Why does the Kaaba exist only in Islam though it is the house of Allah, a place that has come from the Prophet Adam to this day and is a place of holiness?

- Should the Kaaba not be mentioned as a holy temple in other religions (the Torah, the Gospel)?

Dear Brother / Sister,

As it is known, the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Ismail (Ishmael) built the Kaaba - After Adam (pbuh). Ibrahim’s son, Ismail, personally settled in Hejaz as the founder of the Kaaba and regarded it as a holy place when he was alive and always visited it.

The Arabs, who are the descendants of the Prophet Ismail, followed the path of the Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail, who were also their ancestors, throughout history and always considered the Kaaba holy. They tried to fulfill their duty of hajj, which has been valid since the time of Ibrahim, though some aspects of it were distorted, to the extent that it was handed down to them. We learn from the Quran that those customs and deeds of worship continued until the time of the Prophet (pbuh).

The Prophet Ishaq (Isaac), the other son of the Prophet Ibrahim, lived in the places far from the Kaaba since he settled in the Palestine/Canaan/Jerusalem region, not the Hejaz region. Therefore, it is normal for his descendants not to have a tradition of worship related to the Kaaba. After all, since the Jews, who came from the descendants of Ibrahim (pbuh) who were prophets, always thought that they were the most superior nation throughout history, they could never accept to be under the protection of Arabs, who were their cousins, by being attached to their holy temple.

Due to divine wisdom, when qadar (destiny) made them build Masjid al-Aqsa, the second holy temple on earth after the Kaaba, as a qibla for them, they found the opportunity to fulfill their needs there. In the course of time, Christians who were from Sons of Israel even thought of destroying the Kaaba - as in the case of Abraha.

To sum up, the fact that the Kaaba is not mentioned in the sources of Jews and Christians may be an attitude stemming from both geographical distance and negative competition.

That the holy Kaaba was reserved for the Arabs, who are the descendants of the Prophet Ismail, and that it became a completely holy temple in the religion of Muhammad, the last prophet, can also be considered as a separate instance of wisdom regarding the issue.

Questions on Islam