Curtain of the Ka'ba

From WikiHaj
Revision as of 14:03, 28 July 2024 by Engineer (talk | contribs)

Curtain of the Kaʿba, also known as Kiswa (Arabic: الكسوة), is a black fabric that covers the walls of the Ka'ba. Covering the Ka'ba with a curtain is considered a sign of respect. The tradition of draping the Ka'ba with fabrics of various colors and materials dates back to ancient times, predating the advent of Islam. Historical sources record events related to the preparation and installation of curtain of the Ka'ba. Additionally, curtain of the Ka'ba is the subject of certain legal rulings in Islamic jurisprudence.

Today, the curtain is woven in a dedicated workshop in Mecca and consists of five pieces, each covering one of the walls of the Ka'ba, with an additional piece allocated for the door.

Word and Concept Semantics

The Arabic phrase "كسوة الكعبة" means curtain or garment of the Ka'ba. This black covering adorns the structure of the Ka'ba, constituting part of the Black Stone section.[1] Curtain of the Ka'ba is a symbol of respect.[2] And it holds the value and prestige of the house of God, constituting a part of the history of the Ka'ba.[3] There has also been a specific position for the custodian of the curtain's affairs, known for its veil management or curtain-keeping, from the past until now.

Additionally, curtain of the Ka'ba is the subject of certain legal rulings, with the most significant being the permission to cover the Ka'ba with silk.[4]The impermissibility of tearing, cutting, buying, and selling curtain of the Ka'ba is contrary to the viewpoint of some Shia Muslims and also some followers of the Shafi'i school, diverging from the common perspective among Sunni Muslims.[5] The permissibility or impermissibility of adorning it with gold and silver,[6]The permission to enter behind the curtain for supplication.[7]

history of covering of the Ka'ba

There is a difference of opinion regarding who first covered the Ka'ba. Some narratives attribute this action to Prophet Adam.[8] Some historical accounts suggest that one of the kings of Himyar in Yemen was the first to cover the Ka'ba, around the year 190 or 220 BCE before the Prophetic mission.[9] The weaving of new curtains for the Ka'ba continued by the Quraysh, and after the advent of Islam, it was carried on by the Prophet and his successors. This practice experienced significant development during certain periods of the Abbasid era, with garment of the Ka'ba being occasionally replaced three times a year.[10]Kings of other Islamic lands [11] And some wealthy individuals would occasionally procure curtain of the Ka'ba and send it to Mecca.[12]

The weaving of curtain of the Ka'ba in Egypt

After the extinction of the Abbasids (in 659 AH/ 1260-1), providing the covering for the Ka'ba became the exclusive responsibility of the rulers of Egypt from 661 AH/1262-3 onward.[13] During the Ottoman Empire era, the weaving of the curtain also took place in Egypt.[14] In Egypt, since the Mamluk era, endowments and special workshops were allocated for the production of materials for fabric weaving.[15]

The curtain-weaving workshop in Mecca

With the establishment of the Al Saud government, a workshop in Mecca was dedicated to the weaving of the curtain.[16] This practice continued until 1358/ 1939-40 when the Egyptian government requested Abdulaziz to allow the transportation of another curtain from Egypt. Abdulaziz accepted this request, and the workshop was closed. The curtain was once again brought from Egypt. This continued until 1382/1962-3 when, due to the disagreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the sending of the Kaaba's covering from Egypt was halted. Since then, the weaving of the Kaaba's curtain in Mecca has continued in the remaining curtain workshop.[17]

The size and weight of curtain of the Ka'ba

Curtain of the Ka'ba is composed of five main parts, each covering one side of the Kaaba. The fifth piece encompasses the Kaaba's door, known as the "Burqa'." In total, garment of the Ka'ba consists of 54 pieces, with each piece measuring 14 meters in length and 95 centimeters in width. The total area of the curtain is 2650 square meters, and its weight reaches two tons.[18] Many of the pieces, inscriptions, and patterns on curtain of the Ka'ba are adorned with gilding.[19]

