What is written on the Kaaba?

format_quote Originally Posted by _Muslimah_

What is written on the Kaaba?

Saw this old thread while browsing, and it's a question a lot of people wonder about.

The writing in post number two refers to the black writing woven into the fabric of the black cover, which can only be seen at close range.

format_quote Originally Posted by _Muslimah_

I can't seem to find out what's written on the Kaaba in the gold. I think it's the Shahada but i'm not quite sure.

As for the gold bands of embroidery which adorn the kiswa (cover) of the ka'bah, most of the writing is covered in the posts below:

See this post Imaams of the Haramain - Part XII - Ramadhan 1433 AH for the writing on the band near the top that goes all the way round:

format_quote Originally Posted by Insaanah

[/color]As you go round anti-clockwise in tawaaf, the band of embroidered calligraphy that goes all the way around the top part of the ka'bah contains the following passages from the Qur'an:

One side (the side before the door side) has Surah Aal Imraan, 3:95-97






Say: Allah speaks truth. So follow the religion of Abraham, the upright. He was not of the polytheists.
Indeed, the first House [of worship] established for mankind was that at Makkah - blessed and a guidance for the worlds.
In it are clear signs [such as] the standing place of Abraham. And whoever enters it shall be safe. And [due] to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House - for whoever is able to find thereto a way. But whoever disbelieves - then indeed, Allah is free from need of the worlds.
__________________________________________________ __

Door side has Surah al Baqarah, 2:125 and 127, 128





And [mention] when We made the House a place of return for the people and a place of security. And take the standing place of Abraham a place of prayer. And We charged Abraham and Ishmael, [saying], "Purify My House for those who perform Tawaf and those who are staying for worship and those who bow and prostrate [in prayer]."
And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House, (Abraham prayed): Our Lord! Accept from us (this duty). Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing.
Our Lord, and make us Muslims [in submission] to You and from our descendants a Muslim nation [in submission] to You. And show us our rites and accept our repentance. Indeed, You are the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.
__________________________________________________ _____________________

Hateem/Hijr/Meezaab side

Surah al-Baqarah, 2:197-199, part





The pilgrimage is (in) the well-known months, and whoever undertakes to to perform the pilgrimage therein (let him remember that) there is (to be) no lewdness nor abuse nor angry conversation on the pilgrimage. And whatsoever good you do Allah knows it. So make provision for yourselves (Hereafter); for the best provision is to ward off evil. Therefore keep your duty to Me, O men of understanding.
There is no blame upon you for seeking bounty from your Lord [during Hajj]. But when you depart from 'Arafat, remember Allah at al-Mash'ar al-Haram. And remember Him, as He has guided you, for indeed, you were before that among those astray.
Then depart from the place from where [all] the people depart and ask forgiveness of Allah...
__________________________________________________ _____

Another side (the side opposite the door side) has Surah al-Hajj, 22:26-29






And when We designated for Abraham the site of the House, [saying], "Do not associate anything with Me and purify My House for those who perform Tawaf and those who stand [in prayer] and those who bow and prostrate.
And proclaim to the people the Hajj [pilgrimage]; they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant pass -
That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allah on known days over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. So eat of them and feed the miserable and poor.
Then let them end their untidiness and fulfill their vows and perform Tawaf around the ancient House.

Also see:
http://www.islamicboard.com/haramain-shareefain/134316563-haramain-pictures-4.html#post1563238

format_quote Originally Posted by Insaanah

Today they showed the ka'bah kiswah embroidery the closest they've showed in a while. This is the side they showed, which is the side before the door side as you go around in tawaaf:









The passage above is the first passage in this post, Surah Aal Imraan, 3:95-97:

http://www.islamicboard.com/haramain...ml#post1538750

Complete top band of the side shown in this post:

Haramain pictures

Panels beneath the top band:





That [is so]. And whoever honors the symbols of Allah - indeed, it is from the piety of hearts. (Surah al-Hajj 22:32)





But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness and then continues in guidance. (Surah Taha 20:82)

Yaa Hayyu Yaa Qayyoom in the design after the ayah.

Yaa Rahmaan Yaa Raheem in the design before the ayaat:



Alhamdu lillaahi Rabbil 'aalameen in the design in between the ayaat:

Haramain pictures

format_quote Originally Posted by Insaanah

Calligraphy on the sub-panels below the main band, on the hateem/hijr/meezaab side of the ka'bah cover:





Right hand side:



Announce, (O Muhammad ) unto My slaves that verily I am the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Left hand side:



And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad ], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. (2:186, part)

in the motif in the middle.

The side opposite the door (after the hateem side as you go round in tawaaf), on the left in the pic below:



Right hand side sub-panel (the only one visible on that side), here to the left of the pic:



And give good tidings to the believers that they will have from Allah great bounty. (33:47)

Yaa Rahmaan, Ya Raheem written in the motif before it.

Not shown is the panel further along, on the left hand side. That contains the following ayah:



If any one does evil or wrongs his own soul but afterwards seeks Allah's forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. (4:110)

On the corner where the two sides join, written in a circle within a square motif:



Surah al-Ikhlaas, with bismillaahirrahmaanirraheem in the centre.

And this post Haramain pictures has all the writing on the door cover:

format_quote Originally Posted by Insaanah

Embroidered calligraphy on the ka'bah door cover. Unfortunately the top part was being faded in from another scene, which is why it looks different.



