Muhammad may not be on the Dome of the Rock! (#16)

Here's another 'million-dollar-question'...do you think the 'Dome of the Rock' may refer to Muhammad?

For Muslims, the Dome of the Rock is the 3rd holiest shrine in Islam, as it was constructed by Abd al-Malik in 691 AD to supposedly commemorate Muhammad's journey from Jerusalem to the 7 heavens, so they certainly think this building was put up for that event.

Yet, the earliest inscriptions which can be found on the inner and lower ambulatories should be replete with references to this event, but they say nothing about it.

In fact, they all confront the divinity of Jesus, his son-ship, and the trinity, suggesting that the building was erected by Abd al-Malik to attack the Byzantine Christians at that time, who came to the Church of the Sepulcher for their pilgrimage.

The Dome of the Rock is built above it, looking down at it, with a Qibla (the whole citadel is a Qibla) facing Petra, not Mecca.

What's fascinating, according to Murad, though the inner inscriptions do refer to 'Muhammad', and introduce the 'Shahada', these references, he believes are not to any man named Muhammad, but mean in Arabic "the praised one", which, he believes, could be referring to Jesus, or even Abd al-Malik instead!

Where do you stand on this issue?

So, the question you need to ask is whether you believe these inscriptions on the Dome of the Rock refer to the prophet Muhammad, or to Jesus, or even to Abd al-Malik?

Let's hear your opinions below...

© Pfander Centre for Apologetics - US, 2021
(52,390) Music: New Beginning, by Rafael Krux, from filmmusic-io