Legends of the
Dome of the Rock:
9 / THE
HOLY CAVERN
A small cavern is carved into the Foundation Stone. It
is entered by descending several stairs from the hall of the Dome of the Rock.
Arabs indicate various spots in the cave where important personages in Israel's
history have worshiped. They believe that their souls gather here from time to
time to pray. In consequence, the cave plays an important role in their lives,
and many Arabs come here to supplicate Allah, the merciful and compassionate.
One corner marks a place of worship named after the
patriarch Abraham, another after King David. Nearby are worshiping places
bearing the names of King Solomon, the prophet Elijah, and the angel Gabriel.
There is a depression in the cave's ceiling, which was formed, Arabs say, by
the head of Muhammad as he prayed in the cave.
David ha-Reubeni, who came from Arabia and proclaimed
himself the Messiah of Israel, visited the Holy Land at the beginning of the
Turkish reign. In 1523 he entered the Dome of the Rock, and he relates:
"When I came to the sanctuary, all the Ishmaelite guardians came to bow
before me and to kiss my feet, and said to me: 'Enter, O blessed of the Lord,
our Lord, the son of our Lord!'
"And the two chiefs among them came and took me
to the cavern which is in the Foundation Stone and said to me: 'Here prayed
Elijah the prophet, and here King David; in this place prayed King Solomon, and
in that, the patriarchs Abraham and Isaac; and here prayed Muhammad!'
"I said to the chieftains: 'Now that I know all
this, go your way, for I wish to pray here alone.' I remained in the Temple,
and I fasted five weeks; no bread did I eat, and no water passed my lips,
except on the eve of Sabbath".
Source: David ha-Reuveni, ed. Eshcoli, 1940, p. 25.
Culled
from: Zev Vilnay: Legends of Jerusalem, Jewish Publication Society,
1973.
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