Surah Al Baqarah Tafseer

And (remember) when Ibrahim (Abraham) and (his son) Ismail (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka`bah at Makkah), (saying), "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily, You are the Hearer, the Knower.

Allah said,

"O Muhammad! Remind your people when Ibrahim and Ismail built the House and raised its foundations while saying,

رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

(Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily, You are the Hearer, the Knower)."

Al-Qurtubi mentioned that Ubayy and Ibn Mas`ud used to recite the Ayah this way,

وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ

وَيَقَُولَانِ

رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

And (remember) when Ibrahim and (his son) Ismail were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka`bah at Makkah), Saying, "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily, You are the Hearer, the Knower."

What further testifies to this statement (which adds `saying' to the Ayah) by Ubayy and Ibn Mas`ud, is what came afterwards,

رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّكَ

(Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You).

The Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail were performing a good deed, yet they asked Allah to accept this good deed from them.

Ibn Abi Hatim narrated that;

Wuhayb bin Al-Ward recited,

وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا

(And (remember) when Ibrahim and (his son) Ismail were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka`bah at Makkah), (saying), "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us") and cried and said,

"O Khalil of Ar-Rahman! You raise the foundations of the House of Ar-Rahman (Allah), yet you are afraid that He will not accept it from you"

This is the behavior of the sincere believers, whom Allah described in His statement,

وَالَّذِينَ يُوْتُونَ مَا اتَوا

And those who give that which they give, (23:60),

meaning, they give away voluntary charity, and perform the acts of worship yet,

وَّقُلُوبُهُمْ وَجِلَةٌ

(with their hearts full of fear) (23:60) afraid that these good deeds might not be accepted of them.

There is an authentic Hadith narrated by Aishah on this subject, which we will mention later, Allah willing.

Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn Abbas said,

"Prophet Ibrahim took Ismail and his mother and went away with them until he reached the area of the House, where he left them next to a tree above Zamzam in the upper area of the Masjid. During that time, Ismail's mother was still nursing him. Makkah was then uninhabited, and there was no water source in it. Ibrahim left them there with a bag containing some dates and a water-skin containing water.

Ibrahim then started to leave, and Ismail's mother followed him and said, `O Ibrahim! To whom are you leaving us in this barren valley that is not inhabited?' She repeated the question several times and Ibrahim did not reply.

She asked, `Has Allah commanded you to do this?'

He said, `Yes.'

She said, `I am satisfied that Allah will never abandon us.'

Ibrahim left, and when he was far enough away where they could not see him, close to Thaniyyah, he faced the House, raised his hands and supplicated,

رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ

(O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (the Ka`bah at Makkah)) until,

يَشْكُرُونَ

(Give thanks) (14:37).

Ismail's mother then returned to her place, started drinking water from the water-skin and nursing Ismail. When the water was used up, she and her son became thirsty. She looked at him, and he was suffering from thirst; she left, because she disliked seeing his face in that condition. She found the nearest mountain to where she was, As-Safa, ascended it and looked, in vain, hoping to see somebody. When she came down to the valley, she raised her garment and ran, just as a tired person runs, until she reached the Al-Marwah mountain. In vain, she looked to see if there was someone there. She ran to and fro (between the two mountains) seven times."

Ibn Abbas said that the Messenger of Allah said,

"This is why the people make the trip between As-Safa and Al-Marwah (during Hajj and Umrah)."

"When she reached Al-Marwah, she heard a voice and said, `Shush,' to herself. She tried to hear the voice again and when she did, she said, `I have heard you. Do you have relief?'

She found the angel digging with his heel (or his wing) where Zamzam now exists, and the water gushed out.

Ismail's mother was astonished and started digging, using her hand to transfer water to the water-skin."

Ibn Abbas said that the Prophet then said,

"May Allah grant His mercy to the mother of Ismail, had she left the water, (flow naturally without her intervention), it would have been flowing on the surface of the earth."

"Ismail's mother started drinking the water and her milk increased for her child.

The angel (Gabriel) said to her, `Do not fear abandonment. There shall be a House for Allah built here by this boy and his father. Allah does not abandon His people.'

