Fwd’ing
The small, cubed building known as the Kaba may not rival skyscrapers
in height or mansions in width, but its impact on history and human
beings is unmatched.
The Kaba is the building towards which Muslims face five times a day,
everyday, in prayer. This has been the case since the time of Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) over 1400 years ago.
The Size of the Kaba:
- The current height of the Kaba is 39 feet, 6 inches and total size
comes to 627 square feet. - The inside room of the Kaba is 13X9 meters. The Kaba’s walls are
one meter wide. - The floor inside is 2.2 meters higher than the place where people
perform Tawaf. - The ceiling and roof are two levels made out of wood. They were
reconstructed with teak which is capped with stainless steel. - The walls are all made of stone. The stones inside are unpolished,
while the ones outside are polished.
This small building has been constructed and reconstructed by
Prophets Adam,Ibrahim, Ismail and Muhammad (peace be upon them all).
No other building has had this honor.
Yet, not very much is known about the details of this small but
significant building.
Did you know the Kaba was reconstructed as recently as close to four
years ago?
Did you know that the Kaba has been subjected to danger by natural
disasters like flooding, as well as human attacks?
If you didn’t keep reading. You’ll find some rarely heard of
information discussed below and discover facts about the Kaba many
are unaware of.
The other names of the Kaba
Literally, Kaba in Arabic means a high place with respect and
prestige. The word Kaba may also be derivative of a word meaning a
cube. Some of these other names include:
Bait ul Ateeq-which means, according to one meaning, the earliest and
ancient. According to the second meaning, it means independent and
liberating. Both meanings could be taken Bait ul Haram-the honorable
house
The Kaba has been reconstructed up to 12 times
Scholars and historians say that the Kaba has been reconstructed
between five to 12 times.
The very first construction of the Kaba was done by Prophet Adam
(peace be upon him). Allah says in the Quran that this was the first
house that was built for humanity to worship Allah.
After this, Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them) rebuilt
the Kaba.
The measurements of the Kaba’s Ibrahimic foundation are as follows:
-the eastern wall was 48 feet and 6 inches
-the Hateem side wall was 33 feet
-the side between the black stone and the Yemeni corner was 30 feet
-the Western side was 46.5 feet
Following this, there were several constructions before the Prophet
Muhammad(peace and blessings be upon him) 's time.
What is inside the Kaba?
Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi is the president of the Islamic Society of North
America(ISNA). He had the opportunity to go inside the Kaba in
October 1998. In an interview with Sound Vision, he described the
following features:
-there are two pillars inside (others report 3 pillars)
-there is a table on the side to put items like perfume
-there are two lantern-type lamps hanging from the ceiling
-the space can accommodate about 50 people
-there are no electric lights inside
-the walls and floors are of marble
-there are no windows inside
-there is only one door
-the upper inside walls of the Kaba were covered with some kind of
curtain with the Kalima written on it
“I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature, but He has a grasp of its forelock. Verily, my Lord is on the straight path. (The truth)”
(11:55-56)
“…Indeed my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the worlds” (6:162)
