Kaaba

​ =The Kaaba=

Alexander Fields-A period Jake Lester- B period Jackie Judge- D period Pat Lawler- F period

**__Introduction__** Islam is the Abrahamic religion that is based upon the principals in the Qur'an and the belief in one god, called Allah. Islam is also one of the largest religions in the world with over 1.5 billion people. Islam was a religion founded by the prophet Mohammad in 622. Mecca is the birthplace of the Islamic religion and the prophet Mohammad. In the center of Mecca there is a religious mosque, which consists of the Kaaba, the Black Stone, a courtyard, a minbar and a quibla wall. The Kaaba is the place where all good Muslims perform the salat towards. Most Islamic people that live far away from Mecca go on a long pilgrimage to visit the Kaaba, to worship Allah and replicate the steps of Muhammad. The Kaaba is the house to worship Allah, the one and only Muslim God. This journey that the people go on is called the Hajj. The Hajj is the Muslims way of replicating the journey that Muhammad took when he was fleeing from Mecca to Medina, also known as the Hijra. Muhammad fled from Mecca to Medina because he was threatened by people of the Bedouins, because the new religion he introduced, was threatening to them. The Bedouins still wanted to worship the Ancient Arabic Idols. The Kaaba was once used as a house of worship for idols, until Mohammad went in himself and took them all down for fear of idolatry for his newborn religion. Thus, the monotheistic worship of Allah had begun, and the praise to his prophet, Muhammad. The Kaaba is one of the most important aspects of Muslim religion because it is made by Ibraham in the center of the holiest Muslim structure in Mecca. In the four topics bellow it shows some important aspects of the Kaaba, the connection it makes to aspects of Islam and the architecture.


 * __SUBTOPICS__**

The mystifying corner stone to the Kaaba is called the Black stone. The black stone is said in the Quran to be a black meteor from the sky during the era of Adam and Eve. While Ishmael and Ibraham were searching for stones to place on the Kaaba they found this incredible stone that they used as their corner piece. According to the Quran from the time the time of Ibraham to the time of Muhammad the Black Stone was never worshiped or used to worship the Ancient Arabic Idols. When Muhammad became the prophet he kissed the ancient Black Stone. Muhammad's sacred kiss to the stone has brought the tradition that pilgrims during the Hajj make an attempt to kiss the Black Stone. This is a symbol of getting closer to Allah. Although you want to kiss and touch the Black Stone, you do not worship the Black Stone, for that you would be worshiping an object, and therefore worshiping an idol. This is the only stone from the current Kaaba that was from the original Kaaba. Also the Black Stone was placed into a silver frame because the Black Stone was broken up into three pieces during a fire. The Black Stone has caused much controversy about the real implications of the stone. Some say that the Black stone is just another stone, just like all the other stones on the Kaaba. Some Muslims believe that the Black Stone has supernatural powers. They believe the Black Stone can remove all sins from a single kiss to the Black Stone. Overall the Black Stone is a vital part of the Kaaba in Mecca.
 * __Black Stone__**



__**How the Kaaba Connects to the Five Pillars of Islam**__
The Five Pillars of Islam are a way for Muslims to show their faith to their God Allah, and their worship to the prophet Mohammad. Each Pillar represents one aspect of Muslim life, and contains a step that every good Muslim must complete to show that they worship their one and only God, and his prophet Mohammad. The Kaaba is presented in the last pillar, also known as the Hajj and the second pillar the Salat. First during the Salat all good hearted Muslims turn towards the Kaaba and pray. This is repeated five times a day. The reason that the Muslims turn to the Kaaba is because it is in the center of Mecca and it is located in one of the most important mosques in Islam. There are seven major steps contained in the Hajj, the Kaaba being The first one to be completed. A Muslim must circle the Kaaba seven times because the Qu'ran states that Hadhrat Jibraeel (alayhis salaam) flapped his wings to uncover a foundation laid in the seventh fold of the earth. Angels paved this foundation with stones and Hazrat Adam went around this structure to the left following the example of the Angels. Muslims have carried out this tradition to worship Mohammad and follow the lead of the angels. They then proceed to kiss the black stone monted in a silver frame on a corner of the Kaaba, as Mohammad was the first one to kiss it, and this is considered the second major step of the Hajj. Muslims continue to complete the seven major steps of the Hajj, replicating every exact move Mohammad made on the Hijra, or his journey to Mecca.





