10 Things You Need To Know About The Kaaba
There is no doubt that the Holy Kaabah is of great importance for Islam.
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“Allah created the Kaaba, the Sacred House, standing for the people and [sanctifying] the sacred months, sacrificial animals and garlands [which they identified]. This means that you know that Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is on earth, and that Allah knows all “(Quran 5:97).
There is no doubt that the Kaabah is of great importance for Islam: it was the first place where Allah worshiped, and it was first built by Abraham, who is the great ancestor of one true religion. The building itself cannot be monumental, but its cultural and historical significance has no analogues in any other place of worship – even today Muslims of the whole world pray in the direction of the holy Kaaba.
FEED THE POOR
Feeding the poor and needy is an act that draws us closer to Allah. We earn His forgiveness, mercies and blessings through this act of charity.
“Anyone who looks after and works for a widow and a poor person is like a warrior fighting for Allah?s cause, or like a person who fasts during the day and prays all night. (Bukhari)
We may well know the above details, but there are many facts about Ka’bah, which are less known to us even today. Below are 10 things about the Kaaba that we all need to know about:
1. Two doors and a window
Ka’bah had a pair of doors: one for the entrance, and the other for the exit. In addition, he also had a window whose signs are no longer visible. In the Kaaba, there is only one door at the moment.
2. Built and rebuilt
Kaaba is not an unconquerable work and for many years demanded a lot of restructuring because of natural and man-made disasters. The first renovate took place during the life of the Prophet (PBU) before the prophecy. Since then, reconstruction takes place every few centuries: the last renovation took place in 1996, when many stones were replaced, and the foundations were strengthened. It can be many hundreds of years, until there is a need to repair the Kaaba again!
3. Multicolored Kaaba
Kiswah – the usual black fabric around Ka’bah has changed color over time. Kiswa became black in the days of the Abbasids, whose color was black, but before that, kiswas had many colors, such as green, white and even red!
4. The Keys of Glory
The keys of this holy building remained in one family for a long time and never changed hands. At that time, many rites and duties of the Ka’ba were divided among many Quraysh families, but the keys from the Ka’ba always belonged to the clan of Bani Shaiba. It is reported that the Prophet (PBUH) gave the keys to Uthman Ibn Talhi and said:
‘Take it, O Bani Talha, forever until the Day of Resurrection, and it will not be taken from you, if only by an unjust, oppressive tyrant.’
Since that day, the keys have remained in this family, and anyone who wants to enter the Kaaba must ask permission from the Shaib clan.
5. Come alone, come all
The Ka’ba was not always exclusive: until recently, the Ka’ba was opened twice a week for everyone and for all who could enter and pray. However, now Ka’bah is only open twice a year for special guests and dignitaries, all because of the growing number of pilgrims.
6. Swim around the Kaaba
Since Ka’bah is located at the bottom of the valley, it was used for flooding during the rainy season. Believers never allow rain and floods to stop them from doing Tawaf around the Kaaba: if they could not walk around, they just swam. Is not it incredible?
However, today the flood problem was limited and took care that this is a rare phenomenon.
7. Plaques in honor of those who refurbish the Kaabah
The interior of Ka’bah has been a mystery for a long time, but today we know that it is lined with marble, and the green fabric covers the upper walls. In these walls, there are fixed plaques that mark those who have redecorated and restored the House of Allah Almighty.
8. Two Kaaba
There is an exact copy of the Ka’ba directly above the skies, known as the Byte-ul-Mamur. The testimonies that the Prophet (peace be upon him) told him on his journey through Miraiah:
“Then they showed me Al-Bait-al-Mamur (ie, the House of Allah). I asked Gabriel about this, and he said: “This is Al-Bait-ul-Mamur, where 70,000 angels visit each day, and when they leave, they never return to it (but it always includes a fresh daily party”).
9. Broken black stone
The precious black stone is now in the silver case, because it is broken. There are two stories about how the stone broke. Some people believed that the Umayyad army broke it, while many others agree that in the Middle Ages it was damaged by the Qarmatians that designated the Hajj of superstition and took the Black Stone for ransom. When Khalifa Abbasid managed to return the stone, it was broken into many parts – it is possible that some broken objects were never found.
10. Not for a cube shape
The Kaaba was not originally going to be a cube shaped – according to the foundations laid by Ibrahim (RA), the Ka’ba should have been d-shaped. Cubic form was achieved When the Quraysh rebuilt it before Islam. Today, the remaining space is designated by a wall and is known as Hatim. The Ka’ba is a symbol of unity and will always occupy a special place in Muslim history. May Allah give us a chance to visit this holy place.
