Allah commanded Ibrahim, the father of many prophets and monotheists to build His house in a sacred land. Ibrahim prayed that it would be a place of security for all Muslims and for his offspring to be righteous and Allah accepted his prayers.

Have they not seen how We have made ˹Mecca˺ a safe haven, whereas people ˹all˺ around them are snatched away? How can they then believe in falsehood and deny Allah’s favours?29:67

Suddi narrates that when Allah commanded Ibrahim and Ishmael to build the Kaaba, they did not know where to build it. Allah commanded the wind to show the old foundations of the Kaaba. They began to dig with their pickaxes around the area.

And ˹remember˺ when We assigned to Abraham the site of the House, ˹saying,˺ “Do not associate anything with Me ˹in worship˺ and purify My House for those who circle ˹the Ka’bah˺, stand ˹in prayer˺, and bow and prostrate themselves.22:26

Above the Kaaba, in the seventh heaven is the Bait-ul-Mamur which is the Kaaba of the heavens. In fact, 70,000 angels enter it every day worshipping Allah and then they won't get the turn again until the day of judgement.

After finishing the base and constructing the corner, Ibrahim asked Ishmael to find a suitable stone to place on the corner. Angel Jibreel then brought a black stone to him. The stone was originally white and see-through, and Adam had brought it from Paradise. However, due to people's sins, it had turned black over time. They continued to build the Kaaba whilst constantly praying:

And ˹remember˺ when Abraham raised the foundation of the House with Ishmael, ˹both praying,˺ “Our Lord! Accept ˹this˺ from us. You are indeed the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.2:127

The Kaaba stayed the same for a long time, keeping the shape and structure that Ibrahim built. Later, the Quraysh, who were the people of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, rebuilt it. However, they made it smaller than Ibrahim's original foundation on the north side due to lack of resources. It has remained like that until today.

Aisha, the wife of our Prophet ﷺ reported: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to me: Had your people not been unbelievers in the recent past (had they not quite recently accepted Islam), I would have demolished the Ka'ba and would have rebuilt it on the foundation (laid) by Ibrahim; for when the Quraish had built the Kaaba, they reduced its (area), and I would also have built (a door) in the rear. [Sahih Muslim 1333; similar to Bukhari 1583, 3368]