**__Hajj__**
The Kaaba plays a large part on the mandatory Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. It is the first step on the once in a lifetime journey. The Kaaba is the focal point of the Hajj and the center point of all the Muslim world. This is because it is belived that Abraham and his son Ismael rebuilt the Kaaba as a house of monotheistic worship. Five times a day all Muslims world wide turn and pray towards the Kaaba during their daily prayers. The Kaaba is the point that the holy mosque is built around. People on the Hajj circle the Kaaba seven times because it is said that a sacred angel flapped his wings only to uncover a foundation discreetly hidden in the seventh fold of the Earth, which was then a journey that people started to take to follow the lead of the angels. On the Hajj Muslims will try to get near the Kaaba and sometimes kiss the black stone, which is located on the eastern corner of the Kaaba, because the prophet Muhammad was the first to kiss it.

**__Architecture__**
There are many ways that the Kaaba is built in it's architecture. The name Kaaba means “cube,” but the structure isn’t a cube: it measures 12m long, 10m wide, and 15m high (33 feet x 50 feet x 45 feet). The Kaaba is built from grey granite and each corner points to one of the four points of the compass. The single Entrance is on the northeast, side, 2.3m above the ground. The interior of the Kaaba is bare except for three supporting wooden pillars and gold hanging lamps. Affixed to the eastern corner of the Kaaba, about 1.5m up, is the Black Stone of Mecca. The exterior of the Kaaba is usually covered with a large black cloth called the kiswah (“robe”) that has Quranic verses embroidered with gold thread on it. Each year a new one is created and, prior to 1927, it was provided by Egyptian artisans who brought it with them in a pilgrimage caravan that travelled from Cairo. According to Muslim traditions, Adam built the original Kaaba as a copy of and directly below God’s throne in heaven. This structure was destroyed during the great Flood, leaving behind nothing but the foundation. The current structure was rebuilt by Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son Ishmael (Ismail). A gilded cage near the Kaaba contains a stone preserving a footprint of Abraham. Establishing this ancient pedigree for the Kaaba helped Muhammad connect his new faith with the Judaism. Measuring about 12 inches in diameter, this sacred stone if probably a meteorite, though no scientific tests have ever been done on it. When the Muslims walk around the Kaaba, Muslim pilgrims often try to reach out and touch or kiss the Black Stone. Today it is worn and cracked from centuries of pilgrimages and is only held together by a wide silver band. Muslims insist that the Black Stone is not an idol: prayers are directed to God alone. The Black Stone was a gift to Adam when he and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden and later became a symbol of God’s covenant with Abraham, Ismail, and thus the Muslim community. By saluting the Black Stone as they pass, Muslims renew their covenant with God. Muslims call to it the “cornerstone of the House” or the “right hand of God on earth” and say it was originally white, but went black by absorbing sins; it thus serves as a symbol of human degradation and need for God’s forgiveness. Close to the northwestern side of the Kaaba is a raised and curved exterior wall, about 1.5m high and 17.5m long, called the multazam. At the conclusion of the tawaf, the circumambulation around the Kaaba, Muslims press themselves up against the multazam in order to receive power and blessings associated with the structure. Opposite the Black Stone is the sacred well of Zamzam where pilgrims drink and where Hagar is supposed to have found water for herself and Ismail in the desert. Those are the Archituctural ways that the Kaaba is built.

**__Conclusion Paragraph__**
The Kaaba, built by Ishmael and Abraham, remains one of the holiest Islamic structures still standing. It is located in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and stands proudly in the middle of one of the most important mosques to Islamic religion. It is traditionally circled by Muslims seven times to the left, following the exact footsteps of Allah's prophet Mohammad. The Kaaba is the first step of the Hajj, and negotiably the most important. The sacred Black Stone is mounted in a silver frame on one corner of the Kaaba, and is part of the second step in the Hajj. The Kaaba connects to the Five Pillars of Islam, because it is found in the fifth pillar, also known as the Hajj and the second pillar, the Salat. Lastly, the Kaaba is also known widely for its architecture. It is referred to as the "cube," but is actually more of a rectangular prism. The length, height and width of the Kaaba are not all the same length, making it anything but a cube. It consists of granite stones of all shapes and sizes, and used to be the house of worship for idols until Mohammad himself came in and demolished the religious statues. These four sections presented above show the importance to the Islamic religion and the Muslim people.

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