Though the calligraphy on this pic isn't that clear, I've used the help of other pics of the door cover from the net, as well as the pics earlier in the thread here, and the calligraphy is as follows:

Starting from the top and working down:
اللهُ رَبِّي in the circles in the top corners
حَسْبِيَ الله in the circle top middle.

Calligraphy in the top row two capsule shapes, one either side of hasbi Allah, half the passage in each shape:



We have certainly seen the turning of your face, [O Muhammad], toward the heaven, and We will surely turn you to a qiblah with which you will be pleased. (2:144, part)

Row below, preceded by bismillah:



And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous. (3:133)

The row below is four identical lantern shapes, each containing:

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. (24:35, part)

Below this are four horizontal capsules, top and bottom to the left and right of some larger calligraphy. The capsule shapes contain Ayatul Kursi (2:255) divided between them as follows, plus the first words of the following ayah:

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّومُ لاَ تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلاَ نَوْمٌ
لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَـوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الاٌّرْضِ مَن ذَا الَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا
خَلْفَهُمْ وَلاَ يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلاَّ بِمَا شَآءَ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَـوَاتِ وَالاٌّرْضَ
ولاَ يَؤُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِىُّ الْعَظِيمُ لاَ إِكْرَاهَ فِى الدِّينِ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنَ الْغَيِّ


Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.
There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. (2:255 and part of 256)

The row below has the largest calligraphy on the door cover:



Indeed Allah has fulfilled the vision for His messenger in truth. You will surely enter al-Masjid al-Haram, if Allah wills, in safety - (48:27, part)

Ayah around where the cover splits (starts bottom to top on the right hand side of the split, and continues top to bottom on the left hand side)



Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah . Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful." (39:53)

In view here.

Either side of the split are two large circles of calligraphy, each with Bismillahi ar-Rahmaani ar-Raheem in the centre:

Right hand side circle = Surah al Ikhlaas

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ - اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ -
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ - وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَّهُ كُفُواً أَحَدٌ

Say: He is Allah, the One and Only;
Allah, He on Whom all depend.
He begets not, nor was He begotten
And there is none like unto Him. (112)

Circle on left hand side:



Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating [in prayer]. (48:29, part)

There are three rows below this. First row:
Right hand side: لاَ إِلهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ المَلِكُ الحَقُّ المُبِين
Left hand side: مُحَمَّد رَسُولُُ اللهِ صَادِقُ الوَعْدِ الأَمِين

Divided into four equal portions in the two rows below that, is Surah al Quraysh:
لإِيلَـفِ قُرَيْشٍ
إِيلَـفِهِمْ رِحْلَةَ الشِّتَآءِ وَالصَّيْفِ
فَلْيَعْبُدُواْ رَبَّ هَـذَا الْبَيْتِ
الَّذِى أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٍ وَءَامَنَهُم مِّنْ خوْفٍ

For the accustomed security of the Quraysh -
Their accustomed security [in] the caravan of winter and summer -
Let them worship the Lord of this House,
Who has fed them, [saving them] from hunger and made them safe, [saving them] from fear.(106)

Running along both long edges of the door covering, and the bottom, is Surah al-Fatihah, with an ayah or part of ayah per capsular shape, and Allahu Rabbee in the circles.

So the next row is إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ (on the right hand side) and وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ (on the left hand side), with Hasbi Allah in the two circles between them, adjacent to the split.

And finally right at the bottom, in Arabic:

Suni3at haadhihi al-sitaaratu fee Makkatal Mukarramata, wa ahdaahaa ilal Ka3batil Musharrafati khaadimul haramain ash-shareefain Abdullah bin Abdul Azeez aal Saud taqabbalallahu minhu.

This covering was made in Makkatal Mukarramah, and gifted to the Ka'bah al Musharrafah by the custodian of the two Holy Mosques, Abdullah bin Abdul Azeez Aal Saud, may Allah accept from him.

This is also written on the sub-panel on the door side of the kiswah, below the top band.

And one of the pics from the internet, of the 1427 hijri cover:

I'm working on a mini-project (set out by me to give to my nephews and nieces) and saw the thread title and thought perfect. Exactly what I was looking for when I logged on in here!

format_quote Originally Posted by Insaanah

Saw this old thread while browsing,

That's what I do! Rather than creating threads, I've been searching the forum and looking at threads from yonks ago. Saw a lot of usernames and reminded me of quite a lot of the former members who've left and moved on But the information and particular threads that I've found have been invaluable

format_quote Originally Posted by Insaanah

The writing in post number two refers to the black writing woven into the fabric of the black cover, which can only be seen at close range.

As for the gold bands of embroidery which adorn the kiswa (cover) of the ka'bah, most of the writing is covered in the posts below:

See this post (Imaams of the Haramain - Part XII - Ramadhan 1433 AH) for the writing on the band near the top that goes all the way round.

Also see:
Haramain pictures
Haramain pictures

And this post (Haramain pictures) has all the writing on the door cover.

In post number two, there is a translation of what is woven into the fabric of the cover, in black thread, but not the actual Arabic words. These are as follows:

يَا اللهُ

يَا حَنَّانُ يَا مَنَّانُ

لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ

سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَ بِحَمْدِهِ سُبْحَانَ اللهِ اٌلْعَظِيم

in a repeated zig-zag pattern, in black thread.

Visible by clicking on the main image on this page:

http://islamicartdb.com/close-up-of-...e-kaba-kiswah/