Do Muslims worship the Ka’bah and why do we stone the Shaitan in Hajj?

Repeatedly we are asked this question by Non Muslims and what should be a convensing answer to them?

Muslims do not believe in ideal worship, we pray in the direction of Kabba and Kabba is only symbolic and for the direction. The question is if so why do tawaf (if we say our Prophet did and ask as to do, they say same is the case with us too). They say we know god is not in stone and its only symbolic.

Secondly, they say we luugh at them because they worship stone, but they claim that we Muslims not only pray and do tawaf of kabba, but made a symbolic piller or a wall for Shaitan and through stone at it. They say you know shaitan is not there but you do. If you believe in Allah, the why should you do all this.

Please give an answer which will conviences them.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

As Muslims, we worship Allah Ta’ala and submit to the laws of Allah without questioning the rationale and wisdom of the laws of Allah. We believe Allah is Al-Hakeem (The All Wise). Every order of Allah has wisdom in it, some of which we may comprehend.

However, we do not withhold executing the order of Allah until we comprehend the wisdoms of the order. Doing so is against the spirit of submission and subjugation.

There are major differences between facing the Kaaba and worshiping idols. Consider the following,

Hadhrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thaanvi (rahmatullah alayhi) carefully probes the matter by providing logical and simple facts.[1]

• We explicitly deny worshipping the Kaaba or the structure of the Kaaba. If we worship the Kaaba itself, we would not deny worshiping it, as the denial of worshiping an object is against worship. The Kaaba is only a direction of worship. An idol worshipper does not deny worshipping the idol.
• If at any time the structure of the Kaaba is destroyed then too, it will
  be compulsory to perform Salah facing the direction of the Kaaba.

As Muslims we do not worship the structure of The Kaaba. If it was so, upon the destruction of The Kabaa Salah we would stop performing Salah. That is not the case with worshipping idols. If the idol is destroyed, no one worships it.

• If a person decides to perform Salah on the roof of the Kaaba, the
  Salaat will be valid. Therefore had we worshipped the Kaaba then Salah performed above it would be incorrect; as it is disrespectful and disgraceful to the object being worshipped. Imagine anyone standing above their Creator and Maker of this universe. In the case of idols, no one stands on the idol to worship it.

The Jamaraat are pillars representing the place where the Shaitaan tried to distract Prophet Ibrahim (Alaihi Salaam). The pelting of the pillars (Rami) is to humiliate the Shaitan and to serve as a reminder to us that whenever the Shaitan approaches us with his evil whispers and temptations, we should not submit to him, but to stone him with our Imaan, as Ibrahim (Alaihi Salaam) did.^[2]

We reiterate that we obey the Ordinance of Allah without trying to philosophize His commands based on our limited and weak minds. Submission and subjugation is the core of worship. The natural instinct coupled with true Imaan will understand the order and feel the contentment and satisfaction of fulfilling the order of Allah Ta’ala. [3]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Arshad Ali

Student Darul Iftaa
Trinidad

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

http://www.daruliftaa.net/