In the previous verses, the issue spoken about concerned the Ihram, and Ihram is part and parcel of performing the Hajj and Umrah. It is obligatory for a person to be in Ihram when he enters the sacred house to perform the Hajj or Umrah. This ruling is connected to the principles of faith and that this noble house was the first house built for mankind, as Allah (swt) has said:
إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِي بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدًى لِّلْعَالَمِينَ
(Surely the first House (of worship) established for humanity is the one at Bakkah—a blessed sanctuary and a guide for (all) people) (Ali-Imran: 96)
After which, Allah (swt) explained what was allowed and what was prohibited during Ihram, including what was prohibited concerning hunting and the matters connected to it.
(… جَعَلَ اللَّهُ الْكَعْبَةَ الْبَيْتَ الْحَرَامَ قِيَامًا لِّلنَّاسِ وَالشَّهْرَ الْحَرَامَ ) (Allah has made the Ka’ba, the Sacred House, standing for the people and [has sanctified] the sacred months …): The word used here is (has made) and not (created). Both words can mean ‘to make’, but there is a difference in usage between them. Creating means to make something from non-existence, while (has made) means to steer creation towards the tasks that Allah (swt) has willed for them in this world.
(… الْبَيْتَ… ) (…House …): The Arabic word comes from the word Albaitutah, which means ‘lodging or putting up for the night’. As Allah (swt) uses the passive verb to describe the Sacred House in the following verse:
إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِي بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدًى لِّلْعَالَمِينَ
(Surely the first House (of worship) established for humanity is the one at Bakkah—a blessed sanctuary and a guide for (all) people) (Ali-Imran: 96)
It means that it was not established by human beings, as Adam (PBUH) was the first one who was called a human being. So, who then established the Ka’ba? The answer is the angels. However, some might say, didn’t Prophet Abraham (PBUH) establish it, as Allah (swt) says:
وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ
(And (remember) when Abraham raised the foundation of the House with Ishmael) (Al-Baqara: 127)
The answer is that since Prophet Abraham (PBUH) raised the foundation of the house, it means that the place for the house already existed. What he did was to take on the third dimension, which is the height, thus Allah (swt) did not say: And when Abraham built the house with Ishmael. So, since he is the one who raised its foundation, where was it located? Let’s revisit the story. Prophet Abraham Al-Khaleel (PBUH) had taken Hajar to a place that Allah (swt) had ordered him to go to, as mentioned in this verse:
رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُم مِّنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ
(Our Lord! I have settled some of my offspring in a barren valley, near Your Sacred House, our Lord, so that they may establish prayer. So make the hearts of people incline towards them and provide them with fruits, so perhaps they will be thankful) (Ibrahim: 37)
It was a barren area which was void of plants, vegetation and water whatsoever. Together with Hajar was Ishmael, the first son of Prophet Abraham. Ishmael was still a suckling baby at that time. Then, Prophet Abraham (PBUH) said:
رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ
(Our Lord! I have settled some of my offspring in a barren valley, near Your Sacred House) (Ibrahim: 37)
This indicates that the sacred house had been existent before its foundations were raised, and the Words of Allah:
وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ
(And (remember) when Abraham raised the foundation of the House with Ishmael) (Al-Baqara: 127)
indicate that Ishmael had become a young man at that time. If he were still a nursing baby, he would not have been able to carry out the job. Thus, we know that the sacred house had existed before Adam (PBUH), it had been wiped out during the flood of Prophet Noah (PBUH) and then had its foundations raised again by Prophet Abraham (PBUH).
(… جَعَلَ اللَّهُ الْكَعْبَةَ الْبَيْتَ الْحَرَامَ قِيَامًا لِّلنَّاسِ ) (Allah has made the Ka’ba, the Sacred House, a sanctuary of well-being for all people …): This means that in it is that which will straighten the lives of man, through values and physically too. Due to this, fruits of every kind were brought to it, as Imam Ali (may Allah ennoble his face) said: “Those who want to seek both the world and the hereafter should go to this Sacred House”, in compliance to Allah’s Words which mean, (Allah has made the Ka’ba, the Sacred House, a sanctuary of well-being for all people.) It establishes the lives of man in this world and the next; a good life in this world and its results reaped in the hereafter.
(… الْبَيْتَ الْحَرَامَ… ) (…Sacred House …): The word used to describe the House is “Sacred” (Haram), which means prohibition. This is because, some things which are not prohibited elsewhere are prohibited there, such as hunting. Allah (swt) has says:
وَمَن دَخَلَهُ كَانَ آمِنًا
(Anyone who enters it will be safe) (Ali-Imran: 97)
However, one may ask, in history, it has been recorded that the Ka’ba was attacked using catapults. How is it that those who enter it will be safe? The answer is that this statement is a command from Allah (swt). It is like the verse:
الْخَبِيثَاتُ لِلْخَبِيثِينَ وَالْخَبِيثُونَ لِلْخَبِيثَاتِ ۖ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ لِلطَّيِّبِينَ وَالطَّيِّبُونَ لِلطَّيِّبَاتِ
(Corrupt women are for corrupt men and corrupt men are for corrupt women; good women are for good men and good men are for good women) (An-Noor: 26)
Is every good man in the world paired with a good woman? The answer is no, as it is possible that a good man is paired with a corrupt woman, or a corrupt man is paired with a good woman. However, the verse enjoins the good men to look for good women and for the good women to look for good men. Likewise, when Allah says:
وَمَن دَخَلَهُ كَانَ آمِنًا
(Anyone who enters it will be safe) (Ali-Imran: 97)
It is a command for the believers to grant security to anyone who enters the Sacred House, whether it is carried out or not. During Ihram in this Sacred House, people are prohibited from certain acts such as wearing sewn clothes, from getting together with their wives, from wearing perfume and musk and from cutting the fingernails.
(… وَالشَّهْرَ الْحَرَامَ وَالْهَدْيَ وَالْقَلَائِدَ ۚ… ) (…Along with the sacred months, the sacrificial animals, and the (offerings decorated with) garlands…): The sacred months are the months in which Allah (swt) has prohibited killing and hunting, namely: Rajab, DhulQaedah, DhulHijjah and Muharram.
(The sacrificial animals): refer to the sheep which are brought to the Haram (sacred area) for sacrifice for the poor and needy there.
The garlands refer to the camels which have been adorned with garlands to indicate that they are specifically for the needy around the Sacred House.
( ذَٰلِكَ لِتَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ … ) (…That is so you may know that Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth and that Allah is Knowing of all things): All of this Halal (lawful) and Haram (forbidden) concerning the Ka’ba is conveyed so that the human being knows that Allah (swt) is All-Knowing. And since He is All-Knowing, He knows whether a person is obedient due to the faith in his heart or only externally. Therefore, Taqwa (fearing Allah) is required in believing and carrying out acts of worship for Allah (swt). For example, when a person goes for Hajj, why does he have to perform the Ihram? Why does he have to perform seven rounds of Tawaf (Circumambulation) and not eight? Why should he kiss the black stone? The answers to these questions are that these are yardsticks of one’s faith. As Allah (swt) knows everything in the heavens and the earth, and He is Knowing of all things, one can never hide anything from His Knowledge.