I know it's holy and all that stuff... but what exactly is in there? Why is it covered? Does anyone ever go inside? What does it signify?
The Kabah, the muslim place of worship has roots far preceeding Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. Abraham, the patriarch of Christianity, Judaism and Islam built this as the testament to the one God worshipped by all three religions. Later is was converted into a tribute to multiple deity place of worship of the tribes of Arabia, until Muhammad came to pass and made it a tribute once again to the one God. It is the direction in which all muslims pray towards daily, and one of the tenets of Islam is that all able (financially and physically) should once in their lifetime do the pilgramage called Hajj, as shown in this picture.
Its a jack-in-the-box...da da, da da, da da dee dum da da da, da da, da da dee dum da.... If it was built be Abraham, I wonder why it doesn't have a lot of significance for Jews and Christians? Does anyone know?
Masjid Al Haram Masjid Al Haram is the centeral part of the old city of Makkah. It has many prominent features. The main feature of Masjid al Haram that distinguishes it from any other mosque in the world is the Kabah. The Kabah is a room in the center of the mosque, it is a representation of god's throne in the heavens. The mountains of Safa and Marwa which used to be outside of the Haram are now part of it after the expansion. The Haram also houses the ages old spring of ZamZam. According to Quranic tradition Prophet Abraham's wife Hagar was looking for water for her infant son Prophet Ismail when this spring sprung from the ground. [I've read that it was originally built by Adam, destroyed, then later reconstructed by Abraham and Ishmael. Of course no one knew this until it was revealed to Muhammad.] Masjid al-Haram has nineteen doors, of which four are on the east wall, three on the west wall, five on the north wall and seven on the south wall. It has seven minarets. The Ka`ba al-muazzama is a cubical room built of stone in the middle of Masjid al- Haram, and is 11.4 meters tall. Its north wall is 9.25 meters long, south wall 8.5 meters long, east wall 13.5 meters long, and west wall 13.3 meters long. On the corner of the east- south walls is the stone of Hajar-i-aswad, which is over one meter above the ground. With so many hajjis having kissed it, its surface is now rather concave. The Ka`ba has a door on the east wall. 1.88 meters above the ground, the door is 1.7 meters wide and 2.6 meters high. [It used to house idols, especially of the moon god. People don't care what's inside now, they only care about what the Kabah represents.]
Who goes in there? Head of states get to go in, and the ruling family of Saudi Arabia, as caretakers, go in and get it cleaned. Supposedly you can't look towards the ceiling. The cloth is changed and replaced and the walls are washed. The gold lettering on the cloth are actual gold threads. During Hajj, an estimated 2.5 million walk around the Ka'aba from every part of the mosque.
get it cleaned? that's funny since hardly anyone goes in, how much of a mess can be in there? I mean does the royal family like, party in there? and maids have to come in and clean up after them? this is all very interesting. thank for the insight.
I dunno, dust maybe? Even if it doesn't get dirty, I guess they do it out of respect to make sure the inside is always clean?!?
The Kabah What is inside the Kaba? Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, the president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), had the opportunity to go inside the Kaba in October 1998. He described the following features: - there are two pillars inside (others report 3 pillars) - there is a table on the side to put items like perfume - there are two lantern-type lamps hanging from the ceiling - the space can accommodate about 50 people - there are no electric lights inside - the walls and the floors are of the marble - there are no windows inside - there is only one door - the upper inside walls of the Kaba were covered with some kind of curtain with the Kalima written on it.
Thats not funny. Also can some of you guys take anything seriously? "Jack in the Box" Now dont start a religious war over here. I am not a twisted Muslim claiming racism. I know the same guys would probably say the same thing about a church or temple.
Hey, I am sure that no one really believes that Usama, or Jack are in there arguing over the $.99 value meal deal. OR ARE THEY? DaDakota
