the Hijr of Ishmael. Glory be to Allah—how could it be called the Hijr of Ishmael when Ishmael knew nothing of it?! It was built many ages after him. As authentically established, the reason for its construction was that when Quraysh rebuilt the Ka‘bah, they lacked sufficient funds. They had agreed that the building should be financed only from lawful earnings, so they said: We must build part of it and leave part of it. The most suitable portion to leave out was the northern side. They erected this wall, which was called the Hijr because it enclosed an area.

The Prophet ﷺ said to Aishah: “Had your people not so recently emerged from disbelief, I would have rebuilt the Ka‘bah upon the foundations of Abraham and made two doors for it: a door through which people would exit and a door through which they would enter.” (1) But he left this undone for fear of tribulation. Yet Allah brought about what the Messenger ﷺ had wished, without any harm resulting. For had it been built upon the foundations of Abraham, with one door through which people entered and another through which they exited, people would have perished—especially in later times, when they fight over matters far less significant than the Ka‘bah. So what do you think would happen if people entered through this door while the Ka‘bah was roofed and confined? They would have destroyed one another.

However, the Prophet’s ﷺ intention was realized through this Hijr. It is part of the Ka‘bah and has two entrances: one through which people enter and another through which they exit. Since it is open to the sky, the harm is averted while the intended purpose is attained. This is part of Allah’s wisdom and mercy.