{"id":131056,"date":"2019-08-05T01:04:03","date_gmt":"2019-08-05T01:04:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=131056"},"modified":"2019-08-05T01:04:06","modified_gmt":"2019-08-05T01:04:06","slug":"appreciating-the-kabah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=131056","title":{"rendered":"Appreciating the Kabah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Spahic Omer <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior to the epoch of Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail,\nthere existed only Makkah sanctuary (haram<\/em>) and the location as well as\nfoundations of the Kabah (al-Masjid al-Haram), which had been instituted or\nappointed for humankind as early as when God created the heavens and the earth.\nThe Quran reveals: \u0153Indeed, the first House (of worship) established for\nmankind was that at Makkah — blessed and a guidance for the worlds.\u009d (Alu\n\u02dcImran, 96) The Prophet (pbuh) also confirmed: \u0153Allah made this town (Makkah)\nsacred on the day He created the earth and the heavens; so it is sacred by the\nsacredness conferred on it by Allah until the Day of Resurrection…\u009d (Sahih\nMuslim, Hadith<\/em> No. 3139) As a result, the prophets before Ibrahim and\nIsmail and their followers — just like those who came after them — were to\nface the place (the site of the Kabah, its foundations and the haram<\/em>)\nin their prayers. When needed or commanded, a form of the pilgrimage (Hajj<\/em>)\nto the place, too, was undertaken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When completed, the Kabahs dimensions are believed to\nhave been as follows. It was a cubical structure with thirty-two cubits (one\ncubit is about half a meter) between the corner with al-Hajar al-Aswad<\/em>\nor the Black Stone and the other corner facing Syria; twenty-two cubits between\nthis Syrian and the West facing corner; thirty-one cubits from the latter to\nthe corner facing the direction of Yemen, and twenty cubits between this Yemeni\ncorner and that with the Black Stone. The building was nine cubits high, was\nprovided with two entrances: one on the side between the Black Stone and the\nSyrian corner, and the other on the opposite side flanked by the Western corner\nand the corner facing Yemen, but it had no ceiling. The entrances were formed\ndirectly from the ground. They were just open outlines in the walls. There were\nno doors to block off or allow access to the building. People would enter the\nKabah from one entrance and exit from the other. A well was excavated inside\nthe Kabah to the right of the entrance that was in the wall between the Black\nStone and the Syrian corner. It was used as a store, or a depository, where\ngifts donated to the Kabah were kept. It was 3 cubits deep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kabah was an unpretentious stone\nstructure. From the inception till the completion of construction, Ibrahim and\nIsmail are believed to have been laying one course, or line, of stones a day.\nHowever, it is unclear whether that applied to the whole building, or\nindividual walls, but the former, rather, seemed to be the case. No mud was\nused either for bricks or as plaster for coating the walls. Since it was\nroofless and its two entrances had no doors, neither was timber needed. The\nstone over which Ibrahim stood and built is called maqam Ibrahim<\/em>\n(Ibrahims station). It is still in existence today and is revered by all\nMuslims. Even some religious rituals are directly associated with it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ibrahim is said to have built the Kabah using building materials from five special earthly mounts: Hira<\/em> in Makkah,<\/em> Tur Sina<\/em> in the Sinai Peninsula<\/a> of Egypt<\/a>, Tur Zayta<\/em> in Palestine, Jabal Lubnan <\/em>in Lebanonand al-Judiyy<\/em> which is a mount at which Prophet Nuhs ark came to rest after the great flood, demonstrating thereby its universal character and appeal, as well as penchant for bringing together and reconciling between people of different backgrounds and dispositions. The place thus was a catalyst of peace and security; it was an eternal beacon of human hope and optimism. Based on the historic significance of those mountains and hills, some of whose parts had been integrated into the form and configuration of the Kabah, the Kabah could also be regarded as a symbol and microcosm of entire human history. It should be seen as an epitome of perpetual human struggle, human civilisational challenges and victories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nextraordinary aura of the Kabah<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Makkah is an uncultivated and barren valley surrounded by low rocky hill ranges. That the Kabah was originally built as an unpretentious stone structure was extremely apt, making it appropriate to its time, place and people. The Kabah was in total harmony with its natural environment. It grew, so to speak, out of the site. It at once symbolised and