Kaaba - The cornerstone of Islam

It is no exaggeration to say that the Kaaba is the cornerstone of Islam and its ardent followers all across the globe.

Often referred as Al-Ka‘bah, Al-Ka‘abatu’l-Musharrafat, Al-Baytu l-‘Atīq or Al-Baytu’l-Ḥarām, the literal meaning of Kaaba is "the Sacred House." And this nomenclature is hardly surprising, given the fact that Kaaba denotes a building which is located inside the mosque known as al-Masjidu’l-Ḥarām in Makkah.

The Kaaba is the holiest place in Islam. This is well reflected from the fact that followers of the religion offer their salaat in the direction where Kaaba is believed to be located from any corner in the world. Facing the Kaaba is the sole rule while offering prayer.

The Kaaba in Arabic language also means a cube and that explains why Kaaba appears out to be a cubic structure. The Kaaba is believed to have been constructed by granite procured from the hills near Makkah. Its dimension could be read as: 15 m high (49') with sides measuring 10.5 m (34') by 12 m (39'). The external appearance of the Kaaba is enlivened by a black silk cloth which is wrapped around it. This silk cloth known as kiswah is decorated with gold-embroidered calligraphy and it is replaced every year.

On the eastern side of the Kaaba lies the Black Stone or al-Hajaru al-Aswad. The entrance to the inside of the Kaaba is through a door which is 2.13 meters above the ground on the north-eastern wall of the Kaaba.

According to Islamic belief, God ordained a place of worship on Earth to reflect the house in heaven called al-Baytu l-Maˤmur. Followers of Islam have this belief that Adam was the first to build such a place of worship which later was formally recognized as the Kaaba. The holy Quran further elaborates this point and underlines that the Kaaba was built by the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (pbuh) and his son Ismail (Ishmael).