A
guest visiting a house is sure to be disappointed if he finds it empty. No one
would like to visit an empty house just to stare at plain walls and the floor,
for anyone it’s the people of the house who are more important than the house
itself.
Also,
it remains a fact that the reputation of any area or a mohalla is based on the
reputation of its people staying there. If noble people leave the area and people
of a bad reputation enter it, the image and reputation of the area would deteriorate
accordingly. Similarly, the honour of
a house depends on the honour
of its inmates.
Kaaba is ‘House of Allah’
but Allah (SWT) is not an Entity which
can be confined to one place. He (SWT) says in the verses of Surah-e-Baqra
(2:142 & 2:115) that East and the
West belong to Him. He (SWT) is Omnipresent. So the assumption of Kaaba being House of
Allah (SWT) because Allah (SWT) is in
Kaaba would be a wrong assumption. Allah (SWT) is present everywhere in every
mosque or in a park or anyplace as much as He (SWT) is present in Kaaba. Then
why only Kaaba and no other mosque, has got the distinction
of being known as ‘Baitullah – The
House of Allah?’
è In
this article we will try to find a suitable answer to this question and we will
further contemplate on few verses to identify the noble people of Allah (SWT) who brought honour to the Kaaba and have
the same rank and distinction as the House of Allah (SWT) .
We will begin with the verses of Quran praising Kaaba. The following verse is from Surah-e-Aale Imran:
- “(Indeed the first house that was
appointed as a place of worship for mankind, is the
one at Mecca (the Holy Ka’aba), blessed and a guidance to the whole world)” – (Surah-e-Aale Imran, ayah
96)
Kaaba has the privilege to be appointed as the
first house of worship for the mankind. It is also a guidance to the
whole world.
- “Allah has made the Kaaba, the Sacred House, an asylum of
security for mankind...” – (Surah-e-Maida, ayah 97)
It is not only the first place of worship and the guidance but it is also
an asylum of security for the mankind.
The Quran further says about Kaaba in the following ayah:
· وَ لِلّه عَلَى النّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَیْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطاعَ اِلَیْهِ سَبیلاً.
- “It is on people for the sake
of Allah to perform Hajj of his House, anyone who is able to
undertake the journey to Him.” – (Surah-e-Baqra, ayah 196)
Kaaba is a guidance to the whole world, an
asylum of security for the mankind and it has also got the privilege to be
considered as – Baitullah, the House of Allah (SWT), since it is the
first house of worship for the mankind.
It is mandatory for every financially capable Muslim to visit
Kaaba once in his life time to
perform Hajj. A hadith of Imam Sadiq
(as) glorifying Hajj and its benefits
for a Muslim is mentioned as under:
- “Persons who perform Hajj and Umrah are guests of Allah. He (SWT) will grant them their
wishes and any prayer that they recite will be accepted. And if they pray
for intercession about a person it will be accepted … and if they die in this way Allah (SWT) will
forgive all of their sins”.
In the
following two ahadith the Imam (as) has also said that:
·
اِنَّ الْحَجَّ المَبْرُورَ لا یَعْدِلُهُ
شَىءٌ وَ لا جَزاءَلَهُ اِلاَّ الجَنَّة.
- “Nothing compares with the
accepted Hajj and it has
no reward other than heaven!”
- وَ اَنَّ الْحاجَّ یَکُونُ کَیَوم وَلَدَتْهُ
اُمُّه.
- “A Person who performs Hajj
purifies himself from sins
like the day that he was born”.
(Ref: The above ahadith are quoted by
Mohaghegh Yazdi in ‘Al-Urwat Al Wusqa’ and also in ‘Wasael al Shia’ by Sheikh
Hurr Ameli and other scholars.)
è Kaaba – the first house of worship, is the House of Allah (SWT). Allah (SWT) fulfills our wishes and
forgives all our sins if we visit Kaaba.
Visiting Kaaba during Hajj purifies us and rewards us with a place in Heaven.