reverberated Makkahs attribute as haram<\/em> (blessed sanctuary). In consequence, it always seemed naturally beautiful, hence sustainable and even organic, satisfying physical and spiritual needs. It exuded an aura of veneration, lure, awe and spiritual and psychological serenity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to all this,\nplus the supplication of Ibrahim that the believing human hearts incline\ntowards it, the Kabah was always dearly loved and longed for. Because it is a\nresult of a direct heavenly initiative and involvement, the Kabahs intrinsic\ncharm and beauty were always beyond description. Lost for words, while\nwatching, touching or circumambulating it, most people tend to give in to the\nstream of abundant but incommunicable spiritual, psychological and even\nintellectual emotions the circumstances generate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As if they all\nsense that being silent and self-effacing, acknowledging the supernatural and\ndivine overarching character of the Kabah (al-Masjid al-Haram), while\njuxtaposing it with their flaws, inadequacies and this-worldliness, is the best\nand most profitable mood. Any other approach is set to divest visitors and\nworshippers of some of the boons they have come for and were instinctively\nlooking forward to procuring. Feeling thus hopeless, some people resort to\nclosing their eyes and try to \u0153watch\u009d and \u0153embrace\u009d the Kabah rather by means\nof their elated hearts and ecstatic souls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That way, all\nthe inapt and under the circumstances \u0153impairing\u009d physical senses are\ntemporarily shut, and through that metaphysical God-granted capacity that\ngraces each and every human creature, ones self is attempted to be elevated to\na higher spiritual vintage point from where the Kabah could be \u0153seen\u009d and\nexperienced better. Such is also an attempt intended to identify and equate\nones ontological meaning and purpose with the ontological meaning and purpose\nof the Kabah and al-Masjid al-Haram. Losing completely ones self inside the\ninfinite spiritual domains of the Kabah and al-Masjid al-Haram, it goes without\nsaying, is the best way for a person to find and experience the quintessence of\nhis own being, existence as a whole and the Kabah phenomenon itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, the Kabah (al-Masjid al-Haram) is the spiritual compass point of believers in every time and place. Not only that they face its direction in their daily prayers, but also they use it as a source of endless life inspiration and guidance. The Quran is explicit that al-Masjid al-Haram has been \u0153established for mankind\u00a6blessed and a guidance (huda<\/em>) for the worlds.\u009d (Alu \u02dcImran, 96). At the same time, the Quran also makes known that Adam, upon descending on the earth to undertake his vicegerency mission (khilafah<\/em>), was informed by God that \u0153\u00a6surely there will come to you a guidance (huda<\/em>) from Me, then whoever follows My guidance, no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve.\u009d (al-Baqarah, 38). While the two forms of guidance are by no means synonymous, they surely complement each other in the sense that the former signifies both the outcome and embodiment of the latter and its actualisation on earth. Thus, the existence of Adam and his life mission, and the existence of al-Masjid al-Haram, at least in the form of direction, site and foundations, could not be separated from each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The role of\nSatan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the\nearliest life episodes, firstly in the Garden then on the earth, the purpose\nand role of Iblis (Satan) came also to the fore. Essentially, his existence and\nlife mission stand in contrast to those of Adam and his descendants. It all started\nwhen Iblis refused to submit to the Will of God and prostrate before Adam,\nfollowing which the perennial antagonism between Iblis and his legion, on the\none side, and Adam and his offspring, on the other, was set in motion forever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Quran sums\nup those decisive events as follows: \u0153And (mention) when We said to the angels:\n\u02dcProstrate before Adam; so they prostrated, except for Iblis. He refused and\nwas arrogant and became of the disbelievers.\u009d (al-Baqarah, 34); \u0153(Allah) said:\n\u02dcWhat prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you? (Iblis) said: \u02dcI am\nbetter than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.\n(al-Araf, 12); \u0153But Satan caused them to slip out of it (the Garden, Jannah<\/em>)\nand removed them from that (condition) in which they had been. And We said: \u02dcGo\ndown, (all of you), as enemies to one another, and you will have upon the earth\na place of settlement and provision for a time.