Kamal F. Ishak

Who built the Ka'ba? Adam or Allah?

 

Muslim’s legends about the Ka'ba, called also The House of Allah”, or simply “the House”. These legends deals with the “creation” or building of the Ka’ba, and its history.

 

The first of these legends maintains that the Ka'ba was founded in heaven,  before the earth came  into being.

(AZRAQI) Allah had created the place of this House (Ka'ba) two thousand years before anything else; the celestial Ka'ba was foam on the water before Allah would create the heavens and the earth. (History of Mecca). 

(Ibn Abbas) During the period when the Throne was on the water before the creation of the heavens and the earth, Allah gave birth to a site in the position of the Ka'ba. 

Accordingly, Allah had already created the place of the Ka'ba before He created the heavens and the earth.

 

(Ibn Abbâs) When Adam was brought down to earth, he pleaded with Allah that he would no longer be able to walk around his throne with  the angels.  Then Allah ordered  that the celestial Ka'ba, which was a big  hollow crimson ruby, with two doors of green emeralds, decked with all  sorts of precious stones, one facing the East, and the other facing the West,  to be  sent down to earth. Allah said to Adam: I sent down a house for you, in order that it might  become his terrestrial throne around which mortals should circumambulate it, similarly as angels circumambulate nearby My Throne (Exegesis of BAGHAWY)

For Muslims, Ibn Abbas is the most appreciated interpreter of the Koran. He declared that the celestial Ka'ba had been “descended” and installed in Mecca!

The celestial Ka'ba, (Arabic: Baitul Ma’mur) or the “Frequented House”, as we will see, of which The Ka’aba on earth is a replica!

We will treat the house frequented in a separate esay. 

 

But we meet the first contradiction.

(Ibn Abbâs) Before descending Adam down to earth, the Ka'ba, which  was  a  big  hollow crimson  ruby,  with two doors of green emeralds, one facing the East, and the other facing the West. The celestial Ka'ba, which is in the Heaven nearby the Throne, is visited by 70,000 angels in Every single day. (AZRAQI, History of Mecca). 

So, the Ka’ba is not the celestial House. This is confirmed within the next tradition.

 

Further, we find a second conflict. 

(Mujahid) I was told that when Allah created the heavens and the earth, the first thing He did is that He put the Sacred House (Ka’ba) in it (in the earth). That day, it was a hollow red ruby, and it had two doors: one eastern, the other western. The Sacred Ka’ba was exactly beneath the the The celestial House. (AZRAQI, History of Mecca). 

So, Allah of Muslims installed the Ka’ba after had created the heavens and the earth!

It is contrary to the words "God sent down the “Celestial House”, the most frequented.

(Qatada) Allah put the House (i.e. the Ka’ba) down together with Adam, while his head was in the heavens and his feet on the earth. … Allah said: Adam, I sent down a House for you to circumambulate, just as my throne is circumambulated, for you to pray there just as my throne is prayed at." Adam left and went to it. His steps were long and the interval between each step became wilderness. This wilderness continued to exist after that. Adam came to the House, circumambulated it, he and the prophets after him. (Exegesis of Tabari, Sura II, v. 127).

 

We turn here to another conflict,

The Muslim assert that their Allah created the earth before the House position, not vice-versa.

(Ibn Abbâs) First of all, Allah placed the site of the House on earth. From underneath, Allah paved the rest of the earth. The first mountain to be placed was Abu Qubays (N.B. The mountain of Mecca!), from which, all the other mountains were extended! (SOYOUTI).

 

So, the first spot of Earth Allah created was the site of the Ka'ba, then from beneath that site Allah created the FLAT earth, then He sent down the Ka'ba or the celestial House!

Then Allah created the mountain of Mecca, forming a nucleus from which all other mountains on the earth were formed!

 

What should we believe? 

 

Now, we deal with the pilgrimage and the Angels and Adam at the Ka’ba.

 

(Ibn Abbas) When Adam was sent down to the Earth, he was set to the site of the sacred House (i.e. Mecca). The Black Stone, which means the corner of Ka’ba, was dropped towards him, it was severely sparkling white. Adam took it and walked, arriving the land of India and Sind (nowadays Pakistan). He stayed there some time, Then Adam missed the corner of Ka’ba (Sic! He had the black Stone with him), so it was said to him: Perform Pilgrimage! He did. When he completed his pilgrimage, he met the Angels (Sic!) who said to him: Your Pilgrimage was perfect, oh Adam, we have been performing the Pilgrimage to this House before you were created, for 2000 years. (History of Mecca, AZRAQI).

 

The text includes internal contradictions. 

So Allah sent Adam to the earth, exactly in the place the Sacred House (i.e. Ka’ba). Then he went to India and the land of Sind! He then returned back to perform the Hajj! 

For what concerns us, the Kaaba existed since two thousand years before Adam, and the Angels performed pilgrimage to it!

