A visit to the holy shrine of Kaaba in Mecca has a remarkable history and Muslims believe that Prophet Ibrahim or Abraham, the dearest friend of Allah and father of prophets, was instructed by God to leave his wife Hajar and son Ismail in the desert of Mecca. Ibrahim left the family well-flourished but in due course of time, it all diminished and his wife Hajar and son Ismail faced lots of trouble.

On one occasion, Hajar travelled seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah but was unable to find any source of water however, when her little son Ismail rubbed the ground with his foot, a water fountain sprang up at the spot. This spot, now known as the Zamzan well, was then marked sacred and God ordered Ibrahim to build Kaaba at that place and to invite people to perform pilgrimage there.

Prophet Ibrahim AS (also known as Prophet Abraham AS) and his son Ismail (Ishmael) AS were commanded by God to build the Kaaba, a sacred house of worship in Mecca. Hence, the Kaaba is considered the holiest site in Islam and serves as the focal point for the Hajj pilgrimage.

The origins of Hajj are closely tied to the story of Ibrahim's unwavering faith and his willingness to submit to God's commands. It is believed that Ibrahim, along with Ismail, constructed the foundations of the Kaaba as a place for people to worship the one true God, Allah.

Ibrahim and Ismail did as instructed and the Quran even narrates how the archangel, Gabriel, brought the Black Stone (which was originally white but has become black by absorbing the sins of the thousands of pilgrims who have kissed and touched it) from heaven to be attached to the Kaaba.

Over time, the pilgrimage to the Kaaba became a significant annual gathering for the Arab tribes of the Arabian Peninsula however, the rituals associated with Hajj were reformed and revitalised by Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century CE as during Muhammad's time, the pagan practices and idol worship that had become associated with the pre-Islamic Hajj were eliminated and the pilgrimage was restored to its original monotheistic purpose.

In pre-Islamic Arabia time of “jahiliyyah”, some pagan idols were placed around the Kaaba but in 630 CE, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) led the believers from Medina to Mecca and cleansed the Kaaba by destroying all the pagan idols. He was another messenger and the last prophet considered in Islam and after cleansing the Kaaba, he reconsecrated the building to Allah.

Muhammad performed the Hajj pilgrimage in the year 632 CE, delivering his famous farewell sermon to thousands of Muslims gathered in the plain of Arafah and that is how Hajj became one of the five pillars of Islam. Following Muhammad's example, the rites and rituals of Hajj were standardised and it became an obligatory act of worship for all Muslims.