\u009d (al-Baqarah, 36); \u0153(Satan)\nsaid: \u02dcBecause You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them on\nYour straight path. Then I will come to them from before them and from behind\nthem and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them\ngrateful (to You). (Allah) said: \u02dcGet out of Paradise, reproached and\nexpelled. Whoever follows you among them — I will surely fill Hell with you,\nall together.\u009d (al-Araf, 16-18); \u0153(Iblis) said: \u02dcMy Lord, because You have\nput me in error, I will surely make (disobedience) attractive to them on earth,\nand I will mislead them all, except, among them, Your devoted servants.\n(Allah) said: \u02dcThis is a path (of return) to Me (that is) straight. Indeed, My\nservants — no authority will you have over them, except those who follow you\nof the deviators. And indeed, Hell is the promised place for them all.\u009d\n(al-Hijr, 39-43).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satans net\nambitions and targets were always to divert people at all costs from worshiping\ntheir Creator and Master towards following and worshipping himself. God thus\ncautions: \u0153Did I not enjoin upon you, O children of Adam, that you not worship\nSatan \u201c (for) indeed, he is to you a clear enemy — and that you worship (only)\nMe? This is a straight path. And he had already led astray from among you much\nof creation, so did you not use reason?\u009d (Ya Sin, 60-62) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satan displayed\nthat he is ready to stop at nothing and spare no deceitful means in order to\nachieve his goals. In addition, accepting to be unrepentant mischievous rebel,\nhe asked God for postponement of his affair. In other words, he asked for\nrespite, reckoning greedily that such would imply having control of the notion\nof time. He said to God: \u0153Give me respite till the day they are raised up\u009d\n(al-Araf, 14), i.e., till the Day of Judgment. However, since granting Satan\nthe wish would imply exempting him from death, something that was incompatible\nwith some of the most fundamental procedures and laws of existence, God\nrejected the appeal. Rather, He postponed Satans affair only \u0153till the day of\nthe time appointed (known only to the omniscient God).\u009d (al-Hijr, 38)\nSelf-deceived, Satan then attempted to exert control of the notion of space as\nwell by outlining his strategies as approaching man from all his sides: from\nbefore and behind him, and on his right and left. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satan as a loser<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

His exhibition\nof his insatiability, self-confidence and enthusiasm notwithstanding, Satan\nwith his optimism and predictions, when it comes to Gods true servants, was\nwide of the mark. That was so because whoever decides to stoically fight and\ndefeat Satan can easily do so by the promised grace and help of God. Only those\nwho allow Satan to manipulate them with his cheap tricks and swindles and\nimpair their senses and intelligence, debasing thus their souls with folly, are\nthey who follow him and think they are in the right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, the\nexistence and function of al-Masjid al-Haram reveal much about the mentioned\nlife paradigm. In order to counter Satans horizontal advances, believers from\nall sides of the earth constantly face the Holy Mosque (qiblah<\/em>), both\nphysically with their actual faces and spiritually with the \u0153faces\u009d of their\nhearts. That allows them either to sidestep or impede Satans operations from\nthe front and most important human side. Satan for that reason referred to the\nfront side as the first and foremost side from where he promised to come and\ntry to delude humankind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As regards the challenges posed by Satans assaults from the remaining three and somewhat inferior horizontal human sides, believers, by remaining steadfast on the right and straight path, always facing the right direction (qiblah<\/em>) in all affairs of theirs, that is, the spiritual direction of righteousness and truth and the physical direction of al-Masjid al-Haram — they possess what it takes to easily cope with them too. They possess unified life vision, purpose and objectives, direction and point of reference. So concerned are they with challenges ahead, directly facing and overcoming them on their path towards the spiritual fulfilment, that believers have no, or very little, time to worry about \u0153side\u009d or relatively secondary issues. Their connection with their qiblah<\/em> and point of reference is direct and undeviating, rather than indirect or roundabout. Genuine believers are thus said to be a most confident, optimistic, honest and principled group. Straightness, perseverance, quality planning and management, and clear objectives-oriented dynamism are the chief traits of everything they do; so are courage and valour, on account of true believers being able to see and face head-on all their adversities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needless