The belt around curtain of the Ka'ba

The "Hizam" refers to the belt or band around curtain of the Ka'ba. The belt is made of black silk fabric and is adorned with patterns and Quranic verses in Thuluth script. The belt is composed of 16 pieces, with a circumference of 47 meters and a width of 95 centimeters. Quranic verses are inscribed on the belt, and at specified intervals, phrases such as "یا حی یا قیوم," "یا رحمن یا رحیم," and "الحمد لله رب العالمین" are embellished with golden letters.[20]

The curtain in the Ka'ba

The curtain of the Kaaba's door, known as the "Borqa'," is made of black silk fabric and is adorned with Quranic verses and Islamic decorations in gold and silver. Additionally, Surah Al-Fatiha is inscribed on it from three directions. The Borqa' is made of silk, with a height of 5.7 meters and a width of four meters.[21]

The verses inscribed on the Kaaba's curtain are as follows:

The verses inscribed on curtain of the Ka'ba and belt are as follows (from top to bottom on the curtain):

1. "قَدْ نَرَىٰ تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةً تَرْضَاهَا" (We have seen thee turning thy face about in the heaven now We will surely turn thee to a direction that shall satisfy .) [22]

2. بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِیمِ* رَبِّ اَدْخِلْنی مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَ اَخْرِجْنی‏ مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ وَ اجْعَلْ لی مِنْ لَدُنْکَ سُلْطاناً نَصیراً And say: My Lord, lead me in with a just in going, and lead me out with a just outgoing; grant me authority from Thee, to help me.[23]

Additionally, other verses, chapters, and phrases are written on the curtain and belt.[24]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ibn Fāris. Muʿjam maqāyīs al-lugha, vol. 3, p. 132; Fāsī al-Makkī, Shifāʾ al-gharām bi akhbār al-balad al-ḥarām, vol. 1, p. 122.
  2. ↑ Baḥr al-ʿUlūm, Al-Tuḥfat al-kirām, p. 159-160.
  3. ↑ Nāblusī, Kashf al-nūr, p. 14; Subḥānī, Al- Tawḥīd wa al-shirk, p. 210.
  4. ↑ Ḥillī, Taḥrīr al-aḥkām al-sharʿiyya ʿalā madhhab al-imāmiyya, vol. 4, p. 363; Samhūdī, Wafāʾ al-wafā bi akhbār dar al-Muṣṭafā, vol. 2, p. 140; Bahūtī, Kashf al-qināʿ, vol. 3, p. 180.
  5. ↑ Ḥillī, Tadhkirat al-fuqahāʾ, vol. 7, p. 380; Rāfiʿī, Fatḥ al-ʿazīz, vol. 7, p. 513.
  6. ↑ Shirwānī, Al-Ḥawāshī, vol. 1, p. 121; Ḥalabī, Al-Sīra al-ḥalabiyya, vol. 1, p. 280.
