إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِى بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدًى لِّلْعَٰلَمِينَ
5:98; 27:92; 28:58; 29:68; 106:4, 5.
Important Words:
بکة (Becca) is the name given to the valley of Mecca. The word is probably derived from بك. They say بکه i.e. he pushed him into a narrow and crowded place. بك عنقه means, he dealt blows on his neck and broke it. تباك القوم علی الشیء means, the people crowded round the thing. The valley of مکة (Mecca) is called بکة (Becca) probably on account of the crowding of the people there, or because it used to break the necks of the tyrants (Aqrab). The word بکة (Becca) is also considered by some to be the same as Mecca, its م having been changed into ب. These two letters are interchangeable as in لازم and لازب.
Commentary:
See note on 2:128 with regard to the antiquity of the Ka‘bah.
In this verse, the Quran draws the attention of the People of the Book to the antiquity of the Ka‘bah in order to point out that the real and original centre of God’s religion is the Ka‘bah, those adopted by Jews and Christians being of later origin. Just as certain foods which Jews abstained from were not originally forbidden but came subsequently to be held unlawful, similarly their Qiblah was not the original Qiblah but was adopted as such at a subsequent time.
5:98; 27:92; 28:58; 29:68; 106:4, 5.
Becca is the name given to the Valley of Mecca, the mim of Mecca being changed into ba’. These two letters are interchangeable as in Lazim and Lazib. The Qur’an here draws the attention of the People of the Book to the remote antiquity of the Ka‘bah in order to point out that it is the real and original centre of God’s religion; those adopted by Jews and Christians being of later origin. See also 2:128.