The History of the Ka'bah

The mosques and venerated buildings of the world

God singled out some places of the earth for special honor and made them the homes of His worship.

This was made known by His messengers and prophets, as an act of kindness to His servants and for the purpose of facilitating their ways to happiness.

We know from the two Sahihs that the most excellent places on earth 33 are the three mosques of Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem.

Mecca is the house of Abraham.

God commanded Abraham to build it and to exhort the people to make the pilgrimage thither.

He and his son Ishmael built it, as is stated in the Qur’an.

He fulfilled God’s commandment in this respect. Ishmael dwelt there with Hagar and the Jurhum (tribe) who lived with them, until they both died and were buried in the hijr of (the Ka’bah).

Jerusalem is the house of David and Solomon.

God commanded them to build the mosque there and to erect its monuments (hayakil).

Many of the prophets, descendants of Isaac, were buried around it.

Medina is the place to which our Prophet emigrated when God commanded him to emigrate and to establish the religion of Islam there.

He built his sacred mosque in Medina, and his noble burial place is on (Medina’s) soil.

These 3 mosques are:

• the consolation of the Muslims
• the desire of their hearts
• the sacred asylum of their religion

I will:

• share the history of the origin of these 3 mosques
• tell how they gradually developed

Mecca is said to have originated when Adam built it opposite the “much-frequented house.”

Later on, Mecca was destroyed in the Flood.

There is no sound historical information in this connection on which one may rely.

The information is merely derived from the indication in the verse of the Qur’an, “And when Abraham raised the foundations of the house :..”

Then, God sent Abraham, whose story and that of his wife Sarah and her jealousy of Hagar are known.

God revealed to Abraham that he should separate from Hagar and exile her together with her son Ishmael to Paran (Faran), the mountains of Mecca beyond Syria and Aylah.

Abraham sent her out there, and she reached the place of the House. There, she became thirsty, and God in His kindness caused the water of the well of Zamzam to gush forth for Hagar and Ishmael.

He also caused a group of Jurhumites to pass by them.

They took in Hagar and Ishmael and dwelt with them around the Zamzam, as is well known and stated in its proper place.

Ishmael built a house for shelter where the Ka’bah is situated.

He built a circular hedge of doom palms around it and turned it into an enclosure for his sheep and goats.

Abraham came several times from Syria to visit him. On his last visit, he was ordered to build the Ka’bah on the site of the enclosure.

He built it with the help of his son Ishmael.

He exhorted the people to make pilgrimage to (the Ka’bah).

Ishmael stayed there.

When his mother Hagar died, he buried her there. He himself continued to serve (the Ka’bah) until he died.

He was buried next to his mother Hagar, and his descendants took charge after him of the affairs of the House together with their maternal uncles from the Jurhum.

Then, after them, there came the Amalekites.

The situation remained unchanged.

People eagerly came there from all directions. There were all kinds of people, descendants of Ishmael as well as others, from near and far.

The Tubba’s used to make the pilgrimage to the House and to venerate it.

The Tubba’ called Tiban As’ad Abu Karib 40 clothed it with curtains and striped Yemenite cloth and ordered it cleaned and had a key made for it.

The Persians used to make pilgrimage to it and present sacrificial gifts to it.

The 2 golden gazelles that ‘Abd-al-Muttalib found when the Zamzam was excavated are said to have been one of the sacrificial gifts presented (to the Ka’bah) by (the Persians).