During that time, the area of the House was raised above ground level and the floods used to reach its right and left sides.

Afterwards some people of the tribe of Jurhum, passing through Kada', made camp at the bottom of the valley. They saw some birds, they were astonished, and said, `Birds can only be found at a place where there is water. We did not notice before that this valley had water.'

They sent a scout or two who searched the area, found the water, and returned to inform them about it. Then they all went to Ismail's mother, next to the water, and said, `O Mother of Ismail! Will you allow us to be with you (or dwell with you)?'

She said, `Yes. But you will have no exclusive right to the water here.'

They said, `We agree."'

Ibn Abbas said that the Prophet said,

"At that time, Ismail's mother liked to have human company."

"And thus they stayed there and sent for their relatives to join them. Later on, her boy reached the age of puberty and married a lady from them, for Ismail learned Arabic from them, and they liked the way he was raised. Ismail's mother died after that.

Then an idea occurred to Abraham to visit his dependents. So he left (to Makkah). When he arrived, he did not find Ismail, so he asked his wife about him. She said, `He has gone out hunting.'

When he asked her about their living conditions, she complained to him that they live in misery and poverty.

Abraham said (to her), `When your husband comes, convey my greeting and tell him to change the threshold of his gate.'

When Ismail came, he sensed that they had a visitor and asked his wife, `Did we have a visitor?'

She said, `Yes. An old man came to visit us and asked me about you, and I told him where you were. He also asked about our condition, and I told him that we live in hardship and poverty.'

Ismail said, `Did he ask you to do anything?'

She said, `Yes. He asked me to convey his greeting and that you should change the threshold of your gate.'

Ismail said to her, `He was my father and you are the threshold, so go to your family (i.e. you are divorced).'

So he divorced her and married another woman.

Again Ibrahim thought of visiting his dependents whom he had left (at Makkah). Ibrahim came to Ismail's house, but did not find Ismail and asked his wife, `Where is Ismail?'

Ismail's wife replied, `He has gone out hunting.'

He asked her about their condition, and she said that they have a good life and praised Allah.

Ibrahim asked, `What is your food and what is your drink?'

She replied, `Our food is meat and our drink is water.'

He said, `O Allah! Bless their meat and their drink."'

The Prophet (Muhammad) said,

"They did not have crops then, otherwise Ibrahim would have invoked Allah to bless that too. Those who do not live in Makkah cannot bear eating a diet only containing meat and water."

"Ibrahim said, `When Ismail comes back, convey my greeting to him and ask him to keep the threshold of his gate.'

When Ismail came back, he asked, `Has anyone visited us?'

She said, `Yes. A good looking old man,' and she praised Ibrahim, `And he asked me about our livelihood and I told him that we live in good conditions.'

He asked, `Did he ask you to convey any message?'

She said, `Yes. He conveyed his greeting to you and said that you should keep the threshold of your gate.'

Ismail said, `That was my father, and you are the threshold; he commanded me to keep you.'

Ibrahim then came back visiting and found Ismail behind the Zamzam well, next to a tree, mending his arrows. When he saw Ibrahim, he stood up and they greeted each other, just as the father and son greet each other.

Ibrahim said, `O Ismail, Your Lord has ordered me to do something.'

He said, `Obey your Lord.'

He asked Ismail, `Will you help me?'

He said, `Yes, I will help you.'

Ibrahim said, `Allah has commanded me to build a house for Him there,' and he pointed to an area that was above ground level.

So, both of them rose and started to raise the foundations of the House. Abraham started building (the Ka`bah), while Ismail continued handing him the stones. Both of them were saying, `O our Lord ! Accept (this service) from us, Verily, You are the Hearing, the Knowing.' (2.127)."'

Hence, they were building the House, part by part, going around it and saying,

رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

(Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily, You are the Hearer, the Knower).

The Story of rebuilding the House by Quraysh before the Messenger of Allah was sent as Prophet

In his Sirah, Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar said,

"When the Messenger of Allah reached thirty-five years of age, the Quraysh gathered to rebuild the Ka`bah, this included covering it with a roof. However, they were weary of demolishing it. During that time, the Ka`bah was barely above a man's shoulder, so they wanted to raise its height and build a ceiling on top.

