Editing Cave of the Patriarchs (section)

==Religions beliefs and traditions==
===Judaism===
According to the [[Book of Genesis]], Abraham specifically purchased the land for use as a burial plot from Ephron the Hittite, making it one of two purchases by Abraham of real estate in the Land of Canaan, the [[Promised Land]]. The book describes how the three [[Patriarchs (Bible)|patriarchs]] and their wives, the matriarchs, were buried there.
* [[Abraham]] and [[Sarah]] ({{bibleref|Genesis|23:1–20|9}}; {{bibleref|Genesis|49:31|9}})
* [[Isaac]] and [[Rebekah]] ({{bibleref|Genesis|35:29|9}}; {{bibleref|Genesis|49:31|9}})
* [[Jacob]] and [[Leah]] ({{bibleref|Genesis|49:28–33|9}}; {{bibleref|Genesis|50:4–5|9}}; {{bibleref|Genesis|50:12–13|9}})
The only matriarch missing is Jacob's other wife, [[Rachel]], described in [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]]<ref>{{bibleref|Genesis|35:19–20|9}}</ref> as having been buried near [[Rachel's Tomb|Bethlehem]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/machpelah.html |title=Cave of Machpelah |encyclopedia=[[Jewish Virtual Library]] |access-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161209010624/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/machpelah.html |archive-date=9 December 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> These verses are the common source for the religious beliefs surrounding the cave. While they are not part of the [[Quran]] they exist in Islam's [[oral tradition]]. The story of Abraham's burial is recounted in, for example, [[Ibn Kathir]]'s 14th century [[Stories of the Prophets]].

[[File:Cenotaph of Abraham - northwestern view.JPG|thumb|250px|Tomb of Abraham]]
Jewish [[midrashic]] literature avows that, in addition to the patriarch couples, [[Adam]], the first man, and his wife, [[Eve]], were also interred in the Cave of the Patriarchs,<ref>[[Jerusalem Talmud]], ''Taanith'' 4:2; Babylonian Talmud, ''Erubin'' 53a; ''Pirke Rebbe Eliezer'', chapter 20; [[Midrash Rabba]] (''Genesis Rabba''), ch. 28:3</ref> a tradition supported by ancient Samaritan texts.<ref>''[[The Asatir]]'' (ed. Moses Gaster), The Royal Asiatic Society: London 1927, pp. 210, 212</ref> The tradition is supported by the simple wording of Genesis 23:2, which refers to "Kiryat Arba... Hevron" ("arba" means 'four'). Commenting on that passage, [[Rashi]] listed the four couples chronologically, starting with Adam and Eve.

Another Jewish tradition tells that when Jacob was brought to be buried in the cave, [[Esau]] prevented the burial, claiming that he had the right to be buried in the cave; after some negotiation [[Naphtali]] was sent to Egypt to retrieve the document stating Esau sold his part in the cave to Jacob. As this was going on, [[Hushim]], the son of [[Dan (son of Jacob)|Dan]], and who was hard of hearing, did not understand what was transpiring, and why his grandfather was not being buried, so he asked for an explanation; after being given one he became angry and said: "Is my grandfather to lie there in contempt until Naphtali returns from the land of Egypt?" He then took a club and killed Esau, and Esau's head rolled into the cave.<ref>{{cite web |author=Sefaria |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Sotah.13a |title=Talmud Bavli, Sotah 13a |publisher=www.sefaria.org |access-date=17 May 2019 |author-link=Sefaria |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517141301/https://www.sefaria.org/Sotah.13a |archive-date=17 May 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> This implies that the head of Esau is also buried in the cave. Some Jewish sources record the selling of Esau's right to be buried in the cave—according to a commentary on the "Book of Exodus", Jacob gave all his possessions to acquire a tomb in the Cave of the Patriarchs. He put a large pile of gold and silver before Esau and asked, "My brother, do you prefer your portion of this cave, or all this gold and silver?"<ref>"Shemot Rabbah" 31:17</ref> Esau's selling to Jacob his right to be buried in the Cave of the Patriarchs is also recorded in ''Sefer HaYashar''.<ref>[[Sefer haYashar (midrash)|''Sefer Hayashar'']] Chapter 27 p. 77b</ref>

