
Die heilige Al-Ka'abah wird auch das "Haus
Allahs"
(بيت
الله
Baytu-l-Llaah)
genannt und befindet sich in der Mitte der
Masdschid al Hharaam
المسجد الحرام.
Wo auch immer sich sich
Gläubige befinden, drehen
sie
sich während des
Ssalaah (Ritualgebet)
in
Richtung
K'aabah und werfen sich dabei
nieder vor
Allah, dem einzigen Gott. Während der Pilgerfahrt (Hhadsch
oder 'Umrah) umkreisen sie Pilger die Ka'abah (Tawaaf),
und erleben dabei um was sich das Leben dreht, das
Gedenken Allahs.
Die K'aabah wurde vom
Propheten Adam (alaihi slaam) erbaut
und später vom Propheten
Ibrahiim (alaihi slaam)
zusammewn mit seinem Sohn Ismail
(alaihi slaam) wiedererrichtet, denn so wie die Religion nach ihrem
Verfall von den den Propheten immer wieder errichtet wurde, so war auch die
heilige Ka'abah immer wieder Zerstörung und Verfall ausgesetzt. Der letzte aller Propheten, der
Geliebte Allahs, Muhammad , entfernte nach dem Sieg über die
Muschrikiin (Götzendiener)
Mekkas alle Götzenfiguren, welche im Laufe der Zeit in und um die
Kaâbah
aufgestellt und verehrt wurden. Der
Götzendienst (Schirk)
war damit in Makkah formal abgeschafft und
Tauhiid
(Monotheismus) wieder hergestellt worden.
Die K'abah hat ihr Gleichnis mit
al Baiti-l-M'amuur
البَيتِ المَعْمُؤر - dem "viel besuchten Haus"
(Q: 52:4),
welches
Muhhammad
während seiner Mi'raadsch
(Himmelsreise) zu Gesicht gebracht wurde.
Al Baiti-l-M'amuur
befindet sich über der K'aabah im siebten Himmel.
Wenn du die
Ka'abah
besuchst, mach dich nicht selbst zum Götzen mit einem Selfie
vor der
Ka'abah.
Sei kein Tourist wenn du zum Hause Allahs und zum Grab Seines Gesandten
pilgerst. Zerkratze nicht den Spiegel deines Herzens, welcher dich die
Gandenströme Allahs erleben lässt.
Wenn du die
Talbiiya
sprichst:
لبَّيْكَ
اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ، لَبَّيْكَ لاَ شَرِيْكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ
وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ لاَشَرِيْكَ لَكَ
"Hier bin ich zu Deinen Diensten oh Herr - hier bin
ich. Hier bin ich zu Deinen Diensten und keine
Partner Du hast. Dir allein
gilt aller Lobpreis und nur Dein ist aller Grossmut und die Herrschaft. Keine
Partner Du hast", hast
du etwas Gewaltiges gesprochen und solltest darauf achten, die
Bedeutung nicht durch deine Handlungen zu negieren und
bist dann nicht nur mehr für Allah nach Makkah gekommen, so wie du in der Talbiah*
behauptest hast. Wer für Allah zu
Diensten sein will, kann nicht gleichzeitig Tourist sein und etwa vor
der heiligen
Ka'abah Selfies produzieren
ohne seine Pilgerreise spirituell zu beschädigen. Allah
(gepriesen sei Er) sieht wenn sich der Pilger von
Ihm abwendet und sich seiner
Nafs (Seele)
zuwendet. Widerrufe nicht dein Versprechen der
Talbiiyah; werde nicht zum Tourist, denn du hast die
Talbiiyah gesprochen und hast dich damit
vor Allah versprochen. Wenn du zum Hause Allahs
und zum Grab Seines Gesandten
reist, mach daher keine Self-Show indem du z.B. Selfies mit K'aabah-Hintergrund machst.verschmutze nicht den Spiegel deines Herzens, der dich die Gandenströme Allahs
empfangen lässt.
