Subscribe to the podcast and notes: https://qurantalk.podbean.com/
Quran translation on iOS:https://apple.co/2C1YGXj
Additional Resources: http://www.masjidtucson.org
Contact: qurantalk (at) gmail (dot) com
Dan Gibbons - The Sacred City of Mecca - Have we Got it Wrong? | TRACKS
The prophet was actually from Petra therefore Hajj and the Ka’bah are in Petra
The place of the Ka’aba was had thriving in agriculture
The Quran describes as the town of the Sacred Masjid as the “mother of cities” therefore this could not be Mecca as Mecca back then was a barren desert and not a major trading location as is depicted in some Hadith 
The one occurrence of Mecca in the Quran is potentially a misspelling and was probably originally spelled with a b as opposed to a m.
Findings based on Hadith and his claims of some of the earliest Mosque that the Qibla points to Petra and not Mecca.
Mecca is the town that contains the Ka’bah known as the Sacred House in the Quran. It was established by Abraham and Ishmael.
Abraham
[2:124] Recall that Abraham was put to the test by his Lord, through certain commands, and he fulfilled them. (God) said, "I am appointing you an imam for the people." He said, "And also my descendants?" He said, "My covenant does not include the transgressors." [2:125] We have rendered the shrine (the Ka'aba) a focal point for the people, and a safe sanctuary. You may use Abraham's shrine as a prayer house. We commissioned Abraham and Ismail: "You shall purify My house for those who visit, those who live there, and those who bow and prostrate.”
[3:95] Say, "GOD has proclaimed the truth: You shall follow Abraham's religion—monotheism. He never was an idolator." [3:96] The most important shrine established for the people is the one in Becca; a blessed beacon for all the people.
[48:24] He is the One who withheld their hands of aggression against you, and withheld your hands of aggression against them in the valley of Mecca, after He had granted you victory over them. GOD is Seer of everything you do.
Valley of Weeping?
The assumption that Becca means Petra is based on false information
Root = of Becca = ب ك ك
crowding together of people; lacking water; breaking of the neck
The belief that the root means "weeping" is a knwon misunderstanding it originated from the Greek translation of Hebrew of Psalms 84, where the Greek translation assumed a similar-sounding word בכה (bakhá) “weeping” and translated ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι τοῦ κλαυθμῶνος "valley of weeping” in Greek as opposed to “valley of Bakka”.)
Hajj in the Bible
Psalm 84
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 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, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka…
 
Root = ب ك ي = weep or cry
[48:24] He is the One who withheld their hands of aggression against you, and withheld your hands of aggression against them in the valley of Mecca, after He had granted you victory over them. GOD is Seer of everything you do.
Mother of Cities
أُمَّ الْقُرَىٰ  = umma l-qura = mother of the cities / mother of all cities
[6:92] This too is a blessed scripture that we have revealed, confirming the previous scriptures, that you may warn the most important community* and all those around it. Those who believe in the Hereafter will believe in this (scripture), and will observe the Contact Prayers (Salat).
[42:7] We thus reveal to you an Arabic Quran to warn the central community and all around it, and to warn about the Day of Summoning that is inevitable. Some will end up in Heaven, and some in Hell.
Abraham literally means the father of multitude.
Abraham from Hebrew אַבְרָהָם
אַב (aḇ,