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Ka’aba The House Of Allah
In the province of Hejaz in the western part of Arabia, not far from the Red Sea, there
lies the town of Makka. In the centre of this town there is a small square building made
of stones, about 60 feet long, 60 feet wide and 60 feet high. Since time immemorial this
town and this stone built house has been known to world travellers. This is Baitullah, the
House of Allah. Its sanctity and antiquity is older than history itself.
Tradition goes that the Kaaba was ordained by Allah to be built in the shape of the
House in Heaven called Baitul Ma’amoor. Allah in his infinite Mercy ordained a
similar place on earth and Prophet Adam was the first to build this place. The Bible, in
the Chapter of Genesis describes its building when God ordained Abraham to erect a Shrine
for worship when Abraham was ordered to go to the Southern desert with his wife Hagera and
infant son Ismael. The Old Testament describes this building as the Shrine of God at
several places, but the one built at Ma’amoor is very much similar to the one at
Makka. There is no doubt that it was referring to the stone built house at Makka.
Qora’an brought this story into the full light of history. In Sura 3 Verse 90
Qora’an says “Allah has spoken the Truth, therefore follow the creed of Ibrahim,
a man of pure faith and no idolater”. The first house established for the people was
at Makka, a Holy place and a guidance to all beings. Qora’an firmly establishes the
fact that Ibrahim was the real founder of the Holy Shrine.
When Prophet Ibrahim built the Holy Shrine in Makka, his prayers were that this place
should remain a centre of worship for all good and pious people; that Allah should keep
his family the custodians of the Holy place. Ever since, Ismael the son of Ibrahim who
helped his father to build this place and his descendants remained the custodians of the
Holy Shrine. History tells us that centuries passed and the guardianship of the Kaaba
remained in the family of Ismael until the name of Abde Manaf came into the limelight. He
inherited this service and made it much more prominent. His son Hashim took this
leadership and extended it to many other towns of Hejaz so much so that many pilgrims
flocked annually to this place and enjoyed Hashims’s hospitality. A feast was given
in honour of the pilgrims, food and water was served to all guests by the family of
Hashim. This prominence created jealousies and his brother Abdushams’ adopted son
Ummayya tried to create trouble. There was a dispute in which Umayya failed and left Makka
to settle down in the Northern provinces of Suria(Sham) currently known as Syria. After
Hashim his brother Muttalib and after him Hashim’s son Shyba who became known as
Abdul Muttalib assumed the leadership of the family. He organised feasts and supplies of
water to the pilgrims during the annual festival of Pilgrimage to the Holy Shrine.
Prophet Ibrahim built this House for devout worship to one God. But within his lifetime
people disobeyed his orders and began to put idols inside the Kaaba. Ibrahim had to clean
the House of these idols and of Idle worshippers. He told the people that this was a
symbolic house of God. God does not live there for He is everywhere. People did not
understand this logic and no sooner had Ibrahim died the people, out of reverence, filled
the place with idols again. They thronged to this place annually and worshipped their
personal gods, It was over Four Thousand years later that the last of the line of prophet
(SA), Muhammad Ibne Abdullah entered Makka triumphantly, went inside the Ka’aba and,
with the help of his cousin and son in law Ali Ibne Abi Talib, (AS) destroyed all the
idols of Ka’aba with their own hands. At one stage of this destruction of idols, the
tallest of the idol Hubbol was brought down after Ali had to stand on the shoulders of the
Prophet to carry out God’s orders. The Prophet of Islam was reciting the Verse from
the Qur’an
“Truth hath come and falsehood hath vanished.”
This was done in the 8th year of Hijra, January 630 AD after the bloodless victory at
Makka by the Prophet of Islam.
Historically when Ibrahim was ordered by Allah to build the Shrine for worship over a
small he uncovered the original foundations of the Kaaba built by Adam. Ibrahim with the
help of his son Ismael erected the new shrine on the same foundations. Originally it
contained only four walls without a roof . Centuries later during the timeof Kusayi who
was the leader of the Tribe of Quraish in Makka a taller building was completed with a
roof and a quadrangle wall around it to give it the shape of a sanctuary and doors all
around the sanctuary walls. People entered through these doors to come to the Ka’aba
for worship. It is now about 60 feet high, 60 feet wide from east to west and 60 feet from
north to south. A door is fixed about 7 feet above ground level facing North East. A Black
stone (Hajar al Aswad) was fixed into its eastern corner. In front of the building was
Maqame Ibrahim, the arch shape gate known as that of Banu Shayba and the Zamzam Well. Just
outside are the Hills called Safa and Merwa and the distance between the hills is about
500 yards. These days both of the hills are enclosed into the sanctuary walls with a roof
over it.
The whole building is built of the layers of grey blue stone from the hills surrounding
Makka. The four corners roughly face the four points of the compass. At the East is the
Black stone (Rukn el Aswad), at the North is el Ruken el Iraqi, at the west al Rukne el
Shami and at the south al Rukne el Yamani. The four walls are covered with a curtain
(Kiswa). The kiswa is usually of black brocade with the Shahada outlined in the weave of
the fabric. About 2/3rd’s of the way up runs a gold embroidered band covered with
Qur'anic text.