Keeping all the above merits of Kaaba in mind we can infer that there is
no other place worthier than Kaaba to
be a Qibla . But it is also a fact
that Kaaba was not the original Qibla for Muslims. It got the
distinction of becoming Qibla later
on. For the first 17 months after the Hijrat, the Qibla of the Muslims for prayers was Bait-ul-Muqaddas (they faced Bait-ul-Muqaddas
while offering namaz). Later on the holy Prophet (Pbuh&hp) got the
following revelation to change the Qibla
from Bait-ul-Muqaddas to Kaaba:
- (“Indeed We see the
turning of your face to heaven, so We shall surely turn you to a qiblah which you shall like; turn
then your face towards the Sacred Mosque, and wherever you are,
turn your face towards it, and those who have been given the Book most
surely know that it is the truth from their Lord; and Allah is not at all
headless of what they do.”) –
(Surah-e-Baqra, ayah 144)
The changing
of Qibla from Bait-ul-Muqaddas to Kaaba has been done for a purpose. And Allah (SWT)
has explained this in the following ayah:
- (“We decreed the qiblah
which you faced before that We
may know who follow the Apostle and who turn away in haste.”) –
(Surah-eBaqra, ayah 143)
The Qibla for
Muslims was changed from Bait-ul-Muqaddas
to Kaaba as desired by our beloved Prophet (pbuh&hp). Thus the change of Qibla was Prophet (pbuh&hp)’s wish which Allah (SWT) granted. The purpose for doing
this was to differentiate the true followers
of the holy Prophet (pbuh&hp) from the disobedient ones.
But years before Kaaba became
Qibla, one of the most prominent
event of the history of Islam took place in Kaaba.
It was the birth of
our beloved first Imam – Hazrat Ali (as).
The wall of Kaaba opened up for lady Fatema
binte Asad (sa) - Mother of Imam Ali (as) - and she, as if by some unseen force,
went inside the Kaaba and the wall
closed. She stayed there for 3 days. On Friday the 13th Rajab of 30
Aamulfeel Imam Ali (as) was born in Kaaba.
(Ref: Muhammad ibn Talha el-Shafei in
Matalib-us-saool, page 11, Hakim in Mustadrak, page 483, Vol. III, El-Umari in
Sharh Ainia, page 15, Halabi in Sira, page 165, Vol. I, Sibt ibn al-Jauzi in
Tadhkera Khawasil Ummah, page 7, Ibn Sabbagh Maleki in
Fusoolul Mohimma, page 14, Muhammad bin Yousuf Shafei in Kifayet al-Talib, page
261, Shablanji in Nurul Absar, page 76, Ibn Zahra in Ghiyathul Ikhtisar, page
97, Edvi in Nafhatul Qudsia, page 41, Mohaddith-e-Dehlvi in ‘Izalatul Kholafa’)
Most scholars accept the fact that Imam Ali (as) was the only man in history to be born in Kaaba. Hakim ibn Hazm in his Mustadrak and Nuru'd-din Bin Sabbagh Maliki in Fusulu'l- Muhimma, Fasl I, p. 14, say: “No one before Ali (as) was born in the Kaaba. This was a distinction given to Ali
(as) in order to enhance his honor, rank, and dignity.”
ü We can thus infer that though Kaaba was the
first house appointed for worship for mankind, Allah (SWT) and the Holy Prophet
(pbuh&hp) did not elevate it to the rank of Qibla for Muslims till
the birth of Imam Ali (as) took place
in it.
In the first section
of this article we have gone through the ayah
96 of Surah-e-Aale Imran, which says that the Kaaba is the
guidance to the whole world. Now let us see the following ayah:
- "(O
Prophet, surely, you are a warner
and for every people there is a guide)". (Surah-e-Ra’ad, ayah
7)
The above ayah says that Allah (SWT) has appointed a guide for the mankind. Sa`labi writes in his tafseer
on the authority of Abdullah ibn
Abbas that when this verse was revealed, the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hp) said
that through Ali (as), Muslims will
be guided. It has also been recorded by various authentic sources in
other prominent books (Ref:
Durr-e-Mansoor, Mulla Jalaluddin Suyuti, Vol 4 Page 45, Ibn-e-Asakir)
ü So while Kaaba
– Baitullah is the guidance to the whole world, Imam Ali (as) and the Imams from the Ahlulbait (as) are the
appointed guide for the mankind by Allah (SWT).
ü Kaaba is the first house of worship for the mankind, Imam
Ali (as) is the first Imam of
the entire Kaynat.
In the following verse of Surah-e-Aale
Imran, Allah (SWT) praises His chosen people for their nobility and
conduct:
·
“You are the best of the nations raised up for (the benefit of) men;
you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and believe in Allah. –
(Surah-e-Aale Imran, ayah 110)
In the verse 97 of
Surah-e-Maida, which we have seen in the first section of this article,
Allah (SWT) has said that the Kaaba is the asylum of security for the
mankind. While in the above ayah of Surah-e-Aale
Imran, Allah (SWT) addresses and praises His chosen people who are raised for the benefit of mankind. They guide the mankind to the right path. They are equal to Kaaba in
the eyes of Allah (SWT) in that sense.
