One day the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) asked his wife named Hajirah to get ready and prepare their baby Ismail to come with him on a long journey. He took them to an Arabain desert place called al Marwa which is a high hill and left them there. Hajirah became very thirsty and baby Ismail was crying too, she run from one hill, Al Marwa to another hill Al Safa to find water. When she came back to baby Ismail there she saw a miracle, water was coming up from the ground which Ismail had dig with his foot while he was crying.

During that time there were some Arabs traveling through the valley called Bakkah (which now known as Makkah)who saw Hajirah and her son near the water. They were amazed by seeing water in the desert which never had water before. They got permission from Hajirah to settle down in that valley and would also pay for the water. After that, the Bakkah ( Makkah ) became alive and people moved there from different places.

The experience of visiting Makkah Mukkarramah in Saudi Arabia is a spiritual high point in a Muslims lives. It is a journey that they well never forget (M.Q.Yusufi).

Before the arrival of Islam Makkah was called "Bakkah" which refers to a very narrow valley. Allah (God) says in the Holy Qur'an " The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakkah, full of blessing and of guidance for all the worlds"(Makkah 1997).

Makkah is also where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born in the late sixteenth century. "Growing up among the people of Makkah, who were largely engaged in idolatry, Muhammad nevertheless practiced the monotheism that was a legacy of Ibrahim"(The Holy 1999). One day Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at the age of 40 was in a cave that was in the Hira Mountain. The prophet received his first message from God through the angel Gabriel while he was in the cave. Then the prophet was commanded by God to call the people of Makkah to Islam. While the prophet tried to preach about Islam to the people of Makkah, they forced him to leave the city because they wouldn't accept Islam nor end idolatry. The prophet had to migrate to Madinah in 622 A.D. and this migration, the Hijra, began the Islamic calendar (Makkah 1997).

"In the remaining ten years of his life, the Prophet's message spread across Arabia and was embraced by its inhabitants"(Makkah 1997). The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) returned to Makkah in 628 A.D. along with his followers. They entered to Makkah without any bloodshed or fighting. The Qurash did not have much power to fight with Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his followers. The people of Makkah accepted Islam and Makkah became the spiritual center of the world (Makkah 1997).

Author: Haji N. Serpas December 9, 2002
hs1168@albany.edu