Contents
Why did Ibrahim built the Kaaba
The construction of the Kaaba – Together, Ibrahim and Ismail continued to call people to worship God but there was no place solely for praying to Him. Ibrahim wished that there was a special place for people to find peace and focus completely on the praise of Allah. Soon after, Allah ordered Ibrahim to build the Sacred House, or the Kaaba, Ibrahim and his son worked together to build the Kaaba. They chose a hillock, elevated from the surrounding land and began laying foundations. Ismail found the stones, while his father placed them to build high walls. When the construction was finished, the Angel Jibreel came down from heaven to teach Ibrahim the rituals of Hajj.
How old is the Kaaba stone?
Muhammad – According to Islamic belief Muhammad is credited with setting the Black Stone in the current place in the wall of the Kaaba. A story found in Ibn Ishaq ‘s Sirah Rasul Allah tells how the clans of Mecca renovated the Kaaba following a major fire which had partly destroyed the structure.
- The Black Stone had been temporarily removed to facilitate the rebuilding work.
- The clans could not agree on which one of them should have the honour of setting the Black Stone back in its place.
- They decided to wait for the next man to come through the gate and ask him to make the decision.
- That person was 35-year-old Muhammad, five years before his prophethood.
He asked the elders of the clans to bring him a cloth and put the Black Stone in its centre. Each of the clan leaders held the corners of the cloth and carried the Black Stone to the right spot. Then, Muhammad set the stone in place, satisfying the honour of all of the clans.
What is inside a Kaaba
The Stone Inside Kaaba – The black polished stone inside Kaaba consists of some fragments and three large pieces held together by a silver band. A stone ring also surrounds them. According to legends, the stone came with Adam, and was initially white in colour.
The sins of pilgrims who touched and kissed it turned it to the black color that it currently is. It has also been stolen in the past. In 930, the Black Stone was taken away by the fanatics of the Qarmatian sect, a branch of the Sevener Ismaili Shia Islam group. Currently, under the rule of the King, the Black Stone is protected by 24 guards.
The Black Stone placed on one of the edges of The Kaaba measures 30cm in diameter and stays 1.5m above the ground. When people Perform Tawaf (circling around the Kaaba), they try to kiss it, and if they cannot, then they must point at it. While crossing it, one must recite takbeer “Allahu Akbar”,
Who ruled the Kaaba before Islam?
The history and form of the Kaaba – The Kaaba was a sanctuary in pre-Islamic times. Muslims believe that Abraham (known as Ibrahim in the Islamic tradition), and his son, Ismail, constructed the Kaaba. Tradition holds that it was originally a simple unroofed rectangular structure.
- The Quraysh tribe, who ruled Mecca, rebuilt the pre-Islamic Kaaba in c.608 C.E.
- With alternating courses of masonry and wood.
- A door was raised above ground level to protect the shrine from intruders and flood waters.
- Muhammad was driven out of Mecca in 620 C.E.
- To Yathrib, which is now known as Medina.
Upon his return to Mecca in 629/30 C.E., the shrine became the focal point for Muslim worship and pilgrimage. The pre-Islamic Kaaba housed the Black Stone and statues of pagan gods. Muhammad reportedly cleansed the Kaaba of idols upon his victorious return to Mecca, returning the shrine to the monotheism of Ibrahim.
Who covered Kaaba first?
Most stories indicate that the first person to cover the Kaaba was the King of Yemen, Tubba Abu Karab of Himyar. Tubba’s successors considered the Kaaba’s cover to be a religious duty.
How many times was Kaaba rebuilt?
