Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 5732

Marthad bin Shurahbil, who was present on that occasion, narrates: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) sent some of the notables and elders of Quraysh to Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) told them that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Were your people not close to the time of shirk, I would have built the Ka'bah upon the foundations of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and Sayyiduna Isma'il (peace be upon him). Do you know why they cut short the foundations of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and Sayyiduna Isma'il (peace be upon him)?" I replied: "No." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Their funds ran out." The narrator says: The building of the Ka'bah had become weak because of the burning by the people of Syria, so Sayyiduna Abdullah bin al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) had it demolished. I was in Makkah in those days. In the Hatim he uncovered the foundations, whose parts were joined to one another. He left that place uncovered for three days so as to have people witness it. The narrator says: I saw it; it was like a camel's hump, five stones: on one side one stone, on one side one stone, on one side one stone, and on one side two stones. The narrator says: Then I saw a man who inserted a crowbar and moved it from the side of one corner, and the corner on the other side shook. So Sayyiduna Abdullah bin al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) built it upon those foundations and made two doors in it, level with the ground, one on the east side and one on the west side. When Sayyiduna Abdullah bin al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) was martyred, al-Hajjaj demolished the portion on the side of the Hatim and restored it to how it was before. Abd al-Malik wrote to him in a letter: "I wish you had left Ibn al-Zubayr and what he did as it was." Marthad narrates: I heard Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) say: "Had I been put in charge of what Ibn al-Zubayr was put in charge of, I would have brought the whole of the Hatim into the House, for if it were not part of the House, tawaf would not be performed around it."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. This narrator Marthad has been mentioned by Ibn Abi Hatim, who did not mention any criticism of him. The rest of the narrators of this narration are thiqat (trustworthy).