Al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 4220 — The building of the Ka'bah

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu al-Tufayl (may Allah be pleased with him) that in the time of Ignorance the Ka'bah had been built merely by placing stones one upon another (without mortar), with no clay used in it. Its height was so low that a young goat could leap up onto it. It was not an imposing building; rather, coverings were merely placed over it and left hanging down. The Black Stone was placed on the wall of the Ka'bah, fully exposed, and the House of Allah had (only) two corners, like a ring; that is, it was rectangular (square) on one side and rounded on the other. Then a ship came from the land of the Romans (Byzantium), and when it reached near Jeddah, it broke apart and was wrecked. Quraysh went out to obtain its timber and found a Roman man there. They took the timber from him, and he gave it to them. That ship was heading for Abyssinia, and that Roman was a merchant. Quraysh brought the timber and that Roman to Makkah and said: "We will build the House of our Lord with this timber." When they intended to demolish it, suddenly a snake with a white belly and a black back appeared on the wall of the House of Allah. Whenever anyone came near to demolish the House of Allah or remove one of its stones, it would lunge at him with its mouth open. Quraysh gathered at the Station of Ibrahim, cried out humbly to Allah and said: «Rabbana lam tura'» "O our Lord, we do not wish to frighten or displease You; we only intended the glorification and adornment of Your House. So if You are pleased, well and good; otherwise, do whatever You will." Then they heard a reply (a voice) from the sky, and suddenly a bird appeared, larger than an eagle, with a black back and a white belly and white feet. It drove its talons into the belly of the snake and carried it off, dragging it while its tail hung down, until it took it towards Jiyad. Then Quraysh demolished the House of Allah and began rebuilding it with the stones of the valley, which they carried on their necks, and they raised it twenty cubits high. Meanwhile the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was also carrying stones from Ajyad, wearing a striped wrapper (namirah). Because the wrapper was narrow, when it came up onto his (peace and blessings be upon him) shoulder, part of his private area began to be exposed. Then a call came: "O Muhammad, cover your private parts!" After this he (peace and blessings be upon him) was never seen naked. Between this building of the Ka'bah and the coming down of revelation there was a gap of fifteen years. Then, when the army of al-Husayn bin Numayr came, the narrator mentioned the burning of the Ka'bah in the time of Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both).
Ibn Khuthaym says: Ibn Sabit told me that when Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) built it and they dug up the foundations, they found stones there interlocked with one another like links; if a pickaxe was struck on one side, the stone on the other side would also move.
Ibn Sabit says: Zayd showed me those foundations after the Isha prayer on a moonlit night; they were joined to one another like the links of a chain.
Ma'mar says: Yazid bin Abi Ziyad told me, on the authority of Mujahid, that when the House of Allah was demolished in the time of Ignorance and they reached the corner (rukn), a snake came out whose neck was like the neck of a camel. The people were afraid, and then a bird came and cast its shadow over half of Makkah; it seized the snake and threw it into the sea.
Mujahid says: Once a man pulled out a stone of the House of Allah and stole some of the ornaments that were there. When he came back to steal again, that stone stuck to his head.