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The
Rebuilding of the Ka`bah |
Nabil
Al-Fuli
 (Before
the advent of Islam) Allah, Most High, protected the Sacred House
and Quraish (the Pagans) maintained and shouldered the
responsibility of watering thirsty pilgrims until the time had come
that Quraish were forced due to several circumstances to rebuild
the Ka`bah.
Scholars
of Sirah (the Prophetic Biography) mentioned several reasons for
this act; the most important of them are as follows:
1-
A torrent came from the outskirts of Makkah; the thing which caused
grave harm to the Sacred House and accordingly they feared that
water may leak into it.
2-
A woman was scenting the Ka`bah and a spark threw off and caused
fire to set off the garment of the Ka`bah.
3-
The Ka`bah had no roof and their plan was to demolish it and
rebuild it altogether and to roof it.
It
is worth mentioning that the Messenger of Allah, peace and
blessings be upon him, shared in this operation that took place
when he was thirty-five years old.
The
compilations of Authentic Hadiths state that when Quraish commenced
in acts of rebuilding the Honorable Ka`bah, he (the Prophet, peace
and blessing be upon him) used to carry stones along with his
people. He carried them on his shoulders while his loincloth
wrapped around his hips. His uncle Al-`Abbas told him, “O my
nephew! It is better to raise your loincloth on your shoulder; the
thing which he did but he instantly fell to the ground unconscious.
Then, his loincloth was to be fastened around his hips and he then
stood once again to carry stones.
This
incident bears the lesson of covering the private parts and
purification of honor.
Interestingly
enough, (people of) Quraish have made several decisions indicating
their glorification to that Ancient House including the following:
Firstly,
they were very anxious to keep all expenditures of the construction
of the Ka`bah away from ill-gained money to the point that one of
them said, “O people of Quraish do not let into this building
anything but lawful gains: so no money gained through prostitution
or usury or usurp is to be funded for that holy purpose.”
Secondly,
books of Sirah cite that people were afraid to proceed with the act
of demolishing the Ka`bah and they were greatly afflicted with awe.
Then, Al-Walid Ibn Al-Mughirah said, “I will begin the act of
demolishing it.” He then took up a pickaxe and said while going
to the Ka`bah, “O God, we do not intend to violate Your Sacred
House.” In another version he said, “O God, we have not
disbelieved (in Your religion), O God, we intend nothing but
good.” Thereupon he knocked down part between the two corners;
but the rest of the people held back watching out what may afflict
Al-Mughirah (of Allah’s anger). The night passed without mishap
and Al-Walid was again at work early next morning, so the others
became sure of Allah’s pleasure with their work and accordingly
they joined him in works of demolition.
Thirdly,
all clans of Quraish gathered to share in the honor of
reconstructing the Ka`bah. They worked separately in collecting
more stones so as to increase the height of the building, until the
walls were high enough for the Black Stone to be built once more
into its corner. Then a violent disagreement broke out amongst
them, for each clan wanted to possess the honor of putting it into
its original place and the tension increased to the point that
allies were made and preparations for war begun.
The
deadlock lasted for about four or five days. Then, they held a
meeting in the Sacred House and discussions started. Al-Walid Ibn
Al-Mughirah said, “O men of Quraish, take as arbiter the first
man who shall enter in through the gate of this House.”
They
all agreed to follow this opinion; and the first man to enter the
House was Muhammad Ibn `Abdullah, peace and blessings be upon him.
When
they saw him they said, “Here is the trustworthy. We accept his
judgement. It is Muhammad.
When
they explained the matter to him, he said, “Bring me a cloak.”
And when they brought it, he took up the Black Stone and laid it on
the middle of the garment.” “Let each clan take hold of a
border of the cloak, then lift it up, all of you together,” he
said. And when they raised it to the right height he took the Stone
and placed it in its original place with his own hands; and the
reconstruction went on.
Thus,
peace and tranquility took the place of dissension and discord due
to the blessing and wisdom of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings
be upon him.
It
is worthy noticing here that they could not raise the building on
the foundation of Abraham, peace and blessings be upon him, and
thereby they took out (raised it above) the Stone which is six or
seven cubits (from Isma`il’s Enclosure).
They
also made one door for the Ka`bah eastward and they were keen to
make it high so as to be able to control those who want to get
therein and thus they can give permission of entrance to those whom
they want and prevent those whom they do not want.
