Quran Garden

Session 426

Chapter 3

Verse 97

In it are clear signs – the standing place of Abraham.  Whoever enters it is safe.  Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to God by all who can afford a way to it.  And whoever rejects, God is independent of all creation.  (Chapter 3: Verse 97)

At first glance, there seems to be an error in this verse.  Allah talks about the clear signs of His Sacred House, yet, only one sign is mentioned: "the standing place of Abraham."  Shouldn't the verse start with "In it is a clear sign"?  We answer, no.  Allah wants to turn your attention to the fact that "the standing place of Abraham" includes many signs.  Let's explore. 

Abraham, peace be upon him, searched for a large rock to stand on so he could raise the foundation of the Sacred House.  But was that necessary?  No, it was not!  God asked Abraham to raise the pillars of the House, so it would have been sufficient for him to raise it as high as his hands could reach.  Had he done that, he would have fulfilled his duty.  But Abraham approached all of God's commands with love and devotion.  God says:

When Abraham's Lord tested him with specific commandments, which he completely fulfilled, He said, "I will make you a leader of people." Abraham asked, "And will You make leaders from my descendants too?" God answered, "My pledge does not hold for those who do evil." (2:124)

Abraham thought to himself, "Why don't I raise the house as high as possible?" At the time, the concept of scaffolding did not exist.  So he, peace be upon him, searched for the largest rock he and his son Ishmael could carry and then placed it next to Ka'aba's foundation.  That is the first sign that teaches us how God's commands should be respected.  

If you were blessed by visiting the standing place of Abraham, you know that the stone was only large enough for one person to stand.  Thus, we understand that Ishmael passed the bricks to his father, who was building the Ka'aba.  As for the imprints of Abraham's feet on this stone, we know that to carry such heavy bricks, Abraham needed stability and balance while on the rock.  You can see the imprints of Abraham's feet in the stone.  Is that possible?  Of course.  By going the extra mile to carry out Allah's command perfectly, Allah sent His divine support to Abraham.  He softened the rock to support and protect Abraham from falling.  That is another clear sign of how God helps those who help Him.  As for people who find it hard to comprehend such a miracle, we say to them, "If it makes you more comfortable that Abraham carved a place for his feet in the stone so he could maintain his balance, so be it." You can take whatever aligns with your understanding and learn the lesson from it.  

Allah helped Abraham because he, peace be upon him, did the best job he could.  As you know, God's guidance is of two types: guidance of indication and the guidance of assistance.  Allah comes to the aid of those who follow His teachings.  He says:

As for those who have accepted God's guidance, He strengthens them in guidance and gives them piety and protection from sin.  (47:17)

The verse continues with, "Whoever enters it is safe." Mecca is where the Arab tribes met during the Hajj season.  Among these tribes were conflicts, bloodshed, and wars.  Allah commands that whoever enters His Sacred Mosque is safe.  Why?  Because it is not appropriate for anyone to shed blood or conduct worldly affairs in the House of the Lord.  Even if a person has committed a major crime, he or she should be safe in God's House.  However, you can always make life very difficult for the criminal and pressure them to leave the Haram.  Omar, may God be pleased with him, said, "If I were to find the murderer of my father around the Ka'aba, I would not confront him."

We can apply a more beautiful interpretation of the phrase "Whoever enters it is safe" in regards to the Hereafter.  Those who visit God's House and properly perform the Hajj pilgrimage will find safety on the Day of Resurrection.  It is a high degree of God's mercy and grace.

Another great sign of God's House is the black stone.  You see people eager to touch or kiss it, even though stones do not hold much value in our world.  We know that humans are God's successors in the universe, and He granted us the highest status of all creations.  We are higher than animals, plants, and inanimate objects, including stones.  Yet, during the Hajj pilgrimage or Umrah, we see that Allah does not accept the rites from humans - the best of all creations - unless they face or embrace the black stone.  In other words, at that moment, God switches the rank of the highest of creations with the lowest.  People crowd around the stone, and the person who does not get a chance to embrace it feels that he or she has missed out.  Even an arrogant person who fancies himself better than others rushes to kiss the stone while performing the rituals of the Hajj or Umrah.  This is how God breaks man's arrogance.  It is yet another great sign that teaches us that matters in our life should not hold much value unless Allah assigns them value.   

Here we should take a moment to erase any possible misconception that Muslims give rocks and stones a special status.  We point that, during Hajj, God commands us to debase and stone another rock, the three Jamarat representing the devil.  In other words, this is not about stone worship because we can highlight examples of honoring one stone while disdaining another.  We only assign value to God's teachings.  When He commands us to glorify, we do so out of obedience to Him, and when He commands us to disdain, we obey His will. 

We say to the critics who claim that Islam has retained some pagan practices by idolizing the Black Stone, "Why do you remember the glorification of the Black Stone, and do not mention the stoning of the devil represented by the three Jamarat stones?  Allah took us out of the depths of idolatry and the peak of polytheism to the honor of Islam which holds only one thing sacred: the teachings of our Creator.  Are these not clear signs?"