Page 158 - World Religions I - Islam

Pre-Islamic Period
The Black Stone was struck and mashed to pieces by a stone fired from a catapult during the Umayyad siege of
Mecca in AD 756.
• The Ka'aba was a pre-Islamic shrine that was revered as a sanctuary and site of pilgrimage, dedicated
specifically to Hubal, a Nabatean deity.
o The Ka'aba contained 360 idols or effigies of the Arabian pantheon.
o It probably did not become an area of pilgrimage until around AD 500.
 It was then that the Quraish tribe (into which Muhammad was born) became the
guardians of the Ka'aba.
 Once a year, the pagan tribes of the Arabian peninsula would converge on Mecca to
perform the Hajj.
• To maintain peace among the perpetually warring tribes, Mecca was declared a sanctuary where no
violence was allowed within 20 miles (32 km) of the Ka'aba.

The Kaaba in Mecca. The black stone is located on one end of the black building

The Ka'aba According to the Qur'an
• According to the Qur'an, Abraham (Ibrahim) was commanded to build the Ka'aba with the help of his son
Ismael (Isma'il),
o "And when We made the House (at Makka) a resort for mankind and sanctuary, (saying): Take as
your place of worship the place where Abraham stood (to pray). And We imposed a duty upon
Abraham and Ishmael, (saying): Purify My house for those who go around and those who
meditate therein and those who bow down and prostrate themselves (in worship). And when
Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House, (Abraham prayed): Our Lord!
Accept from us (this duty). Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower." - Al-Baqara (The Cow)
2:125, 127
• By God's authority, Abraham instituted the Hajj (pilgrimage) to the Ka'aba.

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