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BakkahBakkah is a place mentioned in surah 3:96 of the Qur'an. It is said to be the site of the first mosque, and therefore it is by some identified with the city of Mecca. Others also identify it with the Biblical "valley of Baca" from Psalm 84. It is claimed by some that the Bible thus makes a reference to Mecca, but this identification is very controversial. The relevant part of the Psalm follows: - 5 Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
- 6 As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
- 7 They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion.
Baca and Bakkah Arguments for the identification of Baca with Bakkah Baca was a place on a pilgrimage route, as was Bakkah according to some muslims. Also the names are very similar, possibly deriving from the same word. Arguments against the identification of Baca with Bakkah The Hebrew Baca can be translated either as "weeping" or "balsam trees" (which grow in dry places). This means it could be a valley through which the pilgrims passed during their journey on their way to the temple at Jerusalem (Zion in the psalm), or it could be figurative, referring to the fact that even the dry deserts of the Middle-east through which the pilgrims pass are reason for joy as they near their destination. No matter the interpretation of 'Baca', it is clear this is en route to Jerusalem, and not some city in Arabia. Why would a jew from Judea or Galilee take an immense detour to Arabia to go to Jerusalem? Baca, Bakkah and Mecca (Makkah-tul-Mukarramah, home of Muhammad) Arguments against the identification of Baca with Mecca Opponents claim that the Biblical Baca cannot be positively identified with Mecca. According to them, the only link between Baca and the Bakkah of the Qur'an is a superficial similarity in name. The details about their locations (Baca near Jerusalem, Bakkah in Arabia) point against any identification of the places as being the same. Arguments for the identification of Bakkah with Mecca - Surah 3.96: For sure the first house ever to be select for the entire humanity was Bakkah. It was from this place the humanity was destined to get the guidance and the fundamental Law which would ensure the stability and nourishment for all.
It has been argued from this that the name Bakkah might very well have led to Mecca. This would be in line with Mecca being the site of the first mosque. Arguments against the identification of Bakkah with Mecca Why should not the Bakkah of surah 3:96 be linked to another place having a similar sounding name, rather than with Mecca? Baka/Baca/Bakkah is a word often found in names related to rivers and wadis, such as Wadi al-Baka in the Sinai, and Baca on the wadi in the central Galilee area, west of Meroth. This shows there are many possible Bakkahs in the middle-east. The change from initial B to initial M which should have produced Makkah (Mecca) from Bakkah is not standard in Arabic either, so this is an unexpected change. This identification is the result of a traditional misreading of surah 3:96. - "Inna awwala baytin wudi`a li-n-nsi lalladh bibakkata mubrakan wa-hudan li-l-`alamna"
Since no other explanation of this hapax legomenon "bibakkata" in the verse seemed possible, it was understood as "bi-Bakkata", with Bakkah allegedly being another name for Mecca (Arabic "Makkah"), giving the understanding: - "The first house established for the people was that at Bakka bibakkata, a place holy, and a guidance to all beings."
However, the Qur'an scholar Christoph Luxenberg, in his work Die syro-aramische Lesart des Koran. Ein Beitrag zur Entschlsselung der Koransprache ("The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Qur'an. A Contribution to Deciphering the Language of the Qur'an"), Berlin 2000, p. 302, reads: - "Inna awwala baytin wudi`a li-n-nsi lalladh tayyakahu mubrakan wa-hudan li-l-`alamna"
meaning: "The first house sacred house, shrine; Ch.H. established for the people is that which He fenced in instead of the misread "bi-Bakkata" as a holy place and a guidance for the men." The rasm, i.e. the Arabic script without all later invented diacritical marks, vowel signs etc., of both "bi-bakkata" and "tayyakahu" is exactly the same. In comparison with the traditional understanding of the verse Christoph Luxenberg's reading has three decisive advantages: - It doesn't need any fanciful invention like "bakkah" being another name for Makkah (Mecca) - an invention which finds no corroboration elsewhere.
- It avoids the bad Arabic "bi-bakkah", understood as "in Bakkah", whereas - if Bakkah would mean a town - good Arabic style would prefer "f-bakkah".
- It makes good sense, since indeed the decisive character of an antique temple is any kind of "fence", which separates the "holy precinct" from the "profane" grounds.
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