It is true that Allah commanded Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Isma`il (Ishmael) to build al-Ka`bah. It is also true that from the lineage of Isaac (the second son of Ibrahim) came a large number of prophets and messengers who never visited the Ka’bah. However, there are logical explanations as to why they did not visit the Ka’bah. It was not simply out of carelessness or ignorance. The following are reasons, which hopefully will clarify this issue.
First of all, we should clearly understand that Islam is the only real religion. Allah says:
*{The Religion before God is Islam (submission to His Will)...}* (Aal-`Imran 3:19)
Muslims believe that Islam is the religion of all prophets and messengers of Allah. That is from Adam up to Muhammad (peace be upon them all):
*{The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah - the which We have sent by inspiration to thee - and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: Namely, that ye should remain steadfast in religion, and make no divisions therein ...}* (Surat As-Shurah 42:13)
Yet, we should comprehend the difference between deen (religion) and Shari’ah (law). Deen (religion) is one; it is the essence of the message of all of the prophets, it is the belief in the oneness of Allah- al-tawhid. This was the call of every prophet and messenger. Shari’ah (the law) on the other hand, differs from time to time and from one nation to another. Allah says:
*{...To each among you have we prescribed a law and an open way...}* (Surat Al-Ma'edah 5:48}*
The only Shari’ah, which is valid throughout time and space is the shari’a revealed to Mohammad (peace be upon him). Obviously, the messages of Moses, Jesus, and others were limited to their people, their time, and their space. Hajj to Makkah and making Tawaf is in the Shari’ah of Muhammad (peace be upon him) but they were not required in the Shari’ah of Moses and Jesus. Therefore, the prophets and messengers between Ibrahim and Muhammad were not commanded by Allah to visit Makkah.
In addition, Muslims do not make pilgrimage to Makkah because it was the birthplace of the Prophet (peace be upon him), or the place in which he received the revelation. Rather, it is a command from Allah to pray in the direction of that particular place and to make the pilgrimage to it as a clear indication of the unity of the deen of Allah (religion), as well as the universality of the final message.
![Photograph By Nelson Moore [Kes] -](http://thumbs.imageopolis.com/images/6/0/0/5/6005/1537290-tn.jpg "Photograph By Nelson Moore [Kes] -")
0 
{K:37420} 7/7/2006
