,a large stone structure constituting a single room with a marble floor, lies at the heart of the Holy Mosque (al Masjid al Haram) in the Holy City of Makkah. The Kaaba is Islam's holiest building. It now stands some 60 feet high and each side is approximately 60 feet in length. The Kaaba is the focal point around which the Holy Mosque is built.
The four walls of the Kaaba are covered with a black curtain (the Kiswah) which reaches to the ground and is fastened to the Shadharwan with copper rings.
The door of the Kaaba is set in the south-east wall, about seven feet from the ground. Inside, there are pillars, which support the roof. The interior is furnished with many gold and silver lamps. On the inner walls, there are several bands of inscriptions which record the many repairs done to the Kaaba.
The Holy Qur'an makes it clear that Ibrahim (Abraham) alayhi salaam and his son Ishmael were the true founders of the Kaaba, together building the holy shrine dedicated to the worship of the one true God.
Five times each day more than a billion Muslims around the world turn to face the direction of the Kaaba to offer their prayers to the one true God. It is also, of course, the focal point of the Hajj when, once each year, some two million pilgrims converge on the Holy City of Makkah.
Set in the eastern corner of the Kaaba is the Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad). The Black Stone predates the birth of Islam but now, set in gold, forms an integral part of the Kaaba. In the course of the pilgrimage, the Hajjis will kiss or touch the Black Stone, not because the Black Stone is holy in itself but because it was kissed by the Prophet Muhammad (sallahu alahyhi wa sallam)
On the roof of the Kaaba is a gilt water spout (al-Masabb) which projects out from the north-west wall.
Opposite the north-west wall of the Kaaba, but not joined to it, is a semi-circular wall (Al-Hateem) which is 5ft high and 3ft thick. This area is also known as Hijr Ishmael.
To the north-east side of the Kaaba is the Maqam Ibrahim, a small kiosk of glass and metal topped by a small dome. In it is kept the stone on which Ibrahim stood while building the Kaaba.
Nearly opposite the Black Stone, near the Maqam Ibrahim, is the well of Zamzam.
The Kiswah is a black cloth, woven of silk and lined with cotton, which covers the Kaaba. Each year, a new Kiswah is prepared, embroidered in gold thread with the Shahadah and verses from the Holy Qur'an and carried to the Holy City of Makkah by pilgrims.
The completed Kiswah is over 45 feet wide, and nearly 130 feet in length.
A recent estimate of producing the Kiswah each year put the cost at about SR 17 million (U.S. $ 4.5 million).
The Kiswah is created in the special factory that has been making kiswahs since it was first opened around 1927.
During the Hajj, the black Kiswah is replaced by a white cloth, matching the white robes (ihram) of the pilgrims.
At the end of Hajj, the newly woven kiswah is placed over the Kaaba. The old one is cut into small pieces and give to pilgrims from different Muslim countries.
Hajar was the first woman to wear a robe with a train to hide her footsteps from her co-wife Sarah who was jealous of her. Later on, a Revelation was sent to Abraham to take Hajar and her son Ishmael to Mecca. Abraham (peace be upon him) brought Hajar and her son Ishmael (peace be upon him), whom she was still nursing, and left them at (the site of) the House of Allah [Ka`bah] under a tree above Zamzam. Mecca at that time was a place where there was neither water nor dwellers. He left a bag of dates and a waterskin for them. Then, Abraham (peace be upon him) went away. Ishmael's mother said to him, "O Abraham! Where are you going? Are you going to leave us in this valley where there is neither human nor living creature?" She repeated this several times, but he did not answer. Finally, she asked him, "Has Allah commanded you to do so?" He answered, "Yes." Thereupon she said, "Then He will not let us perish!".
Then, she returned back to her place. Abraham left and when he reached a mountain pass where he could no longer be seen by them, he turned his face toward the Ka`bah and with his hands raised, supplicated, "
Ishmael's mother drank from her waterskin and nursed her baby, until all the water she had was gone and her milk dried up. Thus, her son grew hungrier and hungrier. He was writhing with hunger and she could hardly bear to look at him. So she went and stood at Al-Safa - the hill nearest to her - and looked down in the valley to see if there was someone there to help, but she could see no one. She, then, climbed down Al-Safa and reached the valley. She struggled hard, crossed the valley and reached Al-Marwah. She stood thereon and looked all around. Still she could see no one nearby. She repeated this seven times. When she reached Al-Marwah, she heard a sound and said to herself, "Be Quiet." She heard the sound again. Whereupon she said, "I have heard you. Help me, if you can." All of a sudden, she found an angel at the place where Zamzam now is. He kept digging the well with his heel (in another narration: with his wing) until water flew out. She used a waterskin to keep some of the overflowing water. She drank and gave water to her child. The angel addressed her, "Do not be afraid! for in this site, this child and his father will establish the House of Allah. Verily, Allah will not bring harm to those who believe in Him."
