abdulhakeem
16-01-05, 10:40 PM
By Aftab H. Kola
Monday, January 17, 2005
THE very mention of Makkah, or alternatively spelt Mecca, to a Muslim strikes a spiritual halo around his face. For a Muslim it is the paradise on earth which he/she desires to visit at least once in a lifetime to perform Haj, obligatory to Muslims who can afford it. The ‘Standing on Arafat’ which marks the climax of Haj will this year fall on Wednesday, January 19 (Dul Hijjah 9).
Uttering, “O Lord! I am here, I am here,” Muslims from all over the world converge on Makkah for the annual Haj pilgrimage. The pilgrims, attired in Ihram (an unsewn white cloth), will start Haj with the circumambulation of the Holy Kaaba, the cubicle-shaped sanctuary within the Holy Haram Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. They will continue with the other rituals until they complete the Haj. In the Holy Quran, chapter No. 3, verse 96, Allah says: “The first House of worship appointed for men was that at Bakka: full of blessings and guidance for the worlds.” The mention is of Makkah where the holy Haram Mosque is located. Thus the Holy Kaaba around which the Haram Mosque is built was the first house appointed for mankind on earth. Little wonder then that Muslims all over the world turn towards the Kaaba while praying.
Many believe that the Kaaba was first built by Adam (peace be upon him), the first human being on earth, immediately upon his descent from heaven to earth. To support this Dr Yahya Koshak, a celebrated Saudi researcher says: “There are several traces of evidence in the previous holy books as well as other Islamic sources which talk about it.”
As we know from the Holy Quran the Kaaba building was built (or rebuilt on the ancient foundations) by Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) and his son Ismail. The Holy Quran describes this event very accurately. Allah says in the Holy Quran in chapter Haj, verse 26: “Behold! We gave site to Ibrahim, of the sacred House, (saying), associate not anything (in worship) with me; And Sanctify My House for those who compass it round, or shall stand upon or bow, or prostrate themselves (therein in prayer).” Allah further says in chapter on Heifer, verse 127: “And remember, Ibrahim and Ismail raised the foundations of the House (with this prayer): Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: For thou art the All-hearing, the All-knowing.”
The late Ahmed Abdul Ghafour Attar, the famous Saudi historian-writer, writes in his book, The Kaaba And Its Coverings: “The Kaaba dates back to some 4,000 lunar years. Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) came from Palestine to Makkah with his wife Hagar and his infant son Ismail around the year 2,572 before the birth of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) and his son raised the foundations of the House two or three decades later.”
As the authentic narration goes, Prophet Ibrahim complied Allah’s instructions to leave his wife Hagar and son Ismail in the uninhabited valley of Makkah, also called the Um Al Qurah village (the mother of villages). Allah ensured the survival of both of them and facilitated the arrival of Jurhum tribe in the area which settled there and the valley was made habitable. Prophet Ibrahim often visited his wife and son. On one such visit Prophet Ibrahim told his son Ismail that Allah had instructed him to erect a House in that place that will serve as a consecrated place for worship. Prophet Ibrahim, helped by his son Ismail (who later became a prophet), built the Kaaba (the glorious house) with stones, laid one upon another without mortar or plaster, on the ancient foundations on which Adam had built the House. Prophet Ibrahim gathered the building material from five mountains, namely, Mount Sinaa, Mount Zieta, Mount Lebanon, Al Joudiy and Hira. Prophet Ibrahim also fixed the Black Stone, miraculously appeared (believed to be sent by Allah through an angel), at a corner to be a landmark for worshippers to start circumambulation (called tawaf). Prophet Ibrahim did not make any roof for the Kaaba.
‘The Kaaba has been rebuilt 11 times,’ says the “Story of Great Expansion,” a monumental volume which describes the complete story of previous rebuildings of the Kaaba and the recent mega expansions of the Islam’s two most holy mosques — the Haram Mosque in Makkah built around Kaaba and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. The first, after Prophet Ibrahim built it, was Qusai, from the Bani Kilab tribe and the 14th grandfather of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Kaaba was rebuilt by others like Quraish, Abdullahi bin Al Zubair, Al Hujjaj bin Yusuf Al Thaqafi and Ottoman Sultan Murad Khan (1629). Thereafter, the Kaaba remained unchanged and the work on the Kaaba was limited to minor renovations. But the Haram Mosque, of which Kaaba forms a part, is now massively expanded and has also seen some changes during the last century under different kings.
King Abdul Azeez, the founder of Saudi Arabia, entered Makkah in 1925 and in 1926 ordered for the repair of the holy Haram house. King Saud, son and successor of King Abdul Azeez, ordered the first expansion of the Haram Mosque in more than 1,000 years, as only the Kaaba was being rebuilt by a few during the last 1,000 years. Subsequent smaller projects in 1955 and 1981 brought further improvements. The real great expansion took off in 1988 under the reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and completed in 1996.
