Did Abraham build the Kaaba?

By: A. Muhammad

One of the fundamental beliefs of Muslims is that the Kaaba in Mecca was built by prophet
Abraham and his son Ishmael. When we research this matter we find that there is no evidence
in any of the Scriptures nor in historic records for such a claim. The earliest documentation of
Abraham and other patriarchs and prophets did not mention the building of the Kaaba. This
claim only appeared during the rise of Islam. Muslim scholars claim that this is confirmed in
the Quran and they refer to a number of Quranic verses related to Abraham.
The purpose of this article is to analyse such verses and determine whether in fact they support
such claim.
The principle verses that are used to make the claim that Abraham built the Kaaba are the
following:

First Verse:
And when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House, together with Ishmael: "Our
Lord, accept this from us. You are the Hearer, the Knowledgeable. 2:127

From this verse it is claimed that the word "House" refers to the Kaaba. However, the word
"House" has been used in the Quran for any house where God's name is commemorated and
worshipped:
In such houses that God has permitted to be erected and in which His name is mentioned, He is
glorified mornings and evenings. 24:36

Since there is no mention, direct or indirect, in this verse to the Kaaba, the claim that the
"House" in 2:127 is the Kaaba is without evidence and is therefore no more than speculation.

Second Verse:
The first House established for the people was the one in Bacca; blessed, and a guidance for all
people. In it are clear signs: Abraham's station. And whoever entered it was safe. Pilgrimage to
the House is a duty owed by the people to God, for those who find the means to get to it. As for
those who disbelieve, then indeed, God has no need of all the worlds.
3:96-97

From this verse it is claimed that Bacca is the old name for Mecca, and therefore it is concluded
that 3:96 provides further evidence that Abraham built the Kaaba. This verse will be analysed
below.

Third Verse:
Our Lord, I have resided some of my offspring in a valley void of plantation at Your
Muhharram House, our Lord, so that they may observe the Salat. So let the hearts of some of
the people take a liking to them, and provide them with various fruits so that they may give
thanks. 14:37

From 14:37, reference is made to the words spoken by Abraham and particularly the words: "a
valley void of plantation at Your Muhharram House". Then it is stated that these words match
the landscape around Mecca which is desert. From that, it is then claimed that the "Muhharram
House" in this verse refers to the Kaaba. This too will be analysed below.
 The Analysis

1- Reference in the Quran to the "House" which Abraham built is with the words "bayt"
(house) in 22:26 and "Al-Bayt Al-Muharram" in 14:37.
The word 'bayt' is used in the Quran simply to mean any house. In 3:96 it is used in connection
with the "House" that Abraham built. In 5:2, it is used in connection with the Kaaba. In 24:36
(above), the same word is used for any place of worship where the name of God is
commemorated. The word 'house' is also used in the Quran to mean any house, such as in 28:12
and 51:36. The word house is even used to speak of the 'house' of the spider (29:41). As a
result, in the context of 2:127, the word "House" in 3:96 does not necessarily refer to the
Kaaba.

2- We note that the Quran consistently refers to the words "Al-Masjid Al-Haram" and the
"Kaaba" when the narration is related to the time of Muhammad. These two names (Masjid Al-
Haram and Kaaba) were never used when the narration was about Abraham.
In contrast, whenever the subject is Abraham, the word God always uses is the "House".
Of particular interest are the following two consecutive verses:

Those who have disbelieved and repel from the path of God and the Masjid Al-Haram which
We designated for the people, whether it be the natives or the visitors, as well as the one who
works evil transgression therein, We will make him taste a painful punishment. 22:25

We appointed for Abraham the location of the House: "Do not associate anything with Me, and
purify My House for those passing by and those standing, bowing, and prostrating. 22:26

The subject of 22:25 is the "Masjid Al-Haram" which is the Kaaba (5:97).
In contrast, the subject in 22:26 is the "House" which Abraham built.
We cannot help but notice the deliberate change in names in those two consecutive verses. If
the House that was built by Abraham was the "Masjid Al-Haram", why would God use two
different names (Masjid Al-Haram and the House) for the same Masjid, and in consecutive
verses? The reason can only be because God is referring to two different places.

