Is it really possible that the Kaaba moved?

According to Islamic sources, the Kaaba has moved on multiple occasions:

  1. First occasion: Ibn Arabi (d. 1240), often referred to as Shaykh al-Akbar, was a major Sufi philosopher and mystic. Hazrat Iban writes in his famous work “Futuhat al-Makkiyah” (Meccan Revelations) that he saw the Kaaba rise to crush him when he thought inappropriate thoughts about the Kaaba during the Hajj (Israr Shariat, part 2, page 74)
  2. Second Occasion: Rabia al-Adawiyya (8th century CE) was a famous female Sufi saint of Basra. Rabia claims that when passing through a forest on her way to the Hajj for the second time, she saw the Kaaba coming towards her to welcome her. Rabia said, “I was hoping to see God, and that she has no need for God’s house. If God were to walk towards me a length of a hand, I will advance a yard towards him. What do I do with the Kaaba? This doesn’t please me.” This story is well-known in Sufi circles and appears in Fariduddin Attar’s “Tadhkirat al-Awliya” (Biographies of the Saints).
  3. Third Occasion: Ibrahim bin Adham was a revered early Sufi ascetic. According to “Tadhkirat al-Awliya,” a famous Sufi work, Hazrat Ibrahim Azam went to Mecca, and was surprised to see the Kaaba missing. He thought his eyesight was failing him. He heard a voice which said, “there is nothing wrong with your eyesight, the Kaaba has gone to welcome a lady who is too feeble to walk to the Hajj” (Tazkiratul Awliayah, page 62).
“The Panjab Past and Present”, Vol III, 1969, Dr Tarlochan Singh

 

The day Guru Nanak Dev Ji moved the Kaaba

Enlarged Image

In “Sihayto Baba Nanak Fakir,” Tajudin, the Iranian Muslim turned Sikh author, records Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s visit to Mecca with Bhai Mardana Ji. After three days of spiritual teaching at Baitul Muqaddas, Guru Nanak Dev Ji journeyed toward Mecca and arrived at the Kaaba by evening. In the evening, Guru Nanak Dev Ji laid on the floor with his feet placed touching the wall of the Kaaba.

A caretaker named Jeevan, hearing Bhai Mardana Ji’s kirtan, discovered Guru Sahib resting with his feet touching the wall of the Kaaba, and reacted with outrage, shouting in Arabic:

“Azim Biazbun Kufrahu Haza Kufaruna كفارنا هذا كفرهم ذنب عظيم”
(“These kafirs are blasphemous beyond belief!”)

He threatened Guru Sahib with punishment, saying:

“When the head Qazi shows up, he will tie you to these pillars and tear your flesh with lashes.”

Guru Nanak Dev Ji, calm and composed, responded:

“O man of Allah! I didn’t do this to hurt your feelings… please move my feet in the direction where you don’t see Allah.”

Jeevan, still furious, grabbed the Guru Sahib’s feet and turned his body—yet, upon turning around, he saw the feet again pointing toward the Kaaba. This repeated multiple times. Eventually, Jeevan witnessed with his own eyes that the Kaaba moved in the direction of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s feet, prompting him to fall at the Guru’s feet and cry:

“Taharana Ya Rabi Alaklubu Zulhalu”
(“O man of Allah, please grant me inner strength so that I can recognize you.”)

Taajudin, an eyewitness, states:

“I too saw this amazing sight three times with my own eyes.”

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