Wenn du deine 'Umrah oder Hhadsch mit Selfies machst, dann hast du den Pfad bzw.
deine mit der Talbbiyah proklamierten Absicht verlassen und bist dann nicht
mehr für Allah gekommen. Während deines
Tdawaaf
طواف
(Umkreisungen der Ka'abah) kannst du die echte Lebensqualität finden,
doch wenn du dich danach zum Selfie wendest und das vielleicht schon vorher
vorhattest, produzierst du einen
spirituellen Totalcrash, auch wenn du das vielleicht (deshalb) nie
bemerken wirst.
http://www.Islamiclandmarks.com/saudi/makkah/haram_sharief/kabah.html
http://muslimmatters.org/2012/11/15/ten-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-kaaba/
There is no place on Earth as venerated, as central or as holy to as many
people as Mecca. By any objective standard, this valley in the Hijaz region
of Arabia is the most celebrated place on Earth.
Thousands circle the sacred Kaaba at the centre of the Haram sanctuary 24
hours a day. Millions of homes are adorned with pictures of it and over a
billion face it five times a day.
The Kaaba is the epicenter of Mecca.
The cube shaped building is at the heart of the most well-known real estate
in the history of mankind; it is shrouded in black and its fair share of
mystery.
Here are just a few things that most people may not know about the Kaaba:
10. It has been reconstructed several times
The Kaaba that we see today is not exactly the same Kaaba that was
constructed by Prophets Ibrahim ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and
blessings of Allāh be upon him) and Ismail ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace
and blessings of Allāh be upon him) From time to time, it has needed
rebuilding after natural and man-made disasters.
Of course, we all know of the major reconstruction that took place during
the life of the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of
Allāh be upon him) before he became a Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace
and blessings of Allāh be upon him). This is the occasion when the Prophet
ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him)
averted major bloodshed by his quick thinking on how to place the Black
Stone using a cloth that every tribe could lift up.
Since then, there has been an average of one major reconstruction every few
centuries. The last renovation took place in 1996 and was extremely thorough,
leading to the replacement of many of the stones and re-strengthening the
foundations and a new roof. This is likely to be the last reconstruction for
many centuries (insha'Allah) as modern techniques mean that the building is
more secure and stable than ever before.
9. It used to have two doors … and a window
The original Kaaba used to have a door for entrance and another for exit.
For a considerable period of time it also had a window situated to one side.
The current Kaaba only has one door and no window.
8. It used to be multi-coloured
We are so used to the Kaaba being covered in the trademark black Kiswah with
gold banding that we can't imagine it being any other colour. However, this
tradition seems to have started at the time of the Abbasids (whose household
colour was black) and before this the Kaaba was covered in multiple colours
including green, red and even white.
7. The keys are in the hands of one family
At the time of the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings
of Allāh be upon him), each aspect to do with the rites of Hajj was in the
hands of different sub-groups of the Quraish. Every one of these would
eventually lose control of their guardianship of a particular rite except
one. On the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace
and blessings of Allāh be upon him) was given the keys to the Kaaba and
instead of keeping it in his own possession; he returned them back to the
Osman ibn Talha ® of the Bani Shaiba family. They had been the traditional
key keepers of the Kaaba for centuries; and the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi
wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) confirmed them in that
role till the end of time by these words
“Take it, O Bani Talha, eternally up to the Day of Resurrection, and it will
not be taken from you unless by an unjust, oppressive tyrant.”
Whether Caliph, Sultan or King – the most powerful men in the world have all
had to bow to the words of the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace
and blessings of Allāh be upon him) and ask permission from this small
Makkan family before they can enter the Kaaba.
6. It used to be open to everyone
Until recently, the Kaaba was opened twice a week for anyone to enter and
pray. However, due to the rapid expansion in the number of pilgrims and
other factors, the Kaaba is now opened only twice a year for dignitaries and
exclusive guests only.
Watch the video attached here to witness the doors of the Kaaba being opened
(at 50 seconds) – and the simultaneous gasps of a Million people as they cry
out at this auspicious moment.
5. You used to be able to swim around it
One of the problems with having the Kaaba situated at the bottom of a valley
is that when it rains – valleys tend to flood. This was not an uncommon
occurrence in Mecca and the cause of a lot of trouble before the days of
flood control systems and sewage. For days on end the Kaaba would be half
submerged in water. Did that stop Muslims from performing the Tawaf? Of
course not. As the picture below amply shows – Muslims just started swimming
around the Kaaba.