  7. ↑ Damyāṭī, Iʿāna al-ṭālibīn, vol. 2, p. 95.
  8. ↑ Ṣadūq, Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh, vol. 2, p. 235; Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, vol. 13, p. 208.
  9. ↑ Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, Fatḥ al-bārī bi sharḥ ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, vol. 3, p. 365-366; Ḥalabī, Al-Sīra al-ḥalabiyya, vol. 1, p. 280; Bāslāma, Tārīkh al-kaʿba al-muʿaẓẓama, p. 291; Fākihī, Akhbār Makka fī qadīm al-dahr wa ḥadīthih, vol. 5, p. 230-231.
  10. ↑ Ḥalabī, Al-Sīra al-ḥalabiyya, vol. 1, p. 281; Imām Aḥmad, Fī riḥāb al-bayt al-ʿatīq, vol. 1, p. 211; Amīn, Kashf al-irtīyāb, p. 360.
  11. ↑ Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, vol. 13, p. 26.
  12. ↑ Ibn Khaldūn, Tārīkh Ibn Khaldūn, vol. 3, p. 513; Ibn Athīr al-Jazarī, Al-Kāmil fī l-tārīkh, vol. 11, p. 65; Nawīrī, Nihāyat al-irb, vol. 23, p. 284.
  13. ↑ Amīn, Kashf al-irtīyāb, p. 360.
  14. ↑ Sakhāwī, Al-Dhaw ʾ al-lāmiʿ, vol. 4, p. 26; Bāslāma, Tārīkh al-kaʿba al-muʿaẓẓama, p. 320.
  15. ↑ Sakhāwī, Al-Tuḥfat al-laṭīfa fī tārīkh al-Madīna al-sharīfa, vol. 2, p. 107; Fāsī al-Makkī, Shifāʾ al-gharām bi akhbār al-balad al-ḥarām, vol. 1, p. 123; Bāslāma, Tārīkh al-kaʿba al-muʿaẓẓama, p. 317; Imām Aḥmad, Fī riḥāb al-bayt al-ʿatīq, p. 216; Ḥamdī, Mawsū ʿa al-mafāhīm, vol. 1, p. 553.
  16. ↑ Daqan, Kaʿba wa Jamie ān, p. 172; Bāslāma, Tārīkh al-kaʿba al-muʿaẓẓama, p. 347.
  17. ↑ Imām Aḥmad, Fī riḥāb al-bayt al-ʿatīq, vol. 1, p. 215; Bāslāma, Tārīkh al-kaʿba al-muʿaẓẓama, p. 331-332; Daqan, Kaʿba wa Jamie ān, p. 175-178.
  18. ↑ Imām Aḥmad, Fī riḥāb al-bayt al-ʿatīq, vol. 1, p. 215; Bāslāma, Tārīkh al-kaʿba al-muʿaẓẓama, p. 474.
  19. ↑ Sādiqī Ardistānī, Hajj az mīqāt tā mīʿād, vol. 55, p. 133.
  20. ↑ Imām Aḥmad, Fī riḥāb al-bayt al-ʿatīq, vol. 1, p. 215; Bāslāma, Tārīkh al-kaʿba al-muʿaẓẓama, p. 474.
  21. ↑ Qalashqandī, Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā, vol. 4, p. 282; Azraqī, Akhbār Makka wa mā jāʾa fīhā min al-āthār, vol. 1, p. 258; Bāslāma, Tārīkh al-kaʿba al-muʿaẓẓama, p. 358.
  22. ↑ Sura Al-Baqarah, 2:144.
  23. ↑ sura Al-Isra, 17:80.
  24. ↑ Bāslāma, Tārīkh al-kaʿba al-muʿaẓẓama, p. 311-352; Mawsū ʿa al-ʿarabīyya al-ʿālimīyya, vol. 19, p. 319; Qāʾidān, Tārīkh wa āthār-i Islāmī-yi Makka wa Madīna, p. 89.


References

  • Azraqī, Muḥammad b. ʿAbd Allāh al-. Akhbār Makka wa mā jāʾa fīhā min al-āthār. Edited by Rushdī Ṣāliḥ Mulḥis. Beirut: 1403 AH.
  • Baḥr al-ʿUlūm, Muḥammad al-Mahdī al-. Al-Tuḥfat al-kirām. Tehran: Mashʿar, 1425 AH.
  • Bahūtī, Nanṣūr al-. Kashf al-qināʿ. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1418AH.
  • Bāslāma, Ḥusayn ʿAbdullāh. Tārīkh al-kaʿba al-muʿaẓẓama. Riyadh: : Dār al-malik ʿAbdu-l ʿAzīz, 1419AH.
  • Damyāṭī, Al-Sayyid al-bakrī al-.Iʿāna al-ṭālibīn. Beirut: Dār al-fikr, 1418 AH.
  • Daqan, Muḥammad. Kaʿba wa Jamie ān. Translated by Anṣārī. Tehran: Mashʿar, 1384 sh.
  • Fākihī, Muḥammad b. Isḥāq. Akhbār Makka fī qadīm al-dahr wa ḥaīthih. Beirut: Dār al- Khiḍr, 1414 AH.
  • Fāsī al-Makkī, Muḥammad b. Aḥmad. Shifāʾ al-gharām bi akhbār al-balad al-ḥarām. Translated by Muḥammad Muqaddas. Tehran: Mashʿar, 1386 sh.
  • Ḥalabī, Nūr al-Dīn. Al-Sīra al-ḥalabiyya. Edited by ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad Khalīlī. Beirut: 1422 AH-2002.
  • Ḥamdī, Maḥmūd. Mawsū ʿa al-mafāhīm. Cairo: Wizārat Awqāf, [n.d].
  • Ḥillī, al-Ḥasan b. Yūsuf al-. Tadhkirat al-fuqahāʾ. Qom: Muʾassisat Āl al-Bayt, 1414 AH.
  • Ḥillī, al-Ḥasan b. Yūsuf al-. Taḥrīr al-aḥkām al-sharʿiyya ʿalā madhhab al-imāmiyya. Edited by Ibrāhīm Bahādurī. Qom: Muʾassisat Imām al-Ṣādiq, 1420 AH.
  • Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-. Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa. Qom: Muʾassisat Āl al-Bayt, 1416 AH.
  • Ibn Athīr al-Jazarī, ʿAlī b. Abī l-Karam. Al-Kāmil fī l-tārīkh. Beirut: Dār Ṣādir, 1385 AH-1965.
  • Ibn Fāris. Muʿjam maqāyīs al-lugha. Qom: Maktab al-Aʿlām al-Islāmī, 1404 AH.
  • Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, Aḥmad b. ʿAlī. Fatḥ al-bārī bi sharḥ ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifa, [n.d].
  • Ibn Kathīr, Ismāʿīl b. ʿUmar. Al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya. Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, 1407 AH.
  • Ibn Khaldūn, ʿAbd l-Raḥmān b. Muḥammad. Tārīkh Ibn Khaldūn. Edited by Khalīl Shaḥāda. Second edition. Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, 1408AH-1988.
  • Imām Aḥmad, Muḥyi al-dīn. Fī riḥāb al-bayt al-ʿatīq. Andulus: Dār al-Qurṭuba, [n.d].
  • Muʾssisa Aʿmāl al- mawsū ʿa li-l nashr. . Mawsū ʿa al-ʿarabīyya al-ʿālimīyya. Riyadh: 1419 AH.
  • Nāblusī, ʿAbd al-Ghanī al-. Kashf al-nūr. Istanbul: Maktabat al-Ḥaqīqa, 1406 AH.
  • Nawīrī, Aḥmad al-. Nihāyat al-irb. Cairo: Wizarat al-thiqāfa wa al-irshād al-qawmī, 1412AH.
  • Qāʾidān, Aṣghar. Tārīkh wa āthār-i Islāmī-yi Makka wa Madīna. 4th edition. Qom: Nashr-i Mashʿar, 1381 Sh.
  • Qalashqandī, Aḥmad b. ʿAlī. Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā. Cairo: 1383 AH-1963.
  • Rāfiʿī, , ʿAbd al-karīm b. Muḥammad. Fatḥ al-ʿazīz. Beirut: Dār al-fikr, [n.d].
  • Sādiqī Ardistānī, Aḥmad. Hajj az mīqāt tā mīʿād. Tehran: Mashʿar, 1385 sh.
  • Ṣadūq, Muḥammad b. ʿAlī al-. Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh. Edited by ʿAlī Akbar Ghaffārī. Qom: Daftar-i Intishārāt-i Islāmī, 1404 AH.
  • Shirwānī, ʿAbd al-ḥamīd al-. Al-Ḥawāshī. Beirut: Dār al-fikr, [n.d].
  • Sakhāwī, shamsu l- dīn. Al-Dhaw ʾ al-lāmiʿ. Beirut: Dār al-Jayl, 1412 AH.
  • Sakhāwī, Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. Al-Tuḥfat al-laṭīfa fī tārīkh al-Madīna al-sharīfa. Beirut: 1414 AH-1993.
  • Samhūdī, ʿAlī b. ʿAbd Allāh. Wafāʾ al-wafā bi akhbār dar al-Muṣṭafā. Edited by Muḥammad Muḥyi al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd. Beirut: 1984.
  • Subḥānī, Jaʿfar. Al- Tawḥīd wa al-shirk. Beirut: Dār al-Taʿāruf, [n.d].
Retrieved from "https://en.wikihaj.com/index.php?title=Curtain_of_the_Ka%27ba&oldid=2940"