The Kaaba

“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)

Works Cited: (1) http://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-kaba- history.htm, (2) http://www.submission.org/hajj/kaaba.html,

Other cites of interest: http://www.dartabligh.org/months/zilhaj/historyofkaaba/index.html, - http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Kaaba.html,

Picture Found through Creative Commons Search: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mohammed_kaaba_1315.jpg

The Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, which has Mohammad's tomb inside.

In class this week, we learned about the Islamic religion and culture. The city of Medina, "city of the Prophet", interested me and I did some research to find out more about the city and what life was like in the ummah, or Muslim community. I stumbled upon some interesting information about The Prophet's Mosque as well. Medina and the Prophet's Mosque became central to the Muslim faith in uniting the community.

First, I will give a brief history of Medina and the Islamic community, or ummah. The city was originally dominated by Jews and called Yathrib. It was later renamed Medina soon after people of the city asked Muhammad to delegate and keep the peace between two opposing communities, called the Aws and Khazraj. In 622, Muhammad, his prophets, and believers, moved from Mecca to Medina, establishing it as a holy city. A website I found, globalsecurity.org, emphasizes the importance of Medina to Muslim beliefs when it states:

Considered to be the second most important holy city of Islam [after Mecca], the city of Medina is located in a well-watered oasis 110 miles (180 km) inland (east) of the Red Sea. Much fruit and some grain are raised in and around the city. When making the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, usually a visit to Medina is part of the trip.

The first ummah within Medina possessed some interesting characteristics that became the foundation for other Islamic communities. It surprised me to learn that instead of basing social status on wealth or family heritage, the ummah based social status on how pious and obedient one remained to the Islamic religion. Muhammad united his Muslim tribe because he gave them a strong force to follow. He kept one-fifth of money and goods from raids and gave the rest to members of the community. People in the community then distributed a part of their money to help the poor. This system established social order and organization that had previously been lacking in the different, feuding tribes.

Globalsecurity.org also states that the Prophet's Mosque (see picture above) is the second most holy Mosque for Muslims, millions of whom visit it still today. It is the resting place of Mohammad, his daughter, and the Caliph Omar. This large amount of visitors to the Mosque then and now illustrates that it unites believers in the Islamic faith. The Mosque became a center for economic and social activity in the community and, in this way, allowed cultural diversity and greater acceptance of others. Muhammad built this as the first building after his move from Mecca to Medina. The Mosque was important to the faith, as is revealed when one examines the amount of area added to it over the years. It is now one hundred times the size it was when Muhammad first had it built. Half a million people can easily fit inside.

It is clear that Medina and the Prophet's Mosque united the ummah, or community, of the Muslim world and still does today. For more information of the Islamic religion and culture in general another website I found has links to many other useful sources. In addition, this year I had to read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson who is coming to visit our university this spring. David Oliver Relin wrote this book about Mortenson’s work building schools for children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. I would definitely recommend this book. It provides an interesting outlook into the Muslim community today and addresses some of the stereotypes we have against the Islamic religion.