--- title: "What Is the Kaaba? The House of God in Mecca | Islam Is Mercy" description: "The Kaaba is the cube-shaped building in Mecca that Muslims face in prayer. Muslims worship God alone — not the Kaaba itself." lang: en url: https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/kaaba/ --- 1. [Home](https://islamismercy.com/en/) 2. [Glossary](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/) 3. What Is the Kaaba? The House of God in Mecca # What Is the Kaaba? The House of God in Mecca Written by **Islam Is Mercy Editorial Team**· 1 min readAwaiting scholar review ## The short answer The Kaaba is the simple cube-shaped building at the centre of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca. Muslims believe it was raised for the worship of the One God by Abraham and his son Ishmael. Muslims everywhere face it when they pray, as a sign of unity — but they worship God alone, not the building. ## On this page 1. Meaning 2. Facing the Kaaba 3. A common misunderstanding 4. Note **Kaaba** (Arabic: الكعبة, also spelled *Ka’bah*) is pronounced *KAA-bah*. The name means “the cube”. ## Meaning The Kaaba is a simple stone building, roughly cube-shaped, standing in the courtyard of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca. It is usually draped in a black cloth embroidered with verses of the Qur’an in gold. Muslims call it “the House of God” — not because God lives in it, but because it is dedicated to His worship alone. The Qur’an describes it as the first house of worship set up for humanity: > إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍۢ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِى بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًۭا وَهُدًۭى لِّلْعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿٩٦﴾ > Indeed, the first House \[of worship\] established for mankind was that at Makkah - blessed and a guidance for the worlds. [Qur'an, Aal-i-Imraan 3:96](https://quran.com/3?startingVerse=96&translations=20)Saheeh International Muslims believe that Abraham (peace be upon him) and his son Ishmael raised its foundations (Qur’an 2:127), and that Muhammad ﷺ later cleared it of idols and restored it to the worship of the One God. ## Facing the Kaaba Wherever they are in the world, Muslims face the direction of the Kaaba, called the *qibla*, when they pray. This creates a striking picture: circles of people around the globe, all turned towards one point, praying to one God. Pilgrims on *Hajj* and *Umrah* walk around it seven times in an act of worship called *tawaf*. ## A common misunderstanding Muslims do not worship the Kaaba or the black stone set in one of its corners. They worship God alone; the Kaaba is a direction and a symbol of unity, not an object of worship. ## Note To read about the prophet who built it, see [Abraham in Islam](https://islamismercy.com/en/prophets/prophet-abraham/), and for the great pilgrimage, see [Hajj](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/hajj/). ## Key takeaways - The Kaaba is the cube-shaped House of God in Mecca. - Muslims believe Abraham and Ishmael raised it for the worship of the One God. - Muslims face it in prayer as a sign of unity; they worship God, not the stone. ## Share this article [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=What%20Is%20the%20Kaaba%3F%20The%20House%20of%20God%20in%20Mecca%20https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fkaaba%2F)[Telegram](https://t.me/share/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fkaaba%2F&text=What%20Is%20the%20Kaaba%3F%20The%20House%20of%20God%20in%20Mecca)[X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=What%20Is%20the%20Kaaba%3F%20The%20House%20of%20God%20in%20Mecca&url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fkaaba%2F)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fkaaba%2F) ## Sources - [Qur'an, Aal-i-Imraan 3:96](https://quran.com/3?startingVerse=96&translations=20) ## Talk to a Muslim Have a question that isn't answered here? Ask a real person — no pressure, no judgement. [Ask your question](https://islamismercy.com/en/talk/) ## Keep reading [Stories of the Prophets ### Abraham (Ibrahim): Friend of God How the Qur'an tells the story of Abraham — his search for God, his stand against idols, the Kaaba he built with Ishmael, and his great test. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/prophets/prophet-abraham/)[Glossary ### Hajj — The Pilgrimage to Makkah Hajj is the pilgrimage to Makkah that every able Muslim makes once in a lifetime. It is the fifth Pillar of Islam and recalls Abraham. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/hajj/)[Becoming Muslim ### How to Pray: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners A simple, step-by-step guide to the Muslim prayer (salah) for beginners — from ablution to the final greeting — sticking to what Muslims agree on. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/become-muslim/how-to-pray/)