https://www.khutbah.info/honoring-the-sacred-house/ Glorifying the sacred house of Allah is a sign from the signs of Allah in His creation. Throughout the times, locals and visitors jointly honored it. Whether in the era of ignorance or the Islamic period. From different nationalities, colors and locations. Honoring in a way reserved only for it. This generalization is not spoiled by the few individuals or groups who violated its sanctity at certain times. Because they were rare comparing to the times that it was honored. And the number of individuals who violated its sanctity are only a few compared to the number who glorified it. Every year, millions of people come to perform Umrah and Hajj and all of them are honoring it and worshipping Allah The Exalted.
Oh People: Allah the Exalted established evidence to direct creation to His religion and guide them to His path. Whomsoever is blessed with guidance will see it. Whomsoever chooses the crooked path will be blind to it. There are worldly and religious evidences. From the worldly evidence is the wisdom behind the Lord’s Shariah, whether apparent or unapparent. Some unapparent wisdoms may manifest themselves during a person’s life to strengthen his Iman, increase his Yaqeen (certainty) and reinforce his servitude to Allah.
Glorifying the sacred house of Allah is a sign from the signs of Allah in His creation. Throughout the times, locals and visitors jointly honored it. Whether in the era of ignorance or the Islamic period. From different nationalities, colors and locations. Honoring in a way reserved only for it. This generalization is not spoiled by the few individuals or groups who violated its sanctity at certain times. Because they were rare comparing to the times that it was honored. And the number of individuals who violated its sanctity are only a few compared to the number who glorified it. Every year, millions of people come to perform Umrah and Hajj and all of them are honoring it and worshipping Allah The Exalted.
Glorifying the sacred house was deeply entrenched in the Pre-Islamic Arabs. And from what we know about them in this regard:
Quraish in the period of Qusay bin Kelaab (قُصَيِّ بْنِ كِلَابٍ) used to prohibit living in Makkah and used honor it to the point that they would not build another house with the House of Allah the Exalted. They used to go to Makkah during the daytime and in the afternoon they would leave and go outside of its boundaries. They did not allow the major impurity within Makkah. When Qusay (قُصَيِّ) got an upper hand on his people he built the Kaaba and then permitted them to build around it and live there.
And he said to them: If you reside in the sacred area around the House, the Arabs will dignify you and will not permit fighting you and no one will be able to expel you. They said: You are our leader and we follow your opinion. So then he settled them around the house.
Another example of their honoring the Kaaba: When the Kaaba was burned and then flooded afterwards this caused cracks within it. Quraish wished to rebuild it. Abu Wahb Bin Amro Al Makhromey stood up and said: “Oh People of Quraish, Only an upright person should contribute to building it, the wages of a woman of ill repute should not be used nor should usury (riba) be used nor should unlawfully gained money be used. Then the people were apprehensive to demolish it so Al Waleed Bin Mugheerah said: I will start and he took an ax and started to dismantle it. Then the people gathered around him that night and said: We will see if he is stricken and if so we will not dismantle it. Then Al Waleed woke up in a sound state and he continued dismantling and the people joined him.
Due to the veneration and honoring of the Kaaba in their hearts, they hesitated to demolish it even if it was for the purpose of rebuilding it. This is amazing considering that they were polytheists and not even Muslims. For whomsoever downplays associating others with Allah can easily downplay anything else because it is the greatest sin. But Allah embedded the love of His house and its sanctity in their hearts.
Another example of their honoring the House: When they returned from their travelling or hunting caravans they would start by making tawaf around it before going to their homes. And it was related in Hamza Bin Abdel Mutaleb’s (raa) story of embracing Islam that when he returned from hunting he would perform tawaf around the Kaaba before going to his family.
Another example of their honoring the house is what Amro Al Huthaley mentioned: ”I saw Quraish open the Kaaba on Mondays and Thursdays and they did not enter the Kaaba wearing shoes. They saw that as a major issue. They used to place their shoes under the stairs. The first person to remove his shoes before entering as a sign of honoring was Al Waleed Bin Al Mugheerah . This practice came from him.”
