Q11- If Islam is so against any form of idol worship, why do they bow to the kaaba? Why do they call it God's House? Do they believe He lives there?
The sections of this article are:
1- The House of GOD Almighty in the Noble Quran and the
Bible.
2- But aren't Muslims still physically bowing down to the Kaaba itself?
- See also how the Bible's Prophets
(including Jesus) Prayed the Islamic way.
- The Kaaba also maximizes
the Worship of GOD Almighty by unifying the Muslims.
3- What is the difference then between the hindu idols and the Kaba?
4- What about the black stone near the Kaaba? How sacred is it?
5- Conclusion.
1- The House of GOD Almighty in the Noble Quran and the Bible:
To help the Jewish and Christian reader understand the Islamic way of Worship better, I'd like to first present the following from the Bible:
Genesis 28:16-18
16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely
the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it."
17 He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other
than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."
18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up
as a pillar and poured oil on top of it.
Judges 20:18
18 The Israelites went up to Bethel (the House of GOD in
Hebrew) and inquired of God. They said, "Who of us shall go first to
fight against the Benjamites?" The LORD replied, "Judah shall go first."
1 Chronicles 6:47-49
47 the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of
Levi.
48 Their fellow Levites were assigned to all the other duties of the tabernacle, the
house of God.
49 But Aaron and his descendants were the ones who presented offerings on the altar of
burnt offering and on the altar of incense in connection with all that was done
in the Most Holy Place, making atonement for Israel, in accordance with all
that Moses the servant of God had commanded.
"Behold! We gave the site, To Abraham,
of the (Sacred) House (i.e., the Kaaba), (Saying): 'Associate not
anything (In worship) with Me; And sanctify My House For those who compass it round, Or
stand up, Or bow, or prostrate themselves (Therein in prayer). And proclaim the
Pilgrimage among men: they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every
kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways;
(The Noble Quran, 22:26-27)"
As we clearly see, the "House of GOD"Almighty is mentioned
in both the Bible and the Noble Quran. The Prostration to GOD Almighty in either His
House or in the direction of His House (if you live far away) is the most
proper way of Worship according to both the Bible and the Noble Quran.
As we also clearly see, the House of GOD Almighty was mentioned in the Bible first. The Kaba or Kaaba (the black cube building in Saudi Arabia) is basically the symbolic point on earth (His House) that GOD Almighty Chose to have all of His True Believers meet Him through bowing down their faces in humility down to the ground before Him.
The actual bricks and cement that make up the Kaaba are not holy.
They are no more holier than the bricks and cement that we see on regular basis in the towns that we live in.
While it is true that many ignorant and illiterate Muslims might incline toward idol worship and do consider the actual Kaaba as a very sacred thing to a point where they would go as far as rubbing their bodies against it to get "blessings", but these people are not representing the True picture of Islam. If a person worships the Kaaba itself, then he/she becomes an idol worshiper:
"Behold! We gave the site, To Abraham, of the (Sacred) House (i.e., the Kaaba), (Saying): 'Associate not anything (In worship) with Me; And sanctify My House For those who compass it round, Or stand up, Or bow, or prostrate themselves (Therein in prayer). And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men: they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways; (The Noble Quran, 22:26-27)"
"Say: 'O People of the Book (i.e., Jews and Christians)! Come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than Allah.' If then they turn back, say ye: 'Bear witness that we (at least) are Muslims (bowing to Allah's Will).' (The Noble Quran, 3:64)"
"God forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with God is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed. (The Noble Quran, 4:48)"
"Who can be better in religion than one who submits his whole self to God, does good, and follows the way of Abraham the true in Faith? For God did take Abraham for a friend. (The Noble Quran, 4:125)"
The Kaaba is only the House of GOD Almighty and is the meeting place for us to meet the Almighty LORD by bowing down our faces in humility down to the ground before Him in that direction.
GOD Almighty Chose that spot on earth to be the meeting place with Him.
