35. What is Makhaam-E-Ibrahim?

The words Makhaam-E-Ibrahim is seen in verses 2:125, 3:97 of the Quran. Verse 2:125 says pick a place for yourselves to worship within Makhaam-E-Ibrahim

Most people are ignorant of what Makhaam-E-Ibrahim is. A stone planted about 10 meters on to the east side of Kaaba, is called by the people as Makhaam-E-Ibrahim.

Prophet Ibrahim while constructing the Kaaba used this stepstone, called Makhaam-E-Ibrahim is the opinion expressed by most scholars. This is wrong.

The meaning of the word Makhaam-E-Ibrahim should be arrived at, based on the Quran and Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad rather than based on beliefs of the people. 

On coming across the verses commanding worship at Makhaam-E-Ibrahim one can easily understand that it does not denote the stone.

While talking about Makhaam-E-Ibrahim Allah says ‘Mim Makhaam-E-Ibrahim’ meaning a space within it to perform worship. Hence, we come to understand it should be a space good enough to perform worship. 

The word Makhaam-E-Ibrahim, does not denote a stone, it rather refers to a vast space, which can be understood from the verse. Choosing any spot within this vast space is the message conveyed here. 

People who ascribe the meaning of Makhaam-E-Ibrahim as the stone, do not stand on top of the stone to perform their worship. Neither one performs worship perched on top of the stone. Therefore, the word Makhaam-E-Ibrahim, can never mean the stone. 

That was the reason Prophet Muhammad on receiving the command ‘Choose a place within Makhaam-E-Ibrahim to worship’ stood behind the stone that was embedded along the perimeter wall of Kaaba and started worship.

 (Hadith Book Bukhari: 396, 1192, 1600, 1624, 1627, 1646, 1692, 1794) 

This act of Prophet Muhammad makes clear the meaning of the word Makhaam-E-Ibrahim. Of the four directions of the Kaaba, the direction east to it along with the stone is known as Makhaam-E-Ibrahim and not the stone itself. 

Generally, we can offer worship from all the four directions of Kaaba, but to offer worship on the eastern side is what is pointed out in this verse. 

Moreover, Allah has commanded men to choose a place at Makhaam-E-Ibrahim to offer worship. This commandment could have come from Him only if it could materialize. If it had been to mean the small place where the stone is now, not even a few thousand out of lakhs of pilgrims visiting the place, could fulfill the obligation of worshiping there. 

If people could understand the practical guidance shown by Prophet Muhammad what Makhaam-E-Ibrahim is, (i.e.) the eastern side of Kaaba, the chances of all the Hajis (pilgrims) visiting Makkah could realize their wish to offer worship at Makhaam-E-Ibrahim.

Then a question might arise about why the stone that was embedded within the eastern wall of Kaaba later shifted to the present place came to be known as Makhaam-E-Ibrahim.

Generally, a landmark icon itself becoming the name of the locality is seen even in our times. Likewise, the stone became the direction denoting Makhaam -E-Ibrahim (i.e.) eastern side of Kaaba. 

The act of Prophet Muhammad on receiving Allah’s commandment ‘Make a place within Makhaam-E-Ibrahim’ by not perching himself on the stone but offering worship facing it is evident and self-explanatory.

We can try to understand by the following example: -

On coming across a signboard reading Makkah, we do not conclude that the signboard is Makkah. We come to understand that the land limit for the city of Makkah starts there. 

Similarly, we need to understand that the other three directions of Kaaba do not denote Makhaam-E-Ibrahim rather the direction where the stone is. The direction where the stone is planted is Makhaam-E-Ibrahim. 

With this point of view the stone came to be known as Makhaam-E-Ibrahim. Had the stone been Makhaam-E-Ibrahim nobody would have dared to shift it. Hence it must be necessarily concluded that the stone was shifted to identify the place in the direction known as Makhaam-E-Ibrahim. 

Based on this, did Umar-ibn-Khattab (R.A) shift the stone to the present location.

Hadith Book: Ibn Rajab in Fathhul Bari. 

Despite the proven fact that Makhaam-E-Ibrahim is the identity of a place and not the stone itself, people continue holding on to the view that it denotes the stone. They should prove themselves by enacting the verse ’Pick a spot within Makhaam-E-Ibrahim to perform worship’.

Moreover, a place that is not sufficient to hold a single person standing on it could never be mentioned in the Quran as a place to perform worship by multitudes, needs pondering.

We need to make a mention here of another subject matter that has to do with Makhaam-E-Ibrahim.

At present there is a footprint supposedly of Prophet Ibrahim on that stone. This is a creation of later times. 

To declare that as the impression of footprints of Prophet Ibrahim is a myth. There could have existed such a thing during the initial stages of Islam, declares Ibn Rajab in his book Fatah-ul Bari, only to have got erased at a later stage. 

This proves the fact that during the period of Ibn Rajab (Hijiri 736-Hijiri 795) there was no foot impression whatsoever on the stone. 

Hence the footprint impression on the stone found at present is nothing but an artificial one created by subsequent rulers after Ibu Rajab.