What is Makkah?
Here’s a friendlier rephrase:
Many people don’t know this, but Makkah is actually a house, known as the Kaaba. It’s covered with a beautiful black silk cloth today. Makkah was built by the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) around 1800-2000 BC as the very first house dedicated to the worship of the one true God.
A little background on Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him)
Prophet Abraham (pbuh) was the son of an idol merchant and was appointed by God to eliminate all idolatry of the time. God granted Abraham (pbuh) wisdom in his childhood and Abraham (pbuh) remained in a high spiritual position till the day of his death.
Abraham (pbuh) told his father that he had indeed received revelations from God, knowledge which his father did not possess and tried to convince him of the folly of idol worshipping, but his father rejected Abraham’s guidance. So one day, when Abraham (pbuh) was left alone to mind the store, he took a hammer and smashed all of the idols except the largest one. He placed the hammer in the hand of the largest idol. When his father returned and asked what happened, Abraham (pbuh) said, “The idols got into a fight, and the big one smashed all the other ones.” His father said, “Don’t be ridiculous. These idols have no life or power. They can’t do anything.” Abraham (pbuh) replied, “Then why do you worship them?”
That story is narrated in the Torah, the Bible and the Qur’an.
After having destroyed the false idols, the people of his village were very offended and tried to burn him to death, but God had bigger plans for him so he saved him. Abraham (pbuh) was pushed out of the country and migrated to Egypt.
Many years have passed by and Abraham (pbuh) was anxious, because he had no children and he was growing old. Abraham’s beloved wife, Sarah offered her maidservant, Hagar, as a wife to Abraham (pbuh). This was a common practice in the region at the time. Hagar bore Abraham a son, Ishmael (pbut), who, according to both Muslim and Jewish tradition, is the ancestor of the Arabs as you can see in the family tree on page 02 – “The prophets of God”.
Makkah’s location in the Bible:
Few years had passed, and everything was going well until Sarah got pregnant and gave birth to a son, Isaac (pbuh). However, with Sarah, things were never the same and Sarah requested from Abraham (pbuh) to send Hagar and her son away. She declared that Ishmael would not share in Isaac’s inheritance (pbut). Abraham was greatly distressed by his wife’s words but God told Abraham not to be distressed and to do as his wife requested. God reassured Abraham as stated in the Bible, in the book of Genesis 21:9-13: “Do not be distressed about the boy or about your slave woman. Obey Sarah, no matter what she asks of you; for it is through Isaac that descendants will bear your name. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, since he too is your offspring too”.
The next day Abraham took Hagar and Ishamel (pbut) from Egypt to a place in the dessert (remember it is around 1800-2000 BC) and no map existed yet, so how do we know where he took them exactly? The Bible answers this question for us by mentioning a well of water which appeared to save the lives of Hagar and Ishamel (pbuh). The well still exists today, it is called “ZamZam well” and is located near underneath Makkah (el Kaaba, the house covered with a black silk cloth in the picture above).
“Early the next morning, Abraham brought Hagar and Ishmael out together. He gave her bread and water and sent them away. The two wandered the wilderness of Beersheba until her bottle of water was completely consumed. In a moment of despair, she burst in tears. The boy then called to God and upon hearing him, an angel of God confirmed to Hagar that he would become a great nation. A well of water then appeared so that it saved their lives” Bible (Genesis 21:14-19)
The gesture of Hagar’s despair, as she ran back and forth between the two nearby mountains searching for water for her son, is reenacted during the Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) in a ritual called ‘Saee.’ Pilgrims walk and run seven times between the two mountains, Safa and Marwa.
The construction of the first house of worship dedicated to the one God began!
Abraham (pbuh) frequently visited his family at their new location (Beersheba), and with the help of his son Ishmael (pbut), he began constructing the first house dedicated to the worship of the One and only God. Once the building was completed, the pilgrimage (Hajj) was decreed for Prophet Abraham (pbuh), as stated in the Qur’an: “We assigned to Abraham the site of the House, saying: ‘Do not associate anything with Me and purify My House for those who perform Tawaf (circumambulation) around the Kaabah, and those who bow and prostrate themselves. And call mankind to the pilgrimage. They will come to you on foot, and on every lean camel, coming from every distant road.’” (Qur’an 22:26-27).
Makkah was built by prophet Abraham in 1800BC and freed by prophet Muhammad in 630AC (peace be upon them).
However, centuries after the passing of Prophet Abraham (pbuh), the people of Makkah became involved in idolatry and paganism, influenced by the Amalekites. In 630 AD, after 23 years of prophethood, Prophet Muhammad peacefully returned to Makkah, removed the idols, and restored it to what it was intended for, a holy place to go and to worship the One and only God.
As a result, Muslims from around the world travel to Makkah all year around for a visit called “Umra” but particularly during the month of Hadj, responding to the request that God made to Abraham more than 1,800 years before Prophet Jesus (pbut) “And call mankind to the pilgrimage” 22:27