The Houses of Allah- I

The Holy Ka'aba: The House of Humanity

 

“And (remember) when We pointed out for Ibrahim the place of the House (Haram Shariff) saying, “Do not associate anything with Me as My partner, and purify My House for those who make Tawaaf (circumambulation around it), and those who perform Qiyaam (standing up in worship) and those who perform Ruku (bowing down) and Sujuud (prostration). Proclaim the Pilgrimage to all people. They will come to you on foot and on every kind of mount turned lean, emerging from every deep mountain pass to gain benefits for themselves, and to mention Allah’s name on appointed days over such heads of livestock (that they sacrifice) as He has provided them with. “So, eat thereof and feed the distressed, the poor.” (Al-Hajj 22: 27-29).

 

My House, the Holy House, the Sacred Mosque, the House, the Ancient House, the First House, etc., there are so many descriptions used by the Holy Quran to name the cultural structure at Mecca – the Holy Ka’aba. Allah wanted to describe how priceless that monument was, and He did do through the verses of the Holy Quran whereby He gave enough indications and descriptions to show people how it’s value is very high and it has a very lofty distinction in the eyes of Allah because it is the place for the worship of the Unique God (for whole mankind).

 

Allah has already indicated that the location of that House is an honourable place as these words indicate: “We pointed out for Ibrahim the place of the House (Haram Shariff)” (Al-Hajj 22: 27).

 

So through these words, we come to know that this House existed well before the time of Hazrat Ibrahim (as). As I told you in my Eid Sermon, it was built by the prophet Adam (as), and then it became the first centre of the divine religion that has graced this earth, the first place of worship – for the worship of Allah, because it is much later on, after its first erection that many other Temples or Masjids for the glorification of Allah were built.

Eid-ul-Adha Sermon 2023

 

The House of Humanity

And We made this House (i.e. the Holy Ka’aba) a resort for mankind and a place of security, commanding people: “Take the station of Abraham as a permanent place for Prayer”. We commanded Abraham and Ishmael: ‘Purify My House for those who walk round it, those who stay there, and those who bow and prostrate themselves in worship.’ (Al-Baqara 2: 126)

 

Allah says: And remember when We made the House i.e. the Ka’aba in Mecca a place of resort for mankind and a place of safety. – He has commanded all those who submit to Him and do not ascribe any partner in His worship, all His believing servants, to take the “Maqam” of Ibrahim, i.e. the place or station of Hazrat Ibrahim (as), or even the stone on which the latter stood while he was re-rebuilding the Ka’aba as a place of prayer, i.e. praying two Rakat (cycles of prayer) after the Tawaf (circumambulation) of the Ka’aba in Mecca.

'Eid-ul-Adha' Message 2023

 

The Rise of Isma'il, the Father of Islam

Among the spiritual treasures which God Almighty (Allah) vouchsafes to mankind are the prophets, His representatives on earth (peace be upon them all). Each one of those highly blessed men achieves excellence in matters of faith. Each is tried in a unique way which distinguishes him from the rest of prophets and mankind.

 

Among those prophets there is Ibrahim, the Friend of Allah. He is known to be the Patriarch of not one, but three great monotheistic religions of the world: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. We even find traces of his teachings and belief in his existence in the Hindu teachings as well. 

And this exceptional man, Allah tried him in so many ways that it is reasonably fair for us to say that he survived all those trials with flying colours and showed forbearance at an exceptional and praiseworthy level. 

He spread the divine message as he was ordained to like the rest of the prophets, and he showed in many ways his pure love for His Creator. When the tests of faith came one after the other, he never traded faith for unfaith, the divine blessings for worldly honours. He was even prepared to sacrifice his only son Isma’il whom he begot at a very advanced age, when men despair of ever having an heir to continue his lineage and heritage. That exceptional man gave everything up just to get the love, approval and pleasure of His Creator. That is why God Almighty took him as His intimate Friend and blessed him in such a way that it is a sign of wonder and hope today that such a man, Allah blessed him so much that in return for his sacrifice, Allah gave him another son, Ishaq (Issac). All Praise be to Allah!

'Qurbani' in Islam

  

What is 'Qurbani' ?

 

Qurbani means to sacrifice a special animal on a special day, i.e., Eid-ul-Adha (Bakr Eid) with the intention of obtaining the blessings of Allah.

 

One such sacrifice in Islam commemorates the event where Hazrat Ibrahim (as) offered the life of his son at the command of Allah (swt) but which afterwards Allah (swt) replaced with a sheep [ram]. This manifestation of love from Hazrat Ibrahim (as) to Allah (twt) has marked an unprecedented event in the history of Islam. This gave rise to a rite called Qurbani or Udhiya which has been perpetuated in Islam. This practice has been followed by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Allah (twt) has made it mandatory (Waajib) for Muslims who have the means to do so. This kind of sacrifice is not only prescribed for us, the spiritual people of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), but it was also applied to the past peoples before us, as mentioned in the Holy Quran:

 

“For every community We have appointed a rite of sacrifice so that they may pronounce the Name of Allah over the sacrificial animals He has provided for them.” (Al-Hajj 22: 35)