—Abraham, peace be upon him—when building the House. It was said that the impressions of his toes were plainly visible upon it, but were worn away through frequent touching by hands. Qatadah, Muqatil, and al-Suddi said: “They were commanded to pray at the standing-place of Abraham; they were not commanded to touch it or kiss it.”

‘Abd al-Wahid al-Mulayhi informed us; Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Nu‘aymi informed us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf informed us; Muhammad ibn Isma‘il informed us; Musaddad informed us, from Yahya ibn Humayd, from Anas, who said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “I concurred with Allah in three matters—or my Lord concurred with me in three. I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, if only you would take the standing-place of Abraham as a place of prayer!’ Then Allah Most High revealed: ‘Take the standing-place of Abraham as a place of prayer.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, both the righteous and the wicked enter upon you; if only you would command the Mothers of the Believers to veil themselves!’ Then Allah, exalted is He, revealed the verse enjoining veiling.” He said: “News reached me that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had rebuked some of his wives, so I went in to them and said, ‘Either desist, or Allah will replace you for him with wives better than you.’ Then Allah Most High revealed: ‘Perhaps, if he divorces you, his Lord will replace you with wives better than you’ (1), the rest of the verse (al-Tahrim 66:5).

Muhammad ibn Isma‘il also narrated it from ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf, who said: Hushaym informed us, from Humayd, from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “I concurred with my Lord in three matters. I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, if only you would take the standing-place of Abraham as a place of prayer!’ Then the verse was revealed: ‘Take the standing-place of Abraham as a place of prayer’” (2).

As for the beginning of the account of the standing-place, Sa‘id ibn Jubayr related from Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said: When Abraham, peace be upon him, brought Ishmael and Hagar and left them in Makkah, some time passed. The Jurhum settled there, Ishmael married a woman from among them, and Hagar died. Abraham asked Sarah’s permission to visit Hagar, and she gave him permission, stipulating that he should not dismount. Abraham then came to Makkah, after Hagar had died, and went to Ishmael’s house. He said to his wife, “Where is your husband?” She replied, “He has gone hunting.” Ishmael, peace be upon him, used to leave the Sacred Precinct to hunt. Abraham said to her, “Do you have anything to offer a guest?” She said, “I have nothing to offer a guest.” He asked her about their livelihood, and she said, “We are in hardship and distress,” complaining to him. He said to her, “When your husband comes, convey my greetings to him and tell him to change the threshold of his door.”

Abraham went away, and when Ishmael came, he sensed his father’s scent. He said to his wife, “Did anyone come to you?” She said, “An old man of such-and-such description came to me,” slighting his importance (3). He asked, “What did he say to you?” She replied, “He said, ‘Convey my greetings to your husband and tell him to change the threshold of his door.’” He said, “That was my father, and he has commanded me to part from you. Return to your family.” So he divorced her and married another woman from among them.

Abraham remained away for as long as Allah willed him to remain. Then he asked Sarah’s permission to visit Ishmael, and she gave him permission, stipulating that he should not dismount. Abraham, peace be upon him, came until he reached Ishmael’s door and said