South African Scholar Invited to Wash the Holy Ka’ba
A renowned scholar of Darul Uloom Zakariyya, in Zakariyya Park south of Johannesburg has been honoured with the auspicious task of washing the interior of the holy Ka’ba in Makkatul Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia.
The washing of the Ka’ba will take place on the 15th Muharram 1435 (18 November)
The scholar who wants to remain anonymous said the invitation was bestowed upon him by a member of the Shaybi family of Saudi Arabia who have been honoured with the gate keeping of the holy Ka’ba for generations and entrusted with the keys to its gates.
The honourable scholar will depart for Saudi Arabia on Sunday (17 November) to fulfill this most auspicious task that some can only dream about.
“It’s a great honour, may Allah grant me the taufiq (ability) and make it a means of forgiveness Insha’Allah (if Allah wills) said the scholar.”
The interior of the Holy Ka’ba is washed twice a year — in Muharram and Shaaban, the first and ninth months of the Hijrah calendar.
The keys to the Baituallah (The house of Allah) are held by the Ban? Shayba tribe. Members of the tribe greet visitors to the inside of the Kaaba on the occasion of the cleaning ceremony.
A small number of dignitaries and foreign diplomats are invited to participate in the ceremony. The governor of Makkah leads the honoured guests who ritually clean the Ka’ba using simple brooms.
The washing ritual of the Ka’ba begins with the performance of two raka’hs salaah (prayer) inside the Ka’ba. The interior walls will then be cleaned with rose, oud and musk perfumes using white cloth. Zamzam water mixed with rose perfume will then be splashed on the floor and then wiped with bare hands and palm leaves.
“The cleaning of the Ka’ba is an act of deep worship,” said Omar al-Midwahi of Makkah, the deputy editor of Al-Watan newspaper and a witness to several washings. “Words cannot describe the intensity of emotions a person experiences in the exact place where prophets have stood.”
Saleh al-Shaybi, the deputy gatekeeper said that it takes the equivalent of about 5 gallons (19 litres) of Persian rosewater mixed into about 47 gallons (178 litres) of water to clean the interior. The water is brought from Zamzam, a holy well near the Ka’ba.
He said the ritual usually takes an hour.
The Ka’ba, which is located inside the sprawling Haram Masjid complex, is central to Islam as Muslims all over the world face it while performing daily salaah (prayer)
