“The most important shrine established for the people is the one in Becca; a blessed beacon for all the people. In it are clear signs: the station of Abraham. Anyone who enters it shall be granted safe passage. The people owe it to GOD that they shall observe Hajj to this shrine, when they can afford it. As for those who disbelieve, GOD does not need anyone.” [Quran 3:96-97] (2)
The Kaaba is the most holy place in the Islam religion. During their prayers (salat), five times a day, every day, followers face Mecca and the Kaaba. Many believe that the Kaaba has been rebuilt between five to twelve times. Believers of Islam say that the original Kaaba was built by the Prophet Abraham, “as a landmark for the House of God, for the sole purpose of worshipping of [sic] God alone.” (1) They also believe that the Prophets Ismail (Ishmael, son of Abraham) and Muhammed were a few of the rebuilders of the Kaaba.
Currently the Kaaba is a total of 627 square feet, the interior is 13 x 9, the walls are one meter wide, the ceiling/roof are made out of wood (teak with stainless steel), and the walls are made of stone. However, the stone on the outside is polished whereas the stone inside is not. Each time the Kaaba was reconstructed there were modifications made. When the Syrian army destroyed the Kaaba in 683 CE, Hajj Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr rebuilt the Kaaba on the foundations of Ibrahim (Abraham). His modifications included a small window near the roof for light, the moving of the door to ground level, the addition of a second door for exiting, adding 9 cubits to the height of the Kaaba itself, and reducing the interior pillars down from six to three. However, in 693 CE Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf al-Thaqaf “demolished what Ibn az-Zubayr had added to it from the older foundation of Prophet Ibrahim, restored its old structure as the Quraish had it.” (1)He also removed the Hateem, walled up the second door, and reduced the height of the Kaaba by five cubits.
The most important, in my opinion, is when Abbasi Khalifa Harun al Rasheed desired to also rebuild the Kaaba, but Imam Malik “asked the Khalifa to change his mind because constant demolition and rebuilding is not respectful and would become a toy in the hands of kings. Each would want to demolish and rebuild the Kaaba.” (1) Therefore, Abbasi Khalifa Harun al Rasheed did not rebuild the Kaaba, and until 1996 it was only repaired a number of times. In 1996 the Kaaba was once again rebuilt. After this reconstruction, only the stones are original, everything else has been replaced.
This picture represents the Prophet Muhammed solving the argument of the Black Stone. The Black stone is believed to be a remnant of a meteorite; however, to the Islam religion it is the Hajar el Aswad, the sacred black stone. When they decided that this stone would be placed in (on the outer, southeast, wall), there were arguments over who would put the stone in its place. The Prophet Muhammed had the solution “that all agreed to putting the Black Stone on a cloak, the elders of each of the clans held on to one edge of the clak and carried the stone to its place. The Prophet then picked up the stone and placed it on the wall of the Kaba [sic].” (1) The only problem with this stone is that some Islamic followers have begun to show this stone reverence, almost like a false idol.
The Kaaba is a place of reverence and worship for the followers of the Islamic faith. The only problem I see with the Kaaba is that people have begun to worship the Kaaba itself. As with some who worship the cross in the Christian faith. For all those that follow a monotheistic faith, there must be an awareness of false idols, and a way to guard oneself from these idols.
“The small, cubed building known as the Kaba may not rival skyscrapers in height or mansions in width, but its impact on history and human being is unmatched. The Kaba is the building towards which Muslims face five times a day, everyday, in prayer. This has been the case since the time of Prophet Muhammad over 1400 years ago.” (1)
I really enjoyed your post. The Islamic faith fascinates me because I know so little about it. The link you provided for a picture of the Kaaba is simply remarkable. It really captures the essence of how deeply Muslims believe in their god, and the sheer number of people gathered around the stone is amazing. The first 'cite of interest' you provided had a lot of great information as well. I would have never thought that all of the people touching and kissing the stone over the years would have worn it smooth. Although, I wonder what they do with the old Kiswa, the black silk cloth that covers the Kaaba, when it is replaced every year.
ReplyDeleteI also never realized how much I did not know about the Islamic faith. As previously mentioned before, I am a strong Christian believer, and I now realize that I need such a stronger understanding of these different religions. It was also amazing to me, the pictures of all the people praying towards the Kaaba!
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question about the Kiswa...
So I just looked up for an answer about the Kiswa and I found an interesting website.
ReplyDeleteIt says that they used to drape the new Kiswa on top of the old ones until the reign of Al-Mahdi in 775 CE. "he say that the accumulated Kiswas could cause damage to the Ka'bah itself. He therefore decreed that only one Kiswa should drape the Ka'bah at any one time, and this has been observed ever since."
On this cite it also says that "the removed Kiswa is then cut into pieces and presented as mementos to Muslim individuals and diplomats and to favored institutions all over the world." There are even pieces in the UN building in New York, "one particularly large and impressive piece, the Sitara (one of the four drapes that covers the doors of the Ka'bah) which measures 2.5 m wide and 9 m high." This is pretty amazing!
Website - http://www.alislam.org/library/links/00000212.html
Another interesting website I just found, actually a blog - http://theislamicummah.ning.com/video/changing-the-kiswa