RECONSTRUCTION OF THE KA’BA
In his thirty-fifth year, Muhammed (r) made a difficult decision about a matter that pro-
voked the Quraysh and threatened to plunge them into another sacrilegious war. The Qu-
raysh wished to rebuild the Ka'bah and furnish it with roofs, for it was made of loose stones,
and its walls were only a little higher than a man’s height. So, the walls were demolished
and the work of reconstruction was taken up, but when it was time to rebuild the Ka'bah as
far as the position of the Black Stone was concerned, the question arose as to who should
place the sacred relic into its place. Every tribe claimed the honor; an imminent collision was
bound to happen. The grounds that led to wars of attrition during the early days of pagan-
ism in Arabia were nothing but inferior or insignificant when compared to the grave issue
that was made as the focal point of honor on this occasion.
Banu ‘Abdul Dar brought a bowl full of blood; then they and Banu ‘Adiy pledged them-
selves to fight unto death by thrusting their hands into the blood. The conflict appeared to
be the starting point of a furious struggle which might have swallowed up the whole of
Arabia in another of their oft-recurring wars. The dilemma continued for a few days until it
was agreed that whosoever is the first man to enter the gate of the Kabah would be made
as the umpire of the matter under dispute. And so the first man to enter came, but he was
no other than the future Prophet of God (r). “This is Muhammed”, they said as soon as they
saw him coming, and further added: “He is trustworthy and we will abide by his decision.”
Muhammed (r) asked them to bring a cloth, took the Black Stone and put it inside the
fabric, then afterwards asked each tribe to take hold of an end of the material and then
simultaneously raise it to the required height. When the people lifted the stone in such
manner, Muhammed (r) placed it in its position with his own hands, and the building went
on above it. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, pp. 192-197)
The wisdom displayed by the Prophet (r) on this occasion, one which saved the Quraysh
from measuring the might of their swords with that of the others, strikingly illustrates his
sound judgment apart from divulging sparks of his genius. The incident foreshadowed the
signs of Muhammed's prudence, profoundness of his teachings, his thoughtfulness, cool
temper and the spirit of his friendliness and altruism; in fact the cardinal virtues of one who
was to become the ‘Mercy for the Worlds”. These were the qualities through which the
Prophet (r) transformed a people, unruly and ferocious, continuously at war amongst each
other, into a closely-knit fraternity by proving and submitting himself as a Merciful Prophet
(r) before them.
HILFUL-FUDUL
It was during this period that the Quraysh came to agree upon one of the noblest cove-
nants made in which Muhammed (r) played a prominent part. It so happened that a man
from Zabid (A town in Yemen) came to sell his merchandise in Makkah. One of the Quraysh