, as of others in HEJAZ, are obscure. The Jews were allowed to stay and retain their lands, giving half their produce to the Moslem conquerors. Mohammed adopted this policy because there were then no other trained agriculturalists in the region. When skilled slave labor from conquered countries be came available, the Jews of Khaibar. were expelled by Omar (641).
And this too is relevant:-
When Mohammed first entered Yathrib (Al-Madina Al-Munawwarah), he was counting on the support of its people. One particular ethnic group he thought would give more authority to his prophethood were the Jews because they had the Torah and all the previous Prophets were Jewish.
The Jews were many in Yathrib and its suburbs. There were the Bani Al-Nadheer Jews, the Bani Qaynuqa' Jews, the Bani Quraytha Jews, and several more. The Jews were rich and successful in their businesses. A great asset to the young Islamic Nation.
At first, Mohammed was trying to befriend the Jews and get them on his side. He insisted that the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) worship the same God [Quran Surah 29:46]. He said that the same God sent down the Torah [Quran Surah 5:48]. He ordered the Muslims to fast Aashoora' or the Passover [Saheeh Bukhari - 2004]. Even the Qibla (the direction the Muslims face in prayer) was towards Jerusalem - the same direction the Jews faced in prayer [Saheeh Bukhari - 41].
But no matter how hard Mohammed tried to convince them that he is a prophet he just couldn't. Once he even barged into a Jewish Synagogue in Yathrib (Al-Madina Al-Munawwarah) and said that if only twelve Jews would believe in him then Allah would spare them his wrath [Musnad Ahmad - 23464].
When he realized that the Jews wouldn't believe in him, and that their unbelief would turn against him, because they have the Torah which has the criteria for any prophet, he realized that they should be eliminated. So at first he switched the Qibla (the direction the Muslims face in prayer) from Jerusalem to Mecca [Quran Surah 2:144 and Saheeh Bukhari - 41]. Then warned them; they either become Muslims and be safe, or sell their possessions and leave their land [Saheeh Muslim - 1765 & 1767 and Sunan Abi Dawood - 3003].
Mohammed marched towards the Jews in order to either exile them or make a treaty with them. The Bani Al-Nadheer Jews refused to make a treaty with Mohammed so they fought against him, lost, and subsequently were exiled. The Bani Quraytha Jews saw the fate of their Bani Al-Nadheer brethren so they had no choice but to make a peace treaty with him [Saheeh Muslim - 1766 and Sunan Abi Dawood - 3004].
Yet Mohammed was determined that all Jews should be either exiled or killed - he was set on their elimination. He cannot simply break the treaty with Bani Quraytha though because it would be bad for his image as a Prophet who's supposed to keep his promises and treaties. He strongly emphasized the importance of keeping treaties [Quran Surah 9:4 and Saheeh Bukhari - 33]. So his only way out was to make it appear as though Bani Quraytha were the ones who broke the treaty.
Ghazwat Al-Khandaq (The Battle of the Trench or Ditch) came. The Pagan Arab tribes retreated and Mohammed was ready for battle. Mohammed went to the Bani Quraytha Jews and eliminated them because it was claimed that they betrayed the Muslims and renounced the treaty, but did they?
Read on here.
No wonder Sari left out the Jews.
And, now, notice the slight difference. After his taking control of Jerusalem, Omar wouldn't pray in a church but at the Temple Mount of the Jews he surely would:-
Sephronius ushered Omar to the Holy Sepulcher, the holiest church in Christendom and a repository of divine history. Adam, the first man, was buried there. This was the place of Christ's empty tomb, and it was there that Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, had discovered the true cross and the crown of thorns. For centuries, legends of the salutary effects of a visit to such sites-just a touch of the sacred stone of the tomb was said to cure deadly diseases-had been luring pilgrims throughout the world.
As the story goes, when the time came for the Muslim prayer, Omar refused to pray in the church, for fear of setting a precedent. If he prayed there, he feared later Muslim leaders might be tempted to turn the glorious church into a mosque. Instead, the caliph chose a spot outside the church to perform his ritual.
Omar then asked the bishop about the site of the Holy Rock and of Solomon's Temple. The bishop didn't know exactly where the temple was, as the plateau where it had once stood was now a vast garbage heap. There were piles of bones and human dung, animal skins, and-most shocking of all for Muslims and Jews-pig carcasses.
Out from the nearby crowds, says Muslim legend, a Jew stepped forward. It was he who now offered to help Omar locate the site of the temple and the rock. And so the two burrowed their way through the rubbish until they came to the spot. "It is here," the Jew said to Omar. "This is the place you seek."
Omar began digging with his own hands. Once he had cleaned away the debris and wiped the Holy Rock clean with his robe, he performed a prayer.
And we'll finish off with this:-
'Umar arrived from Damascus. After finalizing the Pact of 'Umar with the leaders of Jerusalem, he requested to see the Temple mount. When 'Umar reached the old ruined gates of the Temple he was horrified to see the filth, "which was then all about the holy sanctuary, had settled on the steps of the gates so that it even came out into the streets in which the gate opened, and it had accumulated so greatly as almost to reach up the ceiling of the gateway." The only way to get up to the platform was to crawl on hands and knees. Sophronius went first and the Muslims struggled up behind. When they arrived at the top, the Muslims gazed appalled at the vast and desolate expanse of Herod's platform, still covered with piles of fallen masonry and garbage. The shock of this sad encounter with the holy place whose fame had reached them in far-off Arabia was never forgotten: Muslims claimed that they called Anastasis al- qumamah, "the Dungheap," in retaliation for the impious of the Christians on the Temple Mount. 220
'Umar does not seem to have spent any time on this occasion examining the Sakhrah rock, which would later play such an important part in Islam in the future – but rather concentrated on cleaning the Temple mount of filth. 221 Once he had taken stock of the situation, he threw handfuls of dung and rubble into his cloak and then hurled it over the city wall into the Valley of Hinnom. Immediately his followers did the same. 222
When 'Amr and his Jewish soldiers arrived in Jerusalem, they planned to [re] build the Temple. 223 At the time they enjoyed full support from the Sadducean Muslims (Hagarenes). Locating the place called the holy of holies; they constructed a wooden building with a pedestal 224 , to serve as their place of prayer. But the Christians objected, and the Christian converts to Islam (Ishmaelites) envied the Jews. They expelled the Jews from that place 225 , and named used the same building their own place of prayer. The Jews built another temple for their worship, elsewhere, on the southern side of the Temple Mount. This segmentation of Jerusalem along religious lines seemed to be part of 'Umar's policy towards Jerusalem. It was during this early
Muslim period that Jerusalem was divided into different quarters for each religious community. 226
The area on the Temple Mount which now contains the Qubbat Al- Sakhrah, Dome of the Rock was never venerated by Christians during all the centuries of Byzantine rule. When the Jews tried to build a house of prayer there, the Christian converts to Islam "out of jealousy" claimed it for their own. Its use as Christian-Islamic shrine from that point on is seen in the content of the inscriptions on the Qubbat Al- Sakhrah, Dome of the Rock, which are almost exclusively written to Christians. Benjamin of Tudela, writing during the crusades, says "our ancient Temple, [is] now
called Templum Domini. Upon the site of the sanctuary Omar ben al Khatab actually 'Abd erected an edifice with a very large and magnificent cupola, into which the Gentiles do al-Malik] not bring any image or effigy, but they merely come there to pray." 227 The Qubbat Al- Sakhrah, Dome of the Rock was never made properly a mosque. It remained a shrine for Muslims and (particularly Christians) to enter and pray.
The Temple of Shallum (Solomon) and the Messianic Age Khalif 'Umar entrusted Shallum's son, Heman, to erect a wooden mosque on the southern side of the Temple Mount to replace the temporary structure built by the Jews. It is to this structure that Arculphus, about 680CE, appears to allude in describing a rude square house of prayer on the site of the Temple, raised with planks and beams on old foundations, and large enough to hold 3, 000 men. This structure was for Jews, Jewish converts to Islam, and Muslims to pray together facing Mecca. 228 This mosque was restricted such that other than Jews and Muslims were not allowed. It was refered to as "their private place of prayer." 229 Shallum had remained in Persia, but in honor of his valiant conquests, the mosque was named in honor of him. When the wooden mosque was subsequently' removed and rebuilt as a more permanent structure, the name remained.
Centuries later when the crusaders came, they mistoook the Masjid as- Salman, Mosque of Salmaan for the Temple of Solomon. Today this building is called Masjid al- Aqsa,
mosque.
220 Mujir al- Din
221 It appears from Eutychius (tenth century), and from the Arabic writers, Mujir al-Din and Jelal al Din (fifteenth century), that Omar found no building over or near the Sakhrah rock 222 Mujir al- Din
223 Most of the information here is from Sebeos Chapter 31. The identification that there were only two places of prayer (for Christian+ Muslims and Jews+ Muslims) as opposed to three places of prayer (Christians, Muslims and Jews) is clear from the reading of the text.
224 The pedestal was to isolate the house of prayer from the contaminated bedrock, even though it had been cleaned of refuse. The Mosque of Al- Aqsa, was also built originally in a similar fashion.
225 This negotiatons between Christians and Jews is also seen when Hanamel requested to bring 210 families to Jerusalem, when the Christians would not agree, it was reduced to 90 and lastly 72.
226 Dan Bahat, "The Physical Infrastructure," in Prawer and Ben- Shammai, eds., The History of Jerusalem, p. 53.
227 The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela, section "Jerusalem", p 23
228 see note 223
229 ibid
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