Some people had stolen the Ka`bah's treasure beforehand, which used to be in a well in the middle of the Ka`bah. The treasure was later found with a man called, Duwayk, a freed servant of Bani Mulayh bin `Amr, from the tribe of Khuza`ah. The Quraysh cut off his hand as punishment. Some people claimed that those who actually stole the treasure left it with Duwayk.

Afterwards, the sea brought a ship that belonged to a Roman merchant to the shores of Jeddah, where it washed-up. So they collected the ship's wood to use it for the Ka`bah's ceiling; a Coptic carpenter in Makkah prepared what they needed for the job. When they decided to begin the demolition process to rebuild the House, Abu Wahb bin Amr bin A'idh bin Abd bin Imran bin Makhzum took a stone from the Ka`bah; the stone slipped from his hand and went back to where it had been.

He said, `O people of Quraysh! Do not spend on rebuilding the House, except from what was earned from pure sources. No money earned from a prostitute, usury or injustice should be included."'

Ibn Ishaq commented here that the people also attribute these words to Al-Walid bin Al-Mughirah bin Abdullah bin Amr bin Makhzum.

Ibn Ishaq continued,

"The Quraysh began to organize their efforts to rebuild the Ka`bah, each sub tribe taking the responsibility of rebuilding a designated part of it.

However, they were still weary about bringing down the Ka`bah. Al-Walid bin Al-Mughirah said, `I will start to bring it down.' He held an ax and stood by the Ka`bah and said, `O Allah! No harm is meant. O Allah! We only seek to do a good service.' He then started to chop the House's stones.

The people waited that night and said, `We will wait and see. If something strikes him, we will not bring it down and instead rebuild it the way it was. If nothing happens to him, then Allah will have agreed to what we are doing.'

The next morning, Al-Walid went to work on the Ka`bah, and the people started bringing the Ka`bah down with him. When they reached the foundations that Ibrahim built, they uncovered green stones that were above each other, just like a pile of spears."

Ibn Ishaq then said that some people told him,

"A man from Quraysh, who was helping rebuild the Ka`bah, placed the shovel between two of these stones to pull them up; when one of the stones was moved, all of Makkah shook, so they did not dig up these stones."

The Dispute regarding Who should place the Black Stone in Its Place

Ibn Ishaq said,

"The tribes of Quraysh collected stones to rebuild the House, each tribe collecting on their own. They started rebuilding it, until the rebuilding of the Ka`bah reached the point where the Black Stone was to be placed in its designated site.

A dispute erupted between the various tribes of Quraysh, each seeking the honor of placing the Black Stone for their own tribe. The dispute almost led to violence between the leaders of Quraysh in the area of the Sacred House.

Banu Abd Ad-Dar and Banu Adi bin Ka`b bin Lu'ay, gave their mutual pledge to fight until death. However, five or four days later, Abu Umayyah bin Al-Mughirah bin Abdullah bin Amr bin Makhzum, the oldest man from Quraysh then intervened at the right moment. Abu Umayyah suggested that Quraysh should appoint the first man to enter the House from its entrance to be a mediator between them. They agreed.

The Messenger - Muhammad - was the first person to enter the House. When the various leaders of Quraysh realized who the first one was, they all proclaimed, `This is Al-Amin (the Honest one). We all accept him; This is Muhammad.'

When the Prophet reached the area where the leaders were gathering and they informed him about their dispute, he asked them to bring a garment and place it on the ground. He placed the Black Stone on it. He then requested that each of the leaders of Quraysh hold the garment from one side and all participate in lifting the Black Stone, moving it to its designated area. Next, the Prophet carried the Black Stone by himself and placed it in its designated position and built around it. The Quraysh used to call the Messenger of Allah `Al-Amin' even before the revelation came to him."

Ibn Az-Zubayr rebuilds Al-Ka`bah the way the Prophet wished

Ibn Ishaq said,

"During the time of the Prophet, the Ka`bah was eighteen cubits high and was covered with Egyptian linen, and they with a striped garment.

Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf was the first person to cover it with silk."