In the Eastern corner about 5 feet above ground the Hajar el Aswad (the blackstone) is
fixed into the wall. Its real nature is difficult to determine, its visible shape is worn
smooth by hand touching and kissing. Its diameter is around 12 inches. Opposite the North
west wall but not connected with it, is a semi circular wall of white marble. It is 3 feet
high and about 5 feet thick. This semi circular space enjoys an especial consideration and
pilgrims wait in queue to find a place to pray there. The graves of Ismael and his mother
Hajera are within this semi circular wall. Between the archway and the facade (N.E.) is a
little building with a small dome, the Maqame Ibrahim. Inside it is kept a stone bearing
the prints of two human feet. Prophet Ibrahim is said to have stood on this stone when
building the Ka’aba and marks of his feet are miraculously preserved.
On the outskirts of the building to the North East is the ‘Zamzam Well’ (this
is now put under ground).
Qur’an in Sura Baqra Verses 121 to 127 described it clearly that Allah had
ordained his servant Ibrahim to build the Shrine there for worship of One God. During
Kusayi’s time it was rebuilt and fortified. During the early years of Prophet
Muhammad (SA) before he announced his ministry, the Ka’aba was damaged by floods and
it was rebuilt again. When the Black stone was to be put in its place the Makkans
quarrelled among themselves as to who should have the honour to place it there. They had
just decided that the first comer to the quadrangle should be given the task of deciding
as to who should have the honour. Muhammad (SA) came in and was assigned this task. He
advised them to place the stone in a cloak and ordered the heads of each Tribe each to
take an end and bring the cloak nearer the corner on the eastern side. He himself then
took out the stone and placed it in its position. It has been fixed there ever since.
After the martyrdom of the family of the Prophet at Kerbala in 61 Hijri (681 AD), the
Ummayad Caliph Yazid Ibne Moawiya did not stop there in the pursuit of his destruction. He
sent a large contingent under the command of Haseen Ibne Namir to Madina which destroyed
the Mosque of the Prophet. They did not stop there but proceeded to Makka and demolished
the four walls of the Ka’aba and killed thousands of muslims who protested. Yazid
died and Ibne Namir returned to Damascus, Ka’aba was rebuilt by Abdullah Ibne Zubayr
and his associates. Umawi forces came back to Makka and killed Abdullah Ibne Zubayr, hung
his body on the gates of the Ka’aba for three months for all to see the Umawi power.
But eventually this arrogance of power brought its own consequences and Mukhtar became the
ruler in Iraq. Under his guidance the Ka’aba was refurbished and pilgrims began to
arrive in safety to perform Hajj.
The Ka’aba successfully withstood the Karamatian invasion of 317/929, only the
Blackstone was carried away which was returned some twenty years later. In the year 1981
the Wahabis brought tanks inside the Ka’aba to crush the kahtani revolution against
the Saudi regime and almost demolished the South Eastern Wall. This was later restored
with the help of the Makkan people.
Every man living in Makka in the 6th and 7th century must out of necessity have had
some relationship with the Ka’aba. On the Muhammad (SA), the Prophet of Islam, the
Qur’an is silent during the Makkans period in this respect. All that is known is that
the muslim community of the period turned towards Jerusalem in prayers. Subsequently about
a year and a half after the Hijra the Muslims were ordered during prayers which were lead
by the Prophet of Islam himself to turn towards Makka. The particular mosque in Madina
where this happened is called Masjide Qiblatain, meaning the mosque with two Qiblas.The
Qur’an tells the muslims, “ turn then thy face towards the sacred mosque and
wherever ye be turn your faces towards that part ”Qur’an II,139/144.
At this same period the Qur’an began to lay stress on the religion of Ibrahim,
presenting Islam as a return to the purity of the religion of Ibrahim which, obscured by
Judaism and Christianity, shone forth in its original brightness in the Qur’an. The
pilgrimage’s to the Ka’aba and ritual progressions around the building were
continued, but were now for the glorification of One God. The Abrahimic vision of the
Ka’aba created a means of discerning an orthodox origin buried in the midst of pagan
malpractices to which the first muslims pointed the way.
Every year after the Hajj ceremony the place is closed for one month and on the Day of
Ashura the Ka’aba is washed from inside by the Water from the well of Zamzam and a
new Kiswa is brought to cover the Ka’aba for the next year.
This is the story of the Ka’aba and the persons who protected it and remained its
custodians and protectors from the satanic and evil forces throughout history. Muhammad
(SA) and the people of his household (Ahlulbayt) were the protectors of the Ka’aba,
and currently the 12th Imam from the direct descent of the Prophet of Islam is the real
protector, its custodian and guardian and shall remain as such while in concealment. In
the following pages we shall unfold the lives and times of these 14 Masoomeen
Alaihimussalam.