An early Jewish text, the [[Genesis Rabbah]], states that this site is one of three that enemies of Judaism cannot taunt the Jews by saying "you have stolen them," as it was purchased "for its full price" by [[Abraham]].<ref>[[Genesis Rabbah]] 79.7: "And he bought the parcel of ground, where he had spread his tent... for a hundred pieces of money." Rav Yudan son of Shimon said: ‘This is one of the three places where the non-Jews cannot deceive the Jewish People by saying that they stole it from them, and these are the places: Ma’arat HaMachpela, the Temple and Joseph's burial place. Ma’arat HaMachpela because it is written: ‘And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver,’ ([[Book of Genesis|Genesis]], 23:16); the Temple because it is written: ‘So David gave to Ornan for the place,’ ([[I Chronicles]], 21:26); and Joseph's burial place because it is written: ‘And he bought the parcel of ground... Jacob bought Shechem.’ (Genesis, 33:19)." See also: [[Abraham Isaac Kook|Kook, Abraham Isaac]], ''Moadei Hare'iya'', pp. 413–15.</ref>

According to the [[Midrash]], the Patriarchs were buried in the cave because the cave is the threshold to the [[Garden of Eden]]. The Patriarchs are said not to be dead but "sleeping". They rise to beg mercy for their children throughout the generations. According to the [[Zohar]],<ref>Zohar 127a</ref> this tomb is the gateway through which souls enter into [[Gan Eden]] (heaven).

There are Hebrew prayers of supplication for marriage on the walls of the Sarah cenotaph.

===Islam===
Muslims believe that [[Muhammad]] visited Hebron on his [[Isra' and Mi'raj|nocturnal journey from Mecca]] to Jerusalem to stop by the tomb and pay his respects.<ref name=vitullo2003>{{cite journal |year=2003 |title=People Tied to Place: Strengthening Cultural Identity in Hebron's Old City |first=Anita |last=Vitullo |journal=Journal of Palestine Studies |volume=33 |pages=68–83 |doi=10.1525/jps.2003.33.1.68}}</ref> For this reason the tomb quickly became a popular Islamic pilgrimage site. It was said that Muhammad himself encouraged the activity, saying "He who cannot visit me, let him visit the Tomb of Abraham" and "He who visits the Tomb of Abraham, Allah abolishes his sins."<ref name="Pilgrimage: From the Ganges to Grac"/>

According to one tradition, childless women threw petitions addressed to Sarah, known for giving birth at an advanced age, through a hole in the mosque floor to the caves below.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Hebron, City of Abraham, the Friend of God |journal=Journal of Bible and Religion |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=94–99 |first=Eric F. F |last=Bishop |jstor=1457287 |year=1948}}</ref>

After the [[History of Palestine#Palestine from the Byzantines to the Ottomans|conquest]] of the city by [[Umar]], this holy place was "simply taken over from the Jewish tradition"<ref>[[Adrian Hastings|Hastings, Adrian]], "Holy lands and their political consequences", Nations and Nationalism, Volume 9, Issue 1, pp. 29–54, January 2003.</ref> by the new rulers; the Herodian enclosure was converted into a mosque and placed under the control of a [[waqf]]. The waqf continues to maintain most of the site, while the Israeli military controls access to the site.

According to some Islamic sources the cave is also the tomb of [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]]. Though the Bible has Joseph buried in [[Shechem]] (the present-day Palestinian city of [[Nablus]]), Jewish [[aggadic]] tradition conserved the idea that he wished to be interred at Hebron,{{citation needed|reason=Where is this aggada?|date=August 2015}} and the Islamic version may reflect this.<ref>Shalom Goldman, ''The Wiles of Women/the Wiles of Men: Joseph and Potiphar's Wife in Ancient Near Eastern, Jewish, and Islamic Folklore,'' SUNY Press, 1995 pp. 126–27</ref> The Jewish apocryphal book, The [[Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs]], also states that this is the burial place of Jacob's twelve sons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/patriarchs-charles.html |title=The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (R. H. Charles) |publisher=Earlychristianwritings.com |access-date=10 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402062519/http://earlychristianwritings.com/text/patriarchs-charles.html |archive-date=2 April 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