to say\nthat people fear most those things and occurrences which they can neither\nwitness, foresee, nor come fully to terms with. Uncertainties, volatilities and\ndoubts are some of mans greatest foes. They denote most serious impediments to\nmoving ahead and success. At any rate, Satan or Iblis was bent on doing that\nwhich one of the words whence his name has been derived, implies. That word is ablasa<\/em>\nand means among other things to confound<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is due to all\nthis that Muslims are commanded to face, or seriously consider, the qiblah<\/em>\ndirection in their prayers, when they supplicate, when they sleep, when they\nbury their dead, when they perform various religious rituals, when they plan\nand design their built environment, etc. On that score does the Quran use the expressions of \u0153submitting ones\nface to God while being a doer of good\u009d (al-Baqarah, 112), and \u0153directing ones face towards the religion,\ninclining to truth\u009d (al-Rum, 30) as metaphors for an exemplary state of ones\nreligiosity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For obvious\nreasons, furthermore, Muslims are advised not to face the qiblah<\/em>\ndirection, nor turn their backs to it, whenever they defecate or urinate.\nPlanning and designing toilets in Muslim buildings thus need to take the matter\ninto consideration, even though a\nmajority of Muslim scholars are of the view that not facing the qiblah<\/em>\nside, nor turning the back towards it, while answering the call of nature, is a preferable thing, not an obligation, and violating it\nincurs no sin. In the same vein, when entering the toilet, Muslims are advised\nto recite: \u0153(In the name of Allah). O Allah! I take refuge with\nyou from all evil and evil-doers,\u009d the greatest one of which is Satan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muslims are\nfurthermore forbidden to spit in their prayers towards the qiblah<\/em>. The\nProphet (pbuh) said on this: \u0153If anyone of you stands for the prayer, he is\nspeaking in private to his Lord, (or) his Lord is between him and the qiblah<\/em>,\ntherefore, he should not spit towards the qiblah<\/em>, but he could spit\neither on his left or under his foot.\u009d Then the Prophet (pbuh) took the corner\nof his sheet and spat in it, folded it and said: \u0153Or do like this.\u009d (Sahih\nal-Bukhari, Hadith<\/em> No. 409) For the identical reasons relating to its rank\nand importance, certainly, the qiblah<\/em> issue was one of the three things\nfor which the People of the Book were especially jealous of Muslims, as\ndivulged by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hence, Satan was\nset to lose where he thought was strongest. Additionally, but most painfully,\nhe omitted the ground or lower, as well as the above or upper sides of man,\nwhere, though, mans strengths and Satans weaknesses are furthermost. Satan\ndid not mention the lower or ground side of man due to his arrogance and\ncontemptible view of man, but that exactly is the spot and dimension of\nprostration as a sign of ones ultimate submission to the Will and Word of God,\nand of a persons spiritual growth and accomplishments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also\nsignifies a platform from where one rises to and conquers other dimensions of\nlife. Moreover, Satan could not — rather than did not — mention the above or\nupper side of man because he was not allowed to do so. To rise above especially\nbelieving men and women, both conceptually and realistically, is just a wish\nand fantasy of Satan, never a real thing. The above vertical direction is left\nto man to freely and unhindered rise, transcending all the inhibiting levels\nand dimensions of existence, if he only so wills. If he so decides, the sky is\nthe limit. Nothing stands between him and his trajectory towards the spiritual\nfulfillment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Believers as\nwinners <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If all this\nshows one thing then it is the indisputable truth that Satan was so wrong in\nhis assessments, strategies and predictions, insofar as genuine servants of God\nand their fates were concerned. He wanted the notion of time, but little did he\nknow that believers, though trapped inside its powerful sway and constraints,\noperate only for the interests of the world of the transcendental as well as\neternal meanings and realities, patiently and ardently looking forward to\njoining it, and using the former merely as a means for achieving the latter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is in this\nsense that believers are allegorically said to be existing at another level. It\nis Satan, not them, who is entrapped in the finity of the terrestrial concept\nof time. As a small digression, in the Quranic chapter al-\u02dcAsr<\/em> (Time),\nthe idea of time is closely linked to the idea man and his potential\nexistential loss, \u0153\u00a6except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds\nand advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.