Who Made the Decision About Rebuilding the Kaaba?
من الذي حكم في قضية بناء الكعبة؟
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was thirty-five years old, Quraish built the Kaaba, and they agreed that only good pure money would be used into its construction, meaning that no prostitute dowry would be used, nor would usury, or money obtained from oppression of people. When they wanted to move the black stone to the Kaaba, the tribes differed in who would carry it. The conflict continued for four or five nights, and the conflict intensified, so Abu Umayyah ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzoumi suggested that they would accept the ruling of the first person to enter from the door of the mosque, Allah willed that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to be that person, and when they saw him, they shouted: “This is the Amin, we accept his verdict”, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked for a robe and he put the stone in the middle of it, and asked the leaders of the tribes to each hold the robe by one corner. When they reached the place of the stone the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) carried the stone, and put it in its place, and by his wisdom he resolved the dispute among the tribes.
عندما كان عمر الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم خمسًا وثلاثين سنة ، قامت قريش ببناء الكعبة، واتفقوا على أن لا يدخل في بنائها إلا طيبا، فلا يدخل فيها مهر بغي ، ولا بيع ربا، ولا مظلمة أحد من الناس ، ولما أرادوا ان ينقلوا الحجر الاسود، اختلفت القبائل فيمن يحمله، واستمر النزاع اربع ليال أو خمسا، واحتدم الصراع ،فاقترح أبو أمية بن المغيرة المخزومي أن يحكموا فيما شجر بينهم أول من يدخل عليهم من باب المسجد، وشاء الله أن يكون ذلك الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم، فلما رأوه هتفوا: هذا الأمين، رضينا حكما، وطلب الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم رداء فوضع الحجر وسطه ، وطلب من رؤساء القبائل المتابعين أن يمسكوا جميعا من اطراف الرداء ، حتى إذا وصلوا الى موضع الحجر أخذه الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم بيده ، فوضعه في مكانه ، وبحكمته حل الخلاف بين القبائل.
1. The Deterioration and Flood Damaging the Kaaba | تصدع الكعبة المشرفة وقرار قريش بالبناء
When Muhammad was thirty-five years old, five years before his prophethood, a severe torrential flood swept down Mecca's mountains, cracking the walls of the Kaaba. Fearing its collapse, Quraysh resolved to demolish and rebuild the sanctuary upon its original Abrahamic foundations.
وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ (سورة البقرة: 127)
حين بلغ النبي ﷺ الخامسة والثلاثين من عمره، اجتاحت مكة سيول عارمة صدعت جدران الكعبة وأوهنت بنيانها، فأجمعت بطون قريش على هدمها وتجديد بنائها على قواعد إبراهيم الخليل عليه السلام.
2. Condition of Pure Halal Wealth for the Sacred House | شرط المال الحلال الخالص في عمارة البيت
In reverence for the Kaaba's sanctity, Quraysh pledged that no illicit money would enter its construction: no gains from prostitution, usury, or extortion. Because their purely lawful funds fell short, they reduced the northern boundary, leaving the curved semi-circle area known as the Hijr Ismail.
إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّـهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّـهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ (سورة التوبة: 18)
اشترطت قريش لتعظيم البيت ألا يدخل في بنائه إلا مال طيب حلال، فمنعوا مال الربا ومهر البغي وأموال المظالم. ولما قصرت بهم النفقة الحلال اقتطعوا جزءاً من الحجر وتركوه خارج الجدار.
3. The Dispute Threatening Civil War Over the Black Stone | النزاع الخطير على شرف وضع الحجر الأسود
When construction reached the level of the Black Stone (Al-Hajar Al-Aswad), a bitter dispute arose: every tribal clan demanded the supreme honor of carrying and installing it. Tensions soared; some clans dipped their hands in a bowl of blood, pledging to fight to the death, and the dispute lasted four or five nights.
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا (سورة آل عمران: 103)
حين بلغ البناء موضع الحجر الأسود، شجر خلاف حاد بين القبائل؛ فكل قبيلة أرادت أن تنال شرف رفعه إلى مكانه، وتنازعوا حتى غمس بعضهم أيديهم في الدم تحالفاً على الموت، ومكثوا على ذلك أربع ليالٍ أو خمسًا.
4. Arbitration by the First Person to Enter | التحكيم العادل وفرحة الجميع بدخول الأمين
Abu Umayyah ibn al-Mughirah, the eldest chieftain, suggested: "Let the first man to enter through the gate of the sanctuary arbitrate between you." All agreed, and the first man to enter was thirty-five-year-old Muhammad. Upon seeing him, they rejoiced unanimously: "Here is Al-Amin (the Trustworthy)! We accept his judgment!"
إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تُؤَدُّوا الْأَمَانَاتِ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهَا وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُم بَيْنَ النَّاسِ أَن تَحْكُمُوا بِالْعَدْلِ (سورة النساء: 58)
اقترح حكيم قريش أبو أمية بن المغيرة تحكيم أول داخل من باب المسجد، فكان أول داخل هو محمد بن عبد الله ﷺ، فلما رأوه هللوا وقالوا: "هذا الأمين، رضينا به، هذا محمد!" لما علموه من عدله وأمانته.
5. The Cloak Solution of Genius Diplomacy | حكمة الرداء والحل الدبلوماسي المعجز الذي حقن الدماء
Muhammad devised an ingenious diplomatic solution: calling for a cloth, he placed the Black Stone in the center, and invited a representative from every rival clan to grasp the edges together. They lifted the Stone jointly to its wall socket, where he seated it with his own hands, averting civil war.
يُؤْتِي الْحِكْمَةَ مَن يَشَاءُ وَمَن يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا (سورة البقرة: 269)
طلب النبي ﷺ ثوبًا ووضع الحجر بيده الشريفة وسطه، ثم دعا رؤساء القبائل جميعاً ليمسك كل منهم بطرف الرداء فرفعوه معاً، ثم تناوله بيده الكريمة فوضعه في موضعه، فحقن دماءهم بحكمة عبقرية.
Scholarly Insight: The Black Stone resolution demonstrates Prophet Muhammad's peerless wisdom, unifying rivals and defusing deadly conflict years before his formal call to prophethood. Read more in the tafsir of Surah Al-Baqarah.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Why did Quraysh decide to rebuild the Kaaba?
Because a severe torrential flood had damaged and cracked its walls, putting the structure at risk of collapse.
How old was Muhammad during the reconstruction of the Kaaba?
He was thirty-five years old, approximately five years before his first revelation.
What financial condition did Quraysh set for the reconstruction?
They required that only pure, lawful wealth (halal) be used, strictly forbidding money from usury, injustice, or prostitution.
How did Muhammad resolve the Black Stone dispute?
He placed the stone upon a cloth and had the leaders of all the clans lift it together, before placing it into its socket with his own hands.
Prepared by Eng. Ghada Homad, founder of IslamFAQ, researched and written in consultation with qualified scholars, reviewed by Professor Khaled Jassem Al-Houli, Associate Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence and Islamic Politics, Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies, University of Kuwait. Read more about the authors and this project →