The construction of the Holy Kaaba and the origin of the sanctuary and its rituals are attributed to the names of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), the Khalil (Friend of Allah), and his son Ismail (peace be upon him). As Hafiz Ibn Kasir (may Allah have mercy on him) stated in his book Al-Bidayyah wa al-Nihayyah: “The apparent meaning of the verses of the Quran is that Ibrahim was the first to build the Kaaba and lay its foundation.” However, the texts concerning this matter do not contradict Ibn Kathir’s view that the Kaaba was built before Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
Historical narrations indicate that the Kaaba was rebuilt ten times throughout history. If we consider both the original construction and subsequent reconstructions, they were carried out in the following order: first by the angels, then by Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), Seth (peace be upon him), Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them), the Amalekites, the tribe of Jurham, Quraysh, Abdullah bin Zubair, Hajjaj, Sultan Murad of the Ottoman Empire, and finally by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz. Allah knows best.
The construction and reconstruction of the Great Kaaba trace back to the time when Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) came to Makkah with his wife Hajar and their infant son, Ismail. Ibrahim (peace be upon him) left Hajar and Ismail beside the House, near the Zamzam Well, at a time when no one lived in that desolate area, and there was no water.
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) left them there with a bag of dates and a water-skin. Hajar, worried, followed Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and asked, “O Ibrahim! Where are you going while you are leaving us in this desert, where no living thing exists?” Hajar repeated this question several times, but Ibrahim (peace be upon him) did not look at her. Then she asked him, “Has Allah ordered you to do this?” He replied, “Yes.” Hajar said, “Then Allah will not abandon us,” and returned to Ismail (peace be upon him).
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) continued on his journey until he reached the hills of Makkah, where Hajar could no longer see him. He then turned towards the House of Allah, raised his hands, and supplicated: «رَبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنْتُ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِنْدَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُمْ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ» Translation: “Lord! I have settled some of my children by Your command in a barren land, near Your House, which You have made sacred, so that they may establish prayer. So, turn the hearts of a group of people towards them and provide them with fruits that they may be grateful.”
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) left and Hajar remained alone, nursing her son and drinking from the water until it ran out. When Ismail became thirsty, Hajar looked at him, concerned for his well-being. She decided to leave him briefly and climbed Mount Safa, the nearest mountain, to see if anyone was nearby, but found no one. She descended from Mount Safa to the middle of the valley, then raised her chador and hurriedly crossed to Mount Marwah. After reaching the top of Marwah, she looked around again but still saw no one. She repeated this action seven times. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “For this reason, people strive between Safa and Marwah.”
When she climbed Mount Marwah for the last time, she heard a voice. She silenced herself and listened again, thinking it might be a caller. Suddenly, she saw an angel near the Zamzam site, digging the ground with his wing until water appeared. Hajar gathered the water in one place as it gushed forth, filling her water-skin.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) remarked, “May Allah have mercy on the mother of Ishmael! If she had left Zamzam alone,” or he said, “If she had not drawn water from it, Zamzam would have become a flowing spring.” The narrator states: Hajar drank water and nourished her child. The angel assured her: “Do not fear, for this is the House of Allah, which this son and his father will build. And Allah does not abandon His friends.” The location of the Kaaba was elevated, with streams flowing from both sides. Hajar lived in this manner until members of the Jurham tribe, traveling from the road of Kedah, stopped in the lower part of Makkah. They noticed a bird circling around water there and said: “This bird circles around water,” even though the river had previously been dry. They sent a few men to investigate and confirmed the presence of water. They approached Hajar by the water and asked, “Will you allow us to stay with you?” She replied, “Yes, but you have no right to the water.” They said, “Okay,” and eventually, Hajar, who enjoyed socializing, accepted their offer.
Ismail (peace be upon him) grew up among the Jurham tribe, learned the Arabic language from them, and eventually married one of their daughters. Unfortunately, after some time, Ismail’s (peace be upon him) mother passed away.
Eventually, Ibrahim (peace be upon him) visited his family. Upon returning, he said: “O Ismail! Allah has commanded me to do something.” Ismail (peace be upon him) responded: “Do what Allah has commanded you.” Ibrahim (peace be upon him) asked again: “Will you assist me?” Ismail (peace be upon him) replied affirmatively: “I will help you.” Ibrahim (peace be upon him) then informed him that Allah had commanded him to build a house at that location, gesturing towards the high hills surrounding.
It was here that the foundations of the House of Allah were laid. Ismail (peace be upon him) gathered stones while Ibrahim (peace be upon him) constructed, both praying: «رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ» Translation: “Our Lord! Accept from us. Indeed, you are the Hearing, the Knowing.”
Thus, the Kaaba is the first house built on earth for the worship of Allah. As Allah mentioned: «إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِي بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدًى لِلْعَالَمِينَ» Translation: “The first house established for mankind is the one in Makkah, full of blessings and favors, and a source of guidance for the worlds.”
Imam Bukhari narrated from Abu Zarr, who reported: “I asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Which was the first mosque built on earth?’ The Messenger of Allah replied: ‘The Al-Harran Mosque.’ I further inquired: ‘Which mosque was built next?’ He said: ‘The Al-Aqsa Mosque.’ I then asked: ‘How many years passed between their construction?’ He replied: ‘Forty years.’”
The building constructed by Ibrahim (peace be upon him) involved stacking stones atop one another without mortar. Angels brought stones from Mount Sinai, Mount Zeita, Lebanon, Mount Judi, and Hira. Each day, they built a row of stones the height of a foot. When they reached the site of the Black Stone (Hajjar Al-Aswad), Ibrahim (peace be upon him) instructed Ismail to bring a stone to mark the beginning of circumambulation. Gabriel then brought the Black Stone, which was rectangular and approximately nine cubits (about 4 meters and 32 centimeters) high. He fashioned two gates for the Kaaba at ground level but did not include doors. Inside, he created a treasury without a roof, and on the north side, he constructed a curved canopy, which now marks the location of the stone.
