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Guarding
the Ka`bah, Watering and Feeding the Pilgrims
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 All
people of Makkah in general and chieftains of Quraish in particular
have realized their duties towards the Ka`bah and its pilgrims.
They thought they were invested with the rights of sacredness and
choice over all the Arabs because they were chosen by God to be the
neighbors of the Sacred House. They also considered themselves the
people of the House and its guardians as well as they knew the
importance of their land and what Allah has bestowed upon them of
His Honor and Sacredness. Thereby, they co-operated to shoulder
their responsibilities towards the pilgrims regarding them as
guests of Allah’s House in their land.
At
that time, there were fifteen outstanding posts in (the tribe of)
Quraish which they distributed among its clans to guarantee balance
and peace and to prevent struggle and competition amongst them over
these posts. Also, they aimed to secure the necessary peace and
tranquility to encourage pilgrims and traders to come to Makkah
every year. The most honorable of these posts were guarding the
House, watering and feeding the pilgrims.
As
for the post of guarding the House, its holder guards, maintains,
retains the Ka`bah’s keys, opens its door for people and closes
it. This is absolutely the most unparalleled post. The second post
is the right of watering the pilgrims. This task was not an easy
one because of the scarcity of water in Makkah. The one who assumes
this right used to establish cisterns of leather in the precinct of
the Sanctuary to which he transfers fresh water from the wells
around Makkah on camels. The right of watering the pilgrims was
invested with Banu Hashim Ibn `Abd Manaf. The third post is the
right of feeding (i.e. levying a tax to provide for the pilgrims).
The one invested with this right used to levy a tax from notables
of Quraish every year to provide food for those of the pilgrims who
were too poor to provide for themselves regarding them as guests of
the Ka`bah. Qusayy Ibn Kilab was the first to assume this right.
Then it moved to Banu Nawfal, then to Banu Hashim. Maintenance of
the Sacred House is also amongst the highest posts which are
connected to the Ka`bah. It means not to let any obscenity, or
wickedness, or wrangling in the Sanctuary.
Quraish
spared no effort to encourage pilgrims from all over the world to
come to Makkah. They used to stand on the side of the oppressed and
to deal justly with people. For the furtherance of justice and the
protection of the weak, they had signed a pact of chivalry that
henceforth, at every act of oppression in Makkah, they stand
together as one man on the side of the oppressed against the
oppressor until justice is done, whether the oppressed was a man of
Quraish or one who had come from abroad.
Qusayy
Ibn Kilab, the founder of Quraish, assumed the right of levying a
tax from its notables to provide for the pilgrims. His posterity
inherited this right after his death. So it became a hereditary
tradition. Ibn Hisham defined the right of levying a tax to provide
for the pilgrims saying that they paid Qusayy Ibn Kilab a tax every
year on their flocks, so that he might feed those of the pilgrims
who were too poor to provide for themselves. When Qusayy firstly
imposed this tax on Quraish, he said, “O men of Quraish, you are
God’s neighbors, the people of His House and the people of the
Sanctuary; and at this feast come to you God’s visitors, the
pilgrims to His House. They are God’s guests, and no guests have
such claim on your generosity as His guests. So, provide them with
food and drink in seasons of Hajj so that they may talk of your
generosity.” They voluntarily agreed to pay him a tax every year
from their properties to provide food for the pilgrims.
Qusayy
ruled over them all as king, with undisputed power. He assumed the
posts of guarding the House, watering the pilgrims, providing for
the pilgrims, he also lead the House of the Assembly and the ensign
of war. Qusayy Ibn Kilab ordered people of Quraish to build their
houses near the Ka`bah and to leave enough space for
circumambulation around the Ka`bah.
Three
children were born to Qusayy; they are `Abd Ad-Dar, `Abd Manaf and
`Abd Al-`Uzza. `Abd Ad-Dar was his eldest son, but `Abd Manaf was
the most honored and the highly respected in his people. Qusayy
preferred his first-born, `Abd Ad-Dar, and shortly before his death
he said to him, “My son, none shall enter the Ka`bah except that
you open it for him, and no hand but thine shall knot for Quraish
their ensign of war, nor shall any pilgrim draw water for drink in
Makkah except it be of thy providing, nor shall Quraish resolve
upon any matter except it be in thy house.”