\u009d (al-\u02dcAsr,\n3). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It stands to\nreason that based on the chapter in question, he who allows time to absolutely\ncontrol and restrain him, is a loser. But he who manages to \u0153control\u009d time and\nsets himself \u0153free\u009d from its bounds \u201c such as what believers normally do — is\nonly saved. There are many other verses in the Quran which tend to demystify\nthe notion of time and present it as something relative rather than absolute,\nas an accident rather than a substance. The same applies to the concept of\nspace as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore,\nSatan wanted the notion of space, but chose its dimensions where believing men\nand women are least vulnerable. He left out mans lower and upper sides not\nknowing that it is exactly those sides where believers enter and vertically\nrise through the degrees and stations of the spiritual kingdom, attaining in\nthe process ultimate felicity and spiritual excellence. The spiritual life\ntherefore is in a state of constant ascent primarily via regular prostrations\nin prayers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prophet\n(pbuh) is thus reported to have said that the prayer (salah<\/em>) is the\nascension (miraj<\/em>) of a believer. It is likewise unsurprising that the\nprayer is the main pillar of the whole body of the religion of Islam, as well\nas that the culmination of each and every prayer is prostration (sajdah<\/em>)\non the ground. It was reported, accordingly and most fittingly, that when a man\nreads in the Quran a prostration verse and then prostrates to God, Satan\nisolates himself and in despair weeps and exclaims: \u0153A son of Adam was ordered\nto prostrate and he did so; I too was ordered to prostrate but refused to do\nso. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consequently,\nfor the son of Adam is the reward of Paradise and for me the punishment of\nHell.\u009d Without a doubt, just as Satans greed, arrogance and flawed judgments\nwere behind his mischievous and rebellious tendencies, his outright ignorance\nand one-dimensionality, mainly, were behind his faulty and ineffective\nexistential strategies meant for believers. They were no match for the latters\nintellectual and spiritual multidimensional competence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an\nillustration of the nature and intensity of that perennial warfare on earth,\nand the nature of its outcomes, a companion Abu Hurayrah narrated that the\nProphet (pbuh) said: \u0153A strong devil from the jinns<\/em> called \u02dcIfrit<\/em> came to me yesterday suddenly, so as to\nspoil my prayer, but Allah enabled me to overpower him, and so I caught him and\nintended to tie him to one of the pillars of the mosque so that all of you\nmight see him, but I remembered the invocation of my brother (Prophet) Sulayman:\n\u02dcAnd grant me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me, (Sad,\n35), so I let him go cursed.\u009d (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith<\/em> No. 634) It is\nnoteworthy that the Prophet (pbuh) was in a state of prayer facing the qiblah<\/em>\nwhen the incident occurred. Hence, the main focus of the devils attempts to\nunsettle the Prophets concentration must have been the Prophets front site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the Day of Judgment when all masks will fall,\neverything will become clear and the matters pertaining to the terrestrial life\nwill be conclusively and justly decided. Satan, too, will then have to admit\nthe truth, outlining to those who followed him why and where things went wrong.\nTo this effect God says in the Quran: \u0153And Satan will say when the matter is\ndecided: \u02dcIt was Allah Who gave you a promise of Truth: I too promised, but I\nfailed in my promise to you. I had no authority over you except to call you,\nbut you listened to me; then reproach not me, but reproach your own souls. I\ncannot listen to your cries, nor can you listen to mine. I reject your former\nact in associating me with Allah. For wrong-doers there must be a grievous\nChastisement.\u009d (Ibrahim, 22).