This article is about the Islamic holy site in Mecca. For other uses, see Kaba (disambiguation),
The Kaaba | |
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الْكَعْبَة ( al-Kaʿba ) | |
The Kaaba in December 2020 | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Islam |
Region | Mecca Province |
Rite | Tawaf |
Leadership | President of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques : Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais |
Location | |
Location | Great Mosque of Mecca, Mecca, Hejaz, Saudi Arabia |
Location of the Kaaba in Saudi Arabia Show map of Saudi Arabia Show map of West and Central Asia Show all | |
Administration | The Agency of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques |
Geographic coordinates | 21°25′21.0″N 39°49′34.2″E / 21.422500°N 39.826167°E |
Architecture | |
Type | Mosque |
Date established | Pre-Islamic era |
Specifications | |
Length | 12.86 m (42 ft 2 in) |
Width | 11.03 m (36 ft 2 in) |
Height (max) | 13.1 m (43 ft 0 in) |
Materials | Stone, Marble, Limestone |
The Kaaba ( Arabic : ٱلْكَعْبَة, romanized : al-Kaʿba, lit. ‘the Cube’, Arabic pronunciation: ), also spelled Ka’ba, Ka’bah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Ka’ba al-Musharrafa (Arabic: ٱلْكَعْبَة ٱلْمُشَرَّفَة, romanized: al-Kaʿba l-Mušarrafa, lit.
- ‘the Honored Ka’ba’, Arabic pronunciation: ), is a stone building at the center of Islam ‘s most important mosque and holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia,
- It is considered by Muslims to be the Bayt Allah ( Arabic : بَيْت ٱللَّٰه, lit.
- ‘House of God’) and is the qibla (Arabic: قِبْلَة, direction of prayer ) for Muslims around the world.
The current structure was built after the original building was damaged by fire during the siege of Mecca by Umayyads in 683. In early Islam, Muslims faced in the general direction of Jerusalem as the qibla in their prayers before changing the direction to face the Kaaba, believed by Muslims to be a result of a Quranic verse revelation to Muhammad,
According to Islam, the Kaaba was rebuilt several times throughout history, most famously by Ibrahim ( Abraham ) and his son Ismail ( Ishmael ), when he returned to the valley of Mecca several years after leaving his wife Hajar ( Hagar ) and Ismail there upon Allah ‘s command. Circling the Kaaba seven times counterclockwise, known as Tawaf ( Arabic : طواف, romanized : tawaaf ), is a Fard (obligatory) rite for the completion of the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.
The area around the Kaaba where pilgrims walk is called the Mataaf. The Kaaba and the Mataaf are surrounded by pilgrims every day of the Islamic year, except the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah, known as the Day of Arafah, on which the cloth covering the structure, known as the Kiswah ( Arabic : كسوة, romanized : Kiswah, lit.
Where is Mecca in the Bible?
Islamic tradition – Islamic tradition identifies Bakkah as the ancient name for the site of Mecca. An Arabic word, its etymology, like that of Mecca, is obscure. One meaning ascribed to it is “narrow”, seen as descriptive of the area in which the valley of the holy places and the city of Mecca are located, pressed in upon as they are by mountains.
- Widely believed to be a synonym for Mecca, it is said to be more specifically the early name for the valley located therein, while Muslim scholars generally use it to refer to the sacred area of the city that immediately surrounds and includes the Kaaba,
- The form Bakkah is used for the name Mecca in the Quran in 3:96, while the form Mecca is used in 48:24.
In South Arabic, the language in use in the southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula at the time of Muhammad, the b and m were interchangeable. The Quranic passage using the form Bakkah says: “The first sanctuary appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah, a blessed place, a guidance for the peoples.” Other references to Mecca in the Quran (6:92, 42:7) call it Umm al-Qura, meaning “mother of all settlements”.
- In Islamic tradition, Bakkah is where Hagar and Ishmael ( Ismā’īl ) settled after being taken by Abraham ( Ibrāhīm ) to the wilderness, a story parallel to the Bible’s Book of Genesis (21:14-21)(but see below for the biblical geography).
- Genesis tells that Abraham gave Hagar a bottle of water, and that Hagar and Ishmael ran out of water to drink in Beer-Sheba.
In Arab tradition, Hagar runs back and forth between two elevated points seven times to search for help before sitting down in despair, at which point the angel speaks as recorded in Genesis 21:14-21: 14 And Abraham arose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away; and she departed, and strayed in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.15 And the water in the bottle was spent, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow-shot; for she said: ‘Let me not look upon the death of the child.’ And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her: ‘What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him fast by thy hand; for I will make him a great nation.’ 19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.20 And God was with the lad, and he grew; and he dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
As written in the Bible, Hagar walked about one day, few tens of kilometers until her bottle of water ran out in the wilderness of Beer-Sheba (and not about few months, and 1,400 kilometer all the way to Arabia.). Then, Ishmael settled in the Desert of Paran, which is also mentioned few times in the bible, on the way between Egypt to the land of Israel.
