A Dangerous Crossing

Delving through the 'killing' concepts found in the Quran necessitates a lighter take on a more serious topic.

You Know, it is really no big trick to get past Heaven's Gate. 

Whoever shows up tells God a joke, and if 2/3 of the Angels fall down laughing, they automatically get in! (It's very democratic, You See?). 

So, in no time at all word got out that, more often than not, the funniest joke is a one-liner, "My Life!" 

After a bit of scrutiny and if the Angels (by 2/3 majority) still fall down laughing, you're in! 

And it was only a matter of time before, Elmer J. Fudd had met with a hunting accident that proved fatal and providence found him at Heaven's Door. 

And it just so happened that Elmer Fudd was no dummy having already learned the joke that would get him through the gate. 

So, without hesitation, when it was his turn to tell the joke, he said,"...My Wife!"

...and for best delivery of the one-liner, God let Elmer mess with the Controls for the Day.

The trip up to Heaven's Gate calls for travel, like over hill, over dale (through/across a valley), and a dusty trail...

There is reference to just such a journey in Psalm 23:

Psalm 23
A Psalm of David

¹The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. (shepherding ewes guys, in all likelihood)
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures, (not double over laughing?)
he leads me beside quiet waters, (pick a body, any body of water, the Pacific Ocean is a good one)
³     he refreshes my soul. ('cuz I get to ditch work for a day)
He guides me along the right paths (because my bros keep trying to ditch me)
    for hisname’s sake. (yeah, yeah, and not my interruptive brothers')
⁴ Even though I walk ('cuz I can't run and I had to sell my car)
    through the valley of the shadow of death, (that's right, we're all dead around here)
I will fear no evil, (despite the fact that Solomon lets his bad jinns run loose around here)
    for You are with me; (yeah, yeah, because I am the quietest one)
Your rod and Your staff, (moves the other less controllable ones along)
    they comfort me. (especially when you use them on my meddling brothers)

⁵ You prepare a table before me (because it's no secret that I can't cook)
    in the presence of my enemies. (that way they know it isn't me, but You handling this business)
You anoint my head with oil; (more like my neck, that's where the contact dermatitis is most noticeable)
    my cup overflows. (Come to think of it, I started out as a B and now Am a C++)
⁶ Surely Your goodness and love will follow me (apparently, You are not the One trying to ditch me)
    all the days of my life, (is it over yet, please someone tell me)
and I will dwell in the House of the Lord ('cuz I am pretty much homeless around here and mooching off my friends)
    forever. (hopefully not literally forever, my friends may decide to sell their house--then what?)

In addition to the 'valley of the shadow of death' in the Psalm of David, Joel 13:4  makes mention of the 'valley of decision,' or some render it as the 'valley of Judgment':

Joel 3:14 (New International Version) 

¹⁴  For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision.

And Ezekiel 37 is a narrative about prophesying in the 'valley of dry bones.'

The Valley of Dry Bones 

The hand of the Lord was on me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. ² He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.³  (the inference is the bones were in direct contact with the sand, since silica is a type of desiccant, and a point is being made about how dry the bones are)

He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” (clearly, God is talking to a Human Being, ie. 'son of man' as opposed to Jinn or Angel (some other intelligent life form))
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know. ”⁴  (for this human to be speaking directly to the Lord, he must be is some altered state...apparently there is something other than 'dead' or 'alive'...let's call it 'wahhi'...ala 'men in black sort o'thing')

Then He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: "I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. ⁶ I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ’” (the inference is that the Creation is not as static as we may be led to perceive but occurs instant-by-instant, and we are generally oblivious to that as we go about our business)

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. (A similar description of such 'lifeless' forms appears 'like propped up wood' in the Quran Verse 63:4...maybe a reference to beings that are not yet 'whole')

⁹ Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, Son of Man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. 