 

(Qatada) Allah put the House (i.e. the Ka’ba) down together with Adam.  He said: Adam, I sent down a House for you to circumambulate, just as my throne is circumambulated, for you to pray there just as my throne is prayed at. Adam left and went to it. Adam came to the House, circumambulated it, all the prophets did the same after him. 

 

(Many Narrators) Adam left the land of India going to Mecca walking. Allah sent him an angel to guide him on the way towards the Sacred House. Then Adam did the pilgrim and performed all the right rituals. When he finished, he was met by other angels who said him: Oh Adam, You have performed the pilgrimage faultlessly…  we have performed the pilgrimage to this House two thousand years before you were created. Ibn Abbas said: Then after, Adam performed forty pilgrims from India to Mecca on his feet!  (Interpretation di BAGHAWY).

 

Walking from India to Mecca and back 40 times?

Please do not laugh. 

 

(Ibn Abbas) The “Messenger of Allah” said: ... Adam, If circumambulate the Sacred House, used to circumambulate the House per seven anas

 by night, and five weeks during the day. Adam said to Allah: Oh Lord, make this House full of life. Allah revealed to him “I will create a prophet of your offspring, to be named Ibrahim, ... I will take him as close friend, he will construct this House with his hands (Sic!), ... and I will teach him the right rituals …. Hereupon, Adam said: Oh Lord, I ask you that the pilgrim of this house, who never adore any divinity but you, to be admitted with me in the (islamic) Paradise (Sic! He was sure of return in Islamic Paradise). Hence, Allah said: Oh Adam, the man died in the Sacred Place (around the Ka’ba), who never associates (in worship) any other divinity with Me, will be safe of Hell-fire. (History of Mecca, AZRAQI). 

 

We find a tradition confuting the foregoing as well. 

(ANAS ibn MALIK, the servant of Muhammad) The “Messenger of Allah” said: At the time of Adam, the position of the House (i.e. the Ka’ba) was a span o little more in height, where the Angels performed the pilgrimage before Adam. When Adam finished his pilgrimage, The Angels said: Oh Adam, where did you come from? He said: I performed the pilgrimage to the House. (BAYHAQI, branches of faith).

 

The Angels made pilgrimage to the spot of the Ka’ba, which was only few inches in height! Furthermore, the sentence “The Angels said: Oh Adam, where did you come from?” is contradicting with what is said upwards:

... “Allah sent him an angel to guide him on the way towards the Sacred House” … and with … “angels who said him: Oh Adam, You have performed the pilgrimage faultlessly”.

This tradition means also that Adam circumambulated nothing!

 

All above is in a large discrepancy with the most famous tradition in subject.

(Wahb ibn Munabbih) When Allah forgave Adam, ordered him to walk to Mecca. The land was bent in its path, to the point that he crossed every desert, every water basin or sea with a single step. Allah Almighty, then, consoled him by giving him a curtain between the curtains of heaven that put him in the place of the Ka'ba in Mecca, even before it exists. The tent was a ruby of rubies of Paradise and had three lamps with golden nuggets of Paradise; light generated by the light he had was heavenly. With the curtain came down also the stone which was originally a white hyacinth hyacinths between Paradise and a seat for Adam that she sat upon it. When Adam arrived at Mecca, the angels took custody of the tent and watched over by removing the inhabitants of the earth at that time were the Jinn and demons (Sic!), who were not allowed to lay eyes on someone coming from heaven as anyone had done this, would be entitled to go there. At that time the land was white, without spot or wrinkle, no blood was shed, nor does it committed sins. Because of this, Allah had appointed abode of the angels so much that He placed them as if they were in heaven, to pray to Allah day and night without rest: they were the boundaries of the sacred in a single row around the sacred area. In this way the land lay left behind them sacred and everything in front of them. Neither Jinn nor a demon went beyond the position of the angels. ... Almighty Allah also forbade Eve to enter the sacred territory and to look at the tent of Adam because of sin she had committed in heaven ... So when Adam wanted to see he rand join her to give a seed (i.e. sexual intercourse), he had to go out of all the sacred territory to meet her. Until the death of Adam, the tent was there. Then Allah raised it to the sky. 

So there was no Ka’ba, but a tent!

No limits to the legends!

 

Here is a bigger contradiction.

(Ibn Abbas) Adam was the first founder of the house, and prayed inside it .. the House remained until Allah sent the flood. 

How did  the angels performed pilgrimage to the House 2000 years before being built by Adam?

Let’s let it pass!

 

Moreover, there is another conflict with that.

There are statements about the building of the Ka’ba by Adam!

