It is reported that when Umar marched into Jerusalem with an army, he asked Ka‘b: "Where do you advise me to build a place of worship?" Ka‘b indicated the Temple Rock, now a gigantic heap of ruins from the temple of Jupiter. The Jews, Ka‘b explained, had briefly won back their old capital a quarter of a century before (when Persians overran Syria), but they had not had time to clear the site of the Temple, for the Byzantines (Rūm) had recaptured the city.
It is reported that when Umar led his troops into Jerusalem with an army, he asked Ka‘b: "What should I establish a place of worship at?" Ka‘b indicated the Temple Rock, which was now an enormous pile of rubble from the temple of Jupiter. The Jews had briefly reclaimed their old capital about twenty-five years earlier (when Persians controlled Syria), but they did not have time to clear the site for the Temple before the Byzantines (Rūm) recaptured the city.