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Draft:Door of the Ka'ba

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The Door of the Ka'ba located on the eastern wall of the Ka'ba

The Door of the Ka'ba (Arabic: باب الكعبة), situated on the eastern wall of the Ka'ba, is a site of significant reverence to which various virtues have been attributed. In Shi'a hadith literature, reciting supplications upon reaching the door is highly recommended. The door bears inscriptions of Qur'anic verses, the names of God, and the name of the Prophet (s).

Measuring over 3 meters in height and approximately 170 cm in width, the door is positioned more than 2 meters above the ground. Originally situated at ground level, the entrance was elevated during the reconstruction of the Ka'ba by the Quraysh to restrict public access.

Historical accounts suggest that a ruler of Yemen installed the structure's first door approximately seven centuries prior to the Hijra of the Prophet (s). The interior of the Ka'ba contains a small antechamber housing a staircase that leads to the roof; this chamber is secured by a small, golden door known as the Door of Repentance (Bab al-Tawba).

Location and Characteristics

The Door of the Ka'ba is located on the eastern wall of the edifice.[1] Its surface is inscribed with various verses, divine names, and the name of the Prophet of Islam (s).[2] The current door stands over 3 meters high and approximately 170 cm wide. It is recessed about half a meter into the wall and is elevated more than 2 meters from the ground.[3] Over 200 kg of gold was utilized in its construction.[4] 'Abd al-Muttalib, the grandfather of the Prophet (s), is credited as the first individual to adorn the Ka'ba's door with gold.[5]

Custodianship of the Key (Sidana)

The custodianship of the Ka'ba's key, known as Sidana, has been the prerogative of the Banu Shayba tribe since the pre-Islamic era.[6] Following the Conquest of Mecca, the Prophet of Islam (s) briefly took possession of the key from 'Uthman b. Talha, the custodian at the time, to enter the sanctuary. He subsequently returned it, declaring that the honor would remain with his family in perpetuity and that none but an oppressor would seize it from them.[7] To this day, the responsibility of guarding the key remains with the members of this lineage.[8]

Historical Background

Historical narratives vary regarding the installation of the first door of the Ka'ba. Some reports indicate that a ruler of Yemen installed a door approximately 700 years prior to the Hijra of the Prophet (s).[9]

During his rule over Mecca, 'Abd Allah b. al-Zubayr installed two doors: one for entry and another for exit.[10] However, Ibn al-Zubayr's modifications were transient; following his death, the second door was sealed.[11] Throughout history, various monarchs and rulers have undertaken the repair or replacement of the door.[12]

The current door was constructed by the order of the Saudi King Khalid b. 'Abd al-'Aziz.[13] Initially situated at ground level, the door was raised by the Quraysh during their reconstruction of the Ka'ba. This elevation was intended to prevent unrestricted access, allowing them to admit visitors selectively and to forcibly repel unwanted entrants with stones.[14]

Virtues of the Door of the Ka'ba

Shia traditions recommend reciting a specific supplication upon arriving at the door of the Ka'ba:

Another narrated supplication is as follows:

It is also deemed meritorious to send Salawat upon reaching the door of the Ka'ba.[15]

Historical sources recount that when Abraha launched his assault to destroy the Ka'ba, 'Abd al-Muttalib grasped the metal ring of the door, fervently invoking God for assistance.[16]

Door inside the Ka'ba

Door Inside the Ka'ba

The interior of the Ka'ba features a small chamber containing a staircase that leads to the roof.[17] This enclosure is secured by a small door known as the Door of Repentance (Bab al-Tawba),[18] which is constructed of gold.[17]

Appropriation of the Door's Gold by Rulers

Beyond the repair or replacement of the door, certain rulers intervened in other ways. One ruler of Mecca erased the name of the Egyptian caliph inscribed on the door, substituting it with that of the Abbasid caliph.[19] In 462/1070, facing severe financial distress, the ruler of Mecca stripped the gold from the Golden Spout and the door of the Ka'ba to mint dinars.[20] Additionally, an Abbasid caliph who replaced the door with a silver-plated version reportedly utilized the wood from the previous door to construct his own coffin.[21]

  • The oldest existing door of the Ka'ba, dating back approximately four centuries[22]
    The oldest existing door of the Ka'ba, dating back approximately four centuries[22]
  • The lock of the Ka'ba's door
    The lock of the Ka'ba's door
  • Side view of the door
    Side view of the door
  • The door constructed by the order of King 'Abd al-'Aziz
    The door constructed by the order of King 'Abd al-'Aziz

