The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 107
III - Makkah, the Ka ‘ bah & the Quraish 107 drape, hence, he had the Ka‘bah covered by a drape. After this, the tradition of covering the Ka‘bah became a common custom. Therefore, the Quraish would always place a drape over the Ka‘bah. 1 This tradition was upheld in Islām as well. Even today, every year a new and precious drape is formally placed upon the Ka‘bah and the old one is removed and is either distributed among the pilgrims or is sold. Today, the drape placed upon the Ka‘bah is of black colour, upon which the Kalimah 2 is written at various places as well as an assortment of Qur’ānic verses. Sanctity of the Ka‘bah In the time of the Jāhiliyyah the Arabs held the Ka‘bah in greater reverence than perhaps the Muslims of today. It was because, the Arabs viewed the Ka‘bah as a deity to be worshipped and would offer oblations to it. These offerings would be stored in an underground treasury and would be utilised for the requirements of its worshippers and pilgrims. The Ka‘bah in itself was of course sacred, but through it, not only Makkah, but its surrounding regions were also declared a Haram 3 where all kinds of violence and bloodshed was prohibited. The significance of the Ashhur-e-Ḥurum 4 was also due to the Ka‘bah, so that pilgrims could travel to and fro for the Ḥajj in complete peace without any fear or danger. It was also a custom that to express the particular sanctity of something it would be hung to the Ka‘bah. Therefore, seven renowned poems of the Jāhiliyyah are called the Sab‘ah Mu‘allaqah 5 because they were hung on the Ka‘bah. Residential Construction in the Vicinity of the Ka‘bah At this point it will be appropriate to mention that until the time of Qusaiyy not a single nation had built homes in the vicinity of the Ka‘bah. As a matter of fact, they resided in temporary homes and pavilions situated at some distance. However, upon Qusaiyy’s encouragement, the Quraish constructed homes in the surrounding perimeter of the Ka‘bah and Makkah became a proper city. However, these homes were not adjoined to the Ka‘bah, rather, in 1 * Akhbāru Makkah, By Abul-Walīd Muḥammad bin ‘Abdul-Karīm Azraqī , Bābu Dhikri man Kasal- Ka‘bata fil-Jāhiliyyah, Volume 1, pp. 249-250, Maṭābi‘u Dāruth-Thaqāfah, Makkah (1978) 2 An Islāmic Creed (Publishers) 3 Sacred proximity of the Ka‘bah (Publishers) 4 The Four Sacred Months (Publishers) 5 The Seven Attached [Poems] (Publishers)