Question

Assalaam alaikum.  Would you have any information regarding the word in this ayah?  Would the name of Makkah al Mukarramah (as we know it now) have changed from Bakkah (as in the ayah) to Makkah due the same articulation point of meem and ba and an ease on the ba so it changed over time to meem?

Interpretation of the meaning: Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for Al-'Alamîn (the mankind and jinns).

Jazakumullahu khair.

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh.

We found no information explaining the reason for the two different names, but also found that both names were well accepted by the Muslims at the time of the Prophet, , as there is no documentation of surprise at the name Bakkah.  The word "Bakkah" does have a meaning in Arabic, besides being another name for Mekkah, it has the meaning of pounding something, and another meaning is crowded. (Al-Muqtataf min 'uyooon at-tafaaseer, Mustafa Al-Khayree Al-Mansoori).

There is a verse in the Bible that may or may not refer to Mekkah as Bekkah, but spelled Baca in Psalms 84:1-6.  Certainly there are indications that it is Mekkah, but we have no way of really knowing. The verse in one translation or version (there are many, each with different meanings) of the Bible is:

“How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!  My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.  Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You. Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with blessings...”  (Psalm 84:1-6).

 

Wa iyyakum wa-l-muslimeen