(ATA’ ibn Abu RAB’BAH) Adam's feet were on the earth while his head in heaven so that he was able to hear the angels talking and praying. He became familiar with this, so the angels complained. Consequently, Allah reduced Adam’s height. Adam missed what he used to hear from the angels and was lonely, and he complained about this to Allah. He was therefore sent to Mecca. (Exegesis of Ibn-KATHIR, Sura II, v. 128) - ( Annals of TABARI)..

 

(Ibn Abbas) After Adam was then driven out of Paradise and let down to the earth, his height was reduced to 60 cubits. He complained to Allah: I no longer hear the voice of Angels. Hereupon, Allah said: That due to your sin; but go and build me a temple, circumambulate it and remember Me doing this, just like you did with the angels around My Throne. Adam went to Mecca where he constructed he holy temple on the [pre-existed] foundation. The angels gave Adam large rock pieces brought brought from five mountains, from Libanon, Zeita (?), Sinai, GUDI (In Mesopotemia?) and HIRA’ (near Mecca) .. , so Adam was the first founder of the house, and he prayed inside and circumambulated around it.  (History of Mecca, AZRAQI). 

 

We have another story from the same narrator.

(Ibn Abbas) It was said that Allah built a house in the Heaven, which is called the Frequented House, named Al-DURAH. Then Allah ordered the Angels to build the Kaaba in the earth, of the same size and shape. (Interpretation of BAGHAWI, Sura II).

This is contrary to all the other Islamic stories of Adam.

Furthermore, Allah of Muslims is petty and stupid, He built a simple site of His cult, un-regulare cube, not comparable to the human buildings such as the Pyramids and temples of Greek and Romans!

 

Let’s go ahead.

(Ibn-Abbas) Adam was cast down in India and Eve in Jeddah (at the seashore of Red Sea). He went in search of her, and eventually they were united. Eve drew near him (IZALAFAT), hence the site was called Muzdalifah. They recognized (ARAFA) each other, hence the site was called Arafat. And they were united in Jam, hence Jama. Adam was cast down on a mountain in India known as BUDH. (Annals of Tabari, I/120).

 

We have a myth which turns a newborn into a hoary!

 

(Qatada) Allah put the House down on the earth when Adam was lowered. Adam’s head was reaching the heavens and his feet were on the earth. As the angels were in awe of Adam, his size was reduced to 60 cubits. Adam was sad because he missed the voices of the Angels and their praises. He complained about this to Allah who said: Adam, I sent down a House for you to circumambulate, just as my throne is circumambulated, you should pray as if praying under My Throne. Adam left and went to it. His steps were long and the interval between each step became wilderness. This wilderness continued to exist after that. Adam came to the House, circumambulated it. 

 

Note that Allah of Muslims said “I sent down a House for you to circumambulate”.

And the myth continues.

(Ibn Abbas) Adam was cast down ... When he was reduced to 60 cubits, Adam complained to Allah, who said: Because of your disobedience, this has been done. Adam made a cloak for himself and a shift and veil for Eve. Allah then revealed to Adam: I have a Sanctuary [HARAM] like that around my throne, so go there and build a House for me, then circumambulate around it as you saw my angels doing around My Throne. There I will respond to you and your descendants, those who are obedient to Me. Adam said: My Lord, how can I do this, I have not the strength and have no guide? So Allah chose an Angel to go with him to Mecca. … They reached Mecca.. So he built the House from five mountains: Mount Sinai, Mount of Olives, Lebanon, and al-Judi. He constructed its foundations from Mount HIRA (near Mecca). When he finished with its building, the Angel took him out to 'Arafat and showed him all the rituals of the Pilgrimage that people perform today. Then they returned to Mecca, and Adam circumambulated the House for a week. After this, Adam returned to the land of India and died upon Mount BUTH. (Annals of Tabari). 

 

According to this text, Adam was the first to built a house, and not Allah of the Muslims, and this is confirmed by another text.

(Ibn Abbas) Adam was the first of the foundations of the house, and prayed until God sent the flood.

Note that Adam met Eve before going to the Arabian Peninsula!

 

There is an Islamic tradition contradicting all of that.

(Abdullah ibn AMRO) When Allah expelled Adam from Paradise, He said: I’m sending down with you a House to be circumambulated around as is done around My Throne, and to be prayed by as prayed by the throne. That House was raise at the time of the flood. All the prophets made pilgrimage to Mecca without knowing the exact place of the House. Then Allah showed Abraham its place. (Interpretation of al-Tabari, Sura II, v. 127).

 

Anyhow, we find another a new contradiction.

(Wahb ibn Munabbih) ... Then Allah raised it to the sky. The sons of Adam built there, after his death, a house with mud and stones.  Their descendants who followed them continued to visit that House, until the time of  Noah. The flood wiped out and the place he remained concealed. (AZRAQI, History of Mecca).

According to this novel, the children of Adam built the Ka’ba instead of the tent sent by Allah of the Muslims.

 

The Islamic nonsense do not finish here … I’ll be back.