While
explaining the above ayah Ibn-e-Abi Hakim
has quoted Hazrat Abu Ja’far that they are the Ahlulbait (as) of the holy Prophet (pbuh&hp). (Ref:
Tafseer-e-Suyuti, Vol 2, P 64)
There
is a prominent hadith of the holy lady Fatema (sa) on the rank and importance
of Ahlulbait (as). She (sa) has said:
·
"Verily, Allah made obeying us (Ahlulbait) -
the regulation of the nation and our
(Ahlulbait’s) leadership - the safeguard from disunity. (Ref: Al-Ihtijaj vol.1 p.97, Bihar Al-Anwar
vol.29 p.223)
ü Thus Kaaba
is the asylum of security for the mankind, the Ahulbait (as) are the best of the nations raised for
the benefit of mankind.
ü Kaaba is the asylum of security for
the mankind, the leadership of Ahulbait is the safeguard from disunity for
their followers.
Comparing the rank
of Imam Ali (as) with Kaaba
our beloved Prophet (pbuh&hp) has said in the following two ahadith that:
- “Ali (as), the pride of your
place is like that of House of
Allah. People of themselves go to House of Allah; the House of Allah does not go after the people. So when I am
no more, if these people of themselves, elect you as their Caliph, do
become their Caliph. If they don’t approach you, never go to them so long as they themselves do not come up to you.
” (Ref: Usd-ul-Ghaba Vol
4 P 31, Kunooz-ul-Haqaique P 173)
- “Ali
(as) holds the position
of the Kaaba.” (Ref: Mustadrak Al-Sahihain of Al-Hakim
Al-Nisabori, 3/122; Musnad Ahmad, 3/82; Al-Tabarani, 6/155; Kenz Al-Omal)
Imam Sadiq (as) in the following hadith has explained why the Ahlulbait
(as) are called ‘Alay-Allah’ – the family of Allah (SWT):
- Upon being asked
about awarding the Quraish with glorified status, among the
Arabs, and (the reason for calling) some as ‘آل الله’ the family of Allah (SWT),
the most Exalted the most Majestic. Imam Abu Abdullah Al-Sadiq
(as) replied: They are called ‘آل
الله’ the family of Allah because they are in the Holy House of
Allah. (Ref:
Aamali-e-Sadooq.Page-285: Bihar.Vol-15, Page-257: Rawzatul
Wayazeen.Vol-1,Page-66)
And for the love of Imam Ali (as) our beloved Prophet
(pbuh&hp) has said that:
- “Love
for Ali (A.S) is faith, and hatred for Ali is hypocrisy.” (Ref:
Ibn Al-Maghazeli, 67; Al-Khawarizmi, 236; Fara’id Al-Samateen; Yanabi^
Al-Mawda.)
ü Just
the way Kaaba is a differentiator between a true follower of the holy
Prophet (pbuh&hp) with a kafir – as inferred from the above-mentioned
ayah (Surah-e-Baqra, ayah 143); the love for our beloved Imam Ali (as) is a
differentiator between a true believer with a munafiq.
è Thus by contemplating on the event of the birth of Imam Ali (as) in Kaaba
, the above-mentioned verses and the above-quoted ahadith of the Prophet
(pbuh&hp) and Masoomin (as) we can infer that:
ü The rank and the position of the Imam (as) from Ahlulbait is equivalent to Kaaba
– Baitullah in the eyes of Allah (SWT)
ü The importance
of Imamat
of the Ahlulbait is at par with the Qibla of Islam
Let us go a little further in identifying the similarity
between the Baitullah and the Ahlulbait in this section. In the
previous section we saw that it was the
desire of our beloved Prophet (pbuh&hp) that the Kaaba becomes Qibla for Muslims. Keeping this fact in mind let us ponder upon the
following ayah from Surah-e-Maida.
- (“O Apostle! deliver what has been revealed to you from your Lord;
and if you do it not, then you
have not delivered His message, and Allah will protect you from
the people; surely Allah will not guide the unbelieving people.”) –
(Surah-e-Maida, ayah 67)
In the above ayah Allah (SWT) has ordered the holy Prophet
(pbuh&hp) to deliver His message
which was revealed to the Prophet (pbuh&hp) earlier. Allah (SWT)
further explains the importance of the message to the holy Prophet
(pbuh&hp) by saying that if the
Prophet (pbuh&hp) did not deliver the message it would be considered as if
he (pbuh&hp) has not delivered any message of Allah (SWT). This
explains two things:
- It was Allah (SWT)’s desire that the message should be
delivered.