According to some sources, the mosque is the 4th [[Holiest sites in Islam|holiest in Islam]];<ref name=":0">{{cite book |chapter=The Gate of Legacy |first=Shai |last=Har-El |quote=Hebron is regarded by the Jews as second in sanctity to Jerusalem, and by the Muslims as the fourth-holiest city after Mecca. |doi=10.1057/9781137388124_6 |title=Where Islam and Judaism Join Together |pages=69–86 |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-349-48283-2}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite journal |title=An approach to risk management and preservation of cultural heritage in multi identity and multi managed sites: Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi/Abraham's Tombs of the Patriarchs in Al-Khalil/Hebron |first1=Rabab |last1=Alshweiky |first2=Zeynep |last2=Gül Ünal |journal=Journal of Cultural Heritage |volume=20 |pages=709–14 |year=2016 |quote=According to the Islamic belief, Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi/Tombs of the Patriarchs is considered to be the fourth most important religious site in Islam after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem and the second holiest place after the Aqsa Mosque in Palestine. Additionally, according to the Jewish belief, it is the world's most ancient Jewish site and the second holiest place for the Jews, after Temple Mount in Jerusalem. |doi=10.1016/j.culher.2016.02.014}}</ref><ref name=sellic1994>{{cite journal |journal=Journal of Palestine Studies |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=69–82 |title=The Old City of Hebron: Can It be Saved? |year=1994 |first=Patricia |last=Sellic |quote=This deterioration has long-term implications for the Palestinians, since the old city of Hebron forms an important part of the Palestinian and indeed the Muslim heritage. It is one of the four holiest cities in Islam, along with Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. |jstor=2538213 |doi=10.2307/2538213}}</ref> other sources rank other sites as 4th.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&dq=damascus+%22fourth+holiest%22&pg=PA121 Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106165606/https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&dq=damascus+%22fourth+holiest%22&pg=PA121 |date=6 November 2023 }}, edited by Michael Dumper, Bruce E. Stanley, ABC CLIO, p. 121</ref><ref>[https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2013/08/02/damascus-whats-left/ Damascus: What’s Left] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204005633/https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2013/08/02/damascus-whats-left/ |date=4 December 2018 }}, Sarah Birke, New York Review of Books</ref><ref>Totah, Faedah M. "Return to the origin: negotiating the modern and unmodern in the old city of Damascus." City & Society 21.1 (2009): 58–81.</ref><ref>Berger, Roni. "Impressions and thoughts of an incidental tourist in Tunisia in January 2011." Journal of International Women's Studies 12.1 (2011): 177–78.</ref><ref>Nagel, Ronald L. "Jews of the Sahara." Einstein Journal of Biology and Medicine 21.1 (2016): 25–32.</ref><ref>Harris, Ray, and Khalid Koser. "Islam in the Sahel." ''Continuity and Change in the Tunisian Sahel''. Routledge, 2018. 107–20.</ref><ref>Jones, Kevin. "Slavs and Tatars: Language arts." ''ArtAsiaPacific'' 91 (2014): 141.</ref><ref>Sultanova, Razia. ''From Shamanism to Sufism: Women, Islam and Culture in Central Asia''. Vol. 3. IB Tauris, 2011.</ref><ref>Okonkwo, Emeka E., and C. A. Nzeh. "Faith–Based Activities and their Tourism Potentials in Nigeria." ''International Journal of Research in Arts and Social Sciences'' 1 (2009): 286–98.</ref><ref>Mir, Altaf Hussain. Impact of tourism on the development in Kashmir valley. Diss. Aligarh Muslim University, 2008.</ref><ref>Desplat, Patrick. "The Making of a ‘Harari’ City in Ethiopia: Constructing and Contesting Saintly Places in Harar." ''Dimensions of Locality: Muslim Saints, Their Place and Space'' 8 (2008): 149.</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-40656946 Harar – the Ethiopian city known as 'Africa's Mecca'] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204012629/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-40656946 |date=4 December 2018 }}, BBC, 21 July 2017</ref>

A [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid]]-era [[Minbar of the Ibrahimi Mosque|minbar]] is kept at the mosque. According to an Arabic inscription written on the minbar, it was commissioned by Fatimid [[Vizier (Fatimid Caliphate)|vizier]] [[Badr al-Jamali]] during the reign of Caliph [[Al-Mustansir Billah|al-Mustansir]] when he discovered the head of [[Husayn ibn Ali]] in 1092 CE (448 [[Hijri year|AH]]) at [[Ascalon]] and kept it at a mosque and shrine there.<ref name=Williams1983>Williams, Caroline. 1983. "The Cult of 'Alid Saints in the Fatimid Monuments of Cairo. Part I: The Mosque of al-Aqmar". In Muqarnas I: An Annual on Islamic Art and Architecture. Oleg Grabar (ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press, 37–52 [41], Wiet, "notes," pp. 217ff. RCEA, 7:260–63.</ref><ref>''Brief History of Transfer of the Sacred Head of Hussain ibn Ali, From Damascus to Ashkelon to Qahera'' By: Qazi Dr. Shaikh Abbas Borhany & Shahadat al A'alamiyyah. ''Daily News'', Karachi, Pakistan on 3 January 2009 [http://www.durrenajaf.com/upload/51310a3ca52c8.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214142006/http://www.durrenajaf.com/upload/51310a3ca52c8.pdf|date=14 December 2017}}.</ref><ref name=":3" />