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The Holy Ka'ba is the center of the whole Muslim community
and the nucleus of all the rituals of the Hajj. For the pilgrims, it is the
most sacred place throughout the performance of the Hajj. The following Quranic
verse echoes repeatedly in their minds that highlights the supreme sanctity and
exalted status of the holy edifice:
“The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka, full of blessing and guidance for all kinds of beings".(3:96).
According to Muslim belief, the Holy Ka'ba has always remained the pivot of Hajj all through the ages of humanity. From Adam to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), the Ka’ba continued to attract pilgrims and a number of important events became so much associated with this holy place that they were made part of various ceremonies of Hajj.
One such event is the sudden gush of water from the site of
the Well of Zam Zam as a result of the rubbing of the feet of the Holy Prophet
Ismael while he was an infant and crying for water. All the pilgrims express
their deep devotion, firm faith, and extraordinary affection for the Ka'ba in a
variety of ways.
They never approach this building, indeed the sacred boundaries well away from the holy building, without putting on the special dress code of the Hajj-Ihram. They circumambulate the Ka'ba (Tawaf) as a Sunnah act (8th Zil Hij), Fard act (Tawaf-i-Ziyarah on 10th ZilHij), and a Wajib act (Tawaf-i-Wida) before saying good-bye to it. Thus they continually return to the Ka'ba and this reminds them of the centrality of this building as well as strengthens their bond with it and other Muslims.
