fantastic planet » Palm Tree Symbolism [...] Inspired by this excellent post on Anulios concerning Gnosticism and The Dome of the Rock (interesting in its own right!), I’ve decided to compile a list of symbolic meanings of the Palm Tree, to corrolate to the symbol of the nascent Palm Tree Garden. [...]-----

Very interesting. Thank you for educating me. Yes, please discuss the rock.  (I am going to post a link in my Sideblog, recommending this post.)

Hi Mark

I think ostensibly the Rock was/is believed to be the place where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. There is a footprint on it that allegedly was made by the Patriarch. But apparently, there is also a sub-current of belief (or was during the early Islamic period) that this footprint was made by God.

This belief is, needless to say, regarded as blasphemy by most orthodox Muslims but there is very strong evidence that a heterodox sect of some sort held much sway in this early period. For one thing, Islamic MS of the time place the DOme as being a holier place than Mecca and there is also a large amount of evidence that the Caliph who ordered it built perhaps intended to replace Mecca with Jerusalem as the focal point of the Islamic faith.

Just as an aside here. Did you know that the early Muslims prayed towards Jerusalem until the order came, during a prayer, (when only Muhammad pbuh, followed by Abu Bakr, turned round, the rest of the congregation waiting ‘til after the prayer for an explanation before accepting the change ) to pray towards Mecca ?

Uthman - hi. Yes, I think the history of the Dome of the Rock is intrinsically bound up with a possible attempt to change the qibla back to Jerusalem. It’s a theory anyway.