Since Allah Almighty ordered Abraham the father of Ishmael and Isaac peace be upon them to build the Kaaba, people called it the House of GOD Almighty, and it became the direction for us to bow down to Allah Almighty in worship:
"Behold! We gave the site, To Abraham, of the (Sacred) House (i.e., the Kaaba), (Saying): 'Associate not anything (In worship) with Me; And sanctify My House For those who compass it round, Or stand up, Or bow, or prostrate themselves (Therein in prayer). And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men: they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways; (The Noble Quran, 22:26-27)"
So when Muslims prostrate to Allah Almighty, they prostrate in the direction that is as close as possible to Him. It was also prophesied in the Noble Quran that people from all over the world would come to the city of Mecca (where the Kaaba is located) for pilgrimage.
Please visit: The detailed story of how the Kaaba was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael peace be upon them.
During the early days of Islam, the Muslims were commanded to bow
down to Allah Almighty in the direction of the Farthest Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa) in
Jerusalem, because it was the Holiest Mosque/Temple to worship Allah Almighty in back
since it was not defiled with idols. Allah Almighty then commanded Prophet Muhammad
to order the Muslims to prostrate to Allah Almighty in the direction of the Kaaba in
Mecca, because it was the House of GOD Almighty which was built by Prophet Abraham peace be upon him (mentioned also in the Bible), and
because after the Muslims liberated Mecca in a 10,000 men army (this event was prophesied in the Bible), they cleaned the Kaaba from all idols.
2- But aren't Muslims still physically bowing down to the Kaaba itself?
We've already seen the "House of GOD"Almighty in both the Bible and the Noble Quran above. We've seen how the Prostration to GOD Almighty in either His House or in the direction of His House (if you live far away) is the most proper way of Worship.
Again, to help the Jewish and Christian reader understand the Islamic point better, I'd like to present the following from the Bible:
Numbers 24:3-5
3 and he uttered his oracle: "The oracle of Balaam son
of Beor, the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly,
4 the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision
from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
5 "How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!
Deuteronomy 9:17-19
17 So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands,
breaking them to pieces before your eyes.
18 Then once again I fell prostrate before the LORD for forty days and forty
nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had
committed, doing what was evil in the LORD's sight and so provoking him to anger.
19 I feared the anger and wrath of the LORD, for he was angry enough with you to destroy
you. But again the LORD listened to me.
Deuteronomy 9:25
25 I lay prostrate before the LORD
those forty days and forty nights because the LORD had said he would destroy you.
1 Kings 18:39
39 When all the people saw this, they fell
prostrate and cried, "The LORD -he is God! The LORD -he is God!"
Even Jesus, peace be upon him, bowed down to Allah Almighty the Islamic way:
"Going a little farther, he [Jesus] fell
with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may
this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.' (From the NIV Bible, Matthew 26:39)"
When Muslims bow down to Allah Almighty in worship at their homes, they do not for instance bow down to the sofa, or to the pair of shoes, or to the table, or to the wall, or to the door, or to the TV, or to any object that is in front of them in their homes. They bow down to Allah Almighty only, regardless what's in front of them AS LONG AS THEY ARE NOT WORSHIPING THAT OBJECT. The Kaaba is the same thing. We do not bow down to it in worship in any shape or form. We bow down only to Allah Almighty in its direction because it is His Appointed House where He symbolically meets His Servants and True Believers.
The Kaaba makes the millions of Muslims all over the world Pray to Allah Almighty as one unified community.
The direction of the Kaaba not only unifies the Muslims, but it also maximizes the Glorification and Praising of GOD Almighty.
It maximizes the Glorification of GOD Almighty, because in the 5-daily Prayers, it is not only the individual who is Praising GOD, but also the millions of the Muslims world-wide (who are on the same time) are doing it almost simultaneously as if they were ONE CLOSE COMMUNITY.
Now in regards to whether Allah Almighty living there or not, no we do not believe that Allah Almighty lives there. Allah Almighty is unlimited and is every where.
By the way, the Orthodox Jews too bow down to GOD Almighty in worship. Below is a picture of how Jews worship Allah Almighty:
3- What is the difference then between the hindu idols and the Kaba?