- It was such an important message
that Allah (SWT) equated the deliverance
of this message with the hard-work of 23 years of our beloved Prophet
(pbuh&hp).
The above ayah was revealed in Ghadeer-e-Khum when the holy Prophet (pbuh&hp)
was returning to Medina after offering his last Hajj. After the revelation of this ayah he (pbuh&hp) called
all the pilgrims and in front of them he declared Mawla Ali (as) as his successor and announced “Man
Kunto Mawla fa hazaa Ali un-Mawla”.
(Ref: Tafseer al Kabir by Fakhr
al Din Mohammed ibn Umar al razi (1357/1938), Umdatul Qari fi Sharh Sahih al
Bukhari - by Al Ayni, Tafsir al Nisaboori, v6 P194, Sahih Tirmizi, V2, P298,
Bukhari, V5, Book 59)
ü It was the Prophet (pbuh&hp)’s desire that the
Kaaba
gets the distinction of becoming a Qibla
while it was Allah (SWT)’s desire
that Maula Ali (as) gets the
distinction of becoming an Imam and the successor of the holy Prophet
(pbuh&hp).
ü The importance
of Imamat of Imam Ali (as) is equal to the
hard-work and perseverance of 23 years of the Prophethood of our beloved
Prophet (pbuh&hp).
Kaaba – Baitullah was purified for the pilgrims by Prophets Ibrahim and
Ismail (pbut) as
mentioned in the following ayah from Surah-e-Baqra:
- “And we enjoined Ibrahim and Ismail
saying : Purify My House for
those who visit (it) and those who abide (in it) for devotion and those
who bow down (and) those who prostrate themselves.” – (Surah-e-Baqra, ayah
125)
For the purification of the Ahlulbait (as), Quran
says:
- “Verily, Verily Allah intendeth but to keep off from you (every kind of)
uncleanliness, O Ahlulbait, and purify you with a thorough purification.” – (Surah-e-Ahzab, ayah 33)
Thus it is Allah’s
Will that the people of household – the Ahlulbait
(as) remain purified from all kind of uncleanliness and thus they are ofcourse infallible as
per the above ayah. (Ref: Tafseer
Durr-e- Mansoor, Mulla Jalaluddin Suyuti, Vol 5, P 198-199)
ü Allah (SWT)
ordered Ibrahim (as) and Ismail (as)
to purify Kaaba while Allah
(SWT) Himself purified Ahlulbait with a thorough purification
and made them infallible.
è Kaaba is Baitullah
– House of Allah (SWT) and Mohammed (pbuh) wa Aale Mohammed (pbut)
are the Ahulbait – The Chosen people of the Household.
Honouring Kaaba and showing respect to it without knowing the rank
and position of the Ahlulbait (as) is similar to respecting a
house without respecting the people associated with that house.
During Hajj there are two mandatory
things which Muslims do without which Hajj remains incomplete:
1.
The first is called Sa’y, here a pilgrim shuttles
between Safa and Marwah for 7 times. This is to remember the
shuttling of Lady Hajra (as) in search of water for her thirsty infant son –
Ismail (as) between these two hills.
2. The second important thing is offering
an animal as a sacrifice in Mena on the day of Eid (10th
of Dhu’l Hijjah). This is to commemorate the willingness of Ismail (as)
to sacrifice himself on the Command of Allah (SWT). In the following ayah
Allah (SWT) appreciates this trial of Ismail (as):
·
“(Most surely
this is a manifest trial. And We rescued
him in exchange of a Great Sacrifice (Zibhe Azeem). And We perpetuated (praise) to him among the
later generations)” - (Surah-e-Sa’afat, ayah 106-107-108)
The ayah says it was indeed
a manifest trial of Ismail (as). Allah (SWT) honoured the willingness of
Ismail (as) to sacrifice himself but exchanged it with a Zibhe
Azeem.
This Zibhe
Azeem – The Great Sacrifice mentioned in the above ayah is the martyrdom of Imam Husain (A.S) and his
household at the battlefield of Karbala. (Ref:
Merajjunnabuwat, P 35)
Allah (SWT) appreciated the self-less gesture of Lady Hajra
(as) of running around in search of water for her thirsty child so much
that He (SWT) made Sa’y an integral part of Hajj. But
Ismail (as) did not have to remain thirsty as his thirst was quenched by the
fresh stream of Zam Zam water.