The Haram Mosque area now represents architecture of grandeur that looks unparalleled anywhere in the world. It is one of the most remarkable projects to be undertaken in the 20th century. The architecture reflects a classical, neo-Ottoman style developed in Egypt over the last century epitomised by the towering octagonal towers. The mosque now encompasses fully 356,000 sq.mtrs. Although the capacity is about a million worshippers, during Haj and Ramadan more than twice as many crowd into it and fill its adjoining plazas. There is a point on the circumambulation area called ‘The Station of Ibrahim’, a conundrum from paradise. A stone, encased in a see-through tetragonal pyramid enclosure, is made of limestone and embraces an area of 50x50 cm. At the middle of the stone are the footprints of Prophet Ibrahim, preserved as one of Allah’s permanent divine miracles. It may be noted that either the Kaaba or the Black Stone or the Station of Ibrahim is object of worship.
Besides the Haram Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, four hours drive from Makkah, was also brought under the enlargement programme. Thus the Kaaba, surrounded by the Haram Mosque, is the focal point for all Muslims in the world.
Interior of the Kaaba
A silk-embroidered black cloth called the Kiswa covers the Kaaba. To add dignity to the most dignified building on earth, the Kaaba door is now made of pure gold — 99.99 per cent pure. Its manufacture required 280kg of gold.
The interior of the Kaaba, as described by those who have seen it, is empty. On the right as you enter there is a staircase leading to the roof of the Kaaba. This staircase is a rectangular structure in the form of a closed room without windows. The eastern and northern sides are the walls of the Kaaba itself. The stairway is hidden inside with a door having a special lock and covered by a silk curtain embroidered with Quranic verses in gold and silver. The internal court of the Kaaba has nothing but the three wooden poles which prop the roof. These poles, which were erected by Abdulla bin Zubair, are over 1,350 years old. These dark-brown wooden poles have wooden engraved bases.
While the poles are situated above their bases in the floor of the Kaaba, their upper ends are extended by a wooden column with two branches inserted into the northern and the southern walls of the Kaaba. The floor of the internal court is made of white marble. There are, besides the white marble laid in the recent past, some pieces of marble which date back to the age of Omayyad Caliph Al Walid bin Abdul Malik, who dispatched them from Syria to be installed on the floor.
http://www.timesofoman.com/newsdetails.asp?newsid=9692&pn=local
Monday, January 17, 2005
THE very mention of Makkah, or alternatively spelt Mecca, to a Muslim strikes a spiritual halo around his face. For a Muslim it is the paradise on earth which he/she desires to visit at least once in a lifetime to perform Haj, obligatory to Muslims who can afford it. The ‘Standing on Arafat’ which marks the climax of Haj will this year fall on Wednesday, January 19 (Dul Hijjah 9).
Uttering, “O Lord! I am here, I am here,” Muslims from all over the world converge on Makkah for the annual Haj pilgrimage. The pilgrims, attired in Ihram (an unsewn white cloth), will start Haj with the circumambulation of the Holy Kaaba, the cubicle-shaped sanctuary within the Holy Haram Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. They will continue with the other rituals until they complete the Haj. In the Holy Quran, chapter No. 3, verse 96, Allah says: “The first House of worship appointed for men was that at Bakka: full of blessings and guidance for the worlds.” The mention is of Makkah where the holy Haram Mosque is located. Thus the Holy Kaaba around which the Haram Mosque is built was the first house appointed for mankind on earth. Little wonder then that Muslims all over the world turn towards the Kaaba while praying.
Many believe that the Kaaba was first built by Adam (peace be upon him), the first human being on earth, immediately upon his descent from heaven to earth. To support this Dr Yahya Koshak, a celebrated Saudi researcher says: “There are several traces of evidence in the previous holy books as well as other Islamic sources which talk about it.”
As we know from the Holy Quran the Kaaba building was built (or rebuilt on the ancient foundations) by Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) and his son Ismail. The Holy Quran describes this event very accurately. Allah says in the Holy Quran in chapter Haj, verse 26: “Behold! We gave site to Ibrahim, of the sacred House, (saying), associate not anything (in worship) with me; And Sanctify My House for those who compass it round, or shall stand upon or bow, or prostrate themselves (therein in prayer).” Allah further says in chapter on Heifer, verse 127: “And remember, Ibrahim and Ismail raised the foundations of the House (with this prayer): Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: For thou art the All-hearing, the All-knowing.”
The late Ahmed Abdul Ghafour Attar, the famous Saudi historian-writer, writes in his book, The Kaaba And Its Coverings: “The Kaaba dates back to some 4,000 lunar years. Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) came from Palestine to Makkah with his wife Hagar and his infant son Ismail around the year 2,572 before the birth of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) and his son raised the foundations of the House two or three decades later.”
