Islam Guidance

IMPORTANCE OF THE CIRCUMAMBULATION OF THE KAABA

IMPORTANCE OF THE CIRCUMAMBULATION
OF THE KAABA
Circumambulation means to go round something. This act shows the utmost degree of love to the extent that a lover wishes to sacrifice himself for the beloved. A real pilgrim who has thirst for meeting his Beloved has been detached from everything. By going round the House of the Beloved, he wishes to prove that he desires nothing but God.

The planets circumambulate the sun, for they take everything from it. Inside an atom, the electrons circumambulate the protons. The whole universe ranging from the invisible particles to the planets and galaxies circumambulate. Man, being a part of the universe, should circumambulate, too, with the difference that the planets circumambulate in a compulsory way according to the laws of nature, but man, the rational being and possessor of free will, circumambulates with his logic and will a House God has appointed to honor human beings. Hence, it is natural for Muslims to offer their prayers, to sit, to stand, to recite the Holy Quran, to sleep, to lie down at the moment of death, to be put in grave, and finally to be in that direction during their lifetimes and death. قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيايَ وَمَماتِي للهِ رَبِّ العَالَمِينَ
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1 See al-Kafi; Vol. 4 p.206 hadith 6

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?Say: Surely my prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are all for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. (The Holy Quran; 6:162)?

THE POSITION OF ONE WHO HAS THE HONOR
OF CIRCUMAMBULATION
As for one who has given a positive response to God's call and has managed to attend His House, he is honorable guest received by the Honorable Host Who gives abundantly and freely: يَا مَنْ يُعْطِي الكَثيرَ بِالقَليلِ
?O' He Who gives much in return of very little deeds.?1 Imam Ali (a.s) was asked: What is the meaning of a pilgrim's act when he restores to the Kaaba and catches hold of its curtains? He (a.s) answered: مَثَلُهُ مَثَلُ رَجلٍ لهُ عِندَ آخَرَ جِنايَةٌ وذَنبٌ فَهو مُتَعَلِّقٌ بِثوبِهِ ويَتَضرَّعُ اِلَيهِ ويخْضَعُ لهُ أنْ يتَجافى عَن ذَنبِهِ
?His act is like one who has committed an offence against another person and now while regretting, he appeals to him, takes hold of his garment, and humbly asks for pardon.?2
Under such circumstance, a magnanimous person is required to show favor and forgiveness. God Who is the most magnanimous will be certainly generous and forgiving towards His servant.
The following glad tidings reached us from the Holy Prophet (saw):
ما مِن طائِفٍ يَطوفُ بِهذا البَيْتِ حِينَ تَزولُ الشَّمسُ حاسِراً عَن رَأسِهِ حافِياً يُقارِبُ بَينَ خُطاهُ ويَغُضُّ بَصَرَهُ ويَستَلِمُ الحَجَرَ في كُلِّ طَوافٍ مِن غَيرِ أنْ يُؤذِيَ أَحَداً ولا يَقطَعُ ذِكْرَ اللهِ عزّ وذجلّ عَن لِسانِهِ إلاّ كَتَبَ اللهُ عزّ وجلّ لَهُ بِكُلِّ خُطوَةٍ سَبعينَ ألفَ حَسَنَةٍ ومحَى عنهُ سَبعينَ ألفَ سَيِّئَةٍ ورَفَعَ لهُ سَبعينَ ألفَ دَرَجَةٍ وأَعتَقَ عنهُ سبعِينَ ألفَ رَقَبَةٍ ثمَنُ كَلِّ رَقَبَةٍ عَشَرَةُ آلافِ دِرهَمٍ وشُفِّعَ في سَبعِينَ مِن أهلِ بَيتِهِ وقُضِيَتْ لهُ سَبعونَ ألفَ حاجَةٍ إنْ شاءَ فَعاجَلَهُ وإنْ شاءَ فَآجَلَهُ.

For every pilgrim who circumambulates the Kaaba at noon bareheaded and bare-footed, takes short paces, lowers his eyes out of modesty, touches the Black Stone in every circumambulation, harms no one, and keeps on
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1 This is a statement of the Du'aa ?supplication- of month of Rajab.
2 See Qadi Saeed Qummi's Asrar ul-Ibadat, p. 230

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remembering Allah, Allah will write seventy thousand rewards for him, remove from him seventy thousand wrongdoings, promotes him seventy thousand ranks, sets free on his behalf seventy thousand slaves worth ten thousand dirhams each, give him the right of intercession for seventy persons of his relatives, and fulfill seventy thousand of his demands either immediately or later on.?1
Imam Sadiq (a.s) says: مَن نظَرَ الى الكَعبَةِ لم يَزَلْ تُكتَبُ لهُ حَسَنَةٌ وتُمحَى عنهُ سَيِّئَةٌ حَتّى يَنصَرفَ بَبَصَرِهِ عنهَا.
?Whoever looks at the Kaaba, as long as his eyes are on it, rewards are written for him and his wrongdoings are written off until he turns his look from it.?2 إِنَّ للهِ تعَالى حَولَ الكَعبَةِ عِشرينَ ومِائَةَ رَحمَةً؛ منها سِتُّونَ للطّائِفِينَ وأَربَعونَ لِلمُصَلّينَ وعِشرونَ للنّاظِرينَ.
?There are a hundred and twenty kinds of Allah's mercy in the precinct of the Kaaba; sixty of them are for those who circumambulate, forty for those who perform prayers there, and twenty for whose who look at it.?3
Therefore, one must take care to obtain the highest degrees of divine profit with the easiest acts. ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ اللهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ واللهُ ذُو الفَضْلِ العَظِيمِ.
?That is Allah's grace; He grants it to whom He pleases, and Allah is the Lord of mighty grace. (The Holy Quran; 62:4)?
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1 See al-Kafi; Vol. 4 p.412 hadith 3
2 See al-Kafi; Vol. 4 p. 240 hadith 4
3 See al-Kafi; Vol. 4 p240 hadith 2

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