Treasures of biography | Sheikh Othman Al-Khamis | Episode (5)

0:00 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

0:03 Treasures of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah).

0:10 The Rebuilding of the Ka'bah.

0:16 When the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, reached thirty-five years of age,

0:21 a major event took place:

0:23 Quraysh decided to rebuild the Ka'bah.

0:27 This was because some of the Ka'bah's stones had begun to crumble,

0:31 and a severe flood had struck it,

0:34 significantly weakening its structure.

0:36 They differed among themselves:

0:38 should they merely restore the House,

0:40 or demolish it and rebuild it anew?

0:42 Some argued,

0:44 "It should be demolished and rebuilt from scratch."

0:46 While others insisted,

0:48 "Rather, it should only be restored,"

0:50 because they feared that if they demolished the House,

0:52 they might be struck by a calamity.

0:54 For what had happened to Abraha

0:56 was still very fresh in memory;

0:58 many of them had lived through it

1:00 and witnessed what befell Abraha and his army

1:02 when they marched against that sacred House.

1:06 Then Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah stepped forward

1:08 and said,

1:10 "By Allah, we shall certainly tear it down

1:12 and rebuild it anew!"

1:14 They said,

1:16 "We fear that we will be struck by harm."

1:18 He replied,

1:20 "What harm could befall you

1:22 when you intend nothing but good?"

1:24 They said,

1:26 "Then you begin first."

1:28 So Al-Walid went up to the Ka'bah,

1:30 raised his axe, and said,

1:32 "O Allah, do not be alarmed,"

1:34 meaning, "Do not fear, O Lord;

1:36 we do not intend to harm You,

1:38 but we only desire good."

1:40 And this, without doubt,

1:42 shows their profound ignorance of Allah,

1:44 the Blessed and Exalted.

1:46 He struck a blow and then waited,

1:48 and no harm befell him.

1:50 So he said,

1:52 "O people, demolish it!"

1:54 They replied, "No,

1:56 not until you wake up tomorrow unharmed."

1:58 When morning came

2:00 and he had suffered no affliction,

2:02 they all stood up

2:04 and demolished the Sacred House of Allah.

2:06 However,

2:08 when they intended to begin

2:10 rebuilding it, they said,

2:12 "Nothing shall enter into its construction

2:14 except pure, lawfully earned wealth;

2:16 no money from usury (riba) shall be accepted,

2:18 nor from gambling, nor the earnings of a prostitute,

2:20 nor any stolen wealth."

2:22 And this is truly

2:24 remarkable, for despite their pagan ways,

2:26 they knew lawful wealth

2:28 from unlawful wealth.

2:30 And Allah decreed that the lawful wealth

2:32 which they were able to gather

2:34 fell short and was insufficient

2:36 to rebuild the entire Ka'bah.

2:38 So they built the Ka'bah upon the dimensions

2:40 that it stands on today,

2:42 and left that semi-circular enclosure which we see,

2:44 which is called

2:46 by many people "Hijr

2:48 Isma'il"—

2:50 though Isma'il, peace be upon him, has no connection to

2:52 this Hijr—

2:54 also called Al-Jadr,

2:56 as the people of Mecca used to call it,

2:58 or Al-Hatim.

3:00 And of this enclosure,

3:02 about six cubits

3:04 are considered part of the Ka'bah itself.

3:06 Therefore, whenever we wish

3:08 to perform Tawaf around the Ka'bah,

3:10 it is not permissible for us to circumambulate

3:12 from inside the Hijr,

3:14 because we are commanded

3:16 to circumambulate around the Ka'bah,

3:18 not inside the Ka'bah.

3:20 The Ka'bah originally had two doors—

3:22 not just one—

3:24 and the entrance was level with the ground,

3:26 but they elevated it

3:28 so that they could admit whom they wished

3:30 and keep out whom they wished.

3:32 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, once asked

3:34 the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

3:36 about the wall (Al-Jadr):

3:38 "Is it part of the House?"

3:40 He replied, "Yes."

3:42 She asked, "Why then

3:44 did they not include it within the House?"

3:46 He said, "Your people

3:48 ran out of sufficient funds."

3:50 She asked,

3:52 "Why is its door raised up high?"

3:54 He replied,

3:56 "Your people did that

3:58 so they could admit whom they wished

4:00 and prevent whom they wished.

4:02 Were it not that your people have only recently

4:04 left the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah) behind,

4:06 and I fear that their hearts would reject it

4:08 if I were to incorporate the wall into the House

4:10 and lower its door to ground level, I would have done so."

4:12 And this showed the Prophet's,

4:14 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

4:16 utmost wisdom.

4:18 For how easily Quraysh would have said,

4:20 "Look at Muhammad,

4:22 peace be upon him,

4:24 who claims that he

4:26 is a messenger sent by Allah;

4:28 no sooner did he conquer Mecca

4:30 than he demolished the House of Allah!"

4:32 Therefore, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, deemed

4:34 it the wiser course

4:36 to defer this matter.

