Surah Al-Baqarah — Verse 125

The Qur’ān relates that Allah made the Kaaba a place for people to return to, as a means of connecting their hearts to Him. When they travel from it, they return to it. It has also been made a safe place for them where they will not be attacked. Allah tells people to make the stone which Abraham stood on while he was building the Kaaba into a place of prayer. Allah instructed Abraham and his son Ishmael to purify the sanctuary from filth and idols for those who wish to worship in it, go around the Kaaba, stay there for worship, praying and so on.

(cont.) And We commanded Ibrahim (Abraham) and Isma'il (Ishmael) that they should purify My House (the Ka'bah at Makkah) for those who are circumambulating it, or staying (I'tikaf), or bowing or prostrating themselves (there, in prayer)(125)And (remember) when Ibrahim said, "My Lord, make this city (Makkah) a place of security and provide its people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allah and the Last Day." He (Allah) answered: "As for him who disbelieves, I shall leave him in contentment for a while, then I shall compel him to the torment of the Fire, and worst indeed is that destination! (126)And (remember) when Ibrahim and (his son) Isma'il were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), (saying), "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily, You are the Hearer, the Knower. (127)"Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manasik, and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful (128)

Al-Hasan Al-Basri said that,

وَعَهِدْنَا إِلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ

(And We gave Our 'Ahd (command) to Ibrahim and Isma'il) means, "Allah ordered them to purify it from all filth and impurities, of which none should ever touch it." Also, Ibn Jurayj said, "I said to 'Ata', 'What is Allah's 'Ahd?' He said, 'His command.'" Also, Sa'id bin Jubayr said that Ibn 'Abbas commented on the Ayah,

أَن طَهِّرَا بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْعَاكِفِينَ

(that they should purify My House (the Ka'bah) for those who are circumambulating it, or staying (I'tikaf)) "Purify it from the idols." Further, Mujahid and Sa'id bin Jubayr said that,

طَهِّرَا بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ

(purify My House for those who are circumambulating it) means, "From the idols, sexual activity, false witness and sins of all kinds."

Allah said,

لِلطَّآئِفِينَ

(for those who are performing Tawaf (circumambulating) it).

The Tawaf around the House is a well-established ritual, Sa'id bin Jubayr said that,

لِلطَّآئِفِينَ

(for those who are circumambulating it) means, strangers (he means who do not live in Makkah), while;

وَالْعَاكِفِينَ

(or staying (I'tikaf)) is about those who live in the area of the Sacred House. Also, Qatadah and Ar-Rabi' bin Anas said that I'tikaf is in reference to those who live in the area of the House, just as Sa'id bin Jubayr stated. Allah said,

 وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ

(or bowing or prostrating themselves (there, in prayer))

Ibn 'Abbas said, when it is a place of prayer it includes those who are described as bowing and prostrating themselves. Also, 'Ata' and Qatadah offered the same Tafsir.

Purifying all Masjids is required according to this Ayah and according to Allah's statement,

فِي بُيُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللَّهُ أَن تُرْفَعَ وَيُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ فِيهَا بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ

(In houses (mosques) which Allah has ordered to be raised (to be cleaned, and to be honored), in them His Name is remembered (i.e. Adhan, Iqamah, Salah, invocations, recitation of the Qur'an). Therein glorify Him (Allah) in the mornings and in the (late) afternoons)(24:36).

There are many Hadiths that give a general order for purifying the Masjids and keeping filth and impurities away from them. This is why the Prophet ﷺ said,

إِنَّمَا بُنِيَتِ الْمَسَاجِدُ لِمَا بُنِيَتْ لَهُ

(The Masjids are established for the purpose that they were built for (i. e. worshipping Allah alone).)

I have collected a book on this subject, and all praise is due to Allah.

Allah said,

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ مَنْ آمَنَ مِنْهُم بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ

(And (remember) when Ibrahim said, "My Lord, make this city (Makkah) a place of security and provide its people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allah and the Last Day.")

Imam Abu Ja'far bin Jarir At-Tabari narrated that Jabir bin 'Abdullah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَرَّمَ بَيْتَ اللهِ وَأَمَّنَهُ وَإِنِّي حَرَّمْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ مَا بَيْنَ لَابَتَيْهَا، فَلَا يُصَادُ صَيْدُهَا وَلَا يُقْطَعُ عِضَاهُهَا

(Ibrahim made Allah's House a Sacred Area and a safe refuge. I have made what is between the two sides of Al-Madinah a Sacred Area. Therefore, its game should not be hunted, and its trees should not be cut.) An-Nasa'i and Muslim also recorded this Hadith.

There are several other Hadiths that indicate that Allah made Makkah a sacred area before He created the heavens and earth. The Two Sahihs recorded 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas saying that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

إِنَّ هَذَا الْبَلَدَ حَرَّمَهُ اللهُ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ، فَهُوَ حَرَامٌ بِحُرْمَةِ اللهِ إِلى يَومِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَحِلَّ الْقِتَالُ فِيهِ لِأَحَدٍ قَبْلِي وَلَمْ يَحِلَّ لِي إِلَّا سَاعَةً مِنْ نَهَارٍ، فَهُوَ حَرَامٌ بِحُرْمَةِ اللهِ إِلى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ لَا يُعْضَدُ شَوْكُهُ وَلَا يُنَفَّرُ صَيْدُهُ، وَلَا يَلْتَقِطُ لُقَطَتَهُ إِلَّا مَنْ عَرَّفَهَا وَلَا يُخْتَلى خَلَاهَا

فَقَالَ الْعَبَّاسُ:

يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ: إِلّا الْإذْخِرَ فَإِنَّهُ لِقَيْنِهِمْ وَلِبُيُوتِهِمْ

فَقَالَ: إِلَّا الْإِذْخِرَ

(Allah has made this city a sanctuary (sacred place) the Day He created the heavens and earth. Therefore, it is a sanctuary until the Day of Resurrection because Allah made it a sanctuary. It was not legal for anyone to fight in it before me, and it was legal for me for a few hours of one day. Therefore, it is a sanctuary until the Day of Resurrection, because Allah made it a sanctuary. None is allowed to uproot its thorny shrubs, or to chase its game, or to pick up something that has fallen, except by a person who announces it publicly, nor should any of its trees be cut.) Al-'Abbas said, 'O Messenger of Allah! Except the lemon-grass, for our goldsmiths and for our graves.' The Prophet added, (Except lemon-grass.)

This is the wording of Muslim. The Two Sahihs also recorded Abu Hurayrah narrating a similar Hadith, while Al-Bukhari recorded a similar Hadith from Safiyyah bint Shaybah who narrated it from the Prophet ﷺ.