And from the signs of Allah The Exalted with regards to honoring the Kaaba is that the Kabba in the period of ignorance was not the only structure to be honored by the Arabs but the Kaaba was the only one of them to remain. The Arabs had many kaabas that they used to make pilgrimage to, perform tawaf around them and worship at them. Every Kaaba had an area of sanctity around it similar to how the Kaaba has Makkah. The Imam of History Mohammad Bin Ishaaq said: “The Arabs took with the Kaaba other houses of worship. They used to honor these houses like the Kaaba. They had coverings on them and servants dedicated to them. Offerings were made to them like offerings were made to the Kaaba. They used to perform tawaf around them like they performed tawaf around the Kaaba. Also, they used to offer sacrifices at them”
Where are all those Kaabas? Where are their sacred areas? Where are the servants dedicated to them? Where are those who used to worship at them? They all disappeared and are just history that is simply read. And the True Kaaba remains. It’s sacred area remains. The people worship at it through prayer, Hajj and making tawaf around it. From the start of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) mission until today and until the end of time.
Abraha built a Kaaba in San’aa as a replacement for the Kaaba in Makkah. In this regard, he wrote to AnNajaashey:”Oh King, I built for you a church the likes of which had not been built for a king before you.
And I will not stop until I divert the Hajj of the Arabs to it”
But the Arabs did not turn away from the true Kaaba in Makkah. And they did not make hajj to the Yemeni counterfeit Kaaba. Rather, some of them even relieved themselves within it as an act of belittling it. Until Abrahah felt compelled to send an army to destroy the Makkan Kaaba. Allah demolished this army by sending against them birds in flocks striking them with stones of hard clay. This increased the reverence of the Arabs for the Kaaba of Allah the Exalted. And they knew that Allah the Exalted protected it from the one intending to destroy it.
Al Feel 1-5: Have you not seen ˹O Prophet˺ how your Lord dealt with the Army of the Elephant? (1) Did He not make their plot go astray? (2) And sent against them birds, in flocks, (3) Striking them with stones of hard clay, (4) And He made them like eaten straw. (5)
Oh Muslims: People’s reverence and honoring of the Sacred House throughout the times is a clear sign to the aware that the Sacred House is the House of Allah the Exalted that He selected to be the best spot on the earth. And so that His religion would remain until the end of time.
And Shaikh Al Islam Ibn Taymiyah has excellent commentary on this clear sign indicating the authenticity of this right religion. He said: And so Allah The Exalted designated the Kaaba The Sacred House from the time that Ibrahim built it to these times for veneration and honoring and attracting the hearts to it. And it is known that the kings and others build fortresses, cities and palaces using great well-built tools. After only a short while, they crumble and are degraded. And the Kaaba is a house built from black stones in a valley without vegetation. There is nothing there to attract people like gardens, water and other things. Rather the path to it is paved with a great amount of fear, fatigue, hunger, thirst and of what only Allah the Exalted knows. And in spite of this, Allah the Exalted placed in people’s hearts a longing for it to a degree that only Allah the Exalted knows. He made for the house glory, honor, and greatness that humbled the necks of the people of the earth. So that the greatest kings go to it. There they will be in humility and in need like one of the people. And the one who built it died thousands of years ago. For this reason the matter of this House puzzled the philosophers, astrologers and naturalists because it is outside the limits of their brains and their knowledge.
Second Khutbah
Oh Muslims: Whomsoever intended in earnest to visit the Sacred House and perform Hajj this year but was not able to go should realize that the door to performing good deeds is still wide open. For we are in the sacred month of Dhul Hijjah. And the Prophet (g) said about these days as reported by Ibn ‘Abbas (i): “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.” That is the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah. So we should do all kinds of good deeds particularly making the remembrance of Allah. The Prophet (g) said in this regard as reported by Abdullah ibn Omar (i): “There are no days greater in the sight of Allah and in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Him than these ten days, so during this time recite a great deal of Tahleel, Takbeer and Tahmeed.” Fasting is also prescribed in these days particularly the day of Arafat (9th Dhul Hijjah). Life is short and however, the journey to paradise is long and dangerous so we should stock up on good deeds. Also, we should not belittle any good deed for Allah says:
Az Zalzala 7-8: So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it (7), And whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it (8).
Let us seize every opportunity to do all kinds of good deeds and compete for the everlasting paradise.
May Allah make us among those who venerate, glorify and honor the symbols of Allah for indeed it is from the piety of the hearts.