Ka’aba
Tasnim Asgharali Jaffer (Moshi,Tanzania)
Indeed the first house of worship established for mankind was that at Makkah _ blessed and guidance for the worlds…..(Sura e ale-Imran:96)
The above Ayat pronounces that the first house on this planet was the Holy Kaaba, situated in the very position from which the earth was spread ( Dahv al Ardh).
“Kaaba” means the central point – this is the central point of the earth. It is also referred to as “al atiq” or “bait al atiq”, which means “the emancipated one” or “the ancient house” for it has no worldly master _ its owner is the High Lord alone.
“Suratul feel” has been revealed to confirm this, that the Lord alone is its owner.
Interestingly, the year known as “aam ul feel”, in which the Lord protected His house from being demolished, is also the year in which our Holy Prophet (saw) was born. This shows the great significance of the incident.
It is said that for the very first time, in the days of Hazrat Adam (as), Allah sent it down, that is the Kaaba, from the heavens as a pearl, where the first Prophet of Monotheism used to worship. He used to circumambulate it seven hundred times a day.
Whereas, there are narrations that the house was present even before Hazrat Adam (as) descended upon the earth. It was then called “az-zarrah”, which means “an atom” or else, “far and high”. At that time, angels used to descend and perform their tawaf.
This pearl, the original Kaaba, was later raised up again into the heavens, leaving behind marks of its location, and Hazrat Ibrahim (as) was commanded to rebuild it upon that very same spot. So he as), with his son Hazrat Ismail (as), reconstructed it.
Then, it was rectangular, with two doors on opposite ends, but with reparations and renovations over the years, it was changed into the cubical structure with only one door, as we see it nowadays.
Thereafter, they were taught the rituals of “Hajj” which they performed every year and their followers too, continued upon the tradition.
The space of the initial rectangular Kaaba, which had not been reconstructed again, was enclosed, and it too is a part of the Kaaba. This space is called “Al Hateem”. Beyond it, a semi-circular wall is said to have been constructed by Hazrat Ismail (as), and it is known as “hijr e Ismail”. In this enclosure are the graves of Bibi Hajra and Hazrat Ismail (as). So too, it is said, there are some other prophets buried in that enclosure. (Peace be upon them all). All of these are considered to be a part of the Kaaba and must be included in the “tawaf” of the pilgrims. This whole area where the Kaaba is situated is called “Bakkah”, which means “a crowded place”.
Again, this whole area is surrounded by the “Masjid al Haram”, which is the most Holy Masjid for all the Muslims of the world.
The “clothing” or “the covering” of the Holy Kaaba was, for the very first time, prepared by the wife of Hazrat Ismail (as). She made curtains for the doors of the Kaaba, for at that time the sacred house had two doors, one to enter it, and the other to exit. Thereafter, gradually the whole Kaaba was draped with cloth known as “Kiswa” which is followed to date. a change in the “covering” takes place every year on the day of Arafah, in the season of Hajj, at this period of age.
The Kaaba contains “a black stone” upon its eastern corner, which is known as “hajr e aswad”. This stone was either brought down by angel Jibraeel (as), or else, dropped from the sky, but it has many qualities:-
1. It is described as a Trust and covenant from Allah and bears witness for those who come for pilgrimage and fulfil this Trust.
2. It is linked to pledging allegiance to Allah.
3. It is believed to have healing properties.
4. Most importantly, every tawaf should begin and end at the “black stone”.
Then, the area between the door and the black stone, known as “al multazam” is famous, for the people cling to it and seek their invocations.
So too, there is a “Makaam e Ibrahim”, a stone upon which the Prophet Ibrahim (as) stood to build the upper parts of the wall. Traditions state that it bears his (as) footprints and the prayer for the “completion of tawaf” is performed at this spot.
Not to forget, “the Zamzam well” is adjacent to the Kaaba, which is considered “a living miracle”, as it has not dried out in all these years. It is considered to be “the purest of the waters”.
The foundation of this “sacred place” is underneath the seven layers of earth and reaches up to the seven heavens and beyond, where the “baitul maamoor” is placed under the “arsh” or “the Holy Throne”.
In some traditions, the baitul maamoor is situated upon the fourth heaven, mostly believed to be the case, but in other traditions, it is also said to be in the seventh heaven. Again, some traditions state that it is situated in all seven heavens.
It is said in traditions that:-
“Kaaba is the qibla for the people of the earth, and Baitul Maamoor is the qibla for the angels, and the ‘arsh’ or “throne’ is the qibla for Baitul Maamoor”.
Baitul Maamoor means “heavily populated house,” since every day, seventy thousand new angels circumambulate it. Its replica upon the earth for us is the Holy Kaaba, where we are ordered to face in its direction while performing our wajib rituals. Also, we are commanded to go and perform the Hajj rituals every year if possible, or, at least once in our lifetime, under certain conditions.
This “sacred house” has the properties of a magnet, attracting all the human beings towards it. For this, I reason that to circumambulate it has been a practice since times of old….as the above traditions state and the “history of Islam” too confirms that the idol worshippers of the Arab lands used to come to Mecca to perform their rituals.
With the command to perform their ritual prayers, Muslims used to face the “Masjid al Aqsa” in Palestine, but were being ridiculed for not having their own spot to turn to by the Jews of Madina. This used to sadden the Holy Prophet (saw) and then the versé suratul al-Baqara:144 was revealed commanding him (saw) to turn towards the sacred house _ once again proving that the Holy Kaaba was the “most sacred house” in the whole world.
The Kaaba is the house, a practising Muslim turns to at least five times every day to perform his prayers. When he dies, his corpse is placed facing the Holy Kaaba as prayers for him are uttered and even buried in a manner that the body’s face is turned towards it when he is placed in his grave.
These rituals are wajib upon all Muslims, which helps connect them, and the bond of fraternity becomes stronger. This helps them all stand upon one station, performing all actions uniformly without any differences in their status.
The Kaaba is a sanctuary for all living beings, even if it is a tiny mite or a mosquito. While you are adorned in the ahraam, you are not permitted to kill them even if they pester you, or else you have to pay a penalty for your deed, which unfortunately is quite heavy, but teaches us to respect the lives of other creatures of God, for, their sustenance too, is provided to them by the same Lord who created us all.
Ahraam is the ‘clothing’ worn by the pilgrims when they go to perform the rituals of Hajj.
All pilgrims wear the same clothing and perform the same acts uniformly, as they perform while praying their daily congregation prayers, but, since the pilgrims come from different lands and gather together in the vicinity of the Kaaba, performing the tawaf and prayers together, the bond of fraternity grows even stronger. All obey the rules of performing the Hajj, which helps develop a sense of responsibility in them. They become more mindful and helpful towards their fellow pilgrims. The respect for each other becomes manifest.
Finally, may Allah Taala grant us all the tawfiq to go and visit His Holy House at least once in our lifetime.
