By Mughees Qureshi

The Kaaba is the most important and sacred place for Muslims. Standing in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, all Muslims around the world face it when they pray. But the history of the Kaaba itself goes quite a bit further back than Islam does.

It was first built by Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son, Prophet Ismail (Ishmael), peace be upon them both, as a house of worship for Allah (SWT). With time, however, the people forgot the message of monotheism and filled the Kaaba with idols.

When Prophet Muhammad ﷺ came, he restored the Kaaba to its original purpose: the worship of Allah (SWT) alone. This article undertakes the history of the Kaaba, right from the time of Prophet Ibrahim down to that of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, based on the Quran and sahih Hadith.

The Kaaba: Built by Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail

The story of the Kaaba begins with Prophet Ibrahim. Allah (SWT) instructed him to separate his wife, Hajar, from him, along with his infant son, Ismail, and leave them in the desolate valley of Makkah.

After some time, Allah had mercy on them through water as a miracle at the Zamzam well. The people began to settle in that vicinity. Many years later, Allah (SWT) instructed Ibrahim and Ismail to reconstruct the Kaaba and establish it as a place solely for the worship of Allah (SWT). This event is mentioned in the Quran as follows:

“And ˹remember˺ when Abraham raised the foundation of the House with Ishmael, ˹both praying,˺ ‘Our Lord! Accept ˹this˺ from us. You are indeed the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.’” (Al-Baqarah 2:227)

The Kaaba was thus built as a house for the worship of the One God. The Quran calls to mind its special position:

 “Surely the first House ˹of worship˺ established for humanity is the one at Bakkah—a blessed sanctuary and a guide for ˹all˺ people.” (Aal Imran 3:96)

The event of the construction of the Kaaba by Ibrahim and Ismail turned out to be a cornerstone in Islamic history because it established the Kaaba as the first house of worship dedicated to Allah (SWT). It was through the humble acts of obedience and devotion of Ibrahim and Ismail that the foundation for the Kaaba was laid to serve as a guiding light to all humanity – a constant reminder of people’s duty to worship Allah (SWT).

The Change in Kaaba’s Purpose

Many centuries after the time of Ibrahim and Ismail, the people of Makkah began to stray from the right direction. They started worshiping idols, placing them inside and around the Kaaba. By the time of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, more than 300 idols had filled the Kaaba. The people of Makkah had respect for the Kaaba; however, they had forgotten its true purpose. The Quran refers to the ways of worship adopted by the people of Makkah as follows:

talks about this behavior of the people in Makkah in terms of their act with the House in Surah Al-Anfal 8:35:

“Their prayer at the Sacred House was nothing but whistling and clapping. So, taste the punishment for your disbelief.” (Al-Anfal 8:35)

This verse explains that the people of Makkah started doing some weird and meaningless rituals in the Kaaba. It was not the worship of Allah (SWT); rather, they made the Kaaba a hub of idol worship. Allah (SWT) threatened them with punishment for this disbelief through this verse.

The Kaaba and Youth of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born in the Quraysh tribe, the caretakers of the Kaaba. From very early on in his life, he gained a reputation for being truthful and honest, even prior to becoming a prophet.

A notable incident that took place during his childhood was the destruction of the Kaaba due to flooding and the people’s desire to reconstruct it. They fell into fighting over who had the right to return the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad) to its former position. The tribes then called upon Muhammad ﷺ for help. He took a cloth and laid it out, placed the Black Stone upon it, and then asked each of the leaders to raise up the cloth together. After that, he took the stone and placed it in its position. Hence, due to his wisdom, possible bloodshed was avoided.

According to a hadith, the Black Stone descended from Paradise, which explains why Muslims respect it so much:

 “The Black Stone descended from the Paradise, and it was whiter than milk, then it was blackened by the sins of the children of Adam.” (Tirmidhi 877 – Hasan)

Restoration of the Kaaba to Monotheism

When Prophet Muhammad ﷺ started receiving revelations from Allah (SWT), he called the people to worship none other than Allah (SWT), just as Prophet Ibrahim had preached. However, most people of Makkah, so attached to their idols, opposed the message brought by the Prophet ﷺ.

After the Prophet ﷺ peacefully conquered Makkah many years later, he went to the Kaaba and destroyed all the idols placed there. While doing so, he recited the following verse of the Quran: Surah Al-Isra 17:81.

 “And declare, ‘The truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Indeed, falsehood is bound to vanish.’” (Al-Isra 17:81)

This is a verse that illustrates the moment when the truth of Islam was restored to the Kaaba: all the idols were removed, and once again, the Kaaba became devoted to the worship of Allah (SWT) alone. The Prophet ﷺ then prayed inside the Kaaba before formally declaring it as a center of monotheism.

The Kaaba and the Direction of Prayer

When the Prophet ﷺ and the early Muslims had been in Madinah, they first prayed facing Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. However, Allah (SWT) revealed the command to change the direction of prayer (known as the qiblah) towards the Kaaba, as contained in the Quran:

“So turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque ˹in Makkah˺—wherever you are, turn your faces towards it.” (Al-Baqarah 2:144)

This verse instructs the Muslims to pray toward the Kaaba no matter where they may be in the world. The change of direction had the effect of a sign of unity within the Muslim community in that they were now all oriented toward the same holy place.

When the qiblah was changed to the direction of the Kaaba, it was a historic moment which had the effect of further unifying the Muslims. The qiblah continues to occupy a central place in the lives of Muslims even today, where they all face while offering their prayers. Click here to read about the importance and different ways the qiblah direction can be found from any location.

The Hajj Pilgrimage and the Kaaba

The Kaaba is also the center of the Hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam. Every physically and financially capable Muslim is obliged to perform the Hajj at least once in his or her lifetime. The Quran refers to this obligation as follows:

 “Call ˹all˺ people to the pilgrimage. They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel from every distant path.” (Al-Hajj 22:27)

Muslims, during Hajj, perform a series of acts of worship around the Kaaba; one of them is tawaf, which involves circling the Kaaba seven times. The Hajj is not just a symbol of devotion to Allah, but also a means of establishing unity among Muslims from around the world. The Kaaba can be said to be the spiritual center of Islam because, through it, millions of Muslims are connected by way of their prayers and with their Hajj.

Conclusion

From the time of Prophet Ibrahim to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the Kaaba underwent a journey of about 2,500 years which saw idol worship and a return to monotheism. This restoration by the Prophet ﷺ, after centuries of polytheism, once more confirmed its significance as the most sacred place of worship in the sight of Allah (SWT) – a legacy that has continued to unify and inspire Muslims ever since.

Guest Author Profile: Mughees Qureshi provides copywriting services and writes quality articles and blogs. He is experienced in writing on topics related to all domains with impactful knowledge. He occasionally writes articles for “Muslim and Quran”.