The Kaaba was built by the Prophet Ibraham and His son Ismael to honour God. Observants face it while offering prayers to the Almighty, five times a day. Over the centuries, the structure has seen several modifications. This makes the outside structure and the inside view of Kaaba, magnificent. The latest changes were made in the 1950s to accommodate the large number of pilgrims coming for Hajj. The government of Saudi Arabia extended the boundaries of the Mosque, which now spread over 40 acres of land.

The Kaaba stands as a cubical building with a 15m height. The corners were designed to align with the cardinal directions. In 1982, the door was beautified with solid gold. The black silk cloth piece, called Kiswah, which covers Kaaba, used to come from Egypt with the caravan of pilgrims coming for Hajj. Today, Saudi Arabia produces that cloth piece. It has calligraphy done in gold thread that represents the verses of the Quran in Arabic. Every year on the second day of Hajj, the cloth is replaced by another one.

The Importance of Kaaba

The Holy Kaaba, also know as Khana Kaaba is not the actual house of God, but it is a metaphorical place of Allah’s residence. It refers to the oneness of the supreme power in Islamic beliefs. The pre-Islamic groups followed idols and worshipped many gods. They kept the idols inside the Kaaba. It is said that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) received instruction from God to restore Kaaba into a place to worship only one God. It marked the end of polytheism among the groups, and the Kaaba became the centre of worship for the followers of Islam.

The Kaaba and the Black Stone signify the unification of all Muslims and are a safe house for them. No one worships the Black Stone or the Kaaba. They, together, stand for the supreme power that is Allah. It is direction, or Qilba, which the followers of Islam around the world face while offering prayers to God.

What is Inside The Kaaba?

Kaaba means ‘cube’ in Arabic. It is a black stone structure in the middle of the Grand Mosque. On its eastern side, the Black Stone is believed to have fallen from heaven in the times of Adam and Eve. According to the Islamic culture, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) kissed the stone inside Kaaba, and following his path, pilgrims try to kiss it when performing Hajj or Umrah.

A Graphic view of inside the Kaaba, 360 degree view

Video Credit – İslam’ın Işığında Araştırma

Khana Kaaba Inside: Area & Structure

It covers 180 square metre area and has three wooden columns that hold the ceiling in place. Each column is about 1,350 years old and has a perimeter of 150cm with a diameter measuring 44cm. A pillar passes through each of these columns and is used to suspend gifts in the building. The three pillars were built by Abdullah bin Zubair, an important Muslim leader and one of the compilers on the Quran. There exists an enclosed staircase that leads to a hatch, which is a closed rectangular structure without windows; it just has a door that leads to the ceiling. A silk curtain with gold and silver engravings covers the door. Also, the Kaaba did not have a roof until the Quraysh rebuilt it. They added a roof to the structure and also closed the west door.

The Kaaba Floor

The floor of the Kaaba interior is constructed from marble, and the walls have emblazoned colourful marbles. Red silk curtains with white embroidered texts cover the interiors of the Kaaba as well as its ceiling. There are eight stones with Arabic calligraphy inside the Khana Kaaba. Different scripts were used to inscribe on these stones. There are specific markings on the floor that signify the spot where Prophet Muhammad is believed to have prayed when he entered the Kaaba. The kinds of Saudi Arabia pray on that spot.

When pilgrims arrive in large numbers during Hajj, the beautiful Kaaba remains closed. The right to enter, see what is inside Kaaba and adore its beauty is reserved for Muslim dignitaries.

The Stone Inside Kaaba

The black polished stone inside Kaaba consists of some fragments and three large pieces held together by a silver band. A stone ring also surrounds them. According to legends, the stone came with Adam, and was initially white in colour. The sins of pilgrims who touched and kissed it turned it to the black color that it currently is. It has also been stolen in the past. In 930, the Black Stone was taken away by the fanatics of the Qarmatian sect, a branch of the Sevener Ismaili Shia Islam group. Currently, under the rule of the King, the Black Stone is protected by 24 guards.

The Black Stone placed on one of the edges of The Kaaba measures 30cm in diameter and stays 1.5m above the ground. When people Perform Tawaf  (circling around the Kaaba), they try to kiss it, and if they cannot, then they must point at it. While crossing it, one must recite takbeer “Allahu Akbar”.

There are many folklores around the existence and establishment of the stone inside the Kaaba. According to another popular theory, Prophet Ibraham and his son Ismael were looking for different types of stones to build the Kaaba when they came across this Black Stone. Upon recognising its value, they put it at the corner of the building.