The Ka`bah remained the same way the Quraysh rebuilt it, until it was burned during the reign of Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr, after the year 6o H, at the end of the reign of Yazid bin Muawiyah.

During that time, Ibn Az-Zubayr was besieged at Makkah. When it was burned, Ibn Az-Zubayr brought the Ka`bah down and built it upon the foundations of Ibrahim, including the Hijr in it. He also made an eastern door and a western door in the Ka`bah and placed them on ground level. He had heard his aunt Aishah, the Mother of the believers, narrate that the Messenger of Allah had wished that.

The Ka`bah remained like this throughout his reign, until Al-Hajjaj killed Ibn Az-Zubayr and then rebuilt it the way it was before, by the order of Abdul-Malik bin Marwan.

Muslim recorded that Ata said,

"The House was burnt during the reign of Yazid bin Muawiyah, when the people of Ash-Sham raided Makkah.

Ibn Az-Zubayr did not touch the House until the people came for Hajj, for he wanted to incite them against the people of Ash-Sham. He said to them, `O people! Advise me regarding the Ka`bah, should we bring it down and rebuild it, or just repair the damage it sustained.'

Ibn Abbas said, `I have an opinion about this. You should rebuild the House the way it was when the people became Muslims. You should leave the stones that existed when the people became Muslims and when the Prophet was sent.'

Ibn Az-Zubayr said, `If the house of one of them gets burned, he will not be satisfied, until he rebuilds it. How about Allah's House I will invoke my Lord for three days and will then implement what I decide.'

When the three days had passed, he decided to bring the Ka`bah down. The people hesitated to bring it down, fearing that the first person to climb on the House would be struck down. A man went on top of the House and threw some stones down, and when the people saw that no harm touched him, they started doing the same. They brought the House down to ground level.

Ibn Az-Zubayr surrounded the site with curtains hanging from pillars, so that the House would be covered, until the building was erect.

Ibn Az-Zubayr then said, `I heard Aishah say that the Messenger of Allah said,

لَوْلَا أَنَّ النَّاسَ حَدِيثٌ عَهْدُهُمْ بِكُفْرٍ وَلَيْسَ عِنْدِي مِنَ النَّفَقَةِ مَا يُقَوِّينِي عَلى بِنَايِهِ لَكُنْتُ أَدْخَلْتُ فِيهِ مِنَ الْحِجْرِ خَمْسَةَ أَذْرُعٍ وَلَجَعَلْتُ لَهُ بَابًا يَدْخُلُ النَّاسُ مِنْهُ وَبَابًا يَخْرُجُونَ مِنْه

If it was not for the fact that the people have recently abandoned disbelief, and that I do not have enough money to spend on it, I would have included in the House five cubits from Al-Hijr and would have made a door for it that people could enter from, and another door that they could exit from.

Ibn Az-Zubayr said, `I can spend on this job, and I do not fear the people.'

So he added five cubits from the Hijr, which looked like a rear part for the House that people could clearly see. He then built the House and made it eighteen cubits high. He thought that the House was still short and added ten cubits in the front and built two doors in it, one as an entrance and another as an exit.

When Ibn Az-Zubayr was killed, Al-Hajjaj wrote to Abdul-Malik bin Marwan asking him about the House and told him that Ibn Az-Zubayr made a rear section for the House.

Abdul-Malik wrote back, `We do not agree with Ibn Az-Zubayr's actions. As, for the Ka`bah's height, leave it as it is. As for what he added from the Hijr, bring it down, and build the House as it was before and close the door.'

Therefore, Al-Hajjaj brought down the House and rebuilt it as it was."

In his Sunan, An-Nasa'i collected the Hadith of the Prophet narrated from Aishah, not the whole story,

The correct Sunnah conformed to Ibn Az-Zubayr's actions, because this was what the Prophet wished he could do, but feared that the hearts of the people who recently became Muslim could not bear rebuilding the House. This Sunnah was not clear to Abdul-Malik bin Marwan. Hence, when Abdul-Malik realized that Aishah had narrated the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah on this subject, he said, "I wish we had left it as Ibn Az-Zubayr had made it."

