The city of Makkah has been described in the Qur’an by many other names such as Umm Al-Qura, Al-Balad Al-Amen (Secure City), Al-Balad Al-Haram (Holy City) and al Bakkah as well. It has been noticed that the areas considered holy, often associated with places of worship or religious rituals are performed. The sacredness of the place is conveyed by the Arabic form muqaddas and mubarak, “holy and blessed”. Since the ancient times when Abraham brought his wife Hajirah to raise their son Ismail in Makkah this town is said to have been made sacred by God (Qur’an 27:91). The figures of Abraham are combined into a common framework for the sacredness of the Ka’ba.
Since then this holy land has been a meeting place for travellers to engage in an exchange of culture and enjoy the generous hospitality of the local tribes. Nearly all scholars trace the sanctity of Makkah to the Ka’ba later rebuilt at God’s express command by Abraham and Ishmael. The Qur’an states that first house, appointed for people is the one at Bakkah, blessed and guidance for all people. (Al-Qur’an)
This was the first House of Allah, which makes the city of Makkah a destination for worshippers seeking a meditation with the One God. Abraham is credited not only with the foundation of the house but also with the prosperity of the people living in its vicinity. Their prosperity is the outcome of Abraham’s prayer as recorded in the Qur’an; “Our Lord! I have made some of my offspring settle in a barren valley near Your Sacred House! Our Lord! I did so that they may establish Prayer. So make the hearts of people affectionately inclined to them, and provide them with fruits for their sustenance that they may give thanks.” (14:37)
In another place in the Qur’an the same prayer refers to the “town” in general and not specifically to the house. The Qur’an points out that “And call to mind when Abraham prayed: “My Lord! Make this city secure, and keep me and my sons away from worshipping the idols”. (Q 14:36) However the security of Makkah, much like its sacredness is traced back to Abraham who is said to have prayed to God to provide this town with security and prosperity. (2:16)
Therefore the sacredness of the Ka’ba could be found in the pre-Islamic period as well. This sacredness made it possible to have annual fairs not far from Makkah to which the nomads could come, since within the sacred area tribal feuds were in abeyance. Among the tribes certain months were regarded as sacred and it was during these months that the fairs were held. The Qur’an states: “Surely the reckoning of months in the sight of Allah is twelve months, laid down in Allah’s decree on the day when He created the heavens and the earth; out of these months four are sacred. That is the ordainment. Do not wrong yourselves during these months. … And know that Allah is with the righteous (who fear Him).” (Q 9: 36.)
It was a different city from other Arabian cities and had a somewhat exceptional position. There was sufficient well (Zamazm) water to support a small settled community. This had grown up round a sacred shrine, the Ka’ba, and had ‘the black stone’, built into one corner. This may have been a meteorite and was regarded as having divine properties. The area round the Ka’ba which known as the Al-Harm, was especially sacred, and a wider area round Makkah had a degree of sacredness. Mention must be made, however, of the nearby holy hills of Safa and Marwa (these hills have since disappeared under the levelling topography of modern Makkah.)
Most important and remarkable event which makes city most revered and sacred is that it is a birth place of Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him). The Revelation was descended to him with the Holy Qur’an, and from it propagation for Islam was launched. Other holy shrines of Mina, Muzdalifa, and Arafat are located near to this city and where pilgrims spend the day of Arafah every year as the main ritual of Hajj.
The biography of the Prophet agrees with the Qur’an that the sanctuary of al Ka’ba, to which Prophet Muhammad (peace be to him) had been used from childhood, was always regarded by him as unquestionable. Like other Makkan inhabitants he and his followers regularly made the Tawaf around Ka’ba and kiss the black stone. Historians have frequently stated that he used to sit in the Ka’ba like his fellow citizens. How strongly Muhammad (peace be to him) felt himself attached to the Arab Sanctuary is evident from the fact that he took part in the traditional rites there before migrated to Medina.
These geographical formations certainly predated the mythical construction of the Ka’ba and could therefore have given birth to the original sanctity of the place as holiness. In consequence of this, Makkah was not only an important commercial centre but it emerges as a holy place like Jerusalem where each one of the three monotheistic religions has developed traditions about the city that are remarkably similar.
The story around the Ka’ba revels that even though the word “holy” or “ sacredness” is bandied around freely in connection with Ka’ba, as though its meaning were self-evident, but it is in fact quite complex. On the other hand observing the devotion to a holy place or a holy city seems be a universal phenomenon. Therefore the scholars and historians of religion believe that it is one of the earliest manifestations of faith in all cultures. People have developed what has been called a sacred geography that has nothing to do with a scientific map of the world but which charts their interior life. Earthly cities, groves, and mountains have become symbols of this spirituality, which is so universal that it seems to answer a profound human need, regardless whatever their beliefs are about “god” or about the supernatural thing.
Due to these and other different reasons Ka’ba or city of Makkah becomes central to the sacred geography for Muslims. This makes it very difficult for them to see the city objectively. Therefore it has become bound up with their conception of themselves and the ultimate reality sometimes called “supernatural” or the sacred that gives our rout in life meaning and value. Later Allah began revealing the message of Islam to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be to him) in 610 C.E. through the Angel Gabriel, and from its folds He spread the light of Islam across the Arabian land to reach within a century faraway lands with its appeal of kindness, mercy, equality, tolerance and justice. Every true believer and follower of Islam feels the duty and responsibility to embody this message as the Qur’an states: ‘Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and show us of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manasik (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful.
Before the Prophet (peace be to him) died in 632 C.E., he had established the religious principles known as “the five pillars of Islam” to be practiced by every Muslim. They are: declaring the oneness of Allah and that Muhammad is his Messenger; prying five times a day; fasting during the month of Ramadan; giving to charity; and making the pilgrimage to Makkah at least once in a lifetime.
This annual pilgrimage, the hajj, which gathers millions of Muslims from all corners of the world for five days of meditation and prayer, is the biggest congregation of open dialogue and unity.
However we can observe that the Muslim civilisation expanded during the past fourteen centuries, becoming one of the greatest world civilisations, benefiting from and building on the diversity of the local cultures and civilisations in the lands it settled in and the inhabitants it came into contact with.
It can be said that the early Muslim philosophy is widely credited with being the vital bridge between classical Greco-Roman civilisation and the Europeans of the Renaissance. What the West considers to be the “dark ages” were in fact the golden age of civilisation for Muslims and Islam itself, which grew extremely rapidly through the world in its formation period. It spread not by the sword as some Orientalists claim but with reason, patience and high moral principles of engagement. The Prophet, as the role model for Muslims, abjured warfare and adopted a non-violent approach. From the beginning he opposed the jahiliyah (ignorance and arrogance) attitude, which fuelled aggression.
As Karen Armstrong states in her book Muhammad: A Prophet for our Time, “If we are to avoid catastrophe, the Muslim and western worlds must learn not merely to tolerate but to appreciate one another. A good place to start is with the figure of Muhammad (peace be to him).’
However with time and space Makkah gained its place as a prosperous commercial city in Hijaz, western Arabia. Its prominence as an international trading centre surpassed the cities of world. The Makkah, flourished as a civilised settlement where intellectuals, scholars and merchants from different places discussed and debated issues of the day. This does not happen automatically, but when a place has been experienced as sacred in some way and has proved capable of giving people access to the divine, worshippers have devoted a great deal of creative energy to helping others to cultivate this sense of transcendence.