After
the death of Qusayy, `Abd Ad-Dar and then his posterity assumed all
these posts. But very soon, sons of `Abd Manaf Ibn Qusayy, `Abd
Shams, Hashim, Al-Muttalib and Nawfal, disputed with sons of `Abd
Ad-Dar regarding these rights and demanded that they should be
transferred to their clans. This dispute divided clans of Quraish
and they were about to go to war when a compromise was suggested,
and it was agreed that the sons of `Abd Manaf Ibn Qusayy should
have the rights of levying the tax and providing the pilgrims with
food and drink, whereas the sons of `Abd Ad-Dar Ibn Qusayy should
retain the keys of the Ka`bah, the ensign of war and their other
rights, and that their house should continue to be the House of the
Assembly.
Hashim’s
brothers agreed that he should have the responsibility of levying
the tax and providing for the pilgrims. Once Quraish passed through
a period of drought from which they suffered much. Thereby, Hashim
traveled to Palestine and bought a large amount of flour and then
came back instantly to Makkah to make bread from this flour and
then he smashed this bread to be offered to his people. That was
why they called him Hashim instead of his original name `Amr. He
then slaughtered animals and offered them to his people. Hashim was
held in much honor throughout the Arabian Peninsula.
Hashim’s
younger brother Al-Muttalib took over the rights of watering the
pilgrims and of providing for them after Hashim’s death. When `Abd
Al-Muttalib grew old, he was involved in disputes over his
father’s posts: but with the help of his maternal uncles from
Banu An-Najjar, `Abd Al-Muttalib was able to restore his father’s
posts. Ibn Hisham mentioned the outstanding position of `Abd Al-Muttalib
saying, “`Abd Al-Muttalib took over the rights of feeding and
watering the pilgrims and levying the tax to provide for them after
his uncle’s death. It was even said that he surpassed his
forefathers in the fulfillment of this task. He became the most
outstanding among his people and he was held in much respect and
honor.
`Abd
Al-Muttalib shouldered the heavy responsibility of feeding and
watering the pilgrims. He suffered much in providing the necessary
amounts of water for the pilgrims and the newcomers to Makkah;
especially that Makkah passed by a long period of drought during
which there was scarcity of rains and the wells around Makkah were
about to dry up while they were near the season of Hajj. One night,
`Abd Al-Muttalib saw a vision that led him to discover the old
place of the Well of Zamzam. `Abd Al-Muttalib along with his son
Al-Harith came out to the place where he knew that he must dig.
They succeeded in their endeavor and water gushed forth from this
Sacred Well to provide water generously for the pilgrims and the
people of Makkah.
While
digging the Well of Zamzam, `Abd Al-Muttalib found a treasure for
Maddad Al-Jurhumi who had previously buried it in this well and
filled it up (with earth) when he had been forced to leave Makkah
and so that his enemies shall not find it. Also, he was unable to
carry this treasure with him to his exile. With the passing of
years, this treasure was hidden under heaped up sands. People of
Quraish disputed with `Abd Al-Muttalib regarding this treasure and
claimed the right to a share in it. `Abd Al-Muttalib agreed that
lots should be cast to put an end to this dispute.
The
treasure included two pieces of gold in the shape of gazelles,
swords and coats of mail. The process of divining arrows resulted
in that the two pieces of gold went to the Ka`bah, whereas the
swords and the coats of mail went to `Abd Al-Muttalib who made of
these swords a door to the Ka`bah and then hanged the two gold
pieces over this door.
After
the discovery of the Well of Zamzam, `Abd Al-Muttalib had become
transferring water from it to the nearby cisterns surrounding the
Ka`bah. He used to desalinate this water with dried dates and
raisins since his son Al-`Abbas had gardens of grapes in (the
nearby town of) At-Ta’if and he used to provide his father with
the necessary needs from raisins.
Up
till now, the rights of guarding the House, watering the pilgrims
and providing for them are unparalleled honors.
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