Facts About The Holy Kaaba

• The holy Kaaba was rebuilt several times in the past due to the effects of natural and manmade calamities. The structure before Islam was used to keep idols of different Gods of Arab tribes. The latest repair of Kaaba took place in 1999.
• Before the holy Kaaba was draped in the black Kiswa, it had numerous colors primarily that of green, white and red.
• In the past, the holy Kaaba was open to every Muslims twice in a week. However with the surge in pilgrims from around the world, the Kaaba gets opened twice in a year for Muslim VIPs.
• Inside the holy Kaaba, there is a plaque that has the names of all the rulers that were a part of the reconstruction of Kaaba.
• Originally the Kaaba was to be built in a semi circular shape but due course in time it attained the structure of a cube as it has now.
• Before Islam, the old Kaaba inside consisted of numerous idols that were worshipped by pagans who used to live in the area.

All popular legends only emphasize and reiterate the significance of the Black Stone and the Kaaba. For Muslims, it is the holiest place on Earth, the house of Allah, where all men must surrender and pray to the one Almighty; where all duas are accepted and all sins are forgiven. It is the path to jannah, also known as jannat or paradise, where there is no sadness, sickness, pain, grief, or suffering – only eternal happiness.

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The Black Stone probably belongs to the pre-Islamic religion of the Arabs. As of today, it is divided into three large pieces with some fragments and is surrounded by a stone ring while being held together with a silver band. According to a legend in Islam, it was given to Adam on his fall from paradise, and that it was originally white in colour but turned black by absorbing the misdeeds of the pilgrims kissing and touching it.

The Black Stone holds a lot of significance and is valued in Islam as a stone from heaven. There are various legends as to how it came into existence and was placed in the Holy wall of Kaaba. Let’s go through a few of them.

The Black Stone History

The Black Stone was given to Ibrahim from Jannah to be placed on the corner of the Holy Kaaba. Abd Allah Ibn Abbas – a cousin of Prophet Muhammad narrated that the Prophet said: “The Black Stone came down from Paradise and it was whiter than milk, but the sins of the sons of Adam turned it black.”

According to Islamic scholars, duas are accepted at the Hajar al-Aswad and on the Day of Judgement, it will be testifying in favour of all those who have kissed it. The Prophet said: “By Allah! On the Day of Qiyamah (judgement), Allah will present the Hajar al-Aswad in such a manner that it will have two eyes and a tongue to testify to the Imaan (faith) of all those who kissed it.”

The Black Stone carries greater importance, as according to an account, it is known that while Ibrahim AS was building the house of God, the Holy Kaaba, for spirituality and worship, it appeared that the stones to complete the wall were short. The Prophet Ibrahim sent his son Prophet Ismail AS to look for an appropriate stone to fit in the gap to finish the Holy wall of Kaaba. When he came back empty-handed, he noticed a shiny white colour stone already placed in the empty space. Ibrahim AS told him the unique stone was delivered to him by Jibreel.

Around 930 CE, the Hajar al-Awad was stolen by the Qarmatians, an extremist Muslim sect from the area of eastern Arabia. They looted Makkah, vandalizing the city with corpses and took away the sacred stone to their base in Ihsaa. According to a historian, the Hajar al-Awad was returned and re-established to its primary location around 952 CE.

Story of The Black Stone Resurrection in Kaaba

At the time of the reconstruction of Kaaba, a conflict arose among the masses when the building of Holy Kaaba reached the position of the Black Stone. People quarreled about who was worthy enough to restore the Black Stone to its primary place. It was decided by the Abu UmayyaIbn al-Mugheera (their elder) who asked the Quraysh (a mercantile Arab tribe that inhabited and controlled the city of Makkah and its Kaaba) to agree on the discernment of the first person to come through the Bani Shaybah Gate (the main northern gate to enter into the area of Kaaba). The Prophet was the one who walked through and put the Black Stone back to its primary place.

Suggested Read: Kiswa Of Kaaba – The Holy Cloth That Adorns The House Of Allah

At first, the stone was whole, but with time and various historical incidents, it is now broken into eight pieces of different sizes and attached to a large stone in a silver frame. The first frame was made by Abdullah bin Zubair, a prominent representative of the second generation of Muslim families in Makkah, and then replaced by different Khalifas (rulers) throughout the years.

Paying Respects at The Black Stone

Muslims from around the world come to Makkah to not only witness the stone but also take every possible chance to kiss it. This Black Stone is the only piece of rock from the original structure of Kaaba built by Ibraham and Ismail. It is the single stone that has lasted through all the events and upheavals that took place at Kaaba.

This centerpiece of the Kaaba is the most respected stone in the world. Muslims wish to kiss and touch it because the Prophet Mohammad did so. It is something to honour and take pride in and kissing it is not a duty but an act of love.

“I know that you are a stone, you do not cause harm or benefit; and if it were not that I had seen Allah’s Messenger kiss you, I would never have kissed you.” – Umar bin al-Khattab, the second Khalifa of the Muslims.

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