Mecca
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| مكة Mecca | ||
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| City in Saudi Arabia | ||
.jpg) Masjid al-Haram (Great Mosque of Mecca) and Ka'aba
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| Location of Mecca
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Mecca (or as it is often now rendered, Makkah) is the historical town which has grown up around the Ka'aba, the worship building created by Abraham. In much later times, it was the birthplace of Muhammad, the Manifestation of God Who revealed the Qur'án. It is the main focus of the Hajj (pilgrimage) for Muslims. However, it is not the political centre of Islám. During Muhammad's own lifetime, specific elements in the town rejected His claims, persecuted the small band of believers, and for a period anyone who had become a Muslim was expelled from the town. Muhammad was invited to move to Yathrib (now Medina), and to become the leader of that town. It was there that he began to regulate the life of the community, and it was there that he created the first mosque (masjid). While there, Muhammad changed the Qiblih (point of prayer) from Jerusalem to Mecca.
Mecca, then, was the focal point of worship, but not of government. This has remained the case ever since. In mid-2015 there was a severe accident, in which high winds toppled a giant crane involved in the construction of more facilities near the Ka'aba. It fell onto the crowd of pilgrims, killing at least 87 people. It was immediately seen that such work should have been suspended during the period of the Hajj.
In the time of the Báb[edit]
After the completion of the gathering together of the Letters of the Living, the Báb announced that He was to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, and there present His claim to be the Promised One to the religious leader, the Sharif. Although Mullá Husayn imagined that he would be the one to accompany the Báb, it was Quddús who was chosen. The Báb travelled overland from Shiraz to Bushihr, and caught a boat en route to Jeddah, the port for Mecca. Once in the city, He took part in the hajj, but at a particularly dramtic point in the pilgrimage, Quddús suddenly noticed that the Báb had gone. The Báb was clutching the handle of the door of the Ka'aba, and called out, in a loud voice, that He was the Promised One. Some took notice, and carried the story of the event home with them, but the majority of the pilgrims resumed their rituals without noticeable response.
Early on during the pilgrimage, Quddús had been sent with a letter to the Sharif, who had put it to one side, as he was so busy at that time. Years later, he learned of the Martyrdom of the Báb, and was clearly moved by this event.
