وَإِذْ بَوَّأْنَا لِإِبْرَٰهِيمَ مَكَانَ ٱلْبَيْتِ أَن لَّا تُشْرِكْ بِى شَيْـًٔا وَطَهِّرْ بَيْتِىَ لِلطَّآئِفِينَ وَٱلْقَآئِمِينَ وَٱلرُّكَّعِ ٱلسُّجُودِ
2:126.
Commentary:
The Ka‘bah is variously mentioned in the Quran as بیتی i.e. My House (2:126 & 22:27), as البیت المحرم i.e. the Sacred House (14:38), as المسجد الحرام i.e. the Sacred Mosque (2:151), as البیت i.e. the House (2:128, 159; 3:98; 8:36; 22:27), as البیت العتیق i.e. the Ancient House (22:30, 34), as البیت المعمور i.e. the Frequented House (52:5) and as اول بیت i.e. the First House (3:97). All these different appellations point to the eminence of the Ka‘bah as being the greatest centre of worship for mankind.
The words "We assigned to Abraham the site of the House" show that the site of the Ka‘bah had existed before Abraham’s time. In fact the Ka‘bah was built by Adam and as it appears from 3:97, it was the first House of worship built in the world. By the time of Abraham it had fallen into ruins and its site having been disclosed to him by revelation he and his son Ishmael, the Holy Prophet’s great progenitor, rebuilt it.
The words "keep My House clean" embodied both a commandment and a prophecy. The commandment was that the Ka‘bah was not to be polluted with idol worship as it had been built for the worship of the One True God and the prophecy lay in the fact that this commandment would be defied and the House of God would become the house of idols but would eventually be completely cleared of them. The prophecy was fulfilled when at the Fall of Mecca the Ka‘bah was cleared by the Holy Prophet of all the abominations and of the 360 idols that were kept in it. Thus the commandment, in a way, embodied a prophecy about the advent of the Holy Prophet; and the rebuilding of the Ka‘bah by Abraham and Ishmael was, in fact, the first step towards the fulfilment of that great prophecy. See also 2:128-130.
2:126.
The verse shows that the site of the Ka‘bah had existed long before Abraham’s time. In fact, the Ka‘bah was built by Adam. It was the first House of worship built in the world (3:97). By the time of Abraham it had fallen into ruins and its site, having been disclosed to him by revelation, he and his son Ishmael, the Holy Prophet’s great progenitor, rebuilt it. See also {146}.
The Ka‘bah is variously mentioned in the Qur’an as "My House" (2:126 & 22:27), "The Sacred House" (14:38), "The Sacred Mosque" (2:151), "The House" (2:128,159; 3:98; 8:36; 22:27), "The Ancient House" (22:30, 34), and "The Frequented House" (52:5). All these different appellations point to the eminence of the Ka‘bah as the greatest centre of worship for mankind.
The words, keep My house clean, embodied both a commandment and a prophecy. The commandment was that the Ka‘bah was not to be polluted with idol-worship as it had been built for the worship of the One True God, and the prophecy lay in the fact that this commandment would be defied and the House of God would become a house of idols but would eventually be completely cleared of them.
This verse serves as an introduction to the subject of Pilgrimage which is the central theme of this Surah. Circumambulation of the Sacred Mosque is the most important ceremony of the Pilgrimage, so a brief reference to the sanctity and importance of the Ka‘bah forms a befitting introduction to the subject of Hajj.