Team L&M
An extensively researched book that brings in a fresh perspective on how Indian civilisation has been impacted by the forces of the West. The Crash of a Civilization by Kanchan Banerjee critically views how the profound and long-term influence of foreign ideologies and forces such as Christian, Islamic, and later colonists, Western, and Marxists have impacted India, her society, and people. Banerjee gives a great insight into the crash of one of the world’s oldest civilisations and brings the historical view that explains both why the Indian civilisation has been denigrated and why it is rising again today at the forefront of a new global spiritual civilisation with a cosmic vision.
Following is an extract from the book (Page 129-131)
The Middle East before the advent of Islam
The entire Middle East from Iran (Persia) to Egypt was a great center of culture and trade until 600 CE. Thamud’s ancient civilization around the 8th century BCE is attributed the people who migrated from south to north of the Arabian Peninsula. According to Arab Historian Ibn Khaldun: “The Yemen, al-Bahryn, Oman and the Jazirah have long been in Arab possession, but for thousands of years, the rule of these areas has belonged to different (Arab) nations in succession. They also founded cities and towns (there) and promoted sedentary culture and luxury to the highest degree. Among such nations were the ‘Ad and the Thamud. There was a long period of royal authority and sedentary culture.”
Let us look back to the 8th century BCE.
Little is known about the Thamud’s, but most likely, their descendants, the Nebatheans, have left indelible pieces of evidence of a great civilization in the desert of Arabia. It was the far north-west part of the peninsula called Petra (currently in Jordan).[20][21] Petra was a great city-civilization of 400 square miles. The hustling and bustling of traders from southern Arabia to the north and further happened through this city. The Nebatheans curved out palaces, monuments, and living quarters, cutting out rocks from the mountains. Their architecture and craftsmanship defy common sense and are shrouded with mystery as to how they carved those out, what technology they had to create 130-feet tall columns and the smoothness of the columns and walls. They had an elaborate water collection, preservation, and distribution system, including making the desert land food-sufficient by using the water wisely. It is believed that current-day Arabs, especially in Mecca (the Banu Thaqif tribes) and Medina, are descendants of these Thamuds and Nebatheans.
Some believe that all attributes of Islamic holy sites, including Kaaba, belonged to the pre-Islamic city Petra when Mecca was not well-known yet. Kaaba means ‘cube’ or a cubicshaped ‘sacred house’ in Arabic that housed numerous deities of that period. During the birth of Islam, old maps did not figure Mecca prominently, and it was not even on the trade route. It was Petra, which was one of the most prominent cities on the trade route. When Petra fell due to earthquake or volcanic eruptions and perhaps meteorite showers, causing the sacred black rock possibly dedicated to Hubal, which was worshiped by the local tribes, fragmented into five pieces. This represented one form of generic God or Allah among many deities. It is possible that once Muhammad and his followers migrated to Mecca after being forced to abandon Petra, they secretly carried the rock or pieces of the original black rock as it was their clan deity. Did they re-established Kaaba in Mecca as a sacred shrine that originally resided in Petra? It is to be noted that the description of ‘Mecca’ in the Quran talks about water, trees, fruits, etc.
“We sent down water from the sky, blessed water whereby We caused to grow gardens, grains for harvest, tall palm-trees with their spathes, piled one above the other – sustenance for (Our) servants. Therewith We gave (new) life to a dead land. So will be the emergence (from the tombs).” (Quran 50:9-11)
“We sent down water from the sky in measure and lodged it in the ground. And We certainly are able to withdraw it. Therewith for you We gave rise to gardens of palm-trees and vineyards where for you are abundant fruits and of them you eat.” (Quran 23: 18-19)
Yet, there is not even one iota of archaeological evidence that current day Mecca had any major green pastures or trees; the description in Quran perfectly matches Petra. Some historians believe that the story of Mecca is a fairytale because of a lack of solid evidence and are pointing to Petra as the original ‘Mecca’. [23] According to Dan Gibson, a controversial scholar of Islamic history, the ancient mosques built between 622 CE and 876 CE if faced west, geo-locations suggest that those point to Petra and not Mecca.
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