3- The Quran tells us that the first "House" built for the people was in Bacca (3:96). Traditional
Islamic scholars claim that Bacca is the old name for Mecca! If this was correct, then why does
God use both names (Mecca and Bacca) in the Quran?
We cannot say that God used both names because the name had changed, or was to be
changed! Are we saying here that God is giving different names in the Quran for the same
place in order to accommodate changes of names made by humans? Is God playing it safe by
using two names for the same place just in case someone still did not know that the name Bacca
has been changed to Mecca?
None of these scenarios make any sense! It is much more rational to accept that Mecca is
Mecca and Bacca is Bacca.

4- The Quran tells us that Abraham built the "first" House (3:96). This indicates that it is not
the Kaaba. The word "first" indicates that there were other houses built after it. But the Kaaba
is the last masjid to be appointed by God as a Qibla for the people and not the first.

5- If the "House" built by Abraham was the Kaaba in Mecca, why did God change the Qibla?
The change of the Qibla to the Kaaba indicates that before the change it was somewhere else.
Some will say that the Qibla was changed by corruptors to somewhere else! But the fact that
God changed the Qibla rather than 'corrected' the Qibla, means that the previous Qibla was also
appointed by God, and after that it was changed by God, not corrected.
It follows that since the previous Qibla, which was appointed by God, was somewhere other
than the Kaaba, together with the fact that Abraham built the "first" House, then the House that
Abraham built could not have been the Kaaba.

6- Muslims today revere Jerusalem and consider it the location of a Holy Masjid that was
previous to the Kaaba. Once again, if the Kaaba was the "House" that Abraham built, then why
would Jerusalem hold a special holiness for Muslims?

7- If Abraham built the Kaaba in Mecca, the Jews who are descendents of Abraham through his
son Isaac, would have sanctified the Kaaba long before Muhammad's time. Why did that never
happen?

8- As per 22:27, Hajj was made a religious duty upon all believers starting from the time of
Abraham. What this means is that all prophets who came after Abraham would have observed
this decreed ritual. So if we assume that Abraham built the Kaaba then the destination of Hajj
would have always been to the Kaaba. Why then do we not have any records of the prophets
after Abraham (Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, Solomon, Moses, Jesus etc) visiting Mecca to
observe their Hajj!

9- Let us take another look at 2:127:

And when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House, together with Ishmael: "Our
Lord, accept this from us. You are the Hearer, the Knowledgeable. 2:127

If the House mentioned in 2:127 whose foundations were raised by Abraham and Ishmael was
indeed the Kaaba, as the traditional interpreters claim, then it would be correct to say that both
Abraham and Ishmael have visited Mecca and resided there, at least for the duration of building
the Kaaba.

This immediately clashes with Quranic verses that confirm that no messenger has ever come to
the people of Mecca and its surroundings, such as:

Or do they say, "He fabricated it"? Rather, it is the truth from your Lord so that you would
warn a people to whom no warner has come before you (O Muhammad) so that they may be
guided. 32:3

And you (Muhammad) were not on the side of the mount when We called, but it is mercy from
your Lord so that you would warn a people to whom no warner had come before you so that
they may be reminded. 28:46

We had not given them any Books to study, nor had We sent them any warner before you (O
Muhammad). 34:44

The words above confirm that no messenger has ever come (before Muhammad) to that part of
the world.
If Abraham and his son Ishmael visited Mecca and build the Kaaba, then the two verses above
would be invalid.

10- All historic, archaeological and scriptural evidence state that Abraham lived in the area of
Canaan in Palestine. There is no evidence whatsoever that he and his son Ishmael ever lived in
or ever visited Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

11- In the story of Hagar (2nd wife of Abraham and mother of Ishmael), as told by Muslim
writers, it is claimed that she ran between the two hilltops of Safa and Marwah searching for
water for her infant son Ishmael. This narration has no reference anywhere in the Quran. It is
based on a hadith in the collection of Bukhari (Book 55, Hadith 584) where the words 'Safa',
'Marwah' and 'Zamzam' have all been woven into the story.