Muslim recorded that Ubadydullah bin Ubayd said that Al-Harith bin Abdullah came to Abdul-Malik bin Marwan during his reign. Abdul-Malik said, `I did not think that Abu Khubayb (Ibn Az-Zubayr) heard from Aishah what he said he heard from her.'

Al-Harith said, `Yes he did. I heard the Hadith from her.'

Abdul-Malik said, `You heard her say what?'

He said, `She said that the Messenger of Allah said,

إِنَّ قَوْمَكِ اسْتَقْصَرُوا مِنْ بُنْيَانِ الْبَيْتِ وَلَوْلَا حَدَاثَةُ عَهْدِهِمْ بِالشِّرْكِ أَعَدْتُ مَا تَرَكُوا مِنْهُ فَإِنْ بَدَا لِقَوْمِكِ مِنْ بَعْدِي أَنْ يَبْنُوهُ فَهَلُمِّي لاُِرِيَكِ مَا تَرَكُوهُ مِنْه

Your people rebuilt the House smaller. Had it not been for the fact that your people are not far from the time of Shirk, I would add what was left outside of it. If your people afterwards think about rebuilding it, let me show you what they left out of it.

He showed her around seven cubits.'

One of the narrators of the Hadith, Al-Walid bin Ata, added that the Prophet said,

وَلَجَعَلْتُ لَهَا بَابَيْنِ مَوْضُوعَيْنِ فِي الاَْرْضِ شَرْقِيًّا وَغَرْبِيًّا وَهَلْ تَدرِينَ لِمَ كَانَ قَومُكِ رَفَعُوا بَابَهَا

I would have made two doors for the House on ground level, one eastern and one western. Do you know why your people raised its door above ground level?

She said, `No.'

He said,

تَعَزُّزًا أَنْ لَا يَدْخُلَهَا إِلاَّ مَنْ أَرَادُوا فَكَانَ الرَّجُلُ إِذَا هُوَ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَهَا يَدَعُونَهُ يَرْتَقِي حَتَّى إِذَا كَادَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ دَفَعُوهُ فَسَقَط

To allow only those whom they wanted to enter it. When a man whom they did not wish to enter the House climbed to the level of the door, they would push him down.

Abdul-Malik then said, `You heard Aishah say this Hadith?'

He said, `Yes.'

Abdul-Malik said, `I wish I left it as it was."

An Ethiopian will destroy the Ka`bah just before the Last Hour

The Two Sahihs recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,

يُخَرِّبُ الْكَعْبَةَ ذُو السُّوَيْقَتَيْنِ مِنَ الْحَبَشَة

The Ka`bah will be destroyed by Dhus-Sawiqatayn (literally, a person with two lean legs) from Ethiopia.

Also, Ibn Abbas said that the Prophet said,

كَأَنِّي بِهِ أَسْوَدَ أَفْحَجَ يَقْلَعُهَا حَجَرًا حَجَرًا

As if I see him now:a black person with thin legs plucking the stones of the Ka`bah one after another.

Al-Bukhari recorded this Hadith.

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal recorded in his Musnad that Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-`As said that he heard the Messenger of Allah say,

يُخَرِّبُ الْكَعْبَةَ ذُو السُّوَيْقَتَيْنِ مِنَ الْحَبَشَةِ وَيَسْلُبُهَا حِلْيَتَهَا وَيُجَرِّدُهَا مِنْ كِسْوَتِهَا وَلَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ أُصَيْلِعَ وَ أُفَيْدِعَ يَضْرِبُ عَلَيْهَا بِمِسْحَاتِهِ وَمِعْوَلِه

Dhus-Sawiqatayn from Ethiopia will destroy the Ka`bah and will loot its adornments and cover. It is as if I see him now:bald, with thin legs striking the Ka`bah with his ax.

This will occur after the appearance of Gog and Magog people.

Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri said that the Messenger of Allah said,

لَيُحَجَّنَّ الْبَيْتُ وَلَيُعْتَمَرَنَّ بَعْدَ خُرُوجِ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوج

There will be Hajj and Umrah to the House after the appearance of Gog and Magog people.)

Al-Khalil's Supplication

Allah said that Ibrahim and Ismail supplicated to Him,

رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَأ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