Life-of-Muhammad

Life of Muhammad sa 163KA‘BA CLEARED OF IDOLSThe Prophet sa made straight for the Ka‘ba andperformed the circuit of the holy precincts seven times,mounted on his camel. Staff in hand, he went round thehouse which had been built by the Patriarch Abraham asand his son Ishmael as for the worship of the One andOnly God, but which by their misguided children hadbeen allowed to degenerate into a sanctuary for idols.The Prophet sa smote one by one the three hundred andsixty idols in the house. As an idol fell, the Prophet sawould recite the verse, "Truth has come and falsehoodhas vanished away. Falsehood does indeed vanish awayfast." This verse was revealed before the Prophet sa leftMecca for Medina and is part of the Chapter, BaniIsra’il. In this Chapter was foretold the flight of theProphet sa and the conquest of Mecca. The Chapter is aMeccan Chapter, a fact admitted even by Europeanwriters. The verses which contain the prophecy of theProphet's sa flight from Mecca, and the subsequentconquest of Mecca are as follows:And say 'O my Lord, make my entry a good entry, andmake my going out a good outgoing. And grant me fromThyself a power that may help me.' And, 'Truth has comeand falsehood has vanished away. Falsehood does indeedvanish away fast!' (17: 81-82).The conquest of Mecca is foretold here in the form ofa prayer taught to the Prophet sa . The Prophet sa is taughtto pray for entering Mecca and for departing from itunder good auspices; and for the help of God inassuring an ultimate victory of truth over falsehood. Theprophecy had literally come true. The recitation of theseverses by Abu Bakr ra was appropriate. It braced up theMuslims, and reminded the Meccans of the futility oftheir fight against God and of the truth of the promisesmade by God to the Prophet sa .With the conquest of Mecca, the Ka‘ba was restoredto the functions for which it had been consecrated manythousands of years before by the Patriarch Abraham as .