Quran Garden

Special Session

Moving the Standing Place of Abraham

Shortly after Prophet Muhammad and the Muslims entered Mecca as victors, he, peace be upon him, visited God's sacred House.  The stone of the standing place of Abraham (Maqam Ibrahim) was at its original location right against the walls of the Ka'aba.  Allah revealed the following verse:

and We made the House a place of return and a sanctuary for people, saying, "Take the spot where Abraham stood as your place of prayer." (from 2:125)

Our beloved Muhammad moved Abraham's stone and placed it a few yards back to allow room for prayers so the worshipers behind him would not obstruct the pilgrims performing the circumambulation –Tawaf- around the Ka'aba. 

Today, we tell the story of how Maqam Ibrahim –which, for centuries, has been in the spot where Prophet Muhammad placed it- almost lost its location.   Imam Al-Sherawy, whose Quran Tafsir we translate every week, was an integral part of this story.   

During the 1950s, the number of pilgrims to God's House increased substantially.  The Holy Haram became crowded, and Tawaf grew increasingly difficult.  This was further complicated by the pilgrims having to work their way around the big room housing the standing place of Abraham. 

The Saudi authorities felt the need to expand the grounds of God's House, and a significant project was initiated.  One of the ideas put forward by the scholars was to move Maqam Ibrahim from its current place and relocate far back to clear the way for the pilgrims to perform the Tawaf smoothly.  The scholars pointed out that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, had moved the stone before, so moving it again was permissible in Islam. 

A proposal was sent to King Saud, the servant of the two holy shrines at the time, who approved it.  A new Maqam was built at the newly approved location, and a date was scheduled for the king to come and personally move the stone bearing the foot imprints of Prophet Abraham.  That date fell on a Tuesday in 1954.      

At the time, Sheikh Al-Sherawy was working as a professor at the Faculty of Sharia at Um Al Qura University in Mecca.  He heard of the planned move of Maqam Ibrahim on Saturday, four days before the king's visit.  Al-Sherawy considered moving the stone contrary to Islamic teachings, so he contacted the Saudi and Egyptian religious authorities to object.  He was informed that the matter was settled and that the new Maqam was already built, awaiting the king's visit to finalize the relocation of the stone. 

Imam Sherawy sat down and wrote a five-page telegram to King Saud.  He presented evidence from Islamic Sharia and history proving that moving Ibrahim's stone is contrary to God's teachings.  Here are some of the arguments explained in his telegram: 

Prophet Muhammad is the only messenger God entrusted to legislate on his own.  In other words, Allah –the All-Wise- allowed Muhammad, peace be upon him, to issue new religious laws on behalf of God as he saw fit.  God says in verse 7 of chapter 59:

Whatever the Messenger gives you, you should accept, and whatever he forbids you, you should forgo.

Allah gave our beloved Muhammad full and independent authority to legislate, and this was a great honor exclusive to Muhammad that none of the previous messengers had.  He, peace be upon him, used this authority to move the standing place of Abraham.  It is a power not available to us or any scholar.   

The sheikh also recalled a historical event at the time of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him.  A storm that brought torrential rains caused a flood to pass through Mecca and sweep away Abraham's stepping stone from its place.  When Omar, who was the Caliph at the time, heard, he came rushing from Medina.  Omar gathered the companions and asked, "I appeal to you; who among you knows the proper location of Maqam Ibrahim?  Who has information of where the Messenger of God placed it?" A man stood up and said: "I know exactly where it belongs, Omar.  I have prepared for a day like this and measured the distance that determines the position of the stone in relation to what is around it.  I have ropes with knots bearing the exact measurements stored in my house."  Omar was delighted.  He sent for the ropes from the man's house, confirmed the measurements, and returned the stone to the exact location where our beloved Muhammad had placed it."  In other words, Omar, one of the great companions and the Caliph of the Muslims, felt that he had no authority to move the stone from its location.   

When the telegram reached King Saud, he gathered the scholars and asked them to review the evidence presented by Imam Sherawy.  After a period of study, the scholars came back in agreement and a recommendation against moving the stone.  The king issued a decision to keep Maqam Ibrahim exactly where it is and ordered the newly built Maqam to be demolished. 

The king invited Sheikh Al-Sherawy, gave him some gifts, and asked him to serve on the committee overlooking the expansion project of God's Sacred House.  Al-Sherawy suggested that the large room surrounding Ibrahim's stone at the time be demolished and replaced with the small metal and glass dome we all know today.  The small and transparent Maqam would make the Tawaf much easier for the pilgrims and allow everyone to peek in and see the actual stone that bears the footprints of our beloved Abraham. 

May Allah have mercy on the souls of the Imam, the king, and everyone who contributed to the expansion of God's House with their big hearts, generous hands, and love for the truth.  We ask God for mercy, forgiveness, and a chance to visit His House soon.

The Messenger of God, peace be upon him, said: "The Black Stone and the Maqam are two jewels from the jewels of Paradise.  God has diminished their light, and if He had not reduced their light, they would have illuminated all that is between the east and the west."