A long, long time ago—about four thousand years ago—the brave Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) عليه السلام traveled to the valley of Makkah. He brought his family to live in this quiet place. His young son, Ismail (Ishmael) عليه السلام, grew up there under the blue desert sky and became a very kind and great prophet of Allah.
As time went by, the family of Prophet Ismail grew and grew until there were many people living happily in Makkah. Prophet Ibrahim had prayed a beautiful prayer for Ismail to have many children and for a special gift to appear: the wonderful Zamzam spring! Because of this cool, clear water, many travelers with their camels would stop at Makkah while they were on long trips to places called Syria and Yemen. Makkah was right in the middle of their long journey. To make sure the visitors were happy and the Kabah was well cared for, the people started several special jobs. These jobs began as soon as the Kabah was built:
- Hijabah: This was the job of taking care of the Kabah and keeping its special keys safe.
- Siqayah: This was the kind job of making sure every thirsty traveler had fresh water to drink.
- Rifadah: This was the helpful job of giving yummy food to the pilgrims who came from far away.
- Nadwah: This was the job of leading the important meetings where people talked about how to help the city.
- Qiyadah: This was the job of being a brave leader for the people of Makkah if they ever needed to stay safe.
- Liwa: This was the proud job of carrying the beautiful flag of Makkah during important times.
And so, the holy Kabah became a very special center where people from all over Arabia came together to pray and feel close to Allah.
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