By Ishola Balogun
HISTORY had it that the whole building was built of layers of gray blue stone from the hills surrounding Makka. The four corners roughly face the four points of the compass. At the East is the Rukn-e-Aswad (The Black stone), at the North is the Rukn-e-Iraqi, at the west Rukn-e-Shami and at the south Rukn-e-Yamani.

The four walls are covered with a curtain (Kiswa). The kiswa is usually of black brocade with the Shahada outlined in the weave of the fabric. About 2/3rd of the way up runs a gold embroidered band covered with Qur’anic text.

In the Eastern corner about five feet above the ground, the Hajar al-Aswad (The Black stone) is fixed into the wall. Its real nature is difficult to determine, its visible shape is worn smooth by hand touching and kissing. Its diameter is around 12 inches.

Opposite the Northwest wall but not connected with it, is a semi circular wall of white marble. It is three feet high and about five feet thick. This semi circular space enjoys especial consideration and pilgrims wait in queue to find a place to pray there.

The graves of Ishmael (p.b.u.h.) and his mother Hager (p.b.u.h.) are within this semi circular wall (Hateem). Between the archway and the facade (N.E.) is a little building with a small dome, the Maqam-e-Ibrahim. Inside it is kept a stone bearing the prints of two human feet.

Prophet Abraham (p.b.u.h.) is said to have stood on this stone when building the Kaaba and marks of his feet are miraculously preserved. On the outskirts of the building to the Northeast is the ‘Zamzam Well’ (this is now put under ground).

Building the Kaaba

And when We made the House a pilgrimage for men and a (place of) security, and: Appoint for yourselves a place of prayer on the standing-place of Abraham. And We enjoined Abraham and Ishmael saying: Purify My House for those who visit (it) and those who abide (in it) for devotion and those who bow down (and) those who prostrate themselves.

And when Abraham said: My Lord, make it a secure town and provide its people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allah and the last day. He said: And whoever disbelieves, I will grant him enjoyment for a short while, then I will drive him to the chastisement of the fire; and it is an evil destination.

And when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House: Our Lord! Accept from us; surely Thou art the Hearing, the Knowing: Our Lord! And make us both submissive to Thee and (raise) from our offspring a nation submitting to Thee, and show us our ways of devotion and turn to us (mercifully), surely Thou art the Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful.

Our Lord! And raise up in them a Messenger from among them who shall recite to them Thy communications and teach them the Book and the wisdom, and purify them; surely Thou art the Mighty, the Wise. (Holy Qur’an 2:125-129)

Holy Qur’an in the above verses described it clearly that Allah had ordained his servant Abraham (p.b.u.h.) to build Kaaba there for the worship of One God. During Khusayi’s time it was rebuilt and fortified. During the early years of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) before he announced his ministry, floods damaged the Kaaba and it was rebuilt again.

When the Black stone was to be put in its place the Makkans quarreled among themselves as to who should have the honor to place it there. Abu Omayyah, Makkah’s oldest man, proposed that the first man to enter the gate of the mosque the following morning would decide the matter.

That man was the Prophet (p.b.u.h.). The Makkans were ecstatic. “This is the trustworthy one (Al-Ameen),” they shouted in a chorus. “This is Muhammad”. He came to them and they asked him to decide on the matter. Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) proposed a 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 cloak and carried the stone to its place.

The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) himself then picked up the stone and placed it on the wall of the Kaaba. It has been fixed there ever since.

After the martyrdom of the family of the Prophet at Karbala in 61 Hijri (681 AD), the Omayyad Caliph Yazid Ibn Moawiya did not stop there in the pursuit of his destruction. He sent a large contingent under the command of Haseen Ibn Namir to Madina to destroy the Mosque of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.).

They did not stop there but proceeded to Makka and demolished the four walls of the Kaaba and killed thousands of Muslims who protested. Yazid died and Ibn Namir returned to Damascus, Abdullah Ibn Zubayr and his associates rebuilt the Kaaba.

Umawi forces came back to Makka and killed Abdullah Ibn Zubayr, hung his body on the gates of the Kaaba for three months for all to see the Umawi power. But eventually this arrogance of power brought its own consequences and Mukhtar became the ruler in Iraq. Under his guidance the Kaaba was refurbished and pilgrims began to arrive to perform Hajj.

Every man living in Makkah in the 6th and 7th century must out of necessity have had some relationship with the Kaaba. But it is important at this junction to note that prior to this period, the Muslim community of then turned towards Jerusalem in prayers.

Subsequently, about a year and a half after the Hijra, the Muslims were ordered during prayers, by the Prophet of Islam to turn towards Makka. The particular mosque in Madina where this revelation came is called Masjid-e-Qiblatain, meaning the mosque with two Qiblas.

The Qur’an says, “Indeed We see the turning of your face to heaven, so We shall surely turn you to a qiblah which you shall like; turn then your face towards the Sacred Mosque, and wherever you are, turn your face towards it.” (Holy Qur’an 2:144)

At this same period the Qur’an began to lay stress on the religion of Abraham (p.b.u.h.), presenting Islam as a return to the purity of the religion of Abraham (p.b.u.h.) The pilgrimage to the Kaaba and ritual progressions around the building continued for the glorification of One God.

The Abrahamic vision of the Kaaba created a means of discerning an orthodox origin buried in the midst of pagan malpractices to which the first Muslims pointed the way.

Every year after the Hajj ceremony the place is closed for one month and on the day of Ashura the Kaaba is washed from inside by the Water from the well of Zamzam and a new Kiswa is brought to cover the Kaaba for the next year.

An-Nafisat to airlift pilgrims Oct 25
An-Nafisat Hajj and Umurah Service organised a one-day seminar for their 2011 Hajj pilgrims recently.

The Seminar which was held at the headquarters of the organisation, Bale Abijoh, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, was meant to teach the pilgrims the rudiments of the exercise in Saudi Arabia.

According to the Chief Executive, Alhaji Abudul Wazi Muhammad Awwal said: “this year’s package will be special insha Allah with an agreement reached with a Turkish Airline that will airlift pilgrims to the holy land.”

He stated that the airline will fly from Nigeria to Turkey and then straight to Madinah instead of Jeddah.  He noted the pilgrims will be airlifted on Tuesday October 25, 2011 while November 14, 2011 has been fixed as the arrival date.

Among those present at the occasion were Alhaji Olasheu Adams, Chief Imam of Vanguard Mosque, Alhaji Harun Razaq, Chief Imam of Fidiso Central Mosque, Abijoh, Alhaji Ahmad, the chief Imam of Papa Central Mosque, Alhaji Shehu among others.