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127.
" and (remember) when abraham and ismail raised up the
foundations
of the house; (saying): ` our lord,
accept
(this service) from us; for surely you are all-hearing,all-knowing'."
128.
" ` our lord, make us submissive (muslims) to you,
and
of our progeny an ummah (a nation) submissive to you, and show us
our
ways of worship, and turn to us (mercifully);
for
surely you are the oft-returning, the most merciful '."
129.
" ` our lord, send amongst them an apostle of their own who shall
recite
unto them your revelations, teach them the book
and
the wisdom, and purify them;
for
surely you are almighty, all-wise '."
commentary :
the structure of the house
of ka`bah
it is clearly understood from
the numerous verses of the qur'an,
the islamic traditions, and
some historical records that the house of
ka`bah had been founded before
abraham (a.s.) and that it had been
established at the time of adam
(a.s.). sura ibrahim, no. 14, verse
37, quoting from the tongue
of abraham (a.s.), says: " our lord ! surely
i have settled a part of
my offspring in a valley unproductive (of fruit) near
your sacred house, ..."
this verse confirms that when
abraham (a.s.) with his wife and his
infant son ismail arrived at
the holy land of mecca, there was no sign
of the ka`bah seen therein,
but he was guided there by divine inspiration.
another verse says: " the first
house ( or worship ) appointed for men
was that at bekka : full of blessing..." (sura 'al-i-`imran,
no.3, verse 96).
it is certain that the worshipping
of allah and the structure of
the center of adoration did
not begin from the time of abraham (a.s.).
it had started before that and
was established at the time of adam (a.s.).
the idea mentioned in the verse
under discussion indicates the
same meaning, too. it says:
" and (remember) when abraham
and ismail raised up the
foundations of the house;
(saying): ` our lord,
accept (this service) from
us; for surely you are all-hearing,
all-knowing'."
this statement refers to the
concept that the foundations of
the ka`bah had existed from
before, and abraham (a.s.) and ismail
(a.s.) raised them up.
hadrat amir-ul-mu'mineen ali
(a.s.) in one of his sermons known
as qasi`ah also says: " do
you not see that allah, the glorified, has tried all
the people among those who
came before, beginning with adam, up to the
last ones in this world with
stones... he made those stones into his sacred
house... then he commanded
adam and his sons to turn their attention
towards it. ..." 1
in short, the verses of the
qur'an and the islamic narrations
confirm this historical fact
that the house of ka`bah was originally built
by adam (a.s.). then during
the flood at the time of noah, it fell
down. then, later, it was rebuilt
by the hands of abraham (a.s.) with
the aid of his son ismail (a.s.).
the second of the above two
verses attests to the fact that
abraham (a.s.) and his son ismail
(a.s.) sought from allah five
important invocations. these
prayers, which were offered when they
were busy building the ka`bah,
are so exact and consistent with all the
necessities of material and
spiritual life, that they can lead man to the
recognition of the magnificence
of the souls of these two great apostles
of allah.
at first, abraham (a.s.) prays:
" ` our lord, make us submissive
(muslims) to you, ..."
then he invocates: "...and
of our progeny an ummah (a nation)
submissive to you, ..."
he continues saying: "...
and show us our ways of worship, ..." (so
that we can adore you in a way
worthy of your highness).
after that, he (a.s.) seeks
allah for repentance, thus:
"... and turn to us (mercifully);
for surely you are the oft-returning,
the most merciful '."
* * * *
the fifth invocation, which was
sought from allah at the time of
constructing the holy ka`bah
by abraham and ismail (a.s.), is this:
" ` our lord, send amongst
them an apostle of their own ..."
"... who shall recite unto
them your revelations, teach them the book
and the wisdom, and purify
them; ..."
"...for surely you are almighty,
all-wise."
-
1 nagjul-
balaqah, sermon 192
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