But
the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, had a
better point of view. It was reported in the two Sahihs on the
authority of the Mother of the Believers `A’ishah, may Allah be
pleased with her, that Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be
upon him, told her, “If your people, had not been recent converts
to Islam, I would have spent the treasure of the Ka`bah in the way
of Allah and would have constructed its door just on the level of
the ground and would have encompassed in it the space of Hijr (the
unroofed portion of the Ka`bah which is at present in the form of a
compound towards the northwest of the Ka`bah).”
Imam
Ibn Kathir commented on this Hadith saying, “So, when Ibn
Az-Zubair took authority, he rebuilt it according to the
aforementioned directions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and
blessings be upon him. It came much better and rightly on those
very foundations (laid by) Abraham, having two doors at a level
with the ground, one towards the east and one towards the west,
through which people can enter from one door and exit from the
other.
When
Ibn Az-Zubair, may Allah be pleased with him, was killed, Al-Hajjaj
wrote to `Abd Al-Malik Ibn Marwan informing him about the doing of
Ibn Az-Zubair, thinking that he did so of his own accord and
thereby, `Abd Al-Malik (the Caliph at that time) ordered that it be
rebuilt on its previous foundations. Accordingly, they demolished
the Syrian wall and took its stones and then they leveled up its
stones in the ground of the Ka`bah. Thus, its door became high and
then they walled up the western door.
During
the caliphate of Al-Mahdi or his son Al-Mansur, he consulted Imam
Malik in rebuilding it as it had been done by Ibn Az-Zubair but
Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “I fear that kings
may make this act (demolition and reconstruction of the Ka`bah) as
a game.” He, thereby, left it as it was and so far it continues
to be so.
It
is worth mentioning that the Ka`bah and the Sacred House are two
different things since the Ka`bah is that very building which was
firstly established by Abraham and Isma`il, peace and blessings be
upon them, and it may be called the Sacred Mosque due to
considering it a place of prostration and the direction towards
which people turn their faces in prayer. As for the Sacred Mosque,
it is the precinct around the Ka`bah which was firstly built by `Umar
Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, who bought the
houses around the Ka`bah and demolished them and then built the
Sacred Mosque in their place. When `Uthman Ibn `Affan, may Allah be
pleased with him, assumed caliphate, he extended the area of the
Mosque through buying the nearby houses to the Ka`bah and attaching
them to the Sacred Mosque.
Ever
since that time, extensions and improvements have been made to the
Sacred Mosque and its precincts in order for it to be spacious
enough for the Pilgrims coming to it from all over the globe.
The
question now is: Is there any indication referring to that the
Ka`bah had been previously built before the time of Abraham?
No
doubt, the clear texts of the Qur’an and the Sunnah indicate that
Abraham, peace and blessings be upon him, was the addressee
regarding the order of building the Ancient House and that he was
the one appointed to raise its foundations and to direct a
(historic) call to people to perform pilgrimage to it.
In
this regard, Almighty Allah says, {…and We covenanted with
Abraham and Ishmael, that they should sanctify My House for those
who compass it round, or use it as a retreat, or bow, or prostrate
themselves (therein in Prayer)}. (Al-Baqarah: 125)
He
also says, {Behold! We gave the site, to Abraham, of the (sacred)
house, (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}. (Al-Hajj: 26-27)
And
when the Ever-Glorious Qur’an talked about the first House (of
worship) it linked it to Abraham in Almighty Allah’s saying, {The
first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka: full
of blessing and of guidance for all kinds of beings. In it are
Signs manifest; (for example), the Station of Abraham…}.
It
was also reported in the two Sahihs that Abu Dharr, may Allah be
pleased with him, narrated, “I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, which
mosque was set up first on the earth?’ He said, ‘Al-Masjid Al-Haram
(the Sacred Mosque).’ I (again) said, ‘Then which next?’ He
said, ‘It was Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa.’ I (again) said, ‘How long
the space of time (between them) was?’ He (the Prophet) said,
‘It was forty years.’”
Finally,
it is well known that the Aqsa Mosque was built by Ya`qub (Jacob)
Ibn Isaac Ibn Abraham, peace and blessings be upon them all. Thus,
Jacob gained the construction skill from his grandfather Al-Khalil
(Allah’s intimate friend), peace and blessings be upon him, and
followed his example in building Allah’s Houses. All what people
narrated regarding the Sacred House before the time of Abraham,
peace and blessings be upon him, was groundless and thus could not
stand as proof.
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