Abu Shurayh Al-'Adawi said that he said to 'Amr bin Sa'id while he was sending armies to Makkah, "O Commander! Let me narrate a Hadith that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said the day that followed the victory of Makkah. My ears heard the Hadith, my heart comprehended it, and my eyes saw the Prophet ﷺ when he said it. He thanked Allah and praised him and then said,

إِنَّ مَكَّةَ حَرَّمَهَا اللهُ وَلَمْ يُحَرِّمْهَا النَّاسُ فَلَا يَحِلُّ لِامْرِىءٍ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللهِ وَالْيَومِ الْآخِرِ أَنْ يَسْفِكَ بِهَا دَمًا وَلَا يَعْضِدَ بِهَا شَجَرَةً، فَإِنْ أَحَدٌ تَرَخَّصَ بِقِتَالِ رَسُولِ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم فَقُولُوا: إِنَّ اللهَ أَذِنَ لِرَسُولِهِ وَلَمْ يَأْذَنْ لَكُمْ، وَإِنَّمَا أَذِنَ لِي فِيهَا سَاعَةً مِنْ نَهَارٍ وَقَدْ عَادَتْ حُرْمَتُهَا الْيَومَ كَحُرْمَتِهَا بِالْأَمْسِ فَلْيُبَلِّغِ الشَّاهِدُ الْغَائِبَ

(Allah, not the people, made Makkah a sanctuary, so any person who has belief in Allah and the Last Day, should neither shed blood in it nor should he cut down its trees. If anybody argues that fighting in it is permissible on the basis that Allah's Messenger fought in Makkah, say to him, 'Allah allowed His Messenger and did not allow you.' Allah allowed me only for a few hours on that day (of the Conquest), and today its sanctity is valid as it was before. So, those who are present should inform those who are absent (concerning this fact).)

Abu Shurayh was asked, 'What did 'Amr reply?' He said, ('Amr said) 'O Abu Shurayh! I know better than you about this, the Sacred House does not give protection to a sinner, a murderer or a thief.' This Hadith was collected by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

After this, there is no contradiction between the Hadiths that stated that Allah made Makkah a sanctuary when He created the heavens and earth and the Hadiths that Ibrahim made it a sanctuary, since Ibrahim conveyed Allah's decree that Makkah is a sanctuary, before he built the House. Similarly, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was written as the Final Prophet when Adam was still clay. Yet, Ibrahim said,

رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ

(Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own)(2: 129).

Allah accepted Ibrahim's supplication, although He had full knowledge beforehand that it will occur by His decree. To further elaborate on this subject, we should mention the Hadith about what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said when he was asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Tell us about how your prophethood started." He ﷺ said,

دَعْوَةُ أَبِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، وَبُشْرَى عِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ، وَرَأَتْ أُمِّي كَأَنَّهُ خَرَجَ مِنْهَا نُورٌ أَضَاءَتْ لَهُ قُصُورُ الشَّامِ

(I am the supplication of my father Ibrahim, the good news of Jesus, the son of Mary, and my mother saw a light that radiated from her which illuminated the castles of Ash-Sham (Syria).)

In this Hadith, the Companions asked the Messenger ﷺ about the beginning of his prophethood. We will explain this matter later, if Allah wills.

Allah said that Ibrahim said,

رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا

(My Lord, make this city (Makkah) a place of security)(2:126) from terror, so that its people do not suffer from fear. Allah accepted Ibrahim's supplication. Allah said,

وَمَن دَخَلَهُ كَانَ آمِنًا

(Whosoever enters it, he attains security)(3:97) and,

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا جَعَلْنَا حَرَمًا آمِنًا وَيُتَخَطَّفُ النَّاسُ مِنْ حَوْلِهِمْ

(Have they not seen that We have made (Makkah) a secure sanctuary, while men are being snatched away from all around them?)(29:67).

We have already mentioned the Hadiths that prohibit fighting in the Sacred Area. Muslim recorded that Jabir said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

لَا يَحِلُّ لِأَحَدٍ أَنْ يَحْمِلَ بِمَكَّةَ السِّلَاحَ

(No one is allowed to carry weapons in Makkah.) Allah mentioned that Ibrahim said,

رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا

(My Lord, make this city (Makkah) a place of security) meaning, make this a safe city. This occurred before the Ka'bah was built. Allah said in Surat Ibrahim,

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا الْبَلَدَ آمِنًا

(And (remember) when Ibrahim said, "My Lord! Make this city (Makkah) one of peace and security...")(14:35) as here, Ibrahim supplicated a second time after the House was built and its people lived around it, after Ishaq who was thirteen years Isma'il's junior was born. This is why at the end of his supplication, Ibrahim said here,

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي وَهَبَ لِي عَلَى الْكِبَرِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِنَّ رَبِّي لَسَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ

(All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has given me in old age Isma'il (Ishmael) and Ishaq (Isaac). Verily, my Lord is indeed the Hearer of invocations)(14:39).

Allah said next,

وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ مَنْ آمَنَ مِنْهُم بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ قَالَ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَأُمَتِّعُهُ قَلِيلًا ثُمَّ أَضْطَرُّهُ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ النَّارِ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

("...and provide its people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allah and the Last Day." He (Allah) answered: "As for him who disbelieves, I shall leave him in contentment for a while, then I shall compel him to the torment of the Fire, and worst indeed is that destination!")

Ibn Jarir said that Ubayy bin Ka'b commented on,

قَالَ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَأُمَتِّعُهُ قَلِيلًا ثُمَّ أَضْطَرُّهُ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ النَّارِ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

(He answered: "As for him who disbelieves, I shall leave him in contentment for a while, then I shall compel him to the torment of the Fire, and worst indeed is that destination!")

"These are Allah's Words (meaning not Ibrahim's)" This is also the Tafsir of Mujahid and 'Ikrimah. Furthermore, Ibn Abi Hatim narrated that Ibn 'Abbas commented on Allah's statement,

رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ مَنْ آمَنَ مِنْهُم بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ

(My Lord, make this city (Makkah) a place of security and provide its people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allah and the Last Day.)

"Ibrahim asked Allah to grant sustenance for the believers only. However, Allah revealed, 'I will also provide for the disbelievers, just as I shall provide for the believers. Would I create something and not sustain and provide for? I shall allow the disbelievers little delight, and then force them to the torment of the Fire, and what an evil destination. Ibn 'Abbas then recited,

كُلًّا نُّمِدُّ هَٰؤُلَاءِ وَهَٰؤُلَاءِ مِنْ عَطَاءِ رَبِّكَ وَمَا كَانَ عَطَاءُ رَبِّكَ مَحْظُورًا

(On each these as well as those We bestow from the bounties of your Lord. And the bounties of your Lord can never be forbidden)(17:20).

