History of Makkah

The history and the incident pertaining to it about Makkah city re as astonishing as its present is. Makkah is one of the two holiest cities that are visited by million and millions of people all around the world mostly for the sake of performance of Hajj and Umrah. The existence and life in Makkah are stated by the Holy Quran itself. The information regarding any of the Islamic site or incident one hears should be ascertained what is correct from what is foster. So the most authentic source of the information about Makkah city and its life comes from the hadith of Beloved Prophet Muhammad SAWW and from these we can ascertain the primeval times in the Makkah as well as how it was prior the message and Prophet Hood of Muhammad SAWW.
The history of Makkah is directly connected to Prophet Ibrahim SAWW as he was the very first one to enter in Makkah. We can also refer him the first one who initiated a residence in Makkah city. Prophet Ibrahim AS was a native of Syria until when he was ordered by the Almighty to move towards Makkah. Prophet Ibrahim AS took his wife Hajra and infant baby Ismael AS and start moving towards Makkah. At that time Makkah was a barren desert with no living at all. When the family reached Makkah, prophet Ibrahim left his wife and son their under the shade of a tree along with some dates and a flask of water then headed back to ancient Syria. On his leaving, his wife questioned him about his going but he did not replied to her. She kept on asking that why he is leaving them on a barren land that has neither humans nor anything else in regards of living but he did not answer. Finally, when she asked that was he commanded by the Allah Almighty to do so then he answered her yes. She then stopped questioning and said; “Then He SWT shall never forsake us.”
 Prophet Ibrahim AS left his family on a deserted valley but obviously was concerned about his wife and infant son. He then prayed to Almighty;
“Our Lord! I have settled some of my descendants in an uncultivated valley near your sacred house, Our Lord, that they may establish prayer. So make hearts among the people incline towards them and endeavor for them from the fruits that they might be grateful.”
The very first tribe to reside among all the people who came from all directions of Makkah when Allah SWT blessed Hajra and her son with the ZamZam well was Jurhum. That was the tribe amongst whom Hazrat Ismaeel AS grew up and then from whom he married. To know about the circumstances Hazrat Ibrahim came to Makkah many times and then he was commanded by Allah Almighty to build the holy Kabah. Allah SWT says:
“And (mention) when Ibrahim was hovering the foundations of the House and (with him) Ismaeel, (saying); ‘Our Lord! Consent (this) from us. Indeed, You are the Earshot, the Eloquent.”
Various verses from Holy Quran suggested and confirmed that Prophet Ibrahim AS was the first one who has the honor and virtue to build the two mosques. The time difference between the building of Masjid al Haram and Masjid- e Aqsa was of forty years and the credit of the building of both these holy sites is in part of Prophet Ibrahim. These above mentioned verses indicates that the very first building ever on the barren land of the Holy City Makkah was the Grand Mosque and the first water that wet the deserted valley of Makkah was the holy water of ZamZam that is keep on gushing from that time uptill now and itself is not less than a miracle due to its marvel system of running and unlimited supply.
Thereafter, the offspring of prophet Ismael AS spread in the area of Hejaz after their multiplication and to its surroundings and their families were responsible to took care of the Holy House and maintaining it for a long period of time. It was the time until the tribe of Khuzaa’ah took over this responsibility to look after Bait ul Allah. People had firm believe on monotheism and keep on worshiping the one and the only Lord until the time of Amr bin Lahy Al- Khuzaa’I came to Hejaz (the province of the Saudi Kingdom in which Makkah was situated) and introduce the concept of idol ship in the holy Kabah of various gods.
After that, the numbers of idols keep on increasing in the Holy Kabah and a time comes when the sacred Kabah was the biggest site of worshiping idols. Annual celebrations of worships o the idols and foster gods were conducted and the whole city came to the holy Kabah for the sake of commemoration. At that time, the number of idols in the Kabah was three hundred and sixty that were individually destroyed by Prophet Muhammad SAWW at the time of victory of Makkah. Due to various wars, the well of ZamZam was buried and no one could no longer find that.
A great grandfather of Prophet Muhammad SAWW forcefully took over the responsibility of the Sacred Kabah. Qusay gathered all of the tribes of and noble families of Quraysh and re- gained the sanctity of Makkah which had been lost due to the misuse of power of Khuzaa’ah. This incident becomes the base of glorified Makkah later.
Abdul Mutalib (the grandfather of Prophet Muhammad SAWW) saw the exact point of ZamZam well, dug up and restored it so in this way the well of ZamZam again becomes the greatest source of water for the Muslims uptill now.