The obvious aim of such a narration in Bukhari was to establish a connection between Hagar
and Ishmael and the Quranic sites of Safa and Marwah, when there is no such connection in the
Quran. The name of Hagar is not mentioned in the Quran. Prophet Muhammad had no means
of knowing the details and lives of the previous messengers, except through what God had told
him in the Quran:

This is news from the unseen that We inspire to you (Muhammad). Neither you, nor your
people knew it before this. 11:49

As a result, we may wonder where did Bukhari get these stories about Hagar from and which
have no Quranic reference?

The source of these stories is found in the Torah. The Bukhari story of Hagar, and Safa and
Marwah, was conveniently borrowed from the Genesis 21:14-21, with some name alterations
thrown in so as to conform with the Meccan surroundings.

The original Biblical story took place in a place called Beersheba, which is in Palestine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beersheba

Since the Old Testament narration precedes the Quran by around two thousand years, it cannot
be said that the Torah story was borrowed from the Quranic narration!
This once again confirms that Abraham and his family resided in Palestine and that they never
lived or visited the area around Mecca.

12- The Quran states that the first "House" was built in Bacca (3:96). We know that there is a
place called 'Valley of Bacca' in Palestine. The 'Valley of Bacca' is mentioned in the Old
Testament (Psalms 84). It is indeed significant that God mentions both words "Valley" and
"Bacca" in the Quran in connection with Abraham.

In Psalms 84 we read about the "Lord’s Temple" (Psalms 84:2), and "Thy House" (Psalms
84:4), and the "thirsty valley" (Psalms 84:6), and "the pilgrim ways" (Psalms 84:5), and the
"Valley of Bacca" (Psalms 84).
These phrases perfectly match their Quranic counterparts:

"Thy House" = "Your Muhharram House". 14:37

"thirsty valley" = "a valley void of plantation. 14:37
"the pilgrim ways" = "And proclaim (O Abraham) the Hajj to the people." 22:27
"Valley of Bacca" = The first House (built by Abraham) was the one in "Bacca" 3:96

The above phrases confirm how the Quranic narration is more in tune with the Biblical
narration of the location of Abraham and the "House" he built, rather than with the alleged
claims of the traditional Islamic writers.

13- In 14:35 Abraham implores God to make his town secure and to safeguard him and his sons
from worshipping idols. Then in verse 14:37 Abraham says that he took as a dwelling place a
"void of plantation". Some scholars have jumped on these words stating that they describe a
desert. From that, they indicate the location to be Mecca which is surrounded by desert on all
sides. However, the words "void of plantation" do not necessarily point to Mecca for the
following reasons:

a- The areas around Palestine include patches of desert as well.

We have the desert that commences on the western shore of the Dead Sea and extends up to
Zin. This district is briefly called "the Desert", whilst those situated in the "South" of Judah are
but small in number, and take their names from the towns nearest to them; for example, the
Desert of Maon (1 Sam. 23:24); the Desert of Ziph (ibid. 24:12); the Desert of Jeruel (2 Chron.
20:10), http://www.jewish-history.com/palestine/desert.html

We also know of 'The Negev', which is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The
Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. It
is interesting to know that the origin of the word Neghebh (or in Modern Hebrew Negev) is
from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry', http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negev

As a result, to imply that the words "void of plantation" in 14:37 can only denote the desert
around Mecca is geographically inaccurate.

b- In addition, the majority of estimates say that Abraham and his family lived around 4000
years ago (2000 BC). As we know, the features of any land changes with time, which means
that a land which had vegetation a few thousand years ago may be barren today and vice versa.
As a result, the words "void of plantation" should not be used to pinpoint any specific location
when there are various deserts at both locations (Palestine and Mecca).

--------------------------------------------

When we put all the above evidence together, it becomes quite clear that the first "House" that
Abraham built was not the Kaaba in Mecca. The "House" that Abraham built, which would
have been the location of the original Qibla and destination for Hajj, could have only been in
Palestine. With the revelation of the Quran, the Qibla and destination for Hajj were changed to
the Masjid Al-Haram in Mecca.