This was recorded by Ibn Marduwyah, who also recorded similar statements from 'Ikrimah and Mujahid. Similarly, Allah said,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ لَا يُفْلِحُونَ - مَتَاعٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ ثُمَّ نُذِيقُهُمُ الْعَذَابَ الشَّدِيدَ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ

(Verily, those who invent a lie against Allah will never be successful. (A brief) enjoyment in this world! And then unto Us will be their return, then We shall make them taste the severest torment because they used to disbelieve.)(10:69-70),

وَمَن كَفَرَ فَلَا يَحْزُنكَ كُفْرُهُ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ فَنُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ - نُمَتِّعُهُمْ قَلِيلًا ثُمَّ نَضْطَرُّهُمْ إِلَىٰ عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ

(And whoever disbelieves, let not his disbelief grieve you (O Muhammad ﷺ). To Us is their return, and We shall inform them what they have done. Verily, Allah is the Knower of what is in the breasts (of men). We let them enjoy for a little while, then in the end We shall oblige them to (enter) a great torment.)(31:23-24) and,

وَلَوْلَا أَن يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً لَّجَعَلْنَا لِمَن يَكْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمَٰنِ لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُقُفًا مِّن فِضَّةٍ وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ - وَلِبُيُوتِهِمْ أَبْوَابًا وَسُرُرًا عَلَيْهَا يَتَّكِئُونَ - وَزُخْرُفًا وَإِن كُلُّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمَّا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةُ عِندَ رَبِّكَ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

(And were it not that mankind would have become of one community (all disbelievers desiring worldly life only), We would have provided for those who disbelieve in the Most Gracious (Allah), silver roofs for their houses, and elevators whereby they ascend. And for their houses, doors (of silver), and thrones (of silver) on which they could recline. And adornments of gold. Yet all this would have been nothing but an enjoyment of this world. And the Hereafter with your Lord is (only) for the Muttaqin (the pious).)(43:33-35). Allah said next,

ثُمَّ أَضْطَرُّهُ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ النَّارِ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

(Then I shall compel him to the torment of the Fire, and worst indeed is that destination!) meaning, "After the delight that the disbeliever enjoyed in this life, I will make his destination torment in the Fire, and what an evil destination." This Ayah indicates that Allah gives the disbelievers respite and then seizes them in a manner compatible to His greatness and ability. This Ayah is similar to Allah's statement,

وَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَمْلَيْتُ لَهَا وَهِيَ ظَالِمَةٌ ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهَا وَإِلَيَّ الْمَصِيرُ

(And many a township did I give respite while it was given to wrongdoing. Then (in the end) I seized it (with punishment). And to Me is the (final) return (of all))(22:48).

Also, the Two Sahihs recorded,

لَا أَحَدَ أَصْبَرُ عَلى أَذًى سَمِعَهُ مِنَ اللهِ إِنَّهُمْ يَجْعَلُونَ لَهُ وَلَدًا وَهُوَ يَرْزُقُهُمْ وَيُعَافِيهِم

(No one is more patient than Allah when hearing abuse. They attribute a son to Him, while He grants them sustenance and health.)

The Sahih also recorded,

إِنَّ اللهَ لَيُمْلِي لِلظَّالِـمِ حَتّى إِذَا أَخَذَهُ لَمْ يُفْلِتْهُ

(Allah gives respite to the unjust person, until when He seizes him; He never lets go of him.)

He then recited Allah's statement,

وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَخْذُ رَبِّكَ إِذَا أَخَذَ الْقُرَىٰ وَهِيَ ظَالِمَةٌ إِنَّ أَخْذَهُ أَلِيمٌ شَدِيدٌ

(Such is the punishment of your Lord when He punishes the (population of) towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His punishment is painful (and) severe). (11:102)

Allah said,

وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ - رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّكَ أَنتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

(And (remember) when Ibrahim (Abraham) and (his son) Isma'il (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), (saying), "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily, You are the Hearer, the Knower. Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manasik and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful.")

Allah said, "O Muhammad! Remind your people when Ibrahim and Isma'il built the House and raised its foundations while saying,

رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

(Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily, You are the Hearer, the Knower.")

Al-Qurtubi mentioned that Ubayy and Ibn Mas'ud used to recite the Ayah this way,

وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ وَيَقُولَانِ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

(And (remember) when Ibrahim and (his son) Isma'il were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), Saying, "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily, You are the Hearer, the Knower.")

What further testifies to this statement (which adds 'saying' to the Ayah) by Ubayy and Ibn Mas'ud, is what came afterwards,

رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّكَ 

(Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You).

The Prophets Ibrahim and Isma'il were performing a good deed, yet they asked Allah to accept this good deed from them. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated that Wuhayb bin Al-Ward recited,

وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا

(And (remember) when Ibrahim and (his son) Isma'il were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), (saying), "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us") and cried and said, "O Khalil of Ar-Rahman! You raise the foundations of the House of Ar-Rahman (Allah), yet you are afraid that He will not accept it from you?" This is the behavior of the sincere believers, whom Allah described in His statement,

وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْتُونَ مَا آتَوا

(And those who give that which they give)(23:60) meaning, they give away voluntary charity, and perform the acts of worship yet,

 وَّقُلُوبُهُمْ وَجِلَةٌ

(with their hearts full of fear)(23: 60) afraid that these good deeds might not be accepted of them. There is an authentic Hadith narrated by 'A'ishah on this subject, which we will mention later, Allah willing.

Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn 'Abbas said, "Prophet Ibrahim took Isma'il and his mother and went away with them until he reached the area of the House, where he left them next to a tree above Zamzam in the upper area of the Masjid. During that time, Isma'il's mother was still nursing him. Makkah was then uninhabited, and there was no water source in it. Ibrahim left them there with a bag containing some dates and a water-skin containing water. Ibrahim then started to leave, and Isma'il's mother followed him and said, 'O Ibrahim! To whom are you leaving us in this barren valley that is not inhabited?' She repeated the question several times and Ibrahim did not reply. She asked, 'Has Allah commanded you to do this?' He said, 'Yes.' She said, 'I am satisfied that Allah will never abandon us.' Ibrahim left, and when he was far enough away where they could not see him, close to Thaniyyah, he faced the House, raised his hands and supplicated,

رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ

(O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (the Ka'bah at Makkah)) until,

يَشْكُرُونَ

(Give thanks)(14:37). Isma'il's mother then returned to her place, started drinking water from the water-skin and nursing Isma'il. When the water was used up, she and her son became thirsty. She looked at him, and he was suffering from thirst; she left, because she disliked seeing his face in that condition. She found the nearest mountian to where she was, As-Safa, ascended it and looked, in vain, hoping to see somebody. When she came down to the valley, she raised her garment and ran, just as a tired person runs, until she reached the Al-Marwah mountain. In vain, she looked to see if there was someone there. She ran to and fro (between the two mountains) seven times." Ibn 'Abbas said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "This is why the people make the trip between As-Safa and Al-Marwah (during Hajj and Umrah)."

"When she reached Al-Marwah, she heard a voice and said, 'Shush,' to herself. She tried to hear the voice again and when she did, she said, 'I have heard you. Do you have relief?' She found the angel digging with his heel (or his wing) where Zamzam now exists, and the water gushed out. Isma'il's mother was astonished and started digging, using her hand to transfer water to the water-skin." Ibn 'Abbas said that the Prophet ﷺ then said, "May Allah grant His mercy to the mother of Isma'il, had she left the water, (flow naturally without her intervention), it would have been flowing on the surface of the earth."

"Isma'il's mother started drinking the water and her milk increased for her child. The angel (Gabriel) said to her, 'Do not fear abandonment. There shall be a House for Allah built here by this boy and his father. Allah does not abandon His people.' During that time, the area of the House was raised above ground level and the floods used to reach its right and left sides.