As the authentic narration goes, Prophet Ibrahim complied Allah’s instructions to leave his wife Hagar and son Ismail in the uninhabited valley of Makkah, also called the Um Al Qurah village (the mother of villages). Allah ensured the survival of both of them and facilitated the arrival of Jurhum tribe in the area which settled there and the valley was made habitable. Prophet Ibrahim often visited his wife and son. On one such visit Prophet Ibrahim told his son Ismail that Allah had instructed him to erect a House in that place that will serve as a consecrated place for worship. Prophet Ibrahim, helped by his son Ismail (who later became a prophet), built the Kaaba (the glorious house) with stones, laid one upon another without mortar or plaster, on the ancient foundations on which Adam had built the House. Prophet Ibrahim gathered the building material from five mountains, namely, Mount Sinaa, Mount Zieta, Mount Lebanon, Al Joudiy and Hira. Prophet Ibrahim also fixed the Black Stone, miraculously appeared (believed to be sent by Allah through an angel), at a corner to be a landmark for worshippers to start circumambulation (called tawaf). Prophet Ibrahim did not make any roof for the Kaaba.
‘The Kaaba has been rebuilt 11 times,’ says the “Story of Great Expansion,” a monumental volume which describes the complete story of previous rebuildings of the Kaaba and the recent mega expansions of the Islam’s two most holy mosques — the Haram Mosque in Makkah built around Kaaba and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. The first, after Prophet Ibrahim built it, was Qusai, from the Bani Kilab tribe and the 14th grandfather of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Kaaba was rebuilt by others like Quraish, Abdullahi bin Al Zubair, Al Hujjaj bin Yusuf Al Thaqafi and Ottoman Sultan Murad Khan (1629). Thereafter, the Kaaba remained unchanged and the work on the Kaaba was limited to minor renovations. But the Haram Mosque, of which Kaaba forms a part, is now massively expanded and has also seen some changes during the last century under different kings.
King Abdul Azeez, the founder of Saudi Arabia, entered Makkah in 1925 and in 1926 ordered for the repair of the holy Haram house. King Saud, son and successor of King Abdul Azeez, ordered the first expansion of the Haram Mosque in more than 1,000 years, as only the Kaaba was being rebuilt by a few during the last 1,000 years. Subsequent smaller projects in 1955 and 1981 brought further improvements. The real great expansion took off in 1988 under the reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and completed in 1996.
The Haram Mosque area now represents architecture of grandeur that looks unparalleled anywhere in the world. It is one of the most remarkable projects to be undertaken in the 20th century. The architecture reflects a classical, neo-Ottoman style developed in Egypt over the last century epitomised by the towering octagonal towers. The mosque now encompasses fully 356,000 sq.mtrs. Although the capacity is about a million worshippers, during Haj and Ramadan more than twice as many crowd into it and fill its adjoining plazas. There is a point on the circumambulation area called ‘The Station of Ibrahim’, a conundrum from paradise. A stone, encased in a see-through tetragonal pyramid enclosure, is made of limestone and embraces an area of 50x50 cm. At the middle of the stone are the footprints of Prophet Ibrahim, preserved as one of Allah’s permanent divine miracles. It may be noted that either the Kaaba or the Black Stone or the Station of Ibrahim is object of worship.
Besides the Haram Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, four hours drive from Makkah, was also brought under the enlargement programme. Thus the Kaaba, surrounded by the Haram Mosque, is the focal point for all Muslims in the world.
Interior of the Kaaba
A silk-embroidered black cloth called the Kiswa covers the Kaaba. To add dignity to the most dignified building on earth, the Kaaba door is now made of pure gold — 99.99 per cent pure. Its manufacture required 280kg of gold.
The interior of the Kaaba, as described by those who have seen it, is empty. On the right as you enter there is a staircase leading to the roof of the Kaaba. This staircase is a rectangular structure in the form of a closed room without windows. The eastern and northern sides are the walls of the Kaaba itself. The stairway is hidden inside with a door having a special lock and covered by a silk curtain embroidered with Quranic verses in gold and silver. The internal court of the Kaaba has nothing but the three wooden poles which prop the roof. These poles, which were erected by Abdulla bin Zubair, are over 1,350 years old. These dark-brown wooden poles have wooden engraved bases.
While the poles are situated above their bases in the floor of the Kaaba, their upper ends are extended by a wooden column with two branches inserted into the northern and the southern walls of the Kaaba. The floor of the internal court is made of white marble. There are, besides the white marble laid in the recent past, some pieces of marble which date back to the age of Omayyad Caliph Al Walid bin Abdul Malik, who dispatched them from Syria to be installed on the floor.
http://www.timesofoman.com/newsdetails.asp?newsid=9692&pn=local