He was also instructed to add a rim of gold—a raised lip crowned with a golden molding—and to set four golden rings on its sides, embedded like pomegranates, all of it wood overlaid with gold. He was then told: “Make plates, strainers, and bowls for the table (1).
Fashion a lampstand of pure gold (2). It is to have six branches of gold, three on each side, with three lamps on every branch, and the lampstand itself should hold four cups. The lampstand and all these vessels are to be made from a single talent of gold. Bezalel made this as well, and he is the one who fashioned the altar.
The Tabernacle was erected on the first day of their year—the first day of spring—and the Ark of the Testimony was set in place. This, Allah knows best, is the Ark referred to in His words:
“Indeed, the sign of his kingship is that the Ark will come to you, in which is tranquility from your Lord and a remnant of what the family of Moses and the family of Aaron left behind, carried by the angels. Surely in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” (Qur’an 2:248)
Their scripture treats this section at great length, detailing their laws, rulings, the description of their offerings, and how they were to be presented. It states that the Tabernacle existed before their worship of the calf, which itself preceded the building of the Temple. The Tabernacle served them as the Kaʿbah serves us: they prayed in it, toward it, and offered their devotions beside it.
Whenever Moses, peace be upon him, entered it, they would stand at its entrance (3). A pillar of cloud would descend upon the doorway, whereupon they would all fall prostrate before Allah. From that luminous column of cloud Allah would speak to Moses—addressing, conversing with, commanding, and forbidding him—while he stood by the Ark, facing the space between the two cherubim. When the discourse ended, he would relate to the Children of Israel the commands and prohibitions Allah had revealed.
If they brought a dispute to him on which he had no revelation, he would go to the Tabernacle, stand beside the Ark, direct his attention to the space between the cherubim, and a message would come to him containing the decisive ruling for that case (4).
Such use of gold, dyed silk, and pearls in their sanctuary and place of prayer was legislated for them in their time. In our Sacred Law, however, it is not so; rather, we have been forbidden to embellish and adorn our mosques lest such decoration distract the worshippers. ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb—may Allah be pleased with him—said, when he enlarged the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, to the man he appointed over its construction: “Build something that will shelter the people, but beware of painting it red or yellow and thereby putting them to trial.”
Ibn ʿAbbās said: “Do not adorn them as the Jews and Christians adorned their churches” (5). This is an honor, ennoblement, and protection for this Ummah, shielding it from resembling the communities that came before. Allah has focused their hearts in prayer on turning solely to Him and devoting themselves to Him, safeguarding their eyes and thoughts from being distracted by anything unrelated to the great act of worship they are performing. All praise and favor belong to Allah.