The Islamic tradition holds that a spring gushed forth from the spot where Hagar had laid Ishmael, and this spring came to be known as the Well of Zamzam, When Muslims on hajj run between the hills of Safa and Marwah seven times, it is to commemorate Hagar’s search for help and the resulting revelation of the well of Zamzam.
- In addition to the Islamic tradition that Hagar and Ishmael settled in Bakkah, the Quran relates that Abraham came to Mecca to help his son Ishmael build the Kaaba adjacent to the well of Zamzam.
- However, in the Bible and ancient Jewish, Christian, and pre-Islamic tradition, Abraham is never mentioned as traveling far south into Arabia (Mekka is about 1400 kilometers south of Hebron, where Abraham is said to be buried).
Ishmael is mentioned in Genesis at Abraham’s funeral. Ibn Ishaq, the 8th-century Arab Muslim historian, relates that during the renovation of Kaaba undertaken by the Quraysh before Islam, found an inscription in one of the corners of the foundation of the building that mentions Bakkah.
Why did people convert to Islam?
Islam: Conversion This CREST guide outlines the process of converting to Islam, why some people choose to convert, what they experience – good and bad, and whether they are likely to become extremists. Conversion to Islam is the process whereby a non-Muslim takes on a new religious identity, adopts new beliefs and practices, learns to live as a Muslim and gradually becomes accepted as one by others.
A convert testifies three times that there is no God but God and Muhammad is His messenger, normally in front of witnesses.However, the conversion process is best seen as a journey and not a single event.In European countries, converts generally make up between one and five per cent of the Muslim population, but in the United States, the figure rises to nearly 25 per cent.Many different types of people convert to Islam in the West, with most converts being in their 20s.
Individuals are motivated to convert for many reasons: some relate to personal transformation and identity, others to external social and political factors. Theological explanations are often given, and many converts consider themselves destined or called by God to turn to Islam.
Conversion involves learning, not just the tenets and practices of Islam, but also about how to live as a Muslim. The conversion process may include stages of zealotry, disappointment, acceptance and secularisation. Like other Muslims, converts experience Islamophobia. But they may also be criticised by other Muslims for not being Muslim enough or for not adopting cultural as well as religious practices.
Conversion and radicalisation are not the same. The vast majority of converts to Islam in the West are not radicalised into Islamist extremism. However, among Muslims convicted of terrorism offences or identified as foreign fighters in the US and UK, converts are overrepresented.
Why do Muslims kiss the Black Stone?
Kissing the Black Stone – When circling the Kaaba as part of the, you can try to touch the stone with your hand and kiss it. If you can’t reach it, you can point at it or kiss something else which has touched the stone. As the cornerstone of the Kaaba, the Black Stone is the most venerated stone on the face of the earth.
- Muslims wish to kiss it because the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) did so.
- However, keep in mind that the Black Stone is simply a stone.
- It is symbolic like a country’s flag is symbolic: something to respect and take pride in.
- Issing it is not an obligation but a demonstration of love, just as you would kiss one of your children.
As the Second Khalifa of the Muslims, Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) as saying: I know that you are a stone, you do not cause benefit or harm; and if it were not that I had seen Allah’s Messenger – peace and blessings of Allah be upon him – kiss you, I would never have kissed you.
How much old is Islam?
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Islam Timeline | |||
The start of Islam is marked in the year 610, following the first revelation to the prophet Muhammad at the age of 40. Muhammad and his followers spread the teachings of Islam throughout the Arabian peninsula. Soon after the death of the prophet Muhammad, there were military expeditions, called “futuhat,” or literally “openings,” into what is now Egypt and other parts of North Africa.
