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wa-ʾidh yarfaʿu ʾibrāhīmu l-qawāʿida mina l-bayti wa-ʾismāʿīlu rabbanā taqabbal minnā ʾinnaka ʾanta s-samīʿu l-ʿalīmu
As Abraham raised the foundations of the House with Ishmael, [they prayed]: ‘Our Lord, accept it from us! Indeed You are the All-hearing, the All-knowing.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 127-129
And (remember) when Abraham and Ismail raised up the foundations of the House; (saying): ‘Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us; for surely You are All-Hearing, All-Knowing’ (2:127)
‘Our Lord, make us submissive (Muslims) to You, and of our progeny an Ummah (a nation) submissive to You, and show us our ways of worship, and turn to us (mercifully); for surely You are the Oft-Returning, the Most Merciful’ (2:128)
‘Our Lord, send amongst them an Apostle of their own who shall recite unto them Your revelations, teach them the Book and the Wisdom, and purify them; for surely You are All-mighty, All-Wise’ (2:129)
The Structure of The House of Ka’bah
It is clearly understood from the numerous verses of the Qur’an, the Islamic traditions, and some historical records that the House of Ka’bah had been founded before Abraham (‘a) and that it had been established at the time of Adam (‘a). Surah Ibrahim quoting from the tongue of Abraham (‘a), says:
Our Lord! Surely, I have settled a part of my offspring in a valley unproductive (of fruit) near Your Sacred House... (14:37).
This verse confirms that when Abraham (‘a) with his wife and his infant son Ismail arrived at the Holy land of Mecca, there was no sign of the Ka’bah seen therein, but he was guided there by Divine inspiration. Another verse says:
The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka: full of blessing... (3:96).
It is certain that the worshipping of Allah and the structure of the center of adoration did not begin from the time of Abraham (‘a). It had started before that and was established at the time of Adam (‘a). The idea mentioned in the verse under discussion indicates the same meaning, too. It says:
And (remember) when Abraham and Ismail raised up the foundations of the House; (saying): ‘Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us; for surely You are All-Hearing, All-Knowing’ (2:127)
This statement refers to the concept that the foundations of the Ka’bah had existed from before, and Abraham (‘a) and Ismail (‘a) raised them up. Hadrat Amir Al-Mu’minin ‘Ali (‘a) in one of his sermons known as "al-Khutbah al-Qasi’ah" (Sermon of Disparagement) also says:
“Do you not see that Allah, the Glorified, has tried all the people among those who came before, beginning with Adam, up to the last ones in this world with stones... He made those stones into His Sacred House... Then He commanded Adam and his sons to turn their attention towards it…” 12
In short, the verses of the Qur’an and the Islamic narrations confirm this historical fact that the House of Ka’bah was originally built by Adam (‘a). Then during the Flood at the time of Noah, it fell down. Then, later, it was rebuilt by the hands of Abraham (‘a) with the aid of his son Ismail (‘a). The second of the above two verses attests to the fact that Abraham (‘a) and his son Ismail (‘a) sought from Allah five important invocations. These prayers, which were offered when they were busy building the Ka’bah, are so exact and consistent with all the necessities of material and spiritual life, that they can lead man to the recognition of the magnificence of the souls of these two great Apostles of Allah.
At first, Abraham (‘a) prays:
‘Our Lord, make us submissive (Muslims) to You... (2:128)
Then he invocates:
…and of our progeny an Ummah (a nation) submissive to You... (2:128)
He continues saying:
...and show us our ways of worship... (2:128)
(So that we can adore You in a way worthy of Your Highness). After that, he (‘a) seeks Allah for repentance, thus:
...and turn to us (mercifully); for surely You are the Oft-Returning, the Most Merciful’. (2:128)
The fifth invocation, which was sought from Allah at the time of constructing the Holy Ka’bah by Abraham and Ismail (‘a), is this:
‘Our Lord, send amongst them an Apostle of their own who shall recite unto them Your revelations, teach them the Book and the Wisdom, and purify them; for surely You are All-mighty, All-Wise.’ (2:129)
Footnotes