The Kaaba (The black box in Makkah) The simple cube-shaped stone building located in Makkah is called the Ka‘bah or the Sacred House. It is the point toward which Muslims face when they pray. Although Muslims face the direction of Ka‘bah during prayer, they do not worship it. Muslims worship and pray only to God. The Ka‘bah was built by the prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael in response to Gods command over 4,000 years ago. Abraham consecrated the House for the worship of the one true God and invited all of humanity to visit it for that purpose. Even today Muslims who are physically and financially able are required to make a pilgrimage to it once in a lifetime. The Ka‘bah has remained at the center of a continuous tradition of worship and devotion up to the present day, symbolic of permanence, constancy and renewal. Allah says in the Quran: Behold! We gave the site, To Abraham, of the (Sacred) House [That is the Kaaba that he built], (Saying): Associate not anything (In worship) with Me; And sanctify My House For those who compass it round, Or stand up, Or bow, or prostrate themselves (Therein in prayer). And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men: they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways; (The Noble Quran, 22:26-27) As we clearly see in the Noble Verses, Allah Almighty promised Abraham peace be upon him that He will cause for people from all around the world to come and proclaim the pilgrimage to the House (Kaaba) that he built. The story began, when Abraham took Hagar and Ishmael to the city of Paran (Mecca), based on Allah Almightys commands. There was literally no life there; not even water. Allah Almighty then ordered Abraham to build the House of GOD (Kaaba) and leave Hagar and his son Ishmael there. When later Hagar and Ishmael became very thirsty after they ran out of the water they brought with them in the journey, Hagar prayed to Allah Almighty to provide water for them. Hagar then started to desperately run to search for water seven times (I believe) back and forth between the Safa and Marwa hills. Allah Almighty then caused Ishmael to rub his feet against the sand and a pool of water, the water of Zumzum came out. This Prophecy of Allah Almighty sending people from all over the world to Mecca is fulfilled every single year in Saudi Arabia through the Muslims yearly pilgrimage, where one to three million Muslims come to perform the Hajj (pilgrimage). When the Pilgrimage was proclaimed, people came to it from every quarter, near and far, on foot and mounted There were periods in human history during which mankind deviated from the monotheism taught by Gods prophets. Before the advent of Muhammad, religion among the Arabs had degenerated into polytheism and paganism, and Makkah was completely submerged in idolatry; some 360 idols had been placed in and around the Ka‘bah to be worshipped there along with God. Prophet Muhammad was sent to restore to mankind the pure monotheism taught by all the messengers of God and reinstate the worship of Him alone. This he accomplished, and the Ka‘bah was finally cleared of all manmade deities. Among the ancient religious rites particular to the Ka‘bah is walking around it. This suggests the integrating and unifying power of monotheism in human life and how a Muslims existence should revolve around a pure devotion to God. The Ka‘bah symbolizes the unity of all true religion, the brotherhood of all the prophets, and the essential consistency of their message. When Muslims pray facing toward this single central point, they are reminded of their common purpose and long-term goal. Even when standing directly before the Ka‘bah in prayer, one is not to look at it but rather at the ground before him. The spiritual focus is on God alone and never upon any created object. Directly above the Kaaba in heaven is an exact replica. This Kaaba was mentioned in the Qurʾān and by the Prophet ṣallallāhu alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him). The Messenger of Allāh ṣallallāhu alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said narrating about the journey of Isra wal Miraaj “Then I was shown Al-Bait-al-Mamur (i.e. Allāhs House). I asked Gabriel about it and he said, This is Al Bait-ul-Mamur where 70,000 angels perform prayers daily and when they leave they never return to it (but always a fresh batch comes into it daily).”
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 17:09:11 +0000
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