Maqame Ebrahim

The Maqame Ebrahim refers to the stone on which Ebrahim (upon him be peace) stood on while he was building the Ka’bah. As Ismail (upon him be peace) passed stones to Ebrahim (upon him be peace), and as Ebrahim (upon him be peace) continued laying them in place the Maqame Ebrahim miraculously continued rising higher and higher as the walls rose. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) caused the trace of his footprints to remain on the stone as a reminder to the believers among his descendants.

It has been reported from Sa’eed bin Jubair (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said: “The stone is the station of Ebrahim. Allah made it soft and made it a mercy. Ebrahim would stand on it and Ismail would hand the stones up to him.”[Muthir Al-Gharam]

Ebrahim and Ismail (upon them be peace) used to mention the following Quranic verse as they were constructing the Holy Ka’bah,“Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: for you are the All-Hearing, The All-Knowing.”[2:127]

Ebrahim (upon him be peace) constructed the Ka’bah using rocks from five mountains; Hira, Thubayr, Labnaan, Toor and Jabalul Khayr. Toor Seena (Mount Sinai) is actually situated in the eastern desert of Egypt.

When Ebrahim (upon him be peace) completed the construction of the Ka’bah he was commanded by Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He): “And proclaim to mankind the Hajj (pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj).” [22:27] Ibn Kathir says in his commentary that this verse means: ‘Proclaim (O Ebrahim) the Hajj to the people, calling them to come on pilgrimage to this House which We have commanded you to build’. It was mentioned that he said, “O Lord, how can I proclaim it to the people when my voice does not reach them?” He said, “Call and We will convey it.” So he stood at his Maqam (station) – or according to some narrations on al-Safa, or on mount Abu Qubays – and said: “O people, your Lord has taken a House, so come to it on pilgrimage.” And it was said that the mountains lowered themselves so that his voice could reach all parts of the earth and those who were still in the wombs or in men’s loins also heard, and everything that heard him, cities, nomad encampments and trees, and everyone whom Allah has decreed should perform Hajj until the Day of Resurrection responded (saying) “Labbayk Allahumma labbayk (Here I am, O Allah, here I am)”. This is the summary of what was narrated from Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, ‘Ikrimah, Saeed ibn Jubayr and others (may Allah be pleased with them).

Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) fulfilled three wishes that he had. One of these was his proposal to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) that the Maqame Ebrahim should be made a place for performing salah (prayer). Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) revealed the following verse in the Quran in Surah al-Baqarah: “Take the Maqam of Ebrahim as a place of salah (a place behind which you perform two rakahs of salah after Tawaf)” [2:125]

At the time of Ebrahim (upon him be peace) the Maqam was attached to the Ka’bah. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), seeing that leaving it where it was would make the space too crowded for Tawaf or for prayers had it moved to the place it is in now to make it easier for people. There was consensus among the Sahabah for this action of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), for he was the one who had suggested it should be taken as a place of prayer. 

Juhm bin Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him), a Sahabi who was present when the Quraysh rebuilt the Ka’bah as well as when Abdullah bin Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) rebuilt it says that the blessed footprints of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) very closely matches those of Ebrahim (upon him be peace). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) also mentioned: “From all the children of Ebrahim (upon him be peace) it is I who resembles him the most.” [Bukhari]

Although the Arabs worshipped stones during the Period of Ignorance, no one ever worshipped the Hajar al-Aswad or the Maqame Ebrahim even though the Arabs revered them. It appears that it was Allah’s explicit intention to protect the Maqame Ebrahim from Shirk and all types of worship. 

Note that the significance of the Maqame Ebrahim is that it is a place for the performance of salah and not for touching or kissing. When there are lots of people performing tawaf it is better to perform salah some distance away from the Maqame Ebrahim to avoid causing unnecessary inconvenience to others.

References: The History of Makkah – Dr Muhammad Ilyas Abdul Ghani , Holy Makkah – Shaikh Safiur-Rahman Mubarakpuri