The intent of Ismail (as) to sacrifice himself on the Command
of Allah (SWT) had been liked by the Almighty Allah and it is also an important part
of Hajj. On 10th of Dhu’l Hijjah Muslims across
the world sacrifice an animal to commemorate this act. His sacrifice too did
not take place in reality as Allah (SWT) replaced him with an animal.
While on the other hand at Karbala the thirsty
household of Imam Hussain (as) was martyred. Ali Asghar (as)
- the 6 month old thirsty son of Imam Hussain (as) – was brutally martyred at Karbala
when Imam Hussain (as) took him along to the battlefield seeking water to
quench his thirst but instead of giving him water, the enemies martyred him.
The thirst of Ismail (as) was quenched by Zam Zam water while Ali
Asghar (as) remained thirsty as he was being martyred.
Imam Hussain (as) was martyred while in prostration on
10th Moharram at Karbala. His head was mercilessly severed by the enemy. On
10th Dhu’l Hijjah at Mena Ismail (as) was saved by
Allah (SWT) when He (SWT) replaced Ismail (as) with an animal during the
sacrifice.
ü In my belief Allah
(SWT) made the Sa’y of Safa and Marwah and Qurbani of
animal mandatory in Hajj so that we ponder upon the above point and remember
the thirst and Zibhe Azeem of Imam Hussain (as)’s household whenever we
perform Hajj, drink Zam Zam or sacrifice an animal during Eid.
While Allah (SWT), all Merciful liked the gesture of Lady
Hajra (as) and the intent of Ismail (as) so much the depth of love and appreciation
that Allah (SWT) would be holding for Imam Hussain (as) and his brutally martyred, thirsty household which
lost everything for the sake of Islam cannot be imagined. In order to understand
this, we need to understand the merits and benefits of visiting Karbala.
In the first section of this article
we have gone through the verse on importance of Hajj and discussed the ahadith
of Imam Sadiq (as) on the merits of performing this ritual. Let us now see
the merits and benefits of visiting the shrine of Imam Hussain (as) for a Ziyarat.
Few of the ahadith of our beloved Imam Sadiq (as) on the Ziyarat of
Imam Hussain (as) are mentioned as under:
v
A tradition is narrated by Raff'ah
from Imam Sadiq (a.s.): “When a lover of Imam Hussain (as) knows Imam Husain's
(a.s.) right over the people and leaves his house for Imam's (a.s.) Ziyarat in
this condition, without any pride and conceit, then a 1000 angels
accompany him from the right, with another 1000 angels on the left.
And he will be rewarded as if he has
performed 1000 Hajj and 1000 Umrah with a prophet or with the successor of a
prophet.” (Ref:
BiharulAnwar, vol 101, pg 91, tradition 33)
v Imam Sadiq (as) narrates, “Allah
has appointed some angels at Imam Husain's grave. When the lover of Imam Hussain (as) makes the intention for Imam
Husain's (a.s.) Ziyarat, Allah forgives all his sins. When he
takes a step to go for Ziyarat, he erases his sins. His virtues multiply and they increase till the time he becomes
worthy of Paradise”. (Ref: Wasailul Mohibbeen, pg. 280)
v Imam Sadiq (as) has said: “From
every drop of perspiration on the body of Imam Hussain’s (as) visitor (in the
course of Ziyarat) Allah
creates 70,000 angels who glorify and seek forgiveness for Imam's (a.s.)
visitors till the Day of Judgement.”(Ref: Mustadrak vol 2, pg 204)
Hajj is the
first step towards guidance. When we perform Hajj we go to
the house of guidance but when we perform Ziyarat we go to the duly appointed Guides. Visiting
Kaaba and performing the ritual there
during Dhu’l Hijjah is Hajj. Visiting
Karbala during Moharram to understand the Zibhe Azeem of Imam Hussain (as) and his
pious household is Hajj e Azeem.
è Thus we may conclude by saying;
ü Kaaba is the House of Allah (SWT) – Baitullah, while Mohammed (pbuh) wa Aale Mohammed (pbut) are
the Chosen People of the Household – Ahlulbait (as).
ü Kaaba is guidance to the whole world,
the Ahlulbait are the
appointed guides.
ü Kaaba is Qibla of Islam, while the love of Ahlulbait is Qibla of Imaan.
ü Kaaba is a differentiator between a
Muslim and a Kaafir, the love
for Ahlulbait (as) is the
differentiator between a Momin and a Munafiq.
So let us pray that may Allah
(SWT) guide us to perform Hajj of Baitullah and Ziyarat of Ahlulbait (as) so that each of us remains steadfast
as a true Muslim and becomes a devout Momin.
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