In other parts of the world, Islam spread through trade and commerce. The following is a brief timeline that highlights some of the major occurrences in Islam’s development, as well as the geographical spread of Islam to some of the countries featured in the film.570 C.E. Muhammad is born in Mecca. He comes from a noble family and is well-known for his honesty and upright character.610 C.E.
According to Muslim belief, at the age of 40, Muhammad is visited by the angel Gabriel while on retreat in a cave near Mecca. The angel recites to him the first revelations of the Quran and informs him that he is God’s prophet. Later, Muhammad is told to call his people to the worship of the one God, but they react with hostility and begin to persecute him and his followers.622 C.E.
- After enduring persecution in Mecca, Muhammad and his followers migrate to the nearby town of Yathrib (later to be known as Medina), where the people there accepted Islam.
- This marks the “hijrah” or “emigration,” and the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
- In Medina, Muhammad establishes an Islamic state based on the laws revealed in the Quran and the inspired guidance coming to him from God.
Eventually he begins to invite other tribes and nations to Islam.630 C.E. Muhammad returns to Mecca with a large number of his followers. He enters the city peacefully, and eventually all its citizens accept Islam. The prophet clears the idols and images out of the Kaaba and rededicates it to the worship of God alone.633 C.E.
Muhammad dies after a prolonged illness. The Muslim community elects his father-in-law and close associate, Abu Bakr, as caliph, or successor.638 C.E. Muslims enter the area north of Arabia, known as “Sham,” including Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq.641 C.E. Muslims enter Egypt and rout the Byzantine army.
Muslims consider their conquest as the liberation of subjugated people, since in most instances they were under oppressive rule.655 C.E. Islam begins to spread throughout North Africa.661 C.E. Imam Ali is killed, bringing to an end the rule of the four “righteous caliphs”: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali.
- This also marks the beginning of the Umayyad rule.711 C.E.
- Muslims enter Spain in the west and India in the east.
- Eventually almost the entire Iberian Peninsula is under Islamic control.732 C.E.
- Muslims are defeated at Potiers in France by Charles Martel.750 C.E.
- The Abbasids take over rule from the Umayyads, shifting the seat of power to Baghdad.1000 C.E.
Islam continues to spread through the continent of Africa, including Nigeria, which served as a trading liaison between the northern and central regions of Africa.1099 C.E. European Crusaders take Jerusalem from the Muslims. Eventually Muslims defeat the Crusaders and regain control of the holy land.1120 C.E.
Islam continues to spread throughout Asia. Malaysian traders interact with Muslims who teach them about Islam.1299 C.E. The earliest Ottoman state is formed in Anatolia, Turkey.1453 C.E. Ottomans conquer the Byzantine seat of Constantinople and change its name to Istanbul. Circa 1800 C.E. Approximately 30 percent of Africans forced into slavery in the United States are Muslim.1870-1924 C.E.
Muslim immigrants from the Arab world voluntarily come to the United States until the Asian Exclusion Act is passed in 1924. World War I ends with the defeat and dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, which was the last of the Islamic empires. Many regions populated by Muslims in Africa and Asia are colonized by Europeans.
- Traditional religious ways of life are threatened and, in some cases, destroyed.1930 C.E.
- The Nation of Islam is created in the U.S. by W.D. Fard.
- It is based on some Islamic ideas, but contains innovations, such as the appointment or declaration of Elijah Muhammad as a prophet.1948 C.E.
- The state of Israel is created.
Some Palestinian and Lebanese refugees flee to the United States, among them, Muslims and Christians.1952 C.E. The McCarren-Walter Act relaxes the U.S. ban on Asian immigration. Muslim students come to the U.S. from many nations.1965 C.E. Revisions of immigration law further open the doors for Muslim immigration.1975 C.E.
Can a person go inside Kaaba
In theory, any Muslim can enter the Kaaba. But only those who are authorized by the guardians of the monument, the Al-Shaibi family who have held the only key for 15 centuries, have this privilege. Behind the large wooden door covered with nearly 300 kg of gold is a small room with a marble floor.
Can non Muslims go to Mecca
Traveling to Mecca as a Tourist – if you’re wondering if you can visit Mecca as a tourist, the simple answer is no, unless you’re a Muslim. Saudi Arabia’s government restricts entry to Mecca to Muslims only. Documentation will be checked upon entry, and anyone not showing proof of being a Muslim will be denied access.
