Hi, and welcome to awajis.com. Today we are to look at which direction one should face while praying in the Kaaba, as this is important to all Muslims worldwide.
What is the Kaaba?
The Kaaba, also spelled Kaaba or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-KaÊ¿bah al-Musharrafah, is a building at the center of Islam’s most important mosque, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is the most sacred site in Islam.
Source: Wikipedia
Located in: Masjid al-Haram
Address: Al Haram, Mecca 24231, Saudi Arabia
Date established: Pre-Islamic era
Leadership: President of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques: Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais
Materials: Rock, Marble, Limestone
Affiliation: Islam Wikimedia Foundation
How to Pray in Kaaba
The general public cannot go inside the Kaaba (cube). The Hadith that came before said that praying in Hateem is blessed in the same way as praying in the Kaaba. If a person wants to pray in front of the Kaaba, they can do it in Hateem.
I try to pray far away from the Kaaba wall, so it doesn’t bother other people. In the city of Hateem, it is against the law to pray the Farz prayers. Hateem is taken out of the mosque by the guards before each of the five required prayers. In Hateem, you can pray nafal, which means “optional.”
Remember that when you do Tawaf (walking around the Kaaba), you can’t walk in the Hateem area because it is part of the Kaaba.
Direction to Pray Inside Kaaba.
You can pray inside the Kaaba in whatever direction based on the Hadith:
History of Kaaba.
The Kaaba was a sanctuary in pre-Islamic times. Muslims widely accepted that Abraham and his son Ismail built the Kaaba.
Legend has it that it was originally just a rectangular unroofed structure. Reconstruction of the pre-Islamic Kaaba by the Quraysh tribe, which ruled Mecca around 608 C.E., involved layers of masonry and wood. A high-level door was constructed around the shrine to keep out intruders and floodwaters.
Medina was established in 620 C.E. after Muhammad was exiled from Mecca to Yathrib. Mecca’s shrine has been a focal point for Muslim worship and pilgrimage since Muhammad’s return in 629/30 C.E. It was in the pre-Islamic Kaaba that the Black Stone and idols of pagan gods were kept.
Muhammad is said to have cleansed the Kaaba of idols upon his triumphant return to Mecca, restoring the shrine to Ibrahim’s monotheism. According to Islamic tradition, the angel Gabriel bestowed the Black Stone on Prophet Ibrahim. Muhammad made his final pilgrimage in 632 C.E., the year before his death, and it was during this journey he established the rites of pilgrimage.
Modifications
Throughout its history, the Kaaba has undergone numerous renovations. ‘Umar (ruled 634–44), the second caliph, expanded the area around the Kaaba to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims.
The arcades surrounding the open plaza where the Kaaba stands were built by Caliph ‘Uthman (644–56), and other significant monuments were incorporated into the sanctuary.
Rebels loyal to Mecca’s caliphs Abd al-Malik and Ibn Zubayr set fire to the Kaaba in 683 C.E. According to legend, Ibn Zubayr reassembled the Black Stone from three pieces of silver.
He rebuilt the Kaaba to Ibrahim’s original dimensions out of wood and stone. After regaining control of Mecca, Abd al-Malik restored the portion of the mosque that Muhammad is said to have designed.
These renovations are only mentioned in later literary sources and cannot be supported by building studies or archaeological evidence.
Great Mosque of Mecca.
The Great Mosque of Mecca, or al-Masjid al-arm, was built to enclose the Kabah, Islam’s holiest shrine. It sees millions of worshippers annually as a hajj and umrah pilgrimage destination. The current building dates to the 16th century.
The mosque has a covered central courtyard and several pilgrimage rituals. Pilgrims perform the awf in the courtyard. In the courtyard is the Zamzam well, a sacred spring, and the Station of Abraham (Arabic: maqm Ibrhaim), a stone associated with the Qur’anic account of Abraham and Ismael rebuilding the Kaaba.
Al-af and al-Marwah, two small hills east and north of the courtyard, are part of the day ritual. In the 20th century, the mosque added a passageway between two hills.
The modern world is the result of centuries of research and development. Before Islam, Arab polytheists gathered at the Kaaba to pray. First-generation Muslims revered the Ka’bah.
After migrating to Medina in 622 CE (the Hijrah), Muslims prayed toward Jerusalem until a Qur’anic revelation designated the Kaaba as the qiblah. When Muhammad returned to Mecca in 630, he had the shrine’s polytheistic idols destroyed.
Umar ibn al-Khahb, the second caliph, built a wall around the Ka’bah in 638. Successive caliphs added ceilings, columns, and other decors. The Kaaba was moved to its current courtyard location by Abbasid caliph al-Mahdi, who rebuilt and expanded the structure.
The mosque was rebuilt in the 14th century after fire and flooding. The Ottoman sultan Selim II ordered Sinan to improve the mosque in 1571. Sinan added domes to the flat roof. Ottoman additions are the oldest modern parts.
The mosque was renovated and expanded throughout the 20th century. usayn ibn Al (emir of Mecca 1908–16, king of Hejaz 1916–24) installed the first electric lighting system. In 1948, the mosque installed an electric public-address system.
In the second half of the 20th century, as commercial air travel expanded and Saudi Arabia’s oil wealth allowed massive construction projects, the mosque underwent radical changes. King Saud began expanding the mosque in 1955.
1973 expansion added new construction around the Ottoman mosque, bringing the total floor area to 290,000 square feet (27,000 square meters). The al-Marwah-al-af passageway was expanded and built into the mosque.
In 1984, as the number of hajj pilgrims surpassed 1 million, King Fahd ordered another mosque expansion. Demolition was needed to build a large paved area around the mosque. Escalators, tunnels, and passageways were installed to reduce hajj congestion.
Modern communication and climate control systems were also built. The mosque’s floor area is now 3,840,000 square feet (356,800 square meters) and can accommodate 820,000 people.
Islamic militants led by Juhaymn al-Utaybi and Mu’ammad bin ‘Abd Allah al-Qa’ini seized the Great Mosque in November 1979.
Insurgents accused the Saud family of apostasy and said Qa’n was the Mahdi, an Islamic messiah who would save Muslims from oppressors. Government troops retook the Great Mosque in December after obtaining a religious ruling allowing force in the mosque, where violence is forbidden.
Black Stone of Mecca.
Arabic: Black Stone of Mecca Islamic object of worship, built into the eastern wall of the Kaaba (small shrine within the Great Mosque of Mecca) and probably dating back to the pre-Islamic religion of the Arabs, is al-ajar al-Aswad. Pieces and fragments of the original necklace are now found in three large pieces and one smaller piece, all of which are held together by an intricate silver band.
According to popular Islamic legend, the stone was originally white but has now turned black due to the sins of the countless pilgrims who kissed and touched it. The Qarmatian sect kidnapped it in 930 and held it for ransom for about 20 years.
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