Shortly, a group of the Jurhum tribe came nearby and saw a bird hovering about the spot of water. They sent one or two slaves to explore the place. The two explorers returned after determining the exact position of the water. They headed for Mecca and asked Hajar, Ishmael's mother, for permission to settle in that place. She gave them permission but stipulated that they would have no right to the water. They agreed on her condition.
Read Hajar and the Well of Zam Zam
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"Indeed it is blessed, and that like food, it fills." (Muslim no. 2473)
And in Abu Dawud's narration, there is this addition:
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"And a cure for illness." (Abu Dawud At-Tiyalsi 2nd Volume no. 61)
So this Hadeeth proves its virtues, that it is a filling food, a cure for illness, and that it is blessed.
The Sunnah is to drink it as the Prophet (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) drank it, but it is also permissible to make ablution with it, to use it to purify yourself after you have relieved yourself, and if necessary, to take a shower using it when you are Junub (impure).
It is confirmed that on one occasion, water poured forth from between the Prophet's fingers, and then people took what they needed from that water, using it to drink, to make ablution, to wash their clothes, or to purify themselves after relieving themselves.
Zamzam water may not be the same as the water that poured forth from between the Prophet's fingers, but it is also not more blessed, for each has its place as pure water. If it is permissible to use the water that miraculously poured forth from between the Prophet's fingers for all the purposes mentioned above, then it is also permissible in the case of Zamzam.
Question:
Are there any authentic Hadeeths that mention the virtues of Zamzam water?
Answer:
There are Hadeeths which indicate that Zamzam water is noble and blessed. In a Hadeeth confirmed in the Sahih, the Prophet (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said about Zamzam water:
Shaykh `Abdul-`Azeez Bin Baz
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 7, Pages 195-196, DARUSSALAM
The distinctive garb of the male pilgrim worn during `Umrah or Hajj. 
It consists of two pieces of white, plain and unsewn cloth. The lower piece, called an izar, is wrapped around the midriff to cover the body from just above the navel to the ankles. The other piece, called a ridaa', is draped around the shoulders to cover the upper body. For women, their ordinary and unpretentious clothes of daily wear constitute their ihram.
How to wrap Ihram (A pictorial look)
| Is it permissible for a woman to assume Ihram in any clothing that she wishes? |
| Answer: Yes, she may assume Ihram in whatever she wishes. She does not have any specified clothing for Ihram as some of the common people think. However, it is better that her Ihram be in clothing that is not beautiful and that does not attract gazes, because she will be mixing with the people. Therefore, her clothing should be clothing that does not attract the gazes and that is not beautiful. Rather, the clothing should be plain clothing that does not contain any temptation. In reference to the man, it is better for him to assume Ihram in two white garments – a lower waist garment and an upper garment. If he assumes Ihram in something other than two white garments, there is no harm in that. Indeed it has been confirmed from the Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam that he performed Tawaf while wearing a green Yemeni mantle. It is also confirmed from him the he sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam wore a black turban. Thus, the conclusion is that there is no harm in the person assuming Ihram in a garment that is not white.
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| Shaykh `Abdul-`Azeez Bin Baz |
| Fatawa Islamiyah, vol.4, p.132, DARUSSALAM |
Set in the eastern corner of the Kaaba is the Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad). The Black Stone predates the birth of Islam but now, set in gold, forms an integral part of the Kaaba. It was brought from Paradise by the Archangel Gabriel and was set into one corner of the Kaaba
In order to complete the upper part of the walls of the Kaaba, Prophet Ibrahim (alahyi salaam) stood upon a large stone block which he moved along when each section was completed. When the Kaaba was finished, the large stone block was left outside the Kaaba, close to the eastern wall of the sanctuary. It became known as the Maqam Ibrahim (the station of Ibrahim).
Today, the Maqam Ibrahim, with the stone within, is located in front of the door of the Kaaba. The boulder is about 2 x 3 feet. Where it stands today is the place where Ibrahim offered up his prayers.
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