¹¹ Then He said to me: “Son of Man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it", declares the Lord. ’”

{Gasp! She, a Palestinian Muslim, said this?!! Yes, because the ignorant presuppose that she doesn't have any Jewish Friends, Teachers, or Family; and, the Assertion is Maintained that WE Do Not Divide in this land. Sorry, you all just have to think of other entertainment for what passes as the evening news.} 

Quran Surah 2 Al. Baqara (The C.O.W//Copy On Write), Sign 2:259 is closely related to the events in Ezekiel 37

أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَى قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا
 قَالَ أَنَّىَ يُحْيِـي هَـَذِهِ اللّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا
 فَأَمَاتَهُ اللّهُ مِئَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ
 قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ
 قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ
 قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِئَةَ عَامٍ فَانظُرْ إِلَى طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ
 لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ
 وَانظُرْ إِلَى حِمَارِكَ
 وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ آيَةً لِّلنَّاسِ
 وَانظُرْ إِلَى العِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا
 ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا
 فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ
 قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (2:259) 

(2:259)  Like He who came upon a township with not a living soul (literally, 'all its Altars Empty'), and He wondered (asked), "How Will God Revive/Resurrect this after its Death?" And after He died and God Resurrected Him, God asked Him, " How Long Had You tarried (went about in this state, been Dead)?" He said, "I tarried a Day or a Few (Couple) of Days." (God) Said, "No, You have been dead for years (some countless number of days); yet, look at your meal and your drink, they have not been touched (affected). And observe your burro. And in this manner, We Made You an Example/Sign for Others (People, Your Community). So, see how We Assemble the Bones and then dress them with Flesh." And when this was shown (demonstrated, made apparent) to Him, He said, "I Indeed (Have come to) Know that God Truly Is Able to Do Anything!" (The allusion is very strong reference Sign 2:260 to Abraham's encounter with God and asking to see how indeed the Dead are Resurrected, and the fact that Abraham (in the collective) always knows with certitude the Acts of God--that's why everyone thinks I am so quiet around here, too, I kept my mmouth shut until I knew for sure, just like my Dad)

And the disputation arises time and again about God's Modus Operandi that He Does, and with some regularity, bring the dead--dust, and dry bones,   تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا  'turaba wa 3ththaman", back to Life.

وَقَالُواْ أَئِذَا كُنَّا عِظَامًا وَرُفَاتًا أَإِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ خَلْقًا جَدِيدًا (17:49)

17:49 And they say (dispute the fact), "When we are (nothing but) bones remaining, we are to be Resurrected in a New Creation (Be Created Anew)?"

ذَلِكَ جَزَآؤُهُم بِأَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُواْ بِآيَاتِنَا وَقَالُواْ أَئِذَا كُنَّا عِظَامًا وَرُفَاتًا أَإِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ خَلْقًا جَدِيدًا (17:98)

17:98 Such is their recompense because they disbelieved in Our Signs and they said, "If there is nothing left but our bones, are we to be Resurrected in a New Creation (Be Created Anew)?"

أَيَعِدُكُمْ أَنَّكُمْ إِذَا مِتُّمْ وَكُنتُمْ تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا أَنَّكُم مُّخْرَجُونَ (23:35)

(23:35) "Does He advocate that when you are (nothing) but dust and bones that you will Re-emerge?"

قَالُوا أَئِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا أَئِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ (23:82) 

(23:82) They say, "When we die and become dust and bones, we will be Resurrected?"

وَضَرَبَ لَنَا مَثَلًا وَنَسِيَ خَلْقَهُ قَالَ مَنْ يُحْيِي الْعِظَامَ وَهِيَ رَمِيمٌ (36:78) 
(36:78) And he struck a metaphor for Us, having forgot his own Creation, saying, "He Revives the bones whey they are scattered?"

أَئِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا أَئِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ (37:16)  

(37:16) "When we have died and become dust and bones, we will be Resurrected?"

The problem with reconciling Psalm 23, Ezekeil 37 and Surah 2 Verse 259 follows from the circumspect definition of what is a Jew or Israelite (as my mouthy wanna be 'husband' proclaims Himself to be)...what is a Christian...what is a Muslim...and what is a Human Being for all that matters.

B'nai Isra.el is just that by the very meaning of the word, from the archaic root 'isra' meaning 'to travel' or 'course', 'beat a path to a doorstep', however you want to say it to El, or 'God'. 

The very Lord God of the Many Ways of Ascent.

Surah 70 Al.Ma3raj (The Ways of Ascent)
مِّنَ اللَّهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ (70:3 
70:3 ...From God, the Lord of (the Many Ways) of Ascents (Ascension) 

So, it is a perversion to state that only people of Hebrew ancestry hold reign to this proclivity. 

Check it out... the Quran...the arguable Source of all the Scriptures address All Creation, not even just the Humans, but every World of God's Creation; Angels, Jinn, Humanity, Birds on the Wing (Tayer...not dodo birds...) and so on.

So, given that one way to Realize God's presence is the Resurrection by way of the Esau Son of Mary method, there are expected to be other ways.

Jesus, for one thing re-appeared to his friends and family in a different body than that they were accustomed to seeing before His Resurrection.

What of the other ways, the one for example where the very graves are opened up and there is a Re-emergence. At this point, Time itself would undergo a Convergence. 

Afterall, the dead are dead for some undefined time then they find themselves walking about again, looking good as new and very much as they remember themselves to be, if they are not altogether oblivious of the Event having Taken place at all.

It is clear throughout the Scripture that only a few of the living and walking about would be in on it at all...to everybody else, it's business as usual.

(Don't Test me, this is why I am Soooo flippin' mad...so really, just leave me alone...)

 {I cannot tell whether that 'fool' comment was directed at me?

A Dish of 'Fool' Mudammas

... or the man that just spoke to me?
.
.

...or are You simply expressing a meal preference?}

أَئِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا أَئِنَّا لَمَدِينُونَ (37:53) 

مَا تَذَرُ مِن شَيْءٍ أَتَتْ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا جَعَلَتْهُ كَالرَّمِيمِ (51:42) 

وَكَانُوا يَقُولُونَ أَئِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا أَئِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ (56:47) 

أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنسَانُ أَلَّن نَجْمَعَ عِظَامَهُ (75:3) 

أَئِذَا كُنَّا عِظَامًا نَّخِرَةً (79:11) 

In church architecture the 'crossing' is the juncture where the 4-arms of a cruciform church meet (the transept crosses the main body of the church). Typically, (especially in Romanesque and Gothic churches) "the crossing gives access to the nave on the West, the transept arms on the North and South, and the Choir (Chancel?/Altar?====Lattice) on the East."

Sometimes, the transept is surmounted by a dome or tower, and in early Medieval churches, the 'crossing square' was used a unit of measure, or 'module', where the lengths of the nave and the transept were a multiple of the length of the crossing.

General Cardinal Direction Correspondence
Church Crossing vs Kaaba
Major Axis (Kaaba) is N-S

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Do You Know what Time it is?--Time for another joke!

So, the Messengers gathered 'round to recount their recent exploits, as Men are wont to do when they have all of Eternity stretching out before them, at the local and very exclusive (for Prophets only) coffee shop, when Muhammed (pbuh) walked up to them and was invited to join in the conversation. 

Knowing just how difficult (read; dangerous and low-paying) the job of Prophecy can be (that's why nobody ever volunteers), they were eager to know whether He would be the last of them. 

And He could honestly attest, "That's the End of It, there's Nobody after Me." 

They all breathed a collective Sigh of Relief and went for refills (for which now a receipt is required). 

Then they all sat back 'round and continued to regale each other with tales of mystery, and intrigue, and movies like Alien vs Predator, when they began to notice a woman picking up her morning coffee and the day's paper on her way to work and back on a disturbingly regular schedule (outside what would be considered a 'normal variance' or 'excursion'). 

Alarmed at how she managed to cross into the coffee shop (which was 'shut down' on previous occasions), they went back to verify that Muhammed (pbuh) had indeed got it right. 

And He re-assured them, "Really, there is Nobody after Me!" 

His  reputation having preceded Him for Honesty and Accuracy, they had to get the story straight.

So finally, one morning One of them asked her, "Who are you?!" 

And she said, "Nobody."

Surah50 Qaf 
فَاصْبِرْ عَلَى مَا يَقُولُونَ
 وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ
 قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ الْغُرُوبِ (50:39) 

(50:39) So Patiently tolerate whatsoever they say, and Praise the Glory (Grandeur/Magnitude/Increased Perceptability by Others) of Your Lord before the Rising of the Sun and before Sunset.