What is the

Nabataean Ishmaelite Faith?

(Reprinted from the "Return to Petra" Blog, by Kharba Oraham)

Someone who comes across the Return to Petra blog, might get confused
initially, especially if they had no idea who was trying to return to Petra and
why. The phrase "Return to Petra" is only of meaning to the Ishmaelites, and of
the Ishmaelites, the Nabataean Ishmaelites in particular.

Being a Nabataean Ishmaelite is not simply something you believe, or practice,

it is something you are.

What is a Nabataean Ishmaelite?

Ishmaelites do not hold to Jewish, Christian or Muslim views. Despite a very

common misconception, all Ishmaelites are definitely not Muslims. It is true
that some Ishmaelites over the ages, adopted Islam as their faith, this does not
represent the true Ishmaelites. To be a true Ishmaelite, one needs to adhere to
the beliefs of the Ishmaelite Tribe. The Ishmaelite Tribe existed long before
Judaism, Christianity or Islam and has had its own beliefs and practices.

The name Nabataean Ishmaelite is used to distinguish those Tribal Ishmaelites

from those who became Muslim Ishmaelites.

The term Nabataean has a twofold purpose: First and foremost it is named
after the eldest son of Ishmael, Nebaioth. Nabataean Ishmaelism are the beliefs
and practices of the 12 tribes of Ishmael.

The other designation for Nabataean is the kingdom of Nabataea which

flourished in approximately the 2nd century BC. In the area called Rekem
Kadesh or what is considered modern-day Jordan. The central point of this
kingdom was the Holy City of Petra.

The Ishmaelites were not the only inhabitants of Petra, there were pagan
inhabitants in this area as well. Being a major kingdom and place of commerce
and trade in its time, the Kingdom of Nabataean had an influx of many people
of many different beliefs and practices. This did not detract from the fact that
the Ishmaelite inhabitants of Rekem Kadesh adhered to the Faith of Ishmael,
worshipping the One God of Abraham.

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The Ishmaelite faith is monotheism. The belief in the One True God, known by
different names in different culture, to the Ishmaelites, He is called "Ahayah"
the Divine Source of all life.

Another key distinction in the faith of the Ishmaelites has to do with the Right
Hand of God. In many near eastern beliefs, God is viewed as speaking directly or
interacting directly with mankind. Which causes a great deal of confusion and
argument when references to anthropomorphism arise. How can God walk in a
garden? How can physical attributes we attributed to God? And many more
questions along the same vein.

For the Ishmaelites, there is no confusion because we fully acknowledge the

Right Hand of God in the workings of Creation. In our beliefs, all that the Divine
Source does: Creation, Sustenance or Destruction, is by means of the agency of
the Right Hand of God.

The Right Hand of God is also called by many different names in many different
cultures: In Hebrew tradition He is referred to as Metatron and asMelkhizedek.
In Christian tradition He is called Ishu (we believe Ishu was a manifestation of
the Right Hand of God and not the Divine Source, Himself), in Yezidi culture, He
is called the Melek Taus, and in Persian culture He is known as Mithra.

The Nabataean Ishmaelites refer to Him as "Meetra, and we know Him as the
Divine Messenger of Ahayah. In all of creation nothing happens that is not
overseen by Meetra. Even the many angelic beings who work throughout the
creation, only do so by the direction of Lord Meetra.

Meetra is not God but the Right Hand of God. In all Near Eastern Scripture
where there is a reference to an Angel of the lord speaking to Man: This was
Lord Meetra.

Of the many important missions of Meetra is that of establishing covenants

with humanity. His name "Mithra" in Persian mean "Covenant" because that is
His responsiblity: To establish covenants with mankind between the Divine
Source and humanity. Whenever a covenant has been made with mankind,
Meetra has always been present. He is the voice of Ahayah to Man, the one who
establishes the covenant and the one who witnesses the covenant .He is also
the one who brings punishment to mankind if they offend Ahayah.

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Many cultures have been offered covenants, most have either rejected them,
or perverted them or broken them in some way. Many cultures have sacrificed
a belief in the One True God and have taken to worshipping the Right Hand of
God, by whatever name and form that is mostappeallig to them, much to the
chagrin of the Right Hand of God who only ever directs people to worship the
One God.

The Nabataean Faith is belief in the One God and this is realized with a
covenant with the One God through Meetra.

Ishmaelites honour all those who covenant with the One God. Even those who
have no covenant at this time, may enter into a covenant inShe'ool, the spirit
world. From there it is determined whether a soul or nafsha, enters into
Paradise or Hell.

Ishmaelites are strong believer in free will. That this is a gift from Ahayah to
mankind and just as we freely choose to serve God, that others must be
allowed to forge their own path to Ahayah, as well. Or not, as the case may be.
In either case, each person has the free will to choose.

But understanding and accepting the free will of others does not mean anyone
can offend the beliefs of the Ishmaelites or transgress the rights of the
Ishmaelites without repercussions. Just as it may be someone's free will to not
believe as we do, if they determine we do not have the right to live our faith,
we have the right to defend our faith.

In writing this, I know there are many people who will scratch their heads and
may do an internet search looking for a frame of reference to what is being
spoken of here, and they will find little to substantiate what I have shared. This
will come as no surprise.

Much of the history and the writings regarding the Ishmaelites has been lost to
humanity over the ages. One thing that was not lost to the Tribe was the Law
of Ishmael called the "Orayta d'Eesma'eel". and its Holy Book, the Ketava
Koodsha. In this book it reveals that Meetra, appeared to Abraham at the time
of the birth of his son Isaac, to tell him of the covenants that would be
established both for Ishmael and for Isaac.

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In these announcement, Lord Meetra told Abraham that his eldest son, Ishmael,
would preside over a covenant composed of many people. Not only this but
that in the latter days of humankind, a second covenant would be established
through Ishmael in the world.

This was written at the time of Abraham, thousands of years ago.

The second covenant that the Angel of the Lord is speaking of is the covenant
that is available to humanity through the Nabataean Ishmaelite Tribe. We are
told that God is restoring the Ishmaelite tribe from the God centered peoples
of all the earth, not relegated to matters of biology,bloodlines or lineage: that
this restoration is purely determined by faith and obedience to the One True
God. Along with the restoration of the Ishmaelite Tribe, God is also restoring
the Nabataean Kingdom, not as a secular society but as a theocratic monarchy.
A religious kingdom obedient to God.

Nabataean Ishmaelites, then, Worship the One God. They covenant through the
Right Hand of God, meaning they obey the instructions on living a virtuous and
God centered life as spelled out by the Right Hand of God, Himself. They work
towards the restoration of the Holy Tribe of Ishmael and the restoration of the
Nabataean Kingdom.

This may be the first time you are hearing about the Nabataean Ishmaelites,
but if it is the will of Ahayah, it will not be the last.

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Resources

Nabataean Ishmaelites - Covenant, Faith, Kingdom, Language

http://nabataean.org/

Return to Petra
http://kharba.wordpress.com/