The penalty for non-Muslims attempting to enter is deportation from the country and a possible fine. This rule applies whether you’re trying to enter the city by plane, car, bus, or train. During their pilgrimage, Muslims visit several sacred sites in Mecca, including the Sacred Mosque (al-Masjid al-Harami) and the Kaaba, the most holy place in Mecca and Islam.
Other locations include Mina, Muzdalifah, the Hill of Arafat, Jabal Al Noor, and Jabal Al Thur, each with religious significance. There are facilities to assist people with disabilities in performing the Hajj, including specially designed wheelchairs that can handle the terrain and accommodate the ritual practices of the pilgrimage.
What is 🕋 emoji
The Kaaba emoji 🕋 displays the Kaaba, a black, cube-shaped building located in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Kaaba is the most sacred pilgrimage site by followers of Islam.
Who came to demolish Kaaba?
Events – According to early Islamic historians such as Ibn Ishaq, in honor of his ally, Abraha built a great church at Sana’a known as al-Qullays, a loanword borrowed from εκκλησία “church”. Al-Qullays gained widespread fame, even gaining the notice of the Byzantine Empire,
- The Arab people of the time had their own center of religious worship and pilgrimage in Mecca, the Kaaba.
- Abraha attempted to divert their pilgrimage to al-Qullays and appointed a man named Muhammad ibn Khuza’i to Mecca and Tihamah as a king with a message that al-Qullays was both much better than other houses of worship and purer, having not been defiled by the housing of idols.
Ibn Ishaq’s Prophetic biography states: With Abraha there were some Arabs who had come to seek his bounty, among them Muhammad ibn Khuza`i ibn Khuzaba al-Dhakwani, al-Sulami, with a number of his tribesmen including a brother of his called Qays. While they were with him a feast of Abraha occurred and he sent to invite them to the feast.
Now he used to eat an animal’s testicles, so when the invitation was brought they said, “By God, if we eat this the Arabs will hold it against us as long as we live.” Thereupon Muhammad ibn Khuza’i got up and went to Abraha and said, “O King, this is a festival of ours in which we eat only the loins and shoulders.” Abraha replied that he would send them what they liked because his sole purpose in inviting them was to show that he honored them.
Then he crowned Muhammad ibn Khuza’i, and made him emir of Mudhar, and ordered him to go among the people to invite them to pilgrimage at his cathedral which he had built. When Muhammad ibn Khuza’i got as far as the land of Kinana, the people of the lowland, knowing what he had come for, sent a man of Hudhayl called ʿUrwa bin Hayyad al-Milasi, who shot him with an arrow, killing him.
- His brother Qays who was with him fled to Abraha and told him the news, which increased his rage and fury and he swore to raid the Kinana tribe and destroy the temple.
- Abraha, incensed, launched an expedition of sixty thousand men against the Ka‘bah at Mecca, led by a white elephant named Mahmud (and possibly with other elephants – some accounts state there were several elephants, or even as many as eight ) in order to destroy the Ka‘bah.
Several Arab tribes attempted to fight him on the way, but were defeated. When news of the advance of Abraha’s army came, the Arab tribes of the Quraysh, Banu Kinanah, Banu Khuza’a and Banu Hudhayl united in defense of the Ka‘bah. However, this coalition was plagued by infighting and rival interests, with many other various tribes instead choosing to ally and submit with the intent of undermining their competitors.
- A man from the Himyarite Kingdom was sent by Abraha to advise them that Abraha only wished to demolish the Kaaba and if they resisted, they would be crushed.
- Abdul Muttalib told the Meccans to seek refuge in the hills while he with some leading members of the Quraysh remained within the precincts of the Ka‘bah.
Abraha sent a dispatch inviting Abdul-Muttalib to meet with Abraha and discuss matters. When Abdul-Muttalib left the meeting he was heard saying, “The Owner of this House is its Defender, and I am sure He will save it from the attack of the adversaries and will not dishonor the servants of His House.” The reference to the story in Qur’an is rather short.
