The last renovation took place in 1996 when many stones were replaced and its foundations were re-strengthened along with a new roof.

Kaaba used to have two doors and a window. It is one of the things to know about the Kaaba that its original structure had a door for entrance and another for exit. It also had a window situated to one side for a considerable amount of time. The Kaaba that we see today has only one door and no window.

It was not always black. We are so used to seeing Kaaba covered in its trademark black Kiswah with gold banding that we cannot imagine it in another color. Before the time of the Abbasids whose household color was black, Kaaba was covered in multiple colors including green, red and white.

The keys of Kaaba are in the hands of one family. At the time of the Prophet (pbuh), the keys of different aspects of the rites of Hajj were in the hands of different tribes of the Quraish who eventually lost control of their guardianship except one. After conquering Makkah, the Prophet (pbuh) was given the keys to the Kaaba but he returned them back to Osman ibn Talha of the Bani Shaiba family. This family has been the traditional key keepers of the Kaaba for centuries and the Prophet (pbuh) himself confirmed that role till the end of time when he said,

“Take it, O Bani Talha, eternally up to the Day of Resurrection, and it will not be taken from you unless by an unjust, oppressive tyrant.”

Kaaba used to be open to everyone. Until recently, everyone was allowed to enter and pray inside Kaaba when it was opened twice a week. But, due to the heavy influx in the number of pilgrims, Kaaba is now opened only twice a year for dignitaries.

People used to swim around it. The Makkah valley where Kaabah is situated tends to flood during heavy rain. It was not an uncommon occurrence and caused a lot of problems before the days of flood control system and sewage drainage. Muslims would perform tawaf around the half- submerged Kaaba by swimming around it.

The interior of the Kaaba contains plaques commemorating the rulers who renovated it. The upper walls of Kaabah are lined with marble and green cloth along with the plaques commemorating different rulers who renovated or repaired Kaaba.

There is another Kaaba in Paradise. This Kaaba was mentioned in the Quran and by the Prophet (pbuh) when he narrated about his journey of Isra’a -Wal-Miraj,

“Then I was shown Al-Bait-al-Ma’mur (i.e. Allah’s House). I asked Gabriel about it and he said, This is Al Bait-ul-Ma’mur where 70,000 angels perform prayers daily and when they leave they never return to it (but always a fresh batch comes into it daily).”

The Black Stone is broken. It was damaged in the middle ages by an extreme heretical Ismaili group from Bahrain called the Qarmatians who declared that the Hajj was an act of superstition. They killed thousands of hujjaj and dumped their bodies in the well of Zamzam. Qarmatians also took the Black Stone to the East of Arabia and then Kufa in Iraq but later forced to return it by the Abbasid Caliph. The stone was in pieces and the only way to keep it together was by encasing it in silver.

Kaabah was never meant to be cube-shaped. The original structure of Kaaba actually started out as rectangular-shaped and included the semi-circular area of Hijr-e-Ismael. It is one of the least-known facts about Kaabah.

What is Hajj-ul-Tamattu?

In this type of Hajj, a pilgrim assumes Ihram for only Umrah during the months of Hajj. After reaching Makkah, he performs Tawaf and Saa’ee for Umrah. He then performs Qasr i.e. shaves or clips his hair. On the day of eighth of Dhul-Hijjah, he puts on his Ihram for Hajj and performs the rites and duties of Hajj. The person who performs this kind of Hajj is called a Mutamatti.
All the forms of Hajj are rewarded but the most recommended form of Hajj by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is Hajj-ul-Tamattu and he encouraged his followers to perform it. Even if a pilgrim forms niyyah to perform Qiran or Ifraad he is allowed to change it to perform Tamattu.

After the sunset in Arafat, proceed to Muzdalifah without offering Maghrib prayer and reciting Talbiyah on the way. Upon reaching Muzdalifah, offer Maghrib and Isha prayers together at Isha time. For both prayers there is one adhan and one iqamah. First, offer Fard prayer of Maghrib with jama’at, then recite Takbir Tashriq and Talbiyah, and immediately after that offer Fard prayer of Isha with jama’at. Afterward, offer two raka’t Sunnah of Maghrib followed by two raka’t Sunnah of Isha and three raka’t of Witr prayer.
Spend this blessed night in Zikr and supplicating to Allah. Glorify Allah and recite Darud and read Quran. Pronounce talbiyah and make Dua.
Also collect stones for the next day of stoning at the Jamarat. Pick 49 pebbles of the size of a chick pea if Rami is to be performed for three days and 70 if for four days.

Third day of Hajj (10th Dhul Hijjah)

On this day of Eid, leave for Mina from Muzdalifah after Fajr prayers. Stone the largest Jamarat, Jamarat-ul-Kubra and perform Qurbani. Stop saying talbiyah the moment you throw the first stone. Now go back to your accommodation for Qurbani. Do it yourself or ask a reliable person to do it on your behalf. There are three days designated for qurbani. It is usually easy to do qurbani on 11 Dhul Hijjah.
Afterward, Qasr is performed i.e. male pilgrims will shave their heads and female will clip their hair as part of the Hajj ritual. Now, pilgrims are free to remove their ihram and wear ordinary clothes. All the restrictions regarding ihram are lifted after Qasr except the sexual relation between husband and wife, which is permissible after Tawaf-ul-Ifadah. It is sunnah to perform Qasr in Mina but you are allowed to do it anywhere in Haram. Ensure that Rami, qurbani and shaving or clipping of the hair are performed in the listed order otherwise a Dam is required as a penalty.
Now, move to Haram to perform Tawaf-al-Ifadah and offer 2 raka’t nafl near Maqam-e-Ibrahim. Also, drink zamzam after performing saa’ee, the seven circuits between the hills of Safa and Marwah and, spend the night at Mina.
Tawaful Ifadah or Tawafuz Ziyarah can be performed any time from 10 Dhul Hijjah to the sunset of 12 Dhul Hijjah. It is most convenient to perform on 11 Dhul Hijjah. The procedure is similar to that of Tawaf of Umrah and it is essential to perform it in the state of wudu. According to Sunnah, Tawafuz Ziyarah is to be performed after Rami, Qurbani and shaving or clipping of the hair, and every effort should be made to do that in the given sequence. However, Fard stands discharged even if Tawaf-e-Ziyarat is performed prior to all these practices.

Fourth Day of Hajj (11th Dhul Hijjah)

On second day of Eid, proceed to Jamarat from Mina after Zuhr prayers for the stoning of the devil. Stone all the three Jamarats (Jamarat-e-Sughra, Jamarat-e-Wusta and Jamarat-e-Qubra) in sequence from small to large by throwing 7 pebbles at each of these pillars. It is a bit easy to perform Rami just before sunset or at night. It is permissible to do Rami at night if there is a risk to life. After completion of this ritual, return to Mina for night stay. If you could not perform Tawafuz ziyarah yesterday you can also do it after the stoning. Later, go back to Mina for night stay.

Fifth & Final Day of Hajj (12th Dhul Hijjah)

Start the rituals for the final day of Hajj by proceeding to Jamarat from Mina after Zuhr for the stoning. The stoning of Jamarat will be completed from small to large. After stoning, leave for Makkah before Sunset. If you could not perform Tawafuz ziyarah earlier, it is essential to do it before maghrib on this day.
Before leaving Makkah and returning to your country, the pilgrims will also perform Tawaf-ul-Wada (Farewell Tawaf). It is obligatory to perform the farewell tawaf. At this stage all the obligatory rituals of Hajj are completed.

Mentioned above was the simple Hajj procedure about how to do Hajj after assuming Ihram from the Meeqat. May Allah accept your Hajj and reward you in this life and the Hereafter. Aameen!

Note: It is recommended to consult and seek an opinion from scholars on doubtful Islamic matters.

Rules of Tawaf

There is a set of rules or guidelines for doing tawaf which needs to be followed. It is necessary to complete these rituals correctly and follow the rules or a Dam becomes wajib. The main rules of tawaf are as follows:

• It is essential to be in the state of wudu for the entire tawaf.
• Niyyah is an essential condition for tawaf. There is no tawaf without niyyah.
• Tawaf should begin from Hajar-al-Aswad (the black stone) and should finish at Hajar-al-Aswad moving in the direction of Hatim (anti-clock wise) keeping Hajar-al-Aswad to the left.
• It is obligatory to include Hijr (Hatim) Ismael into Tawaf, which means to perform Tawaf of Hijr Ismael from outside.
• Pilgrims must circumambulate seven complete rounds around the House of Allah – the Kaabatullah, and anything less is not enough.
• If the time of obligatory or supererogatory “Vitr” prayer comes during obligatory Tawaf, a pilgrim can leave Tawaf, perform the prayer and then return and continue the rest of Tawaf.
• Performing Istilam i.e. to kiss the Hajr-e-Aswad. If you are unable to kiss the Black stone because of the crowd, touch it with the hand and then kiss your hand as was done by the Prophet (pbuh). If you cannot reach the stone then point your hands towards the stone and say “Allahu Akbar”

Note: It is recommended to consult and seek an opinion from scholars on doubtful Islamic matters.

Some people perform multiple Umrahs by going to Masjid Ta’neem or other Meeqat to assume ihram again and again. It is not from sunnah and one should not make the mistake of doing it. Instead of performing multiple umrahs one should try to perform as many tawaf as possible to gain greater rewards.

Mistake 5: Getting emotional at Jamarat

Jamarats are not the devil/s disguised as the stones. There is no devil present at the Jamarat. It is the stone indicating the spot where the devil (shaitan) tried to mislead Prophet Ibrahim (AS). It is recommended to glorify Allah by saying Allahu Akbar each time you throw a pebble at the stone pillar.

Mistake 6: Kissing Hajr-e-Aswad from Distance

Kissing the black stone is a beautiful sunnah and it is an honour to be able to do that. But majority of the people are not able to reach Hajr-e-Aswad because of the crowd. Therefore, many people try to kiss it from the distance. They stop in the middle of performing tawaf, face the black stone and put their hands up to kiss the black stone in air as if the stone is right in front of them.
Distance kissing is not from sunnah. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would kiss the black stone if he could easily do so or touch it with his hand and then kiss his hand. But, if it was too crowded, he would only point towards it with his hands and say “Allahu Akbar”.

Ibn Abbas said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) performed Tawaf on his camel, and every time he came to the corner (where the Black Stone is) he would point to it and say Allāhu Akbar.” [Al-Bukhari]

Mistake 7: Thinking Dua is accepted at first glance of Kaabah

Most of the people have a wrong notion that the first time they witness the Kaabah, any du’a they make, will be answered. It is simply not true and has no evidence in Shariah. Any Hadith that we find in this matter is weak or fabricated.

Mistake 8: Shouting Du’a in Unison

Some people shout dua in unison while performing tawaf. They follow a leader or an imam who speak out different dua’s loudly and the people repeat after him in unison. This creates a lot of confusion and disturbs others engaged in their own duas. It is not correct.
The right thing to do before you go for Tawaf, is to make a list of Du’a that you want to make or the verses from Qur’an you want to recite. So you won’t have to follow anybody and you will be making Du’a from your own heart in your own language. Make your dua with humility and Khushoo’.

The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Each one of you is conversing with his Lord, so do not disturb one another or raise your voices over one another when reading (or he said) when praying.” [Abu Dawood, Sahih by Al-Albani]

Mistake 9: Designating specific Du’a for different rounds of Tawaf

Some pilgrims designate specific Du’as for each round and there are even books with specific Du’as written for every round. This is not from sunnah. Neither the Prophet (pbuh) nor the Sahabas recited any specific Du’a in any of the rounds of tawaf. The only Du’a that the Prophet (pbuh) specified during Tawaf was upon reaching between the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone when he would say,
“Rabbana atina’ fid-dunya hasana wa fil-akhirati hasana wa qina adhaban-nar”[“Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter and save us from the punishment of the Fire.’’]

Mistake 10: Doing Tawaf on someone’s behalf

Many people make this mistake. They complete their tawaf and then perform an extra round for a friend, relative or a deceased person. It is not correct and has no basis in sunnah. Only Hajj and Umrah can be performed on behalf of someone but tawaf individually cannot be done on someone’s behalf.

Mistake 11: Thinking praying 40 raka’t prayers in Madinah is compulsory

Some people think praying 40 raka’t Naf’l is compulsory in Masjid-e-Nabawi and it is a part of Hajj. Neither the Naf’l prayers nor visiting Madinah is a part of Hajj. It is good that you spend as much time as you can in praying inside the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah but to think that it is necessary to do so, is not correct.

Note: It is recommended to consult and seek an opinion from scholars on doubtful Islamic matters.