4:38 But was this matter delayed

4:40 for very long?

4:42 No, it was not delayed for long.

4:44 During the caliphate of

4:46 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr,

4:48 may Allah be pleased with him,

4:50 in the year 65

4:52 of the Prophet's Hijrah—

4:54 or the year 64—

4:56 'Abdullah

4:58 ibn al-Zubayr stepped forward

5:00 and incorporated the Hijr into the Ka'bah,

5:02 widened the Ka'bah,

5:04 raised its height,

5:06 lowered the door to the ground,

5:08 and made two doors for the Ka'bah—

5:10 all in accordance with

5:12 what the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had desired.

5:14 'Ata' related:

5:16 "'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr

5:18 gathered the people and said,

5:20 'O people!

5:22 Advise me regarding the Ka'bah:

5:24 should I demolish it and then rebuild

5:26 its structure,

5:28 or merely repair what has weakened of it?'

5:30 Ibn 'Abbas said,

5:32 'A distinct opinion has become clear to me

5:34 regarding it:

5:36 I think you should only repair what has weakened of it,

5:38 and leave the House

5:40 in the state upon which the people embraced Islam

5:42 and upon which the Prophet,

5:44 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was sent.'

5:46 Ibn al-Zubayr said,

5:48 'If the house of one of you

5:50 were burned down,

5:52 he would not be satisfied until he rebuilt it completely anew;

5:54 so what then of the House of your Lord?

5:56 I shall seek the guidance (Istikharah)

5:58 of my Lord for three days,

6:00 and then I will resolve upon my course.'

6:02 When the three days had passed,

6:04 he made up his mind

6:06 to demolish it.

6:08 But the people feared

6:10 that the very first person

6:12 to climb atop it

6:14 would be struck by a disaster from the sky.

6:16 Then a man climbed up and threw down

6:18 some stones from the House;

6:20 and when the people saw that

6:22 no harm had afflicted him,

6:24 they followed suit and demolished the House

6:26 until they leveled it to the ground.

6:28 Then Ibn al-Zubayr erected pillars

6:30 and draped curtains over them

6:32 until its construction rose high.

6:34 Ibn al-Zubayr said,

6:36 'I heard 'A'ishah,

6:38 may Allah be pleased with her, saying:

6:40 "The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

6:42 said:

6:44 'Were it not that the people have only recently

6:46 left disbelief,

6:48 and that I do not possess the funds

6:50 to support its full reconstruction,

6:52 I would have incorporated into it

6:54 five cubits from the Hijr,

6:56 "and I would have made a door for it

6:58 through which people would enter,

7:00 and another door through which they would exit."

7:02 'Abdullah Ibn al-Zubayr said:

7:04 "Today, I possess

7:06 the means to spend,

7:08 and I do not fear the people's reaction."

7:10 So he added five cubits to it

7:12 from the Hijr, just as the Prophet,

7:14 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had intended,

7:16 until he uncovered

7:18 for the people to see

7:20 the foundation laid by Ibrahim, peace be upon him.

7:22 Then he erected

7:24 the building upon it.

7:26 The height of the Ka'bah used to be

7:28 eighteen cubits,

7:30 and when he expanded its base, he felt it was too short,

7:32 so he increased its height

7:34 by ten cubits.

7:36 Thus, Ibn al-Zubayr increased both its height

7:38 and width, may Allah be pleased with him,

7:40 and he made for the Ka'bah

7:42 two doors:

7:44 one through which people entered,

7:46 and another through which they exited.

7:49 When Ibn al-Zubayr was killed

7:51 in the seventy-third year of the Hijrah

7:53 at the hands of al-Hajjaj

7:55 ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi,

7:57 al-Hajjaj wrote to 'Abd al-Malik

7:59 ibn Marwan informing him of that,

8:01 and reporting to him that

8:03 Ibn al-Zubayr had set the structure upon a foundation

8:05 that had been inspected

8:07 by trustworthy witnesses from the people of Makkah.

8:09 But 'Abd al-Malik wrote back to him:

8:11 "We have nothing to do with

8:13 the contamination of Ibn al-Zubayr in any way.

8:15 As for what he added

8:17 to its height, leave it as it is;

8:19 but as for what he incorporated from

8:21 the Hijr, restore it to its previous

8:23 structure, and seal the door

8:25 that he opened."

8:27 So he demolished it and restored it to

8:29 its earlier structure; and this is

8:31 an astonishing matter!

8:33 For 'Abdullah Ibn al-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him,

8:35 only carried out

8:37 the instruction of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

8:39 whereas 'Abd al-Malik

8:41 ibn Marwan, when he assumed the caliphate,

8:43 assumed that 'Abdullah

8:45 Ibn al-Zubayr had merely added this

8:47 of his own accord;

8:49 so he ordered its demolition

8:51 and restored the Ka'bah to the state it was in

8:53 during the era of the Prophet, peace and blessings

8:55 of Allah be upon him.