The comparison is an unfair one because while the Muslims bow down to GOD Almighty and only to GOD Almighty in Worship, the hindus pray to and glorify their idols. They address them as "your divinity" and "your holiness". That's clearly idol worship! You must never confuse the House of GOD Almighty, where GOD and His Servants meet, with the man-made idols and statues. Allah Almighty Said:
"For ye do worship idols besides God, and ye invent falsehood. The things that ye worship besides God have no power to give you sustenance: then seek ye sustenance from God, serve Him, and be grateful to Him: to Him will be your return. (The Noble Quran, 29:17)"
"And he said: "For you, ye have taken (for worship) idols besides God, out of mutual love and regard between yourselves in this life; but on the Day of Judgment ye shall disown each other and curse each other: and your abode will be the Fire, and ye shall have none to help." (The Noble Quran, 29:25)"
"And they set up (idols) as equal to God, to mislead (men) from the Path! Say: "Enjoy (your brief power)! But verily ye are making straightway for Hell!" (The Noble Quran, 14:30)"
"Remember Abraham said: "O my Lord! make this city one of peace and security: and preserve me and my sons from worshipping idols. (The Noble Quran, 14:35)"
The Muslims on the hand are not idol worshipers. And neither were the Bible's Prophets (including Jesus), peace be upon them, who prostrated to GOD Almighty.
There is a difference between worshiping GOD Almighty in the direction of His House, and putting idols and praying to them.
Let's not forget also that the hindus' and the buddhists' idols are statues. The same also for those who worship the fire, sun, moon, stars, etc... Allah Almighty Said:
"Among His Sings are the Night and the Day, and the Sun and the Moon. Adore not the sun and the moon, but adore God, Who created them, if it is Him ye wish to serve.
(The Noble Quran, 41:37)""They ask thee Concerning the New Moons. Say: They are but signs To mark fixed periods of time In (the affairs of) men, And for Pilgrimage. It is no virtue if ye enter the houses from the back: It is virtue if ye fear Allah. Enter houses Through the proper doors: And fear Allah: That ye may prosper. (The Noble Quran, 2:189)"
4- What about the black stone near the Kaaba? How sacred is it?
The black stone is like the bricks and cement that make up the Kaaba. It is not holy at all and is not worshiped in any shape or form. The black stone is nothing but a Heavenly object (an asteroid) that GOD Almighty descended on earth to determine the exact location of where His House was going to be built by Abraham and his son Ishmael, peace be upon them.
While Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him kissed the stone before, because it was chosen by Allah Almighty to descend on earth to determine the location of the Kaaba, but that still doesn't make it anything holy.
It certainly makes it a remarkable and noticeable object that is worth visiting and seeing, but anyone who worships it is an idol worshiper! And like I said above, those ignorant and illiterate from the Muslims who go as far as rubbing themselves against the Kaaba and/or the stone to get "blessings" are not representing Islam's True picture at all.
For more information, please visit: The black stone in Mecca is not worshiped by Muslims.
4- Conclusion:
As I demonstrated and proved above, Islam and the Prophets are far from promoting any form of idol worship. You must never confuse or mix the Worship of GOD Almighty with the worship of man-made idols. The hindus' and buddhists' worship of idols is far from being even remotely compared to Islam.
It is clear that the Muslims today are the only ones who truly Glorify GOD Almighty in the Maximum way. Even Jesus, the polytheist trinitarian pagans' god, Worshiped GOD Almighty and Glorified Him the Islamic way. Even though it was done hypocritically because he only did it once during his most desperate times and he has never done it before, but he still nonetheless showed that the Islamic way is the BEST WAY to really Glorify GOD Almighty in. Of course the reader needs to know that the Jesus of the Bible is not the same as the Jesus of Islam. See the link.
Islam is truly the best Faith to Worship, Praise and Glorify GOD Almighty in. Therefore, embrace Islam and you will be saved.
Back to "Ask me any question" section.
The black stone in Mecca is not worshiped by Muslims.
Praying (Salah) is a must in the Noble Quran.
Learn how to pray. Detailed instructions with pictures and audio.
Can a Muslim pray his 5-daily prayers earlier than their due times?
Can we use other than the language of Arabic when we pray to Allah Almighty?
Prophet Abraham peace be upon him was the one who built the Kaaba in the Bible.
The army of 10,000 Muslim men liberating Mecca was prophesied in the Bible.
The Prophecy of the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca in the Noble Quran.
The detailed story of how the Kaaba was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael peace be upon them.
Jesus is a hypocrite for only bowing down to GOD Almighty once during his most desperate times.