According to Surah al-Fil, the next day, a dark cloud of small birds named ‘ Ababil ‘ ( Arabic : أَبـابـيـل ) appeared. The birds carried small rocks in their beaks, and bombarded the Ethiopian forces and smashed them like “eaten straw”. However according to Muhammad Asad this surah does not describe birds literally carrying small rocks, he instead, referencing Al-Zamakhshari and Fakhr al-Din al-Razi translates the above mentioned verses as: (2)Thus, He let loose upon them great swarms of flying creatures (3) which smote them with stone-hard blows of chastisement pre-ordained According to Mohammad Asad, the words used in this verse, namely the “stones of sijjil”, denote “a writing and, tropically, something that has been decreed “.
He further explains that this decree by God was a very sudden epidemic outbreak, which, according to Ibn Ishaq, caused fever (in arabic hasbah) and smallpox (arab. judari). This, as Asad concludes, points to the fact that the “stone hard blows of chastisement pre-ordained” were a very sudden virulent epidemic due to the fact that the word for fever “hasbah” primarily means “pelting with stones” in the famous arabic dictionary al-Qamous (القاموس) by Fairuzabadi,
What are the 4 corners of the Kaaba?
Islam’s holiest site, the Kaaba, was fully covered with its new Kiswa (the cloth that covers the Kaaba), on Monday with a new line of embroidery added for the first time to embellish its Yemeni corner. The Kaaba – located in Saudi’s Makkah city – has already received its new kiswa in September. Al Kaaba’s kiswa (Al Arabiya) Al Kaaba’s kiswa (Al Arabiya) Al Kaaba’s kiswa (Al Arabiya) Al Kaaba’s kiswa (Al Arabiya) Al Kaaba’s kiswa (Al Arabiya) Some of the upper calligraphy of the Kaaba has been changed as well. Instead of having the calligraphy of “O the Living, the Eternal One” to described God, it now has “God is the greatest.” The Kiswa is made of pure silk with gold threads at the cost of more than SR22 million ($5.8 million).
It is manufactured in a special factory in Makkah which is manned by 240 technicians, weavers and administrators. The Kiswa is 95 centimeters wide and nine meters high. It is made upon 47 pieces which are joined together to cover all the corners of the Kaaba. The Kaaba is dressed in its new Kiswa on the Day of Arafat every year.
During the same day, the Grand Mosque is usually empty because all the pilgrims are gathered in Arafat. yemen
How long does it take to walk around the Kaaba 7 times?
Sa’i – During Sa’i, the distance between Safa and Marwah is approximately 450 metres, with seven circuits amounting to approximately 3.15 kilometres, taking about 35 to 40 minutes to complete.
How much is the Kaaba cloth worth
Do you know the cost of Kaaba’s cover? New Delhi The cost of making the kiswa, black silk covering of the Kaaba, the holiest of the places for Muslims around the world, is about SAR (Saudi Riyal) 17,000,000 (4,500,000 USD) that is around Rs 33.4 crore! The Kiswa is 658 square meter and is made of 670 kg of raw silk dyed in black.
The embroidery contains 120 kilograms of gold thread and 100 kilograms of silver thread. Quranic verses are sewn onto the black cloth with gold-plated threads. This year the Mecca authorities have ritualistically lifted the lower part of the Kiswa over Kaaba as the Muslim world marks the new Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
According to Al Arabiya portal, The process of lifting the lower part of the kiswa covering was done during the first minutes of the Dhu al-Hajjah month marked on Wednesday. The process is usually done days ahead of the Hajj before pilgrims make their way to the Holy sites to begin their pilgrimage. Muslims touching Kaaba to show their devotion to Allah Every year, the gatekeepers of the Kaaba carry a delicate and precise task to change the silky black cloth embroidered with gold draped that makes up the Kiswa over the holy structure. The process of changing the Kiswa will take place on the second day of Hajj under the supervision of the President of the Holy Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque Sheikh Dr.
This year Saudi Arabia will allow limited Hajj pilgrimage due to the continued risk of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The kiswa is one of the most important ornaments in the House of God, and its production is made by some of the greatest calligraphers and artists in the Muslim world. The process of raising the cover of the Kaaba twice a year has been going on for years and has become a part of the tradition.