8:57 Later, al-Harith ibn 'Abdullah came as an emissary

8:59 to 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan,

9:01 and 'Abd al-Malik remarked:

9:03 "I do not think Abu Khubayb"—

9:05 meaning 'Abdullah Ibn al-Zubayr—

9:07 "actually heard from 'A'ishah

9:09 what he claimed to have heard

9:11 from her."

9:13 Al-Harith said: "On the contrary,

9:15 I myself heard it from her."

9:17 'Abd al-Malik asked:

9:19 "What did you hear her say?"

9:21 He said:

9:23 "She said: The Messenger of Allah,

9:25 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

9:27 'Your people fell short

9:29 in building the House;

9:31 and were it not that they have only recently left

9:33 polytheism, I would have rebuilt what

9:35 they left out of it. If

9:37 your people should ever decide to rebuild it after me,

9:39 then come, let me show you

9:41 what they left out of it.'

9:43 And he showed her about

9:45 seven cubits, and indeed

9:47 it was so; 'and I would have made for it

9:49 two doors level with the ground,

9:51 an eastern one and a western one.

9:53 And do you know why

9:55 your people elevated its door?'

9:57 She said: 'I said: No.'

9:59 He said:

10:01 'Out of arrogance, so that none would enter it

10:03 except whom they wished.

10:05 Whenever a man

10:07 intended to enter it,

10:09 they would let him climb up,

10:11 and just as he was about to enter,

10:13 they would push him and he would fall.'"

10:15 'Abd al-Malik said to al-Harith:

10:17 "Did you personally hear her

10:19 say this?"

10:21 He replied: "Yes."

10:23 So 'Abd al-Malik tapped the ground

10:25 for a while with his cane,

10:27 and then said:

10:29 "I wish I had left him and what he had undertaken."

10:31 And in another narration:

10:33 "Had I heard it before

10:35 demolishing it, I would have left it

10:37 as Ibn al-Zubayr had built it,

10:39 may Allah be pleased with him."

10:41 During the Abbasid era,

10:43 in the caliphate of al-Mahdi,

10:45 the Caliph wished to

10:47 rebuild the Ka'bah

10:49 and incorporate the Hijr into it once

10:51 again.

10:53 So he consulted Imam Malik, asking:

10:55 "What is your opinion?"

10:57 Imam Malik replied:

10:59 "Do not do so."

11:01 He asked: "Why?"

11:03 He said: "I fear that

11:05 kings will turn it into a plaything;

11:07 one demolishing it and another

11:09 rebuilding it." So

11:11 the Caliph left it, and

11:13 the House remained in that state down to

11:15 our present day.

11:17 Thus, if someone were to say,

11:19 "Let us restore it now

11:21 and build it as intended by

11:23 the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,"

11:25 we say:

11:27 this matter is referred back to the scholars;

11:29 they should convene and examine

11:31 the issue, and if they deem it appropriate,

11:33 the decision rests with them.

11:35 Allah Almighty said:

11:37 “And if any tidings, whether of safety or fear, come unto them, they noise it abroad, whereas if they had referred it to the messenger and to such of them as are in authority, those among them who are able to think out the matter would have known it. If it had not been for the grace of Allah upon you and His mercy ye would have followed Satan, save a few (of you).” (4:83)

11:39 “And if any tidings, whether of safety or fear, come unto them, they noise it abroad, whereas if they had referred it to the messenger and to such of them as are in authority, those among them who are able to think out the matter would have known it. If it had not been for the grace of Allah upon you and His mercy ye would have followed Satan, save a few (of you).” (4:83)

11:41 ﴿those who can draw correct conclusions from it would know it﴾

11:43 ﴿among them.﴾

11:45 Treasures of

11:47 intelligence

11:54 and discernment:

11:58 After Quraysh rebuilt

12:00 the Ka'bah, they disputed

12:02 over who should place the Black Stone

12:04 into its spot, as every clan

12:06 desired the honor of placing it.

12:08 So they said: "Let us appoint as an arbiter

12:10 among us the first person who enters

12:12 upon us." And it was decreed

12:14 by Allah, Blessed and Exalted,

12:16 that the first person to enter

12:18 upon them was the Messenger of Allah,

12:20 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

12:22 They exclaimed: "This is the Trustworthy one (al-Amin)!"

12:24 So he took off his cloak,

12:26 and asked the chiefs of

12:28 the clans each to hold

12:30 one of its edges,

12:32 until they carried the stone to the Ka'bah.

12:34 Then the Prophet,

12:36 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, picked it up with his noble hands

12:38 and placed it

12:40 in its spot.

12:42 It has been narrated in the hadith:

12:44 "The Black Stone descended from Paradise

12:46 whiter

12:48 than milk,

12:50 but the sins of the children of Adam blackened it."

12:52 Treasures of the Prophetic biography (Seerah).

Treasures of biography | Sheikh Othman Al-Khamis | Episode (5) | Rebuilding the Kaaba

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