Facts on this door
When Ibrahim alaihis salaam built the Ka’bah he put two doors at ground level. One door was an entrance and the other an exit. They remained continously open.
When the Quraish rebuilt the Ka’bah, they closed up the western wall, raised the eastern one above the ground and closed it with two shutters.
The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam expressed the wish that there be two doors, the eastern and the western, so that every person could be blessed with the privilege of entering it with ease.
As per the wish of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, Abdullah Bin Zubair radhiallahu anhu built both these doors and lowered them to ground level when he was governor of Makkah.
Hajjaj Bin Yusuf once again raised it and closed up the western door. The bricks of the closed western door can be clearly noticed when the cover of the Ka’bah is lifted especially during Hajj.
On the 1st of Zul Hijjah and the 15th of Sha’baan the doors used to be opened for the washing of the Ka’bah. Now it takes place during the first week of Sha’baan and and the last week of Zul Qa’dah.
Khalifah Waleed bin Abdul Malik sent thirty six thousand dinaars (gold coins) and the door and mizaab (waterspout) were gold plated. He was the first person to adorn the Ka’bah with gold.
The door has been changed several times. The present one is pure gold designed by a German Muslim engineer. Next issue: Shaadharwaan
From: Umm al-Qura, Bilal bin Ahmad
Door of the Ka'bah
