Facts about Hijr Ismail or Hateem in Makkah

by Ady Grewal Content writer

Hateem, better known as Hijr Ismail is a semi-circular region that is present very close to the holy Kaabah. It is made of white marble with dimensions; 90 centimetres in stature and 1.5 meters in width, approximately it’s an area of 3 meters. Hateem originally remains a part of the Fundamental base of Kaabah when it was built by Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) and Ismail (AS). For which, it’s also known as ‘Ibrahimi Foundation’.

So, if you are traveling to Makkah through cheap umrah packages from UK here’s everything you must know about Hateem (Hijr Ismail).

Tawaf Boundary.

Since Hijr Ismail is a part of the Holy Kaabah, Tawaf must necessarily be performed outside of it. Otherwise, tawaf is invalid. It remains mentioned in the Holy Quran; (description) perform Tawaf around the Ancient House (Holy Kaabah) [Surah Al-Haj 22:29].

The Last construction of Holy Kaabah.

When Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) was 35 years of age, a disastrous flood came and harmed the structure of Holy Kaabah. Since a recent fire breakout had also weakened it; Holy Kaabah was in danger of collapsing. Feeling the need for it, the Quraysh decided to rebuild the Holy Kaabah.

The people decided not to use any tainted money for the construction of the Holy House i.e. obtained from Haram means. Therefore, wood from a nearby shipwreck was brought for use. A carpenter Baqoom, one of the passengers of the same ship, also took part in the construction. Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) and his (SAWW) uncle Abbas (RA) carried pieces of stone and heaped them in one place. In short, every tribe had a particular task to accomplish.

During the construction, Holy Kaabah took its cubical shape and Hijr Ismail (Hateem) was left outside because the people fell short of the funds.

The equivalent reward of Performing Salah inside Kaabah.

Hateem holds great religious significance for Muslims. Since it’s an official part of the Holy Kaabah; praying in it is just the same as praying inside Holy Kaabah. Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) upon asking by Hazrat Aisha (RA) said that;

(description) Perform Salah here (Hateem) if you wish to enter the Kaabah. Because this (Hijr Ismail) is also a part of the Baitullah.

The description of Night Journey.

Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah (RA) heard Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) saying that;

(description) When the people of Quraysh did not believe the story of my Night Journey (Miraj), I stood up in Al-Hijr (Hateem) and Allah Almighty displayed Jerusalem in front of me. So, I began describing it to them while I was looking at it.

From various hadiths and narrations, it is clear that Hateem is a part of Holy Kaabah. So, when performing Tawaf one must remain completely outside of its boundary. On the other hand, praying Nafal Salah inside Hateem is of great benefits and rewards for Pilgrims. So, if you are traveling for Umrah through Ramadan umrah packages 2020, you must try to abide by these facts.