The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 232
PT. 17 AL-HAJJ unto وَاذِنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالاً proclaim CH. 22 28. "And mankind the Pilgrimage. They وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ يَأْتِينَ مِنْ كُلِ will come to thee on foot, and فج عَمِيقٍ ) on every lean camel, coming by every distant track, 2458A "2:198; 3:98. them. The prophecy was fulfilled when at the Fall of Mecca the Ka'bah was cleared by the Holy Prophet of all the abominations and of the 360 idols that were kept in it. Thus the commandment, in a way, embodied a prophecy about the advent of the Holy Prophet; and the rebuilding of the Ka'bah by Abraham and Ishmael was, in fact, the first step towards the fulfilment of that great prophecy. See also 2:128-130. 2458A. Important Words: Commentary: The Pilgrimage as an institution began with Abraham as the words "and proclaim unto mankind the Pilgrimage" show. It was not an idolatrous institution incorporated into Islam by the Holy Prophet to conciliate the idol worshipping Arabs as some Christian writers have been led to think. From the time of Abraham, Pilgrimage has continued without a break to this day and will continue till the end of time. The Kabah ,راجل on foot) is the plural of) رجالا which means, one who walks on foot, a footman. Jay Jay means, a great walker (Lane). See also 2:240. (lean camel) is active participle from which means, he or it was or became lean or slender and lean or lean and lank in the belly. means, lean and lank in the belly; a horse in a state of preparation for racing by its having been fed with food barely sufficient to sustain it after having become fat. means, horses in that state, i. e. lean and lank horses (Lane). (distant) is derived from which means, it was or became deep. when applied to a road means, remote or far-extending or long. means, a deep well (Lane & Aqrab). was once the centre of Pilgrimage for the Arabs alone, but now it is the centre of Pilgrimage for the whole Muslim world and is destined to become the spiritual centre for all mankind. It is when Islam will prevail in the world that the Ka'bah will become a symbol of the Unity of God and of mankind. The time is not far off when there will be only One God, one Religion, one Prophet and one Book with the Ka'bah as the one spiritual centre for the whole of mankind. That the Ka'bah was destined one day to come into the possession of the Holy Prophet who was to set free captives "not for price nor reward" and at whose hands it was to become the spiritual centre for the whole of mankind was foretold several 2146