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There is no place on Earth as venerated, as central
or as holy to as many people as Mecca. By any objective standard, this
valley in the Hijaz region of Arabia is the most celebrated place on
Earth.
Thousands circle the sacred Kaaba at the centre of the Haram sanctuary
24 hours a day. Millions of homes are adorned with pictures of it and
over a billion face it five times a day.
The Kaaba is the epicenter of Mecca.
The cube shaped building is at the heart of the most well-known real
estate in the history of mankind; it is shrouded in black and its fair
share of mystery.
Here are just a few things that most people may not know about the Kaaba:
10. It has been reconstructed several times
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The Kaaba that we see today is not exactly the same Kaaba that was
constructed by Prophets Ibrahim ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and
blessings of Allāh be upon him) and Ismail ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam
(peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) From time to time, it has
needed rebuilding after natural and man-made disasters.
Of course, we all know of the major reconstruction that took place
during the life of the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and
blessings of Allāh be upon him) before he became a Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi
wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him). This is the
occasion when the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and
blessings of Allāh be upon him) averted major bloodshed by his quick
thinking on how to place the Black Stone using a cloth that every tribe
could lift up.
Since then, there has been an average of one major reconstruction every
few centuries. The last renovation took place in 1996 and was extremely
thorough, leading to the replacement of many of the stones and
re-strengthening the foundations and a new roof. This is likely to be
the last reconstruction for many centuries (insha'Allah) as modern
techniques mean that the building is more secure and stable than ever
before.
9. It used to have two doors … and a window
The original Kaaba used to have a door for entrance and another for
exit. For a considerable period of time it also had a window situated to
one side. The current Kaaba only has one door and no window.
8. It used to be multi-coloured
We are so used to the Kaaba being covered in the trademark black Kiswah
with gold banding that we can't imagine it being any other colour.
However, this tradition seems to have started at the time of the
Abbasids (whose household colour was black) and before this the Kaaba
was covered in multiple colours including green, red and even white. |
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7. The keys are in the hands of one family
At the time of the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and
blessings of Allāh be upon him), each aspect to do with the rites of
Hajj was in the hands of different sub-groups of the Quraish. Every one
of these would eventually lose control of their guardianship of a
particular rite except one. On the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet
ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him)
was given the keys to the Kaaba and instead of keeping it in his own
possession; he returned them back to the Osman ibn Talha ® of the Bani
Shaiba family. They had been the traditional key keepers of the Kaaba
for centuries; and the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and
blessings of Allāh be upon him) confirmed them in that role till the end
of time by these words
“Take it, O Bani Talha, eternally up to the Day of Resurrection, and it
will not be taken from you unless by an unjust, oppressive tyrant.”
Whether Caliph, Sultan or King – the most powerful men in the world have
all had to bow to the words of the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam
(peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) and ask permission from this
small Makkan family before they can enter the Kaaba.
6. It used to be open to everyone
Until recently, the Kaaba was opened twice a week for anyone to enter
and pray. However, due to the rapid expansion in the number of pilgrims
and other factors, the Kaaba is now opened only twice a year for
dignitaries and exclusive guests only. |
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5. You used to be able to swim around it
One of the problems with having the Kaaba situated at the bottom of a
valley is that when it rains – valleys tend to flood. This was not an
uncommon occurrence in Mecca and the cause of a lot of trouble before
the days of flood control systems and sewage. For days on end the Kaaba
would be half submerged in water. Did that stop Muslims from performing
the Tawaf? Of course not. As the picture below amply shows – Muslims
just started swimming around the Kaaba.
4. The inside contains plaques commemorating the
rulers who renovated it
For years many have wondered what it looks like inside the Kaaba.
Relying on second or third hand accounts from those who were lucky
enough to enter just wasn't satisfying enough. Then one lucky person who
went inside took his camera phone in with him and Millions have seen the
shaky footage online.
The interior of the Kaaba is now lined with marble and a green cloth
covering the upper walls. Fixed into the walls are plaques each
commemorating the refurbishment or rebuilding of the House of Allah by
the ruler of the day.
3. There are two kaabas!
Directly above the Kaaba in heaven is an exact replica. This Kaaba was
mentioned in the Qur'an and by the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam
(peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him).
The Messenger of Allah ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings
of Allāh be upon him) said narrating about the journey of 'Isra wal
Miraaj |
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“Then I was shown Al-Bait-al-Ma'mur (i.e. Allah's House). I asked
Gabriel about it and he said, This is Al Bait-ul-Ma'mur 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).”
2. The Black Stone is broken
Ever wondered how the Black Stone came to be in the silver casing that
surrounds it?
Some say it was broken by a stone fired by the Umayyad army laying siege
to Mecca whilst it was under the control of Abdullah ibn Zubair ®.
However, most agree that it was most damaged in the middle ages by an
extreme heretical Ismaili group from Bahrain called the Qarmatians who
had declared that the Hajj was an act of superstition. They decided to
make their point by killing tens of thousands of hujjaj and dumping
their bodies in the well of Zamzam.
As if this act of treachery was not enough, these devils took the Black
Stone to the East of Arabia and then Kufa in Iraq where they held it
ransom until they were forced to return it by the Abassid Caliph. When
they returned it, it was in pieces and the only way to keep them
together was by encasing them in a silver casing. Some historians
narrate that there are still some missing pieces of the stone floating
around.
1. It's not supposed to be a cube shape
Yes, ladies and gentleman… the most famous cube in the world actually
started out shaped as a rectangle.
I'll give you a moment to pick your jaws off the floor.
Right, where were we?
Oh yeah, the Kaaba was never meant to be a cube. The original dimensions
of The House included the semi-circular area known as the Hijr Ismail.
When the Kaaba was rebuilt just a few years before the Prophet
ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him)
received his first revelation, the Quraish agreed to only use income
from pure sources to complete the rebuild. That meant no money from
gambling, looting, prostitution, interest etc. In the ultimate sign of
how deeply mired in wrongdoing the Jahili Quraish were, there was not
enough untainted money in this very wealthy trading city to rebuild the
Kaaba to its original size and shape!
They settled for a smaller version of the Kaaba and put a mud brick wall
(called “Hijr Ismail” although it has no connection to the Prophet
Ismail (A) himself) to indicate the original dimensions. Towards the end
of his life, the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and
blessings of Allāh be upon him) intended to rebuild the Kaaba on its
original foundations but passed away before he could fulfill his wish.
Apart from a brief interlude of a few years during the reign of Caliph
Abdullah ibn Zubair ®, the Kaaba has remained the same shape that the
Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be
upon him) saw it in.
The history of the Kaaba is not just an interesting story from our past.
The Kaaba is a real and present symbol that connects all Muslims
together wherever they may be. It also connects us to our glorious and
not-so-glorious past so that we may derive lessons and feel that we are
a part of an eternal mission. In a day and age where Muslims are
increasingly disconnected from our history,as well as each other, the
Kabaa reminds us of our shared heritage and bonds. It is a symbol of
unity in an Ummah sorely in need of it.
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