Afterwards some people of the tribe of Jurhum, passing through Kada', made camp at the bottom of the valley. They saw some birds, they were astonished, and said, 'Birds can only be found at a place where there is water. We did not notice before that this valley had water.' They sent a scout or two who searched the area, found the water, and returned to inform them about it. Then they all went to Isma'il's mother, next to the water, and said, 'O Mother of Isma'il! Will you allow us to be with you (or dwell with you)?' She said, 'Yes. But you will have no exclusive right to the water here.' They said, 'We agree.'" Ibn 'Abbas said that the Prophet ﷺ said, "At that time, Isma'il's mother liked to have human company."

"And thus they stayed there and sent for their relatives to join them. Later on, her boy reached the age of puberty and married a lady from them, for Isma'il learned Arabic from them, and they liked the way he was raised. Isma'il's mother died after that.

Then an idea occurred to Abraham to visit his dependents. So he left (to Makkah). When he arrived, he did not find Isma'il, so he asked his wife about him. She said, 'He has gone out hunting.' When he asked her about their living conditions, she complained to him that they live in misery and poverty. Abraham said (to her), 'When your husband comes, convey my greeting and tell him to change the threshold of his gate.' When Isma'il came, he sensed that they had a visitor and asked his wife, 'Did we have a visitor?' She said, 'Yes. An old man came to visit us and asked me about you, and I told him where you were. He also asked about our condition, and I told him that we live in hardship and poverty.' Isma'il said, 'Did he ask you to do anything?' She said, 'Yes. He asked me to convey his greeting and that you should change the threshold of your gate.' Isma'il said to her, 'He was my father and you are the threshold, so go to your family (i.e. you are divorced).' So he divorced her and married another woman.

Again Ibrahim thought of visiting his dependents whom he had left (at Makkah). Ibrahim came to Isma'il's house, but did not find Isma'il and asked his wife, 'Where is Isma'il?' Isma'il's wife replied, 'He has gone out hunting.' He asked her about their condition, and she said that they have a good life and praised Allah. Ibrahim asked, 'What is your food and what is your drink?' She replied, 'Our food is meat and our drink is water.' He said, 'O Allah! Bless their meat and their drink.'" The Prophet (Muhammad ﷺ) said, "They did not have crops then, otherwise Ibrahim would have invoked Allah to bless that too. Those who do not live in Makkah cannot bear eating a diet only containing meat and water."

"Ibrahim said, 'When Isma'il comes back, convey my greeting to him and ask him to keep the threshold of his gate.' When Isma'il came back, he asked, 'Has anyone visited us.' She said, 'Yes. A good looking old man,' and she praised Ibrahim, 'And he asked me about our livelihood and I told him that we live in good conditions.' He asked, 'Did he ask you to convey any message?' She said, 'Yes. He conveyed his greeting to you and said that you should keep the threshold of your gate.' Isma'il said, 'That was my father, and you are the threshold; he commanded me to keep you.'

Ibrahim then came back visiting and found Isma'il behind the Zamzam well, next to a tree, mending his arrows. When he saw Ibrahim, he stood up and they greeted each other, just as the father and son greet each other. Ibrahim said, 'O Isma'il, Your Lord has ordered me to do something.' He said, 'Obey your Lord.' He asked Isma'il, 'Will you help me?' He said, 'Yes, I will help you.' Ibrahim said, 'Allah has commanded me to build a house for Him there,' and he pointed to an area that was above ground level. So, both of them rose and started to raise the foundations of the House. Abraham started building (the Ka'bah), while Isma'il continued handing him the stones. Both of them were saying, 'O our Lord ! Accept (this service) from us, Verily, You are the Hearing, the Knowing.' (2.127) Hence, they were building the House, part by part, going around it and saying,

رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

(Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily, You are the Hearer, the Knower.)

In his Sīrah, Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar said, "When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ reached thirty-five years of age, the Quraysh gathered to rebuild the Ka'bah, this included covering it with a roof. However, they were weary of demolishing it. During that time, the Ka'bah was barely above a man's shoulder, so they wanted to raise its height and build a ceiling on top. Some people had stolen the Ka'bah's treasure beforehand, which used to be in a well in the middle of the Ka'bah

The treasure was later found with a man called, Duwayk, a freed servant of Bani Mulayh bin 'Amr, from the tribe of Khuza'ah. The Quraysh cut off his hand as punishment. Some people claimed that those who actually stole the treasure left it with Duwayk. Afterwards, the sea brought a ship that belonged to a Roman merchant to the shores of Jeddah, where it washed-up. So they collected the ship's wood to use it for the Ka'bah's ceiling; a Coptic carpenter in Makkah prepared what they needed for the job.

When they decided to begin the demolition process to rebuild the House, Abu Wahb bin 'Amr bin 'A'idh bin 'Abd bin 'Imran bin Makhzum took a stone from the Ka'bah; the stone slipped from his hand and went back to where it had been. He said, 'O people of Quraysh! Do not spend on rebuilding the House, except from what was earned from pure sources. No money earned from a prostitute, usury or injustice should be included.'" Ibn Ishaq commented here that the people also attribute these words to Al-Walid bin Al-Mughirah bin 'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Makhzum.

Ibn Ishaq continued, "The Quraysh began to organize their efforts to rebuild the Ka'bah, each subtribe taking the responsibility of rebuilding a designated part of it.

However, they were still weary about bringing down the Ka'bah. Al-Walid bin Al-Mughirah said, 'I will start to bring it down.' He held an ax and stood by the Ka'bah and said, 'O Allah! No harm is meant. O Allah! We only seek to do a good service.' He then started to chop the House's stones. The people waited that night and said, 'We will wait and see. If something strikes him, we will not bring it down and instead rebuid it the way it was. If nothing happens to him, then Allah will have agreed to what we are doing.' The next morning, Al-Walid went to work on the Ka'bah, and the people started bringing the Ka'bah down with him. When they reached the foundations that Ibrahim built, they uncovered green stones that were above each other, just like a pile of spears." Ibn Ishaq then said that some people told him, "A man from Quraysh, who was helping rebuild the Ka'bah, placed the shovel between two of these stones to pull them up; when one of the stones was moved, all of Makkah shook, so they did not dig up these stones."

Ibn Ishaq said, "The tribes of Quraysh collected stones to rebuild the House, each tribe collecting on their own. They started rebuilding it, until the rebuilding of the Ka'bah reached the point where the Black Stone was to be placed in its designated site. A dispute erupted between the various tribes of Quraysh, each seeking the honor of placing the Black Stone for their own tribe. The dispute almost led to violence between the leaders of Quraysh in the area of the Sacred House. Banu 'Abd Ad-Dar and Banu 'Adi bin Ka'b bin Lu'ay, gave their mutual pledge to fight until death. However, five or four days later, Abu Umayyah bin Al-Mughirah bin 'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Makhzum, the oldest man from Quraysh then intervened at the right moment. Abu Umayyah suggested that Quraysh should appoint the first man to enter the House from its entrance to be a mediator between them. They agreed.