: Do you know the cost of Kaaba’s cover?
Who made the black stone in Mecca?
CNN — High resolution photos have been revealed for the first time of an ancient religious stone in Mecca, Islam’s holy city, a Saudi government agency has announced. The images of al-Hajar al-Aswad, or the Black Stone, are up to 49,000 megapixels in size and took more than 50 hours to photograph and develop, the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Saudi Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque said in a press release Monday.
The General Presidency worked with the Two Holy Mosques’ engineering agency to take 1,050 photos of the stone, each being 160 gigabytes. The stone was photographed for seven hours, the authority said. A technique was used called focus stacking, which combines multiple photos with different focus points to keep the finished product sharp, according to Digital Photography School,
“It’s significant because in a sense this is unprecedented,” Afifi al-Akiti, a fellow in Islamic studies at the University of Oxford, who wasn’t involved in the project, told CNN. “One sees that it’s not actually black, for example As I understand it, it’s the first time there is a magnified digital photo of the stone and one can see the stone up close and personal.” “In the Muslim tradition, this is considered to be a holy relic, but reason plays a major role in the Muslim tradition So while it is unprecedented to see a picture of the stone, I think Muslims are down to Earth and science plays a major role in the religion,” he added.
- Mecca is considered the spiritual center of Islam because it was where the Prophet Mohammed is said to have received his first revelations in the early 7th century.
- The stone is framed in pure silver at the southeast corner of the Kaaba (Ka’bah), the cube-shaped building constructed by Abraham and his son Ishmael, according to the Quran.
During the Hajj, Islam’s most important annual pilgrimage, devotees walk counter-clockwise around the black monolith. While the Hajj typically features large crowds crammed around Islam’s holiest shrine, much fewer attended in 2020 over fears of Covid-19.
Pilgrims usually touch, kiss, or wave at al-Hajar al-Aswad when walking past. “The stone originally was apparently white, not black. It’s thought mankind touching the stone and seeking forgiveness from God is the reason the stone is black, reflecting the sins of humanity, according to Muslim sources,” said al-Akiti.
Muslim tradition dictates that the stone dates back to the prophet Adam, the primordial man, said al-Akiti. In another account, it is believed the angel Gabriel gave the stone to Abraham while he was building the Kaaba, according to Oxford Islamic Studies Online,
Why is Kaaba important?
Why is the Kaaba so important to Muslims? – Islamic tradition holds that the Kaaba was built by Ibrahim and Ismail as a house of monotheistic worship thousands of years ago. Over the years, the Kaaba was reconstructed and attracted different kinds of pilgrims, including early Christians who once lived in the Arabian Peninsula.
When did Ibrahim built the Kaaba?
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 center 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 travelers.
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. Qur’an brought this story into the full light of history. In Sura 3:95 Qur’an says “Allah has spoken the Truth, therefore follow the creed of Ibrahim, a man of pure faith and no idolater”.( 3:95 ) The first house established for the people was at Makka, a Holy place and guidance to all beings.
Qur’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 center 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 honor of the pilgrims, food and water were served to all guests by the family of Hashim.
- This prominence created jealousy and his brother Abdu sham’s adopted son Ummayya tried to create trouble.
- There was a dispute in which Ummayya failed and left Makka to settle down in the Northern provinces of Syria(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 organized 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 idol 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 (S), 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.” ( 17:81 ) 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 time of 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 semicircular wall of white marble. It is 3 feet high and about 5 feet thick. This semicircular 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 semicircular 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).
Is the Kaaba the oldest building
The Kaaba is the oldest house of the world.
How long does it take to walk around the Kaaba 7 times?
Sa’i – During Sa’i, the distance between Safa and Marwah is approximately 450 metres, with seven circuits amounting to approximately 3.15 kilometres, taking about 35 to 40 minutes to complete.
What is 🕋 emoji?
The Kaaba emoji 🕋 displays the Kaaba, a black, cube-shaped building located in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Kaaba is the most sacred pilgrimage site by followers of Islam.