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kabah (al-Masjid al-Haram) as a\nspiritual compass of believers <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to the\ncentral importance of al-Masjid al-Haram in the lives of believers, the meaning\nof it as the qiblah<\/em> to be faced from anywhere in the world, is readily\napparent. As far as the significance of the downward or the ground side of\nbelievers existence is concerned \u201c as a symbol and direction of prostration (sajdah<\/em>)\n— it could be, and God knows best, that the same has been symbolically\nsuggested by the continuous emphasis on the foundations of the Kabah, the\nSacred Mosque that existed since its inception only for the sake of\naccommodating and facilitating the needs of people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raising the\nKabah on its holy foundations might have also indicated the intellectual and\nspiritual growth of believers and their rising through a range of degrees and\nstations. That the Kabah was built roofless could likewise be interpreted in\nthe spirit that there are neither limits nor obstacles in believing mens and\nwomens continuous progression towards spiritual perfection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This close correlation between the Kabah (al-Masjid al-Haram), as a means, and the case of the spiritual progression and fruition of believers, as an end, was clearly demonstrated by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who, when once circumambulated the Kabah, affirmed the immensity of its reputation, character and honour by saying to it: \u0153How wonderful you are and how wonderful your fragrance is! How great you are and how great your honour is!\u009d But then he added, demonstrating thereby the truest transcendental purpose of al-Masjid al-Haram: \u0153By Him in Whose hands Muhammads soul is, indeed the honour of the believer is greater with God than your honour: his property, his blood and that only good (positive) is assumed about him.\u009d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accordingly, as\nstressed earlier, al-Masjid al-Haram or the Kabah is not about stones, timber\nand other building materials of which it might have been composed. The matter\nwas always spiritual, rather than physical, in the sense that the form of the\nKabah, and later its al-Masjid al-Haram, followed, facilitated and promoted\nits primordial humankind-oriented function with all of its dimensions:\ncorporeal, intellectual and spiritual. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Masjid al-Haram was always about its site in particular and the site of Makkahs haram<\/em> in general, its direction, safety and incalculable blessings (barakah<\/em>). Moreover, it was about the place of annual Hajj<\/em>, the symbol of unfaltering obedience to God and His injunctions, and about the sign as well as source of strength for warding off Satan and his advances. It is not surprising therefore that one of the key Hajj<\/em> rituals is ramy al-jamarat<\/em> that involves stoning the three pillars that represent Satan. The ritual is conducted in the locality of Mina just east of Makkah for three or four consecutive days starting with \u02dcId al-Adha<\/em> or the Feast of the Sacrifice. It is recounted in the books of history that when the angel Jibril taught Ibrahim the rites of Hajj<\/em>, subsequent to his construction of the Kabah, Satan appeared to him three times, seeking to disturb and demoralise him. At each of the appearances, Jibril asked Ibrahim to pelt or stone Satan. So Ibrahim threw seven stones for each appearance at him. After Satan had been stoned for the third time, he was finally defeated, and withdrew from Ibrahim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That particular Hajj<\/em> ritual has been prescribed to commemorate Ibrahims victory over Satan and to remind every pilgrim that he or she has a similar battle of his or her own. The battle, of course, is primarily about Satan. But, in addition, it is also about repudiating and casting aside ones low desires and wishes through which Satan tends to penetrate and dominate ones self. While every believing person intends to initiate and keep up sound relationships with physically and spiritually the safest al-Masjid al-Haram sanctuary and its direction, creating then from his personality a safe haven for all forms of goodness and virtue, Satan, on the other hand, craves and plots to severe such relationships, isolate and make a person directionless and lost, and then embark on crafting of his being a sanctuary for himself and all forms of felony and vice.***<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Spahic Omer Prior to the epoch of Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, there existed only Makkah sanctuary (haram) and the location as well as foundations… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":131060,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,8],"tags":[],"nelio_content":{"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"followers":[12,111,5],"suggestedReferences":[],"efiUrl":"","efiAlt":"","highlights":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/kaaba-islamic-wallpapers-hd.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131056"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=131056"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":131070,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131056\/revisions\/131070"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/131060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=131056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=131056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=131056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}