i was wondering that when we so strongly believe in Allah why was there a need to build kaaba? afterall we would’ve been the same muslims even if there was no kaaba.
Re: The need of kaaba..
True, but then we wouldn’t have a place to turn to for prayers…And anyways, it’s there and it’s the house of Allah :swt:, so there are many blessings associated with it…
The Kaaba was built because Allah :swt: wanted it to be built and Ibrahim :as: was given the task…That’s that…
"We see the turning of thy face (for guidance) to the heavens: now shall We turn thee to a Qiblah (direction) that shall please thee. Turn then thy face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque: wherever ye are, turn your faces in that direction." [Al-Qur’an 2:144]
Although we face the Kaaba we do not worship it. Muslims worship none but Allah the Exalted and Majestic.
Muslims are asked to face the Kaaba and go on a Pilgrimage to it: -
· Because it was the first Mosque to be built for the worship of the one Lord God, Allah.
· In order to unite the Muslims in their worship of the one true God.
· The Kaaba is at the centre of the world map (when the Muslims first drew the world map, the south faced upwards and the north downwards when the westerners later turned the map upside down, the Kaaba is still at the centre).
We do circumambulation around the Kaaba when on Pilgrimage because this symbolises the belief in the one true God. Just like every circle has one centre, also there is only one Allah worthy of worship.
During pilgrimage our third Caliph Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said whilst kissing the black stone in the Kaaba "I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit nor harm. Had I not seen the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) touching (and kissing) you, I would never have touched (and kissed) you".
Also at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), people would stand on top of the Kaaba and do the Call to Prayer. Those who say Muslims worship the Kaaba, answer this question, Which idol worshipper stands on top of the idol he/she worships?
The Kaaba, as it stands today, is not the original structure. More than once it has suffered to a greater or lesser extent from the ravages of time. Traces of Kaaba can be found from the earliest history of mankind.
The Quran tells us that in the time of Hadhrat Abraham, peace be upon him, its foundations alone existed on which it was rebuilt by Hadhrat Abraham and his son Hadhrat Ishmael, peace be upon them both:
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Remember the time when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House, praying, 'Our Lord, accept this from us; for thou art the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.' (2:128)
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And to answer that why do we Muslims pray towards Kaaba? is that The Kaaba, symbolises the Unity of God Who alone is worthy of worship. Nothing more, Nothing less.