The Messenger - Muhammad ﷺ - was the first person to enter the House. When the various leaders of Quraysh realized who the first one was, they all proclaimed, 'This is Al-Amin (the Honest one). We all accept him; This is Muhammad.' When the Prophet ﷺ reached the area where the leaders were gathering and they informed him about their dispute, he asked them to bring a garment and place it on the ground. He placed the Black Stone on it. He then requested that each of the leaders of Quraysh hold the garment from one side and all participate in lifting the Black Stone, moving it to its designated area. Next, the Prophet ﷺ carried the Black Stone by himself and placed it in its designated position and built around it. The Quraysh used to call the Messenger of Allah 'Al-Amin' even before the revelation came to him."

Ibn Ishaq said, "During the time of the Prophet ﷺ, the Ka'bah was eighteen cubits high and was covered with Egyptian linen, and they with a striped garment. Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf was the first person to cover it with silk." The Ka'bah remained the same way the Quraysh rebuilt it, until it was burned during the reign of 'Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr, after the year 6o H, at the end of the reign of Yazid bin Mu'awiyah. During that time, Ibn Az-Zubayr was besieged at Makkah. When it was burned, Ibn Az-Zubayr brought the Ka'bah down and built it upon the foundations of Ibrahim, including the Hijr in it. He also made an eastern door and a western door in the Ka'bah and placed them on ground level. He had heard his aunt 'A'ishah, the Mother of the believers, narrate that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had wished that. The Ka'bah remained like this throughout his reign, until Al-Hajjaj killed Ibn Az-Zubayr and then rebuilt it the way it was before, by the order of 'Abdul-Malik bin Marwan.

Muslim recorded that 'Ata' said, "The House was burnt during the reign of Yazid bin Mu'awiyah, when the people of Ash-Sham raided Makkah. Ibn Az-Zubayr did not touch the House until the people came for Hajj, for he wanted to incite them against the people of Ash-Sham. He said to them, 'O people! Advise me regarding the Ka'bah, should we bring it down and rebuild it, or just repair the damage it sustained' Ibn 'Abbas said, 'I have an opinion about this. You should rebuild the House the way it was when the people became Muslims. You should leave the stones that existed when the people became Muslims and when the Prophet ﷺ was sent. Ibn Az-Zubayr said, 'If the house of one of them gets burned, he will not be satisfied, until he rebuilds it. How about Allah's House? I will invoke my Lord for three days and will then implement what I decide.' When the three days had passed, he decided to bring the Ka'bah down. The people hesitated to bring it down, fearing that the first person to climb on the House would be struck down. A man went on top of the House and threw some stones down, and when the people saw that no harm touched him, they started doing the same. They brought the House down to ground level. Ibn Az-Zubayr surrounded the site with curtains hanging from pillars, so that the House would be covered, until the building was erect. Ibn Az-Zubayr then said, 'I heard 'A'ishah say that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

لَوْلَا أَنَّ النَّاسَ حَدِيثٌ عَهْدُهُمْ بِكُفْرٍ، وَلَيْسَ عِنْدِي مِنَ النَّفَقَةِ مَا يُقَوِّينِي عَلى بِنَائِهِ لَكُنْتُ أَدْخَلْتُ فِيهِ مِنَ الْحِجْرِ خَمْسَةَ أَذْرُعٍ، وَلَجَعَلْتُ لَهُ بَابًا يَدْخُلُ النَّاسُ مِنْهُ وَبَابًا يَخْرُجُونَ مِنْهُ

(If it was not for the fact that the people have recently abandoned disbelief, and that I do not have enough money to spend on it, I would have included in the House five cubits from Al-Hijr and would have made a door for it that people could enter from, and another door that they could exit from.)

Ibn Az-Zubayr said, 'I can spend on this job, and I do not fear the people.' So he added five cubits from the Hijr, which looked like a rear part for the House that people could clearly see. He then built the House and made it eighteen cubits high. He thought that the House was still short and added ten cubits in the front and built two doors in it, one as an entrance and another as an exit.

When Ibn Az-Zubayr was killed, Al-Hajjaj wrote to 'Abdul-Malik bin Marwan asking him about the House and told him that Ibn Az-Zubayr made a rear section for the House. 'Abdul-Malik wrote back, 'We do not agree with Ibn Az-Zubayr's actions. As, for the Ka'bah's height, leave it as it is. As for what he added from the Hijr, bring it down, and build the House as it was before and close the door.' Therefore, Al-Hajjaj brought down the House and rebuilt it as it was." In his Sunan, An-Nasa'i collected the Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ narrated from 'A'ishah, not the whole story,

The correct Sunnah conformed to Ibn Az-Zubayr's actions, because this was what the Prophet ﷺ wished he could do, but feared that the hearts of the people who recently became Muslim could not bear rebuilding the House. This Sunnah was not clear to 'Abdul-Malik bin Marwan. Hence, when 'Abdul-Malik realized that 'A'ishah had narrated the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on this subject, he said, "I wish we had left it as Ibn Az-Zubayr had made it." Muslim recorded that 'Ubadydullah bin 'Ubayd said that Al-Harith bin 'Abdullah came to 'Abdul-Malik bin Marwan during his reign. 'Abdul-Malik said, 'I did not think that Abu Khubayb (Ibn Az-Zubayr) heard from 'A'ishah what he said he heard from her.' Al-Harith said, 'Yes he did. I heard the Hadith from her.' 'Abdul-Malik said, 'You heard her say what?' He said, 'She said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

إِنَّ قَوْمَكِ اسْتَقْصَرُوا مِنْ بُنْيَانِ الْبَيْتِ وَلَوْلَا حَدَاثَةُ عَهْدِهِمْ بِالشِّرْكِ أَعَدْتُ مَا تَرَكُوا مِنْهُ، فَإِنْ بَدَا لِقَوْمِكِ مِنْ بَعْدِي أَنْ يَبْنُوهُ فَهَلُمِّي لِأُرِيَكِ مَا تَرَكُوهُ مِنْهُ

(Your people rebuilt the House smaller. Had it not been for the fact that your people are not far from the time of Shirk, I would add what was left outside of it. If your people afterwards think about rebuilding it, let me show you what they left out of it.) He showed her around seven cubits.'

One of the narrators of the Hadith, Al-Walid bin 'Ata', added that the Prophet ﷺ said,

وَلَجَعَلْتُ لَهَا بَابَيْنِ مَوْضُوعَيْنِ فِي الْأَرْضِ: شَرْقِيًّا وَغَرْبِيًّا، وَهَلْ تَدرِينَ لِمَ كَانَ قَومُكِ رَفَعُوا بَابَهَا؟

قَالَتْ: قُلْتُ: لَا. قَالَ:

تَعَزُّزًا أَنْ لَا يَدْخُلَهَا إِلَّا مَنْ أَرَادُوا، فَكَانَ الرَّجُلُ إِذَا هُوَ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَهَا يَدَعُونَهُ يَرْتَقِي حَتَّى إِذَا كَادَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ دَفَعُوهُ فَسَقَطَ

(I would have made two doors for the House on ground level, one eastern and one western. Do you know why your people raised its door above ground level?) She said, 'No.' He said, (To allow only those whom they wanted to enter it. When a man whom they did not wish to enter the House climbed to the level of the door, they would push him down)

Abdul-Malik then said, 'You heard 'A'ishah say this Hadith' He said, 'Yes.' 'Abdul-Malik said, 'I wish I left it as it was."

