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125.
" and (remember) when we made the house (the ka`bah in mecca)
a resort
and a secure sanctuary for the people, (saying):
` take
to yourselves abraham's station for a place of prayer '.
and
we enjoined abraham and ismail (saying):
` sanctify
my house for those who go around it, for those
who
abide in it and pay devotion,
and
to those who bow down and prostrate themselves '."
commentary :
the magnificence of the ka`bah
after explaining the high rank
of abraham (a.s.) stated in the
previous verse, the qur'an,
in this verse, directs attention towards the
magnificence of the house, the
ka`bah in mecca, which was built by
abraham and his son (a.s.).
it says: " and (remember) when we
made the house (the ka`bah in mecca)
a resort and a secure sanctuary
for the people, ..."
since the term / ma¶abah
/, originally based on / ¶aub /, means ` a
place to which people return
' or ` a place where people assemble ', and
the ka`bah has been a center
where monotheists gather every year,
then, by this assembly, believers,
not only bodily but also spiritually,
return to divine unity and to
their intrinsic nature. so, that may be
why the term / ma¶abah
/ (a resort, an abode, a house) has been used
for this sacred house. and,
since a man's house is the continuous
returning site of its inhabitants
who, after having completed their
affairs, can experience rest
and tranquility therein, there lies this sense
of resting and tranquility in
the meaning of the term / ma¶abah /. this
emphasizes the concept of its
next word / amnan / ` secure sanctuary '
especially with the word ` people
', which indicates that this secure
center is a common refuge for
all people of the world.
this is, in fact, the acceptance
by allah of one of the requests
that abraham (a.s.) sought.
(we will discuss this subject on page 300.)
then, it adds: "... (saying): ` take to
yourselves abraham's station for
a place of prayer.'..."
the opinions of the commentators
are divided as to what
` abraham's station ' is. some
of them have said that the whole hajj is
abraham's station. some others
have rendered it to / `arafah / ` the
mount of recognition ', / mas`arul
haram / ` sacred monument ', and
/jamarat/ ` lapidations '; while
others believe that the entire sacred
premises of mecca is considered
the ` station '.
but, as many islamic narrations
denote, and many of the
commentators have said, too,
the verse apparently refers to the very
standing-place of abraham which
is located close to the ka`bah where
pilgrims offer their circumambulatory
prayer after performing their
ritual circumambulation of the
ka`bah. thus, the purpose of the term
/musalla/, mentioned in the
verse, is ` the place of prayer ', too.
then, it refers to the covenant
that he made with abraham (a.s.)
and ismail (a.s.) about the
purification of the ka`bah, where it says: "... and we enjoined abraham
and ismail (saying):
` sanctify my house for those
who go around it, for those
who abide in it and pay devotion,
and to those who bow down
and prostrate themselves '."
what is the meaning of sanctification
here? some have said that
the meaning of sanctification
here is purification fro m the existence of
idols.
some others have said that the
purpose is purification from
outward dirt like blood and
the contents of animals' stomachs which
people sacrificed therein, because
there were some ignorant persons
who thoughtlessly did such deeds
as leaving these remains behind.
furthermore, some believe that
sanctification, here, means ` purity
of intent ' when building this
house of monotheism.
there is no reason for us to
confine the meaning of sanctification
here. its purpose is purification
of this ` house of monotheism ' from
any dirt, physically and spiritually.
it is for this reason that in
some traditions we read that this verse
has been rendered into sanctification
from pagans and in some others
into washing and purifying the
body from dirt.
* * * *
explanation :
the secure refuge, its social
and educational effects
according to the above verse,
` the house of ka`bah ' has been
chosen and proclaimed as ` a
secure refuge ' by allah. we know that
there are resolute rules in
islam instructing every believer to avoid any
quarrel, war, fight and bloodshed
within the limits of this holy land,
mecca. it is so that not only
the members of humankind, regardless of
nationality, race, gender, group,
or condition, should be safe and secure
there, but also animals and
birds are protected there, in that nobody is
allowed to hurt them.
in this world, where fighting
and wars are always within the
overall scene, the existence
of such a peaceful center can function as a
special helpful fortress within
which the problems of many nations can
be solved. the security of this
region lets different peoples, with all
their differences and enmities
that they may have, gather together
therein, sitting, speaking,
and solving their difficulties. thus, one of the
most important problems which
usually exists, initiating face to face oral
communications about dismissing
or decreasing enmities between
nations, can be solved.
it frequently happens that the
two sides of a conflict or the
opposing governments in the
world are willing to put an end to their
antagonism and have parley for
this purpose, but they cannot find a
secure and respectable place
wherein both sides can feel free to speak
therein peacefully and securely.
this case has been anticipated in
islam, and mecca is introduced
as such a center.
now that most of the muslims
of the world are unfortunately
involved in some hostile conflicts,
they can make use of this sacred
secure land, and, under its
banner of holiness and special spirituality
which enlightens the hearts,
begin speaking with each other to solve
their problems.
* * * *
why the `house 'of ka`bah
?
in the above verse, the ka`bah
is referred to by the lord as ` my
house ',while it is clear that
neither is allah bodily substance nor does
he need a house. the purpose,
here, is to honour and glorify the
ka`bah by stating its honour
and lofty status, and, therefore, it is called
/baytullah / ` the house of
allah '.
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