Modern adjustments to the surrounding landscape and flood prevention
techniques mean we may never see such sights again. Or will we? Check out
this recent video.
4. The inside contains plaques commemorating the rulers who renovated it
For years many have wondered what it looks like inside the Kaaba. Relying on
second or third hand accounts from those who were lucky enough to enter just
wasn't satisfying enough. Then one lucky person who went inside took his
camera phone in with him and Millions have seen the shaky footage online.
The interior of the Kaaba is now lined with marble and a green cloth
covering the upper walls. Fixed into the walls are plaques each
commemorating the refurbishment or rebuilding of the House of Allah by the
ruler of the day. Watch the video below of the only place on Earth that you
can pray in any direction you want, the House of Allah, the first place of
worship for mankind – the Kaaba.
3. There are two kaabas!
Directly above the Kaaba in heaven is an exact replica. This Kaaba was
mentioned in the Qur'an and by the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace
and blessings of Allāh be upon him).
The Messenger of Allah ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of
Allāh be upon him) said narrating about the journey of 'Isra wal Miraaj
“Then I was shown Al-Bait-al-Ma'mur (i.e. Allah's House). I asked Gabriel
about it and he said, This is Al Bait-ul-Ma'mur where 70,000 angels perform
prayers daily and when they leave they never return to it (but always a
fresh batch comes into it daily).”
2. The Black Stone is broken
Ever wondered how the Black Stone came to be in the silver casing that
surrounds it?
Some say it was broken by a stone fired by the Umayyad army laying siege to
Mecca whilst it was under the control of Abdullah ibn Zubair ®.
However, most agree that it was most damaged in the middle ages by an
extreme heretical Ismaili group from Bahrain called the Qarmatians who had
declared that the Hajj was an act of superstition. They decided to make
their point by killing tens of thousands of hujjaj and dumping their bodies
in the well of Zamzam.
As if this act of treachery was not enough, these devils took the Black
Stone to the East of Arabia and then Kufa in Iraq where they held it ransom
until they were forced to return it by the Abassid Caliph. When they
returned it, it was in pieces and the only way to keep them together was by
encasing them in a silver casing. Some historians narrate that there are
still some missing pieces of the stone floating around.
1. It's not supposed to be a cube shape
Yes, ladies and gentleman… the most famous cube in the world actually
started out shaped as a rectangle.
I'll give you a moment to pick your jaws off the floor.
Right, where were we?
Oh yeah, the Kaaba was never meant to be a cube. The original dimensions of
The House included the semi-circular area known as the Hijr Ismail.
When the Kaaba was rebuilt just a few years before the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi
wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) received his first
revelation, the Quraish agreed to only use income from pure sources to
complete the rebuild. That meant no money from gambling, looting,
prostitution, interest etc. In the ultimate sign of how deeply mired in
wrongdoing the Jahili Quraish were, there was not enough untainted money in
this very wealthy trading city to rebuild the Kaaba to its original size and
shape!
They settled for a smaller version of the Kaaba and put a mud brick wall (called
“Hijr Ismail” although it has no connection to the Prophet Ismail (A)
himself) to indicate the original dimensions. Towards the end of his life,
the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be
upon him) intended to rebuild the Kaaba on its original foundations but
passed away before he could fulfill his wish. Apart from a brief interlude
of a few years during the reign of Caliph Abdullah ibn Zubair ®, the Kaaba
has remained the same shape that the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace
and blessings of Allāh be upon him) saw it in.
The history of the Kaaba is not just an interesting story from our past. The
Kaaba is a real and present symbol that connects all Muslims together
wherever they may be. It also connects us to our glorious and
not-so-glorious past so that we may derive lessons and feel that we are a
part of an eternal mission. In a day and age where Muslims are increasingly
disconnected from our history,as well as each other, the Kabaa reminds us of
our shared heritage and bonds. It is a symbol of unity in an Ummah sorely in
need of it.
You may be interested in the other articles in this series…
9 Things you didn't know about the Prophet's Mosque
8 Things you didn't know about masjid Al-Aqsa
|