Why is the Ka'bah called the House of Allah the Sacred?
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The questioner : May Allah reward the honorableThe Shaykh : Why is the Ka'bah called the House of Allah the Sacred? We ask you to provide us with information.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
The Ka'bah is called the House of Allah because it is the place of the exaltation of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. People head to it from every place to perform the obligation that Allah has made obligatory upon them, which is Hajj to His House. It is also called this because people face it in their prayers in every place to fulfill a condition for the validity of the prayer, as Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:150].
Allah attributed it to Himself as an honor, exaltation, and glorification of it. What is attributed to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, falls into two categories:
Either it is one of His attributes, or it is one of His creations. If it is one of His attributes, it is attributed to Him because it subsists in Him, and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is described by it, such as the hearing of Allah, His sight, His knowledge, His power, His speech, and other attributes of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
If it is one of His creations, it is attributed to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, in the sense of glorification, honor, and exaltation. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, attributed the Ka'bah to Himself and said:[Al-Hajj 22:26]. He also attributed the mosques to Himself in His saying: [Al-Baqarah 2:114]. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, may also attribute something from His creations to Himself to indicate the comprehensiveness of His ownership, as in His saying, the Exalted: [Al-Jathiyah 45:13].
In summary, we say: Allah attributed the Ka'bah to Himself as an honor, exaltation, and glorification of it. No one should think that Allah attributed the Ka'bah to Himself because it is His place where He is, for this is impossible for Allah, Mighty and Majestic. He, Blessed and Exalted is He, encompasses everything, and nothing of His creations encompasses Him. Rather, He has:[Al-Baqarah 2:255] [Az-Zumar 39:67]. He, Blessed and Exalted is He, is above His heavens, rising above His Throne, and it is not possible for Him to be contained in any of His creations, ever.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
The Ka'bah is called the House of Allah because it is the place of the exaltation of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. People head to it from every place to perform the obligation that Allah has made obligatory upon them, which is Hajj to His House. It is also called this because people face it in their prayers in every place to fulfill a condition for the validity of the prayer, as Allah the Exalted said:
And from wherever you go out [for prayer], turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you [believers] may be, turn your faces toward it
ومن حيث خرج فول وجهك شطر المسجد الحرام وحيث ما كنتم فولوا وجوهكم شطرهAllah attributed it to Himself as an honor, exaltation, and glorification of it. What is attributed to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, falls into two categories:
Either it is one of His attributes, or it is one of His creations. If it is one of His attributes, it is attributed to Him because it subsists in Him, and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is described by it, such as the hearing of Allah, His sight, His knowledge, His power, His speech, and other attributes of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
If it is one of His creations, it is attributed to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, in the sense of glorification, honor, and exaltation. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, attributed the Ka'bah to Himself and said:
and purify My House for those who perform Tawaf
وطهر بيتي لطائفينAnd who are more unjust than those who prevent the name of Allah from being mentioned in His mosques
ومن أظلم ممن منع مساجد الله أن يذكر فيها اسمهAnd He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth - all from Him
وسخر لكم ما في السماوات وما في الأرض جميعاً منهIn summary, we say: Allah attributed the Ka'bah to Himself as an honor, exaltation, and glorification of it. No one should think that Allah attributed the Ka'bah to Himself because it is His place where He is, for this is impossible for Allah, Mighty and Majestic. He, Blessed and Exalted is He, encompasses everything, and nothing of His creations encompasses Him. Rather, He has: