❀ Verification of the Hadith: “Destroying the Ka‘bah Seven Times Is Easier Than Grieving a Believer Once” ❀
Excerpted from: Fatāwā al-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Vol. 1, p. 187
✿ Question
Some people say:
“Destroying the Ka‘bah seven times is easier than hurting a believer once.”
Is this statement authentically proven in the Qur’an or Hadith?
✿ Answer
All praise is due to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon His Messenger. To proceed:
The specific phrase:
“Destroying the Ka‘bah seven times is easier than grieving a believer once”
—does not appear in any authentic Hadith nor is it mentioned in the Qur’an.
It is a popularized statement based on the general meaning of some authentic narrations, but the phrase itself is not part of any verified Prophetic text.
❀ The Actual Hadith
The correct wording of the relevant narration is as follows:
Sayyiduna Ibn ʿUmar (RA) looked at the Kaʿbah and said:
“How great you are and how great your sanctity is! But the sanctity of the believer is greater in the sight of Allah than yours.”
Sources:
✔ Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī (2/300), Ḥadīth: 2118
✔ Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān (7/506)
✔ Targhīb wa Tarhīb by al-Mundhirī (3/240, 3/294)
❀ As a Marfūʿ Hadith (Attributed to the Prophet ﷺ)
In some narrations, this wording is attributed directly to the Prophet ﷺ:
“By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad ﷺ! The sanctity of the believer is greater in the sight of Allah than your sanctity (O Ka‘bah)—his wealth, his blood, and his honor.”
Source:
✔ Sunan Ibn Mājah, Ḥadīth: 3932
❀ Grading of the Hadith
◈ The chain of the Marfūʿ narration is weak, as stated in:
— Ḍaʿīf al-Jāmiʿ (Ḥadīth: 5006)
— Ghāyat al-Marām
◈ However, multiple supporting chains raise the status of the narration to ḥasan (acceptable).
◈ Therefore, the meaning—that a believer’s honor is greater than the sanctity of the Kaʿbah—is sound and supported by authentic Islamic teachings.
✿ Final Verdict
✘ The phrase “Destroying the Ka‘bah seven times…”
—does not exist in any authentic narration. It is a fabricated or exaggerated public statement and must be avoided.
✔ The authentic Hadith does affirm that a believer’s life, wealth, and honor are more sacred than the Ka‘bah.
❀ Summary
✔ The statement about the believer’s sanctity is established in reliable Hadith.
✘ The wording “destroying the Ka‘bah seven times…” is fabricated and baseless.
✔ When quoting such matters, one must adhere to authentic texts and avoid exaggerated or invented phrases, even if they appear meaningful.
﴿وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ﴾
And Allah knows best what is correct.
