Around the year 605, the tribes of Mecca rebuilt the Kaʿbah after a flood damaged it. When the walls were high enough, they reached the moment of setting the Black Stone back in its corner. Every clan wanted the honour. Tempers rose; some clans dipped their hands in blood and swore to fight. Finally an old man suggested: let the next person to walk through the gate decide.
The next person was Muhammad, then about thirty-five years old. When they saw him, they said: “This is al-Amīn, the trustworthy one. We are content.” He asked for a cloak, spread it on the ground and placed the stone on it. Then he asked one leader from each clan to take hold of the edge, and together they lifted it. He set the stone in place with his own hands. No one was shamed, and no blood was shed.
Years later, when he was forced to leave Mecca in secret, people who opposed him still held deposits with him. He left his cousin ʿAlī behind to give every one of them back.
He taught: “The believer is the one from whom people's lives and property are safe” (Tirmidhi 2627). The Name al-Muʾmin and the word ‘believer’ meet in that sentence.
Judaism
“Behold, He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep.”
Psalm 121:4 · JPS 1917
The Hebrew root ʾ-m-n gives emunah, faithfulness, and amen, ‘so be it, it is firm’. In Deuteronomy, Moses calls God “a God of faithfulness”. Faith in Judaism is less about holding ideas and more about trusting the One who keeps His covenant.
Psalm 121, often said for travellers and at times of fear, promises that Israel's guardian never sleeps. Many Jewish families say it before a journey or for a new baby.
Many observant Jews begin each day, before they even get out of bed, with Modeh Ani: thanks to the living King for returning their soul with compassion. It ends with two words from the same root, rabbah emunatekha, ‘great is Your faithfulness’.
Christianity
“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you, and guard you from the evil one.”
2 Thessalonians 3:3 · WEB
The New Testament repeats a short creed: “God is faithful” (1 Corinthians 1:9). Christians speak of God keeping His promises through history, and the letter to the Hebrews urges believers to hold on “for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).
Christians end prayers with ‘amen’, the same root. They believe God's faithfulness is shown above all in Christ, through whom they trust they are kept safe in this life and the next.
Anglican Evensong ends the day with an old collect, still said in cathedrals: “Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night” (Book of Common Prayer).
Islam
“So let them worship the Lord of this House, Who hath fed them against hunger and hath made them safe from fear.”
Qur'an 106:3-4 · Pickthall (1930)
Al-Muʾmin is in the list of Names in Qur'an 59:23. Classical scholars gave it two senses. The first is the Giver of safety, who makes people secure from fear. The second is the One who confirms the truth, who keeps His word and confirms His messengers. Both meet in trust.
The Qur'an's short chapter Quraysh reminds the people of Mecca that their trade journeys and their safety were a gift. For people, the Name becomes a duty: be someone others can trust with their secrets, their property and their good name.
Same and different
Hebrew and Arabic share the root of this Name, and all three faiths say ‘amen’. All three teach that God is faithful and keeps His promises, and that believers should be trustworthy in return. They differ in where they see God's faithfulness most clearly: in His covenant with Israel, in Christ, or in the Qur'an and the messengers He confirmed. In Islam, the believer (muʾmin) carries a small share of the Name: people should be safe from them.
families / schoolsWho looks after you?Make luggage labels like those the 1939 evacuees wore. On one side write who keeps you safe; on the other, someone you could keep safe this week. Hang them on a string across the room.
schools / faith groupsThe cloak liftTell the story of the Black Stone, then do it. Lay a blanket on the floor with a heavy book on it and ask four people to lift it together from the corners. Talk about how a fair solution makes everyone safe.
familiesThe traveller's prayerJewish tradition has Tefillat HaDerech, the Traveller's Prayer, said at the start of a journey. Before your next family trip, each say one short wish for everyone's safe going out and coming back, and notice who keeps you safe on the way.
neighbours / faith groupsEvensongGo to Choral Evensong at a cathedral or college chapel: it is free and open to everyone. Listen for the closing prayer for safety through the night, then talk over a cup of tea about who you trust to keep watch for you.
Episode 1
