Reconstruction of the Kaaba

Reconstruction of the Kaaba

After coming to Hejaz (Makkah), Abraham said to his son: “I have been commanded by God to
re-build a house in this desert.” Abraham was referring to Kaaba, the house which had been
built by Prophet Adam the Sacred House of God to be the mark of God’s Oneness in the world,
and now he was going to reconstruct it. Hearing this, Ishmael informed his father of his readiness to accompany him in God’s name. With their firm wills, they started to reconstruct the house. There is a spot near the Kaaba where Prophet Abraham stood while erecting the Holy house and where he offered his prayers to God saying: “Thou Great God do accept this very trivial service of ours. Thou art the knower and the Hearer. Thus, with this divine aid place us among your faithful followers and make a superior generation from our family. Thou the most Magnificent; teach us the pilgrimage rituals and accept our repentance for thou art the only Merciful God who accepts repentance.” The process of reconstructing of Kaaba the house of God was going on,
Ishmael, the young man was gathering big pieces of stone and rocks from the desert and Abraham, the old man was busy putting them one
upon the other until the walls were set up. After they completed the house Gabriel, God’s favorite angel, who was all the time guiding Abraham brought the black stone (Hijr-ul-Aswad), from the heavenly garden and inserted it in its proper place. Then Abraham started praying to God: “My God make this land a safepeaceful place and feed its residents with different fruit and edible things.” Prophet Abraham further prayed: 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... (2:127-129) The above mentioned verse throws light on the fact that there had always been some men and women in the Progeny of Prophet Abraham, who were “trueMuslims.” He further prayed: 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. (2:129) Almighty God granted Prophet Abraham’s prayer and raised Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) from amongst them, Peace be on Prophet Abraham. Therefore, the foundation of theism and unity was set in Makkah by
the endeavor of Abraham, the forerunner of monotheism, and his noble son, Ishmael. Following this, Abraham was appointed to invite people to perform the ritual of encompassing the house of Kaaba. He was obeying God’s orders which said: “And thou Abraham! Invite
people to perform pilgrimage rituals so that all types of people from every place, for and close, come to you and be the witness of the benefits granted to them. Tell them to say God’s name on special days and We will grant them sustenance from Our earthly animals. Thou tell them to eat from these edibles and feed the poor too. Tell them to abandon the prohibited deeds keep their promises and vows and perform the ritual of encompassing the house of Kaaba.” Abraham
announced what God had commanded him to all the people and after that pilgrimage became one of the obligatory rituals for all Muslims. Thus, the Kaaba was the first house to be built for people according to God’s order a place for worshipping (3:96-97). In it there are clear signs such as the standing place of Abraham. Whoever enters it is safe. The Kaaba had two doors one facing the east, the other facing the west. Prophet Abraham gathered plants with good smell and
hanged them on the doors of the Kaaba. Hagar, Ishmael’s mother, came and gave cloth as a gift to cover the Kaaba. In that year no one performed the Hajj pilgrimage except Prophet Abraham, Ishmael, and Hagar. The angel Gabriel come down to Prophet Abraham and taught him how to perform the Hajj. They took water from the Zamzam Well and washed their bodies. They wore white clothes and went around the Kaaba seven times. They performed their prayers and asked God to accept their deeds. Then they went to cross the valley of al-Safa and al-Marwa Mountain. There Hagar remembered her terrible state on that day twelve years ago. That was when Ishmael was a baby. She remembered the time when Ishmael was crying and she was looking for water. She also remembered when she crossed the valley seven (7) times looking for water, and when she supplicated to God. Moreover, she remembered the time when God, the Glorified, made water gush out at Ishmael’s feet. God, our Lord, wanted these events to stay alive in the memory of people. He wanted them to remember that God, the Glorified, had power over all things. Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael went up on al-Safa Mountain. They humbly looked at the House of God and said: “There is no God but God. He is One and only. There is no partner with Him. Kingdom and praise belong to Him. He gives life (to creatures) and makes (them) die. He has power over all things.”