Statues? gods?
TRUTH AT LAST!
We've all heard the rumors going around about the contents of the kabah..
But are there really some secret mysteries contained in there?
Why do the Muslims keep going around it in circles, day after day?
Could it be something has survived of the days of 'jahaliyah'? (may Allah save us, ameen)
The Kabah
(Cube - Is God in there?????)
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| Center Haaram and the Tawaf Floor |
What is this all about?
What are these people doing? What does all of this represent?Why are they there every day of the year?
A Brief Introduction
The Building
The Kabah (English: The Cube) is a cuboid-shaped building located in the center of the sanctuary called "Al Haram" in Makkah, Arabia.
Kaba - physical properties
The Kabah is located inside the Masjid Al-Haraam (The Sacred or Forbidden Mosque) situated in the center of Makkah (Bakkah in the Quran and Bible).
Physical structure -
It is a large masonry structure shaped similar to a cube. However, originally it was squared on three sides but rounded on one end. The area is still marked off with a 5' wall, formed in a semi-circle on that end today.
The material is mostly of granite dug up from the nearby mountains. It stands on a 10 inch marble base, project out about 14 inches. It is over 40 feet high, and the sides are about 36 feet by 42 feet.
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Kabah in Makkah
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The Black Stone (Al Hajar ul Aswad) is mounted in the eastern corner.
The Iraqi Corner (Ruknu Iraqi) is the north corner, while the western corner is known as the Levantine corner (Ruknu-sh-Shami), and the south corner is the Yemeni corner (Ruknul Yamani).
The four corners of Kabah point out the four directions of the compas.
The major (long) axis is lined up with the rising star of Canopus, which the south wall is directed toward.
The minor (short) axis is aligned with the rising sun of "summer solstice" and the sunset of "winter solstice".
Kabah - Religious Significance - Hajj (pilgrimage)
5th Pillar of Islam - Every Muslim, male and female, rich and poor, young and old - MUST pay a visit to this sacred location at least once in the life, if they are able and the way is safe for them. This is called "Hajj" or pilgrimage and is done in the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah, according to the rituals set forth at the time of Ibrahim, and revived by the last prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon him.
This is the most sacred site for Islam. The Quran (Allah's Recitation) tells us the Kabah was constructed by Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Ismail (Ishmael), peace be upon them. This took place after Ibrahim had brought Ismail and his mother Hajjar (Hagar) to Arabia.
But the tradition of the location itself is traced back to the first humans, Adam and Eve. And it is believed to be the first place of at-taubah or repentance, done by Adam after being sent down from the Paradise. It is said Adam put his head on the ground in the same location where the Kabah is situated today.
The People
The first Kabah built by Ibrahim and his son, then rebuilt by his son Ismail before his death. The black stone is all that remains of the original structure built by Ibrahim and it was placed their by Ismail.
Over the course of history, many different tribes and peoples have come and gone in this area. At times there were no people residing there at all, and other times it would be a virtual metropolis of activity, giving way to markets, bazars and all forms of social activities.
Before Muhammad, peace be upon him, the kabah was treated as a place of worship by idolators and polytheists, going around it in much the same way as Ibrahim and his son, peace be upon them. But their worship was not to the One God, as it had been with their forefathers, the descendants of Ibrahim, peace be upon him.
Later generations from Ibrahim and Ismail had place images, statues and idols of all types, including images of Jesus, Mary and Jewish symbols but these were destroyed by Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his companions and the Kabah was then dedicated as the only shrine for Islam and a reminder to worship only the One True God, Sustainer and Creator of the whole universe.
Advent of Islam - and Muhammad, peace be upon him
Muhammad, peace be upon him, was a direct descendent of Ibrahim, by way of Ismail, peace be upon them. He called for his followers to return back to the worship of the One God of Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus, peace be upon them all.
As a part of the worship called for by these prophets, peace be upon them, there are five things still followed today:
Images of Kabah
These images are here to show to people who don't know much about Islam, Muslims and their beliefs, as well as information about the actual structure itself. The photos on the outside are recent in the last few decades. The drawing shows the inside, in a cut-away view. There is nothing of any mention inside the structure. It is only there as a reminder of the worship, repentence and sacrifice all of us need to remember, as did our father Adam and his righteous offspring.
