The sanctity of the House and venerating it

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ayyash bin Abi Rabi'ah al-Makhzumi (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This Ummah will remain in goodness as long as they give the veneration of the House of Allah its due; and when they neglect its due and its sanctity, they will perish."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This, Makkah, is a sanctuary (Haram). Allah made it sacred on the day He created the heavens and the earth and set these two mountains (al-Akhshabayn) in place. It was not made lawful for anyone before me, nor will it be made lawful for anyone after me, and it was made lawful for me only for a part of a day. Its thorns are not to be uprooted, its game is not to be disturbed, its grass (and herbage) is not to be cut, and an item dropped in it is not to be picked up except by one who will announce it." Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! The people of Makkah cannot do without idhkhir for their smiths and their buildings (they will certainly cut it)." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Except idhkhir (it may be cut)."

Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O people of Makkah! Fear Allah regarding the sanctuary of Allah. Do you know who used to live in this city? Such-and-such a tribe treated its sanctity as lawful, so they were destroyed; and such-and-such a tribe treated its sanctity as lawful, so they were destroyed" until he mentioned as many of the tribes of the Arabs as Allah willed him to mention. Then he said: "That I commit ten wrongs (sins) at Rukbah is dearer to me than that I commit a single wrong (sin) here (in the Haram)."

Abdullah (bin Mas'ud) (may Allah be pleased with him) said: If a person intends a sin and an evil deed, it is not written against him until he does it; but if a person, even while he is in Aden Abyan, intends to kill someone at al-Masjid al-Haram, Allah will make him taste a painful punishment. Then he recited this verse of Surah al-Hajj: "And whoever intends therein deviation by wrongdoing" [Al-Hajj: 25].

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Haram is sacred and inviolable in (all) the heavens (the seven heavens) to the extent of its measure on the earth, and Bayt al-Maqdis is holy and inviolable in the seven heavens to the extent of its measure on the earth.

Ibn Sabit said: In the Jahiliyyah, the people went out for the festival season, and not a single person remained in Makkah. One man, who was a thief, stayed behind. He intended to steal a piece of gold and set it aside; then later, when he entered in order to take the piece of gold, and put his head in, the doorway closed tight upon him. The people found his head inside the House and his back outside, so they picked him up and threw him to the dogs, and cleaned and purified the House.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) had two tents, one tent inside the Haram and the other outside the Haram. When he wished to pray, he prayed in the tent that was inside the Haram, and when he had a need with his family, he went to the tent that was outside the Haram. He was asked the reason for this, and he said: "Indeed, Makkah is Bakkah (worthy of reverence and veneration)."

Khalid said: I said to Ikrimah: "(It is in the hadith that) its game is not to be disturbed (what does that mean?)" He said: "That you move it from the shade into the sun and then dismount and stay in its place yourself; this is what is meant."