The Two Sahihs recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

يُخَرِّبُ الْكَعْبَةَ ذُو السُّوَيْقَتَيْنِ مِنَ الْحَبَشَةِ

(The Ka'bah will be destroyed by Dhus-Sawiqatayn (literally, a person with two lean legs) from Ethiopia.)

Also, Ibn 'Abbas said that the Prophet ﷺ said,

كَأَنِّي بِهِ أَسْوَدَ أَفْحَجَ يَقْلَعُهَا حَجَرًا حَجَرًا

(As if I see him now: a black person with thin legs plucking the stones of the Ka'bah one after another.) Al-Bukhari recorded this Hadith.

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal recorded in his Musnad that 'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'As said that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say,

يُخَرِّبُ الْكَعْبَةَ ذُو السُّوَيْقَتَيْنِ مِنَ الْحَبَشَةِ وَيَسْلُبُهَا حِلْيَتَهَا وَيُجَرِّدُهَا مِنْ كِسْوَتِهَا، وَلَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ أُصَيْلِعَ وَ أُفَيْدِعَ يَضْرِبُ عَلَيْهَا بِمِسْحَاتِهِ وَمِعْوَلِهِ

(Dhus-Sawiqatayn from Ethiopia will destroy the Ka'bah and will loot its adornments and cover. It is as if I see him now: bald, with thin legs striking the Ka'bah with his ax.)

This will occur after the appearance of Gog and Magog people. Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

لَيُحَجَّنَّ الْبَيْتُ وَلَيُعْتَمَرَنَّ بَعْدَ خُرُوجِ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ

(There will be Hajj and 'Umrah to the House after the appearance of Gog and Magog people.)

Allah said that Ibrahim and Isma'il supplicated to Him,

رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّكَ أَنتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

(Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manasik, and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful.)

Ibn Jarir said, "They meant by their supplication, 'Make us submit to Your command and obedience and not associate anyone with You in obedience or worship."Also, 'Ikrimah commented on the Ayah,

رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ

(Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You)

"Allah said, 'I shall do that.'"

وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِنَآ أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّكَ

(And of our offspring a nation submissive unto You)

Allah said, 'I shall do that.'"

This supplication by Ibrahim and Isma'il is similar to what Allah informed us of about His believing servants,

وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا

(And those who say: 'Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders of the Muttaqin)(25:74).

This type of supplication is allowed, because loving to have offspring who worship Allah alone without partners is a sign of complete love of Allah. This is why when Allah said to Ibrahim,

إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا

(Verily, I am going to make you an Imam (a leader) for mankind (to follow you)) Ibrahim said,

وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِي قَالَ لَا يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ

("And of my offspring (to make leaders)." (Allah) said, "My covenant (prophethood) includes not the Zalimin (polytheists and wrongdoers)") which is explained by,

وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِيَّ أَن نَّعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَامَ

(And keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols)(14:35)

Muslim narrated in his Sahih that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

إِذَا مَاتَ ابْنُ آدَمَ انْقَطَعَ عَمَلُهُ إِلَّا مِنْ ثَلَاثٍ: صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ أَوْ عِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ أَوْ وَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُو لَهُ

(When the son of Adam dies, his deeds end except for three deeds: an ongoing charity, a knowledge that is being benefited from and a righteous son who supplicates (to Allah) for him.)

Sa'id bin Mansur said that 'Attab bin Bashir informed us from Khasif, from Mujahid who said, "The Prophet Ibrahim supplicated,

وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا

(and show us our Manasik)

Jibril then came down, took him to the House and said, 'Raise its foundations.' Ibrahim raised the House's foundations and completed the building. Jibril held Ibrahim's hand, led him to As-Safa and said, 'This is among the rituals of Allah.' He then took him to Al-Marwah and said, 'And this is among the rituals of Allah.' He then took him to Mina until when they reached the 'Aqabah, they found Iblis standing next to a tree. Jibril said, 'Say Takbir (Allah is the Great) and throw (pebbles) at him.' Ibrahim said the Takbir and threw (pebbles at) Iblis. Iblis moved to the middle Jamrah, and when Jibril and Ibrahim passed by him, Jibril said to Ibrahim, 'Say Takbir and throw at him.' Ibrahim threw at him and said Takbir. The devious Iblis sought to add some evil acts to the rituals of Hajj, but he was unable to succeed. Jibril took Ibrahim's hand and led him to Al-Mash'ar Al-Haram and 'Arafat and said to him, 'Have you 'Arafta (known, learned) what I showed you?' thrice. Ibrahim said, 'Yes I did.'" Similar statements were reported from Abu Mijlaz and Qatadah.

The History of Ka'bah

In the course of the story of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ، we now come to the building of the "House of Allah" - the Ka'bah کعبہ . An answer is thus being given to the Jews who used to deny the Holy Prophet ﷺ on the ground of their assumption that prophethood could not be given to anyone outside their own clan, and who used to scoff at the Muslims for turning towards the Ka'bah کعبہ in their prayers, and to believe that the Hajj was no more than a custom of the ignorant Arabs. The earlier verse had made it clear that prophethood could not be given to the unjust and the disobedient, even if they belonged to the progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) - a rule which destroys the very basis of the presumptuousness and vanity of the Jews. The present verse reminds them that the Ka'bah کعبہ was built under divine commandment by Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ، himself with the help of his son Sayyidna Ismail (علیہ السلام) and thus suggests that the performance of the Hajj حج and the orientation towards the Ka'bah کعبہ have both been instituted by divine decree, and that the Holy Prophet ﷺ is a direct descendant of Sayyidna Ibrahim and Sayyidna Ismail (علیہما السلام) ، and is reviving the Abrahamic Way, which the Jews too must follow.

Verse 125 briefly outlines the history of the re-construction of the Ka'bah, the characteristic qualities of the "House of Allah" and the city of Makkah, and the injunctions with regard to the respect which has to be paid to this sacred place. The Holy Qur'an returns to the subject again and again in different chapters, providing more details. We shall cite Verses 26 and 27 from the Surah "Al-Hajj" which deals particularly with the annual pilgrimage:

وَإِذْ بَوَّأْنَا لِإِبْرَ‌اهِيمَ مَكَانَ الْبَيْتِ أَن لَّا تُشْرِ‌كْ بِي شَيْئًا وَطَهِّرْ‌ بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْقَائِمِينَ وَالرُّ‌كَّعِ السُّجُودِ ﴿26﴾ وَأَذِّن فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِ‌جَالًا وَعَلَىٰ كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ‌ يَأْتِينَ مِن كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ ﴿27﴾

And when We appointed for Ibrahim the place of the House: "You shall not associate anything with Me. And keep My House clean for those who circumambulate it, who stand there for the prayers, and who bow and prostrate themselves. And proclaim the pilgrimage among men, and they shall come to you on foot and on every lean camel too, coming from every deep ravine.." (22:26-27)

Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) migrated to Makkah

Ibn Kathir reports from Mujahid etc. that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) was living in Syria when he received the revelation that Allah was going to indicate to him the site of the Ka'bah کعبہ ، which he was required to build and keep clean for those who should assemble there for performing the Hajj and offering the Salah نماز . In connection with the earlier verse, we have already told the story how he was led by the archangel Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) to the desert where the city of Makkah مکہ المکرمہ is now situated and where the remains of the earlier structure of the Ka'bah کعبہ stood only in the shape of a mound, and how he was commanded by Allah to leave his wife and infant son behind and to return to Syria. He immediately started on the journey, but was naturally anxious about his wife and child. So, when he was out of ear-shot, he prayed to Allah for them, as has been reported in the Surah "Ibrahim":

رَ‌بِّ اجْعَلْ هَـٰذَا الْبَلَدَ آمِنًا وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِيَّ أَن نَّعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَام

"My Lord, make this city a place of peace, and keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols." (14:35)

And he prayed further:

رَّ‌بَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّ‌يَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ‌ ذِي زَرْ‌عٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّ‌مِ رَ‌بَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْ‌زُقْهُم مِّنَ الثَّمَرَ‌اتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُ‌ونَ ﴿37﴾

Our Lord, I have made some of my offspring dwell in a valley which is incultivable, close to Your Holy House that they may, Our Lord, be steadfast in the prayers. So, make the hearts of men tender towards them, and provide them with fruits, so that they may be thankful." (14:37)

In the earlier commandment which had brought him to his place, Allah had asked him to keep His House clean. He knew that Allah intended the House to be kept clean not only from external dirt but also from internal filth -namely, association (Shirk شرک ) and infidelity (Kufr کفر). So, while departing from this barren desert where he was leaving his family but where a town was to grow, he prayed to Allah, firstly, to make it a place of safety and peace, and, secondly, to protect him and his children from idol-worship and association. "The Friend of Allah" had attained that degree of knowledge where one sees oneself as a mere nothing, and one makes no movement without a full realization of the truth that nothing happens independently of Divine Will, and that all one's actions and even inclinations rest in the hand of Allah. So, he turned to Allah Himself for help in being able to carry out the command to keep the House of Allah clean from association and infidelity. There is another subtle suggestion in this prayer. Allah had commanded that due respect should be paid to His "House." Now, there was a likelihood that some people might begin, out of sheer ignorance, to worship the Ka'bah itself. That is why Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) specially prayed for him and his children to be protected from association (shirk شرک). Then, out of his love for his wife and son, he prayed to Allah to provide them, in His grace, with fruits in this barren and uncultivable land where he was leaving them under divine command.

A hadith in Al-Bukhari's collection of the Traditions (Ahadith) tells us in detail how the archangel Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) appeared and made the spring of Zamzam زم زم flow in the desert, how some people from the tribe of Jurhum جُرھُم came and settled there, and how Sayyidna Isma'il (علیہ السلام) was married to a lady of this tribe. We also learn from different Traditions (Ahadith) of the Holy Prophet ﷺ that the command to settle near the Ka'bah کعبہ and to keep it clean (mentioned in Verse 26-27 of the Surah "Al-Hajj" ) was at that time addressed only to Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) for his son was yet an infant. And in those circumstances the intention of the command was not to start the reconstruction of the Ka'bah کعبہ but only to place the wife and the son of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) in this locality so that a human settlement should begin to take shape. On the other hand, the verse we are dealing with (2:125) repeats the same command to keep the House clean, but is addressed as much to Sayyidna Ismail (علیہ السلام) as to his father, for the son had now grown into a young and married man, and could be included in the command to rebuild the Ka'bah.

A hadith reported by Al-Bukhari says that, on one of his periodic visits to his wife and son at Makkah, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) found his son sitting under a tree, making arrows. He informed the son that Allah had entrusted him with a special task, and asked him if he would help his father. The son was, of course, as ready to obey and to serve as ever. Allah had already indicated the spot and also the area where the Ka'bah کعبہ was to be rebuilt. When they started digging the ground, the earlier foundations became visible, and it was on them that they began to raise the walls. The next verse speaks of this event وَإِذْ يَرْ‌فَعُ إِبْرَ‌اهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ : "When Ibrahim was raising up the foundations of the House, and Ismail (too)." The order of the names indicates that the builder of the Ka'bah کعبہ is Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) while the role of Sayyidna Ismail (علیہ السلام) is that of a helper.makhan37

All the verses of the Holy Qur'an on the subject of the Ka'bah either say that the location had been indicated by Allah Himself, or report the divine command to keep the House clean, but never suggest that a new House was to be built in a new place. This in itself shows that the Ka'bah already existed in some form. Indeed, the Hadith, and history too, confirms this fact, and from these sources we learn that the earlier structure of the Ka'bah had either been destroyed at the time of the Deluge of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) (Noah) or raised into the heavens, leaving the foundations buried in the ground. Hence, Sayyidna Ibrahim and Sayyidna Ismail (علیہما السلام) were not the original founders of the Ka'bah کعبہ ، but had raised a new building on the earlier foundations.

As to who founded the Ka'bah کعبہ for the first time and when, there is no fully authenticated Hadith which could clarify this point. Certain narrations coming from the people of the Book, however, tell us that it was founded by the angels even before Sayyidna Adam (علیہ السلام) came down to the earth. He built the Ka'bah کعبہ a second time, or renovated it. This structure remained intact upto the time of the Deluge, which destroyed it, and left it a mere mound - the shape in which Sayyidna Ibrahim and Sayyidna Ismail (علیہما السلام) found it. And they constructed a new building on the site. Since then, the Ka'bah کعبہ has undergone certain alterations, but has never been demolished completely. Before the Holy Prophet ﷺ assumed the prophetic functions, the Quraysh of Makkah built the Ka'bah کعبہ afresh, and he himself took part in this renovation.

Some injunctions related to the Haram حرم

(1) The word Mathabah مَثَابَة ، used in this verse, comes from the root Thaba ثبا (signifying "to come back" ), and thus denotes a place to which one returns again and again. This shows that Allah has given a position of privilege to the Ka'bah کعبہ - it shall always remain a place where people will assemble from the four corners of the world, and would long to return to it again and again. Al-Qurtubi reports the great commentator Mujahid to have said that one never has enough of visiting the Ka'bah کعبہ ، but comes back every time with a greater longing to return, and to see it again. Certain scholars have remarked that one of the signs of one's Hajj حج having been accepted by Allah is that, on one's return, one should find in one's heart a greater desire to present oneself in the House of Allah again. This is borne out by the experience of those who have had the good fortune to be there - each visit, instead of slaking the thirst, rather increases it. Considering that Makkah has nothing to offer by way of a beautiful landscape or easy access or mundane comforts, yet, its power to draw millions of people to itself every year is nothing short of miracle.