Notes

  1. ↑ Bāb al-Kaʿba al-musharrafa, Site of Al-Riʾāsa al-ʿāmma li-shuʾūn al-Masjid al-Ḥarām wa al-Masjid al-Nabawī.
  2. ↑ Bāb al-Kaʿba al-musharrafa, Site of Al-Riʾāsa al-ʿāmma li-shuʾūn al-Masjid al-Ḥarām wa al-Masjid al-Nabawī.
  3. ↑ Mādhā taʿrif ʿan Bāb al-Kaʿba wa kam kānat taklufatuhu?, Al-Alam Website.
  4. ↑ Mādhā taʿrif ʿan Bāb al-Kaʿba wa kam kānat taklufatuhu?, Al-Alam Website.
  5. ↑ Masʿūdī, Murūj al-dhahab, 1409 AH, vol. 2, p. 104.
  6. ↑ Ibn al-Athīr, Usd al-ghāba, 1409 AH, vol. 2, p. 383.
  7. ↑ Maqrīzī, Imtāʿ al-asmāʿ, 1420 AH, vol. 1, p. 394.
  8. ↑ Ibn al-Athīr, Usd al-ghāba, 1409 AH, vol. 2, p. 383.
  9. ↑ Ṣabrī Bāshā, Mawsūʿat mirʾāt al-Ḥaramayn al-sharīfayn, 2004, vol. 2, p. 664.
  10. ↑ Balādhurī, Ansāb al-ashrāf, 1417 AH, vol. 5, p. 349.
  11. ↑ Balādhurī, Ansāb al-ashrāf, 1417 AH, vol. 5, p. 349.
  12. ↑ Bāb al-Kaʿba al-musharrafa, Site of Al-Riʾāsa al-ʿāmma li-shuʾūn al-Masjid al-Ḥarām wa al-Masjid al-Nabawī.
  13. ↑ Bāb al-Kaʿba al-musharrafa, Site of Al-Riʾāsa al-ʿāmma li-shuʾūn al-Masjid al-Ḥarām wa al-Masjid al-Nabawī.
  14. ↑ Balādhurī, Futūḥ al-buldān, 1988, p. 55.
  15. ↑ Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 8, p. 570.
  16. ↑ Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, 1407 AH, vol. 2, p. 172.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Bāb al-Kaʿba al-musharrafa, Site of Al-Riʾāsa al-ʿāmma li-shuʾūn al-Masjid al-Ḥarām wa al-Masjid al-Nabawī.
  18. ↑ Maʿlūmāt ʿan Bāb al-Tawba fī l-Kaʿba, Mawdoo3 Website.
  19. ↑ Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, 1407 AH, vol. 12, p. 131.
  20. ↑ Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, 1407 AH, vol. 12, p. 99.
  21. ↑ Ibn al-Athīr, Al-Kāmil, 1385 AH, vol. 11, p. 228.
  22. ↑ Qiṣṣat abwāb al-Kaʿba, Al-Arabiya Website.

References

  • Al-Balādhurī, Aḥmad b. Yaḥyā, Ansāb al-ashrāf, Beirut, Dār al-Fikr, 1417 AH.
  • Al-Balādhurī, Aḥmad b. Yaḥyā, Futūḥ al-buldān, Beirut, Al-Hilāl, 1988.
  • Ibn al-Athīr, ʿAlī b. Muḥammad, Al-Kāmil fī l-tārīkh, Beirut, Dār Ṣādir, 1385 AH.
  • Ibn al-Athīr, ʿAlī b. Muḥammad, Usd al-ghāba fī maʿrifat al-ṣaḥāba, Beirut, Dār al-Fikr, 1409 AH.
  • Ibn Kathīr al-Dimashqī, Ismāʿīl b. ʿUmar, Al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, Beirut, Dār al-Fikr, 1407 AH.
  • Al-Kulaynī, Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb, Al-Kāfī, ed. ʿAlī Akbar Ghaffārī and Muḥammad Ākhūndī, Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 4th ed., 1407 AH.
  • Al-Maqrīzī, Taqī al-Dīn, Imtāʿ al-asmāʿ bi-mā li-l-nabī min al-aḥwāl wa l-amwāl wa l-ḥafada wa l-matāʿ, ed. Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd Namīsī, Beirut, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1st ed., 1420 AH.
  • Al-Masʿūdī, ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn, Murūj al-dhahab wa maʿādin al-jawhar, ed. Asʿad Dāghir, Qom, Dār al-Hijra, 2nd ed., 1409 AH.
  • Bāb al-Kaʿba al-musharrafa, Site of Al-Riʾāsa al-ʿāmma li-shuʾūn al-Masjid al-Ḥarām wa al-Masjid al-Nabawī, Accessed: Ordibehesht 17, 1401 SH.
  • Maʿlūmāt ʿan Bāb al-Tawba fī l-Kaʿba, Mawdoo3 Website, Accessed: Ordibehesht 17, 1401 SH.
  • Mādhā taʿrif ʿan Bāb al-Kaʿba wa kam kānat taklufatuhu?, Al-Alam Website, Posted: October 12, 2016, Accessed: Ordibehesht 17, 1401 SH.
  • Qiṣṣat abwāb al-Kaʿba, Al-Arabiya Website, December 26, 2016, Accessed: Ordibehesht 17, 1401 SH.
  • Ṣabrī Bāshā, Ayyūb, Mawsūʿat mirʾāt al-Ḥaramayn al-sharīfayn wa jazīrat al-ʿArab, trans. Mājida Maʿrūf, Ḥusayn Mujīb al-Maṣrī, and ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ʿAwaḍ, Cairo, Dār al-Āfāq al-ʿArabiyya, 2004.
  • Al-Shaykh al-Mufīd, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad b. Nuʿmān, Al-Muqniʿa, Qom, World Congress for the Millennium of Sheikh Mufid, 1st ed., 1413 AH.
  • Al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh, ed. ʿAlī Akbar Ghaffārī, Qom, Islamic Publications Office affiliated with the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom, 2nd ed., 1413 AH.
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