To sum up, the Friend of Allah built the most noble mosque on the most noble spot—​a valley devoid of cultivation. He prayed that its people be blessed and provided with fruits despite the scant water, the absence of trees, crops, and produce; and he implored that it be made a sacred, inviolable, and secure sanctuary. Allah—praise belongs to Him—answered his plea, responded to his call, and granted what he sought, saying:

“Have they not seen that We have made a secure sanctuary, while people are snatched away all around them?” (al-ʿAnkabūt 67)

and:

“Have We not established for them a secure sanctuary to which every kind of fruit is brought as provision from Us?” (al-Qaṣaṣ 57).

He also asked Allah to raise up among them a messenger from their own midst—​that is, of their own stock and speaking their pure, eloquent, and sincere tongue—​so that the two favors, worldly and religious, might be perfected for them, granting happiness in this life and the next. Allah granted his request and sent to them a messenger—​indeed, what a messenger! Through him He sealed His prophets and messengers, perfected for him a religion never bestowed on anyone before, and spread his call to all the inhabitants of the earth, of every race, language, and trait, across every land and age until the Day of Resurrection. This was one of his distinguishing honors over all other prophets: the nobility of his own person, the perfection of the message with which he was sent, the honor of his land, the eloquence of his language, the fullness of his compassion for his community, his gentleness and mercy, the nobility of his lineage (1), the greatness of his birth, and the purity of his origin and return.

For this reason Abraham the Friend, upon him be peace, the builder of the Kaʿbah for earth’s inhabitants, deserved that his station, rank, and abode among the celestial realms be beside the Oft-Frequented House (al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr)—​the Kaʿbah of the blessed, accepted dwellers of the seventh heaven—​into which seventy thousand angels enter every day to worship, never returning to it again until the Day of Resurrection. In our commentary (2) on Sūrat al-Baqarah we have already detailed the construction of the House and the reports transmitted about it; that is sufficient for whoever wishes to consult it—​praise belongs to Allah.

Among those reports is what al-Suddī said: When Allah commanded Abraham and Ishmael to build the House, they did not know its location until Allah sent a wind called al-Khujūj (3), which had two wings and a head in the form of a serpent. It swept the area around the Kaʿbah, clearing it down to the foundations of the first House. They followed it with their picks, digging until they laid the foundation,

as the Almighty says: “And [remember] when We showed Abraham the site of the House” (al-Ḥajj 26) (4).

When they had reached the level of the foundations and built the corner, Abraham said to Ishmael, “My son, bring me a good stone to place here.” He replied, “Father, I am sluggish and worn out.” He said, “Very well; it is my responsibility.” So he left, and Gabriel (5) came to him with the Black Stone from—