(… إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ ) (Indeed, the first House [of worship] …): Home is the place of rest, dwelling and comfort.
This verse came here, because what is related to the Sacred House (Al-ka’ba) is related to all the rites that Ibrahim (PBUH) when he was fighting polytheism, Those who say: There is a sanctifying of the stone, and there are things we do not understand in the pilgrimage are mistaken, on the contrary, the rites of Hajj contradict the stone scarifying concept; because in the Hajj, you do not believe in a stone, As Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), came to the Black Stone and kissed it, saying:
“Verily, I know you are only a stone with no power to harm or benefit me. Were it not that I saw the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, kiss you, I would not have kissed you.”
However, the pilgrim does not find the pleasure of the circumambulation without kissing the black stone, moreover, he goes up to Mina to throw stones on the stone that represents the Apelles, so we do not find here any stone concept that we have mentioned, but quite the contrary, it is against the polytheism.
A man said to Ali (may Allah (swt) be pleased with him): O prince of the believers, tell me about this house, and he said to him:
“It is the first house established for the people.” The houses were before it, and Noah, peace be upon him, inhabited the houses, but this house was the first house set up for the people, it is a blessed place; a source of guidance for all people.”
It is a house of worship and obedience, for when a person is tired, he goes to his house in order to rest, and he reduces his worries and troubles that he finds abroad, as well, you go to the Holy House of Allah to put the heavy burdens and sins off you. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said:
“Whoever performs Hajj (pilgrimage) and does not have sexual relations (with his wife), nor commits sin, nor disputes unjustly (during Hajj), then he returns from Hajj as pure and free from sins as on the day on which his mother gave birth to him.”
A person may say: All mosques in the land are the houses of worshipping Allah (swt), what is the difference between them and the Ka’ba? The difference is that the Ka’ba is the House of worshipping Allah (swt) by His choice, and the mosques are the houses of worshipping Him (swt) from the choice of Allah’s creation (people), such as the people of a neighborhood or those concerned agree to mark a piece of land in their neighborhood, and they say: we will build a mosque on it. Hence, the Ka’ba is the only house that was made without human being’s choice, so that is the difference.
وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ (established or appointed for people): This house is put to all Allah (swt)’s creation by Allah (swt)’s command and choice.
The word “people” indicates all human beings, and Adam peace be upon him is the origin of these people, and
{وُضِع} (put, established) is a passive verb so the one who put this house is unknown, that is, angels are the ones who put this house, before Adam, and the evidence is this verse.
One of the proofs is that the Sacred House (Ka’ba) was settled for the people before their presence and was built before Ibrahim (PBUH):
- The word (people) includes Adam (PBUH).
2- When Ibrahim (pbuh) took the and his son Ismail to this desolate valley, he said:
رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ
(Our Lord, I have established some of my offspring in an uncultivated valley, close to Your Sacred House,) (Ibrahim: 37)
This indicates that it was built before Ibrahim came to this area, and he is not the one who built it, and Allah said:
وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
(And [mention] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ishmael, [saying], “Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed} You are the Hearing, the Knowing.) (Al-Baqara: 127)
He raised it with his son Ismail after he became young and not when he was an infant, this is not reasonably possible.
لَلَّذِي بِبَكَّةَ (was that at Bakkah): Why did he say “Bakkh” instead of “Makkah”?
This is one of the miracles of the Holy Quran. If he had said: (was that at Makkah) the meaning wouldn’t have been known, because the place where the Ka’ba was built it wasn’t a country, but it was an uncultivated valley as described by our Ibrahim (pbuh), then Makkah, subsequently, was built as a result of the invocation of Ibrahim: (PBUH).
﴿فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُم مِّنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ﴾
{So make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide for them from the fruits that they might be grateful.} (Ibrahin: 37)
The evidence is words of our master Ibrahim (pbuh):
وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ مَنْ آمَنَ مِنْهُم بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ قَالَ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَأُمَتِّعُهُ قَلِيلاً ثُمَّ أَضْطَرُّهُ إِلَى عَذَابِ النَّارِ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ
{And [mention] when Abraham said, “My Lord, make this a secure city and provide its people with fruits – whoever of them believes in Allah and the Last Day.” [Allah] said. “And whoever disbelieves – I will grant him enjoyment for a little; then I will force him to the punishment of the Fire, and wretched is the destination.”} (Al-Baqara: 126)
So there was no country, the first house established for people was in Bakkah, not in Makkah.
Bakkah: It is the place where people are crowded at circumambulation (Tawaf), taken from congestion, and that is the miracle.
مُبَارَكًا (full of blessing): As Allah (swt) says about the Holy Quran:
كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَارَكٌ لِّيَدَّبَّرُوا آيَاتِهِ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ أُوْلُوا الْأَلْبَابِ
{[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded.} (Saad: 29)
The word “Mubarak” (blessed) means in Arabic: To stable firmly on his condition.
The general meaning of the word “Mubarak” (blessed): Money which produces more than its value, as we say in everyday language: this little food has Baraka (blessing), it is enough for me and ten people with me also.
As such, prayer in Mecca Haram equals a hundred thousand prayers as a result of the blessing, which was mentioned by Allah (swt) by saying:
إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِي بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدًى لِّلْعَالَمِينَ
{The first House [of worship] to be established for people was the one at Mecca. It is a blessed place; a source of guidance for all people;}
The blessing comes from Allah (swt), The Sacred Mosque is blessed, meaning, the reward is doubled and can accommodate the largest number
If a human honor his guest with the best he has, how about the most generous one (Allah) when He says this is my home?!
So whoever enters it, and gets the honor of the circumambulation, he is in the blessing of Allah (swt).
وَهُدًى لِّلْعَالَمِينَ (source of guidance for all people;): It directs to the correct path.