The Kaaba is a building regarded as one of the holiest places for\nMuslims. It is a stone structure in a rectangular shape that approaches\na cube and is draped with a black cloth known as the kiswah.<\/p>\n
The box-like shape of the Kaaba that we see today is not without\nhistory. That form is the result of a long process of reconstruction\nfrom the pre-Islamic era to the early development of Islam.<\/p>\n
Summarised from ResearchGate, in Islamic tradition the initial\nfoundation of the Kaaba was built by the Prophet Ibrahim and his son\nIsmail. The original structure was described as rectangular and not\nroofed.<\/p>\n
The building became a symbol of tawhid, as the \u201cHouse of Allah\u201d\n(Al-Bait), a place for humans to worship the One God. From the outset,\nits shape was designed simply, without ornaments or symbols of idol\nworship.<\/p>\n
When rebuilt, the size of the building was reduced from the original\ndesign. Some areas of the old foundation were not rebuilt and were left\noutside the main structure.<\/p>\n
This area is later known as Hatim or Hijr Ismail, marked by a\nsemicircular wall on the side of the Kaaba.<\/p>\n
To this day, many pilgrims strive to pray in that area because it is\nbelieved to be part of the original foundation of the Kaaba.<\/p>\n
Because of the size reduction, the building resulting from Quraysh\u2019s\nreconstruction is nearly cube-shaped, a square with a relatively\nbalanced height. This design has since become the form widely known to\nthis day.<\/p>\n
Symbolically, the cube shape reflects simplicity and the purity of\ntawhid. The Kaaba was not built to display architectural grandeur but as\nthe focal point of worship.<\/p>\n
For Muslims, the Kaaba serves as the qibla, the direction of prayer\nthat unites millions of Muslims worldwide at a single point in the city\nof Mecca.<\/p>\n
The cube form signifies simplicity and purity. It emphasises that\nMuslims do not worship the Kaaba, but merely orient themselves towards\nthe qibla.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/why-is-the-kaaba-shaped-like-a-cube-1772636427", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }