When you circle the Kaaba, you pass a low semi-circular wall. Many people do not know that what is inside it is part of the House, which is why tawaf goes around the outside of it.
Aishah asked the Prophet ﷺ about the enclosure known today as the Hijr: is it part of the House? He said: “Yes.” She said: then why did they not include it in the House? He said: “Your people ran short of funds.”
She said: and why is its door raised so high? He said: “Your people did that to let in whom they wished and keep out whom they wished. Were it not that your people have only recently left the days of ignorance, and I fear their hearts would reject it, I would have included the enclosure in the House and brought its door down to ground level.”
A moment of reflection
The Prophet ﷺ saw something more complete, yet left it out of gentleness toward the hearts of people new to Islam.
This is a lesson in wisdom: not every right thing is done at every moment, and caring for people’s hearts is part of the religion.
And the practical lesson: tawaf goes around the outside of the Hijr, because the Hijr is part of the House.
What do we know? What don’t we know?
- We know: that the Hijr is part of the House, and that Quraysh ran short of funds to include it, by the text of the authentic hadith.
- We do not know for certain: exactly how much of the Hijr is part of the House; the narrations differ on its measurement.
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1583 and 1584, narrated by Aishah.
- Sahih Muslim 1333.
Is there something right in your life that you are delaying out of gentleness to the people around you? How do you balance what is right with gentleness?