Safe Sanctuary

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Al-'Ankabut (29:67)

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّا جَعَلْنَا حَرَمًا ءَامِنًا وَيُتَخَطَّفُ ٱلنَّاسُ مِنْ حَوْلِهِمْ ۚ أَفَبِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ يُؤْمِنُونَ وَبِنِعْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ يَكْفُرُونَ ٦٧

Did they not see that We have made a peaceful sanctuary (Haram ) while (other) people around them are being snatched away? Do they still believe in falsity and reject Allah’s grace?

— T. Usmani

Have they not seen that We made [Makkah] a