The Beginning of Makkah’s Sanctity: In Light of Qur’ān and Ḥadīth
Source: Fatāwā Amnpūrī by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amnpūrī
❀ Question
Who made Makkah a ḥaram (sanctuary)? In one ḥadīth it is mentioned that Prophet Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi al-salām) declared it a sanctuary:
إن إبراهيم حرم مكة
“Indeed, Ibrāhīm made Makkah sacred.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 2129, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1360)
While another ḥadīth states that Allah Himself made it a sanctuary from the very creation of the heavens and the earth:
إن هذا البلد حرمه الله يوم خلق السماوات والأرض
“This city (Makkah) Allah made sacred on the day He created the heavens and the earth.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3189, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1353)
❀ Answer
On the very day the heavens and the earth were created, Allah had already decreed the sanctity of Makkah. Later, Allah caused it to be declared through the words of Prophet Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi al-salām).
❀ Imām Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله (d. 597 AH) explained:
إن الله تعالى قضى بتحريمه وأجرى الحكم بذلك على لسان إبراهيم عليه السلام
“Indeed, Allah had decreed its sanctity, and He caused the ruling to be expressed through the tongue of Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi al-salām).”
(Kashf al-Mushkil, 2/192)