(2) This verse says that Allah has made "the House" a place of peace. "The House" refers not only to the Ka'bah itself, but also to the whole area of the Mosque which surrounds it, and is called the Haram. There are other instances in the Holy Qur'an where the word "Ka'bah" or the expression Baytullah بیت اللہ ("House of Allah" ) connotes the whole area of the Haram. For example, the phrase هَدْيًا بَالِغَ الْكَعْبَةِ : "an offering to reach the Ka` bah" (5:95) refers to the Haram, for the verse deals with the subject of animal sacrifice, while it is not legitimate to offer such a sacrifice inside the Ka'bah. So, Verse 125 means that the whole of the Haram has been made a place of peace - that is to say, people have been forbidden from shedding blood or taking revenge within these precincts (ibn al-` Arabi). In fact, this commandment was one of the residues of the Way of Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) which were still alive in the Age of Ignorance (Al-Jahiliyyah الجاھلیہ), and all kinds of bloodshed or battle, individual or collective, were held to be forbidden inside this sanctuary, so much so that a man would never let himself take his revenge, even if he came upon the murderer of his brother or father in the Haram. The Islamic Shari'ah has preserved this injunction. The ban was lifted only for the sake of the Holy Prophet ﷺ on the day of the conquest of Makkah, and that too only for a few hours, and was reimposed for ever immediately after - the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself announced it in his address on the occasion. (Al-Bukhari)

Now, as for the man who commits, within these precincts, a crime for which the Shari'ah has laid down a specific physical punishment (Hadd حد) or allowed the victim to be revenged (Qisas قصاص ), the Haram will not provide sanctuary to him - the consensus holds that such a criminal will be duly punished. (Al-Jassas and Al-Qurtubi) For, the Holy Qur'an itself says: فَإِن قَاتَلُوكُمْ فَاقْتُلُوهُمْ "If they fight you [ inside the Haram ], you may kill them." (2:191) There is, however, a difference of views among the masters of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) on one point. What is to be done with the man who commits a crime outside, and then seeks a sanctuary in the Haram? Even in this case, some masters would have the criminal punished in the manner prescribed by the Shari'ah. On the other hand, Imam Abu Hanifah (رح) ، believes that if such men are allowed to save themselves from punishment in this manner, the Haram would become an easy refuge for all kinds of criminals and disorder would prevail, but in view of the sanctity of the place, the criminal would not be punished inside the Haram, but forced to come out, and then the punishment prescribed by the Shari'ah would be duly given to him.

(3) The present verse mentions "the Station of Ibrahim." It is a stone on which Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) had stood while building the Ka'bah, and which miraculously acquired the print of his foot. (Ai-Bukhari) The blessed Companions Anas ؓ says that he has himself seen the mark on the stone. On the other hand, it has been reported from the blessed Companion ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas that the Haram as a whole is the "Station of Ibrahim. " Probably he meant that the two rak'ahs رکعات of the Salah نماز which this verse enjoins upon us to offer near the "Station of Ibrahim" after completing tawaf طواف (circumambulation) of the Ka'bah کعبہ ، may be offered anywhere within the precincts of the Haram, and that the prayers thus offered would be quite valid. Most of the Fuqaha' accept this view.

The Maqam of Ibrahim

(1) As to the commandment for making "the Station of Ibrahim" a place of offering one's prayers, the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself has explained it through his own words and actions on the occasion of his last Hajj حج . After completing the tawaf طواف ، when he reached "the Station of Ibrahim," placed some yards away from the Ka'bah کعبہ ، he recited this very verse, and then offered two rak'ats رکعتین on the other side of this stone, with his face turned towards the Ka'bah کعبہ (Sahih Muslim). The Fuqaha' have inferred from this the rule that if one does not get the room to stand close to "the Station of Ibrahim," one may, while offering prayers, validly stand at any distance from it that one can, so long as the Ka'bah کعبہ ، as well as "the Station of Ibrahim," is in front of him.

(2) This verse shows that it is necessary (Wajib واجب) to offer two rak` ahs رکعتین after the tawaf طواف of the Ka'bah کعبہ . (Al-Jassas and Mulla ` Ali a1-Qari) But offering these prayers specifically behind the "Station of Ibrahim" is a Sunnah (the Way of the Holy Prophet ﷺ). There is, however, no bar on offering these prayers at any other spot within the Haram, for the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself has been reported to have offered them near the gate of the "House of Allah", as did the blessed Companion ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، too (a1-Jassas). In his "Al-Manasik المناسِک ", Mulla ` Ali al-Qari says that if one is not, for some reason, able to offer these necessary (Wajib واجب) prayers behind "the Station of Ibrahim," as required by the Sunnah, he may validly offer them anywhere he possibly can within the Haram, or even outside.

In fact, this is exactly what happened to Sayyidah Umm Salmah ؓ ، one of the wives of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . On the occasion of her Last Hajj حج ، she could not find the opportunity to offer these Wajib واجب prayers inside the Haram, and was able to do so when she was outside the city of Makkah itself. Most of the F u q a h a', except Imam Malik (رح) ، hold the view that if circumstances compel one to offer these prayers outside the Haram, one is not required to make an animal sacrifice by way of compensation.

(6) The divine command to طَهِّرَ‌ا بَيْتِيَ "Keep My House clean" includes purifying it from physical and external dirt as much as from internal filth like infidelity (Kufr کفر) and association (Shirk شرک ), and from impurities like greed, lust, envy, pride, vanity, hypocrisy, etc. Then, the use of the expression "My House" indicates that the commandment applies to mosques in general, for all the mosques are "the Houses of Allah", as the Holy Qur'an itself has said فِي بُيُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللَّـهُ أَن تُرْ‌فَعَ "In houses which Allah has commanded to be raised up" (24:36). Al-Qurtubi reports that the Second Khalifah ` Umar ؓ once heard a man shout in the mosque, and rebuked him for having forgotten where he was. That is to say, one should pay due respect to a mosque, and refrain from speaking loudly, and, above all, from saying something which the Shari'ah has forbidden. In short, just as the Haram حرم must be kept clean from all kinds of dirt and filth, external and internal, so must every mosque. Those who enter a mosque must keep their bodies and their clothes free from dirt, filth and even from bad smells, and also keep their hearts free from Shirk شرک ، hypocrisy, pride, malice and greed etc. The Holy Prophet g has asked the people not to enter a mosque, if they have just eaten raw onion or garlic, and has also forbidden very small children and mad men to enter a mosque for fear of their polluting it.

(7) The verse shows that "the House of Allah" is meant for people to make tawaf طواف of the Ka'bah کعبہ ، to do I` tikaf اعتکاف (to seek a retreat for worship and meditation), and to offer their prayers. In the case of those who come from outside to perform the Hajj حج ، the tawaf طواف carries greater merit than offering prayers. Lastly, the verse makes it clear that it is absolutely permissible to offer one's prayers inside the "House of Allah", whether the prayers are fard فرض (obligatory) or nafl نفل (supererogatory) (Jasss).

Every year, the faithful come from all over the world to visit the Ka‘bah in Makkah, where no one is allowed to harm even the lowliest living creature; for Makkah has been made into a sacred place of worship for all time. Since people come to this place to remember God in an atmosphere of peace and solitude, it has to be cleansed of all impurities, and all activities that are contrary to this basic purpose are banned. Here the faithful bow and prostrate themselves, their greatest mark of respect for their Creator being the circumambulation of the Ka‘bah.