The picture you see is the current day Kaaba from the outside. Many people pray at this spot because it is a monument, to mark the location for worship to God - But not of the actual house for God. However, Muslims do not claim Allah dwells within the "House". Rather, Allah is above and outside of His creation.
Simply put it is the same type of monument as the Statue of Liberty, but instead of promoting acceptance of refugees from other countries - the Kaba represents Allah Accepting the repentence, forgiving and granting salvation to those who chose to submit to Him in peace.
The second image is of the interior of Kaaba. This is to give an idea of what this monument looks like from the inside. Until recent times, photos and pictures were forbidden within the Kabah area. However, nowadays there are a number of photographs taken inside the Kabah and distributed all over the Internet.
The Kaaba is the most important site in all of Islam. Before recorded history this building was created by the patriarch of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, Abraham. The kaaba was created by Abraham after he was ordered by god (Allah) to construct a shrine that was the image of a house in heaven known as Baitul Ma'amoor. It was then the responsibility of Abraham and his descendants to watch over the shrine, this included Ishmael. Ishmael rebuilt the shrine using the only remaining piece of the original Kaaba, the Sacred Black Stone. This stone is wrapped in a silver ring. Today the stone rests in the eastern corner of the Kaaba.
Soon after the reconstruction pilgrims began arrive to what was was and now is a shrine to Allah. It was the job of Abraham's descendants to host a feast in the honor of these pilgrims. This pilgrimage is called the Hajj and must be completed by all Muslims at least once if they are capable of completing such a trip.
The trip to the see Kaaba is absolutely crucial to all Muslims. This is because this trip is one of the five pillars of Islam.
This site is extremely important to Muslims. This is a direction for all believers to face in their five daily prayers and it allows believers to have something to see with their own eyes and feel with their own hands, rather than just listen to the stories of the great men of the past. It will always be important for believers to have some sort physical space, item or building where they feel they can become closer to God and in Islam, that place is the Haram and the building to face is the Kabah. - yusuf estes
Now read what some of the "better" articles we found on the Internet say about Kabah, Makkah, Haram, Muslims & Islam:
What is the significance of the Artifacts?
I think that artifacts are very important in the Islamic, Christian and Jewish religion. A lot of times religious artifacts represent the struggle of a certain religious figure. This is especially prevalent in the crucifixion of Jesus(Max and Anna's Project). I think that this makes people feel like they owe something to god and/or heaven, which keeps them faithful. I think all faiths hinge on the fact that people have to believe in something which there is no proof or facts to believe in. This is especially prevalent in the menorah. It is quite unlikely that a candle with one day of oil could burn for 8 days.(Billy and Caseys project). Also people believe in the Kaaba even though they have no idea what is inside. (our project) Artifacts seem to remind believers to believe and try to give people faith that the religion is real and true. I think if there was proof that one of the religions was real it would come in the form of an artifact. Religions are so old that people need artifacts to remember what happened.
For my project I researched the Kaaba, Islam’s most important site on earth. The Kaaba was said to have been created by Abraham, and later his son Ishmael after God (Islamic version would be Allah) ordered Abraham to create a shrine. Personally I believe that all religious sites and buildings help add something realistic to religion and give followers a way to get closer to God. The Kaaba is no exception.
It was once the main site of worship for all Arabians, but now it is exclusively for Muslims. Visiting the Kaaba is a way to see something that was built by Abraham (the patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and Islam), a place that was visited by Mohammed, the prophet of Islam, and a virtual creation of God himself. The Kaaba also houses the sacred black stone (attached on the outside corner), a piece of history that was said to have been handed down by an angel (Gabriel).
[Actually, tradition says it came down from Heaven when Adam and Eve were sent down to earth and it was as clear as crystal or white as snow. But then as people increased in badness and did evil sins, the stone became darker and darker, until it reached the state of absolute blackness we see today - Editor for IslamNewsroom]
Here are some comments we found on Wicked-Pedia (my spelling) from non-Muslims...
And What About the Inside of the Kabah? What IS IN THERE??
[...nothing...]
(sorry)
So, Ask Yourself - 'Why Do So Many People Insist Muslims Worship 'False' Gods?' -
When They Do Not Even Know What Muslims Believe?Isn't It Time We Told The World - About Real Islam?If you agree - then do it.
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