Al Bitra

Zachary was reading about Prophet Salleh and his peole - Thamud. In the book there is a picture of Madain Saleh which is in Saudi Arabis, the said place where Thamud used to live. Ibu, Zachary said, is Madain Saleh in  Petra? The similarity is striking. Picture : The book Zachary is reading. The Story of Saleh, written and illustrated by Moazzam Zaman, Darussalam

There is so much mystery surrounding Petra. The historians  the archeologists were always trying to piece up theories to why Petra was built and why was there so lack of information concerning it even though the ruins were such a spectacular one.

I won't be offering you one though because I wouldn't know any better.

Their amazing carving of the red rocks would always remind me of the Thamuds. There is a hadith that The Muslim army who were marching towards Tabuk, stopped at the dwellings of the Thamuds when prophet sallallahu alaihi wasalam reprimanded them and prohibited them from taking water from the cursed place. The most possible site for the Thamud dwellings would be at Mada'in Saleh. I didn't go there just because...

And you couldn't help to wonder the similarity of style at these two places. Historians say that the Madain Saleh is an extension of Petra. But then some say Thamud and nabateans are different race. Nabateans are said to be thriving in the year above AD30. If Madain Saleh is an extension of them, then would that make Madain Saleh the dwellings of the Thamuds since there is no prophet in between Isa and Muhammad, so it is not possible that Prophet Saleh is sent there.

Some Muslim historians/ archeologists say that Madain Saleh is not the dwelling of the Thamuds and Prophet Saleh. In fact the Hajar (stone) is somewhere else. Allah knows best.

One man even say that Petra was the original qiblah of the Muslims and not Jurusalem. Which I personally find it strange because at the dwellings of Petra itself they found a drawing of god for them was a cuboid shape. It is very possible that they themselves worship the Kaabah like most arabs at that time. Probably the reminiscence of Abraham teachings.  Of course they completely forgot about worshiping the Lord of the house altogether.

Anyway, the Nabateans later worship different god that they picked up from their travel. So there are pictures of probably Zeus, Isis and I do not know what else.

Their big city also incorporates a sacrificial place where they slaughter animals to offer the god. Making this place creepy in my opinion.

This is a place where once upon a time live a group of people who were made rich and prosperous but were far from The Creator, the One who gives Rizq. They were displaced and became invisible in history without a trace.

Allah knows best the people that are on earth, the one whom He displaced and the One whom will replace.

In the current day, I wake up early in the morning I can hear adzan from different masjids declaring the oneness of Allah. Jordan now is not like Jordan in those years and the history on how this happen comes with sweat, blood and sacrifice.

That many of us take granted for the ni'mah

On the other hand, Jordan now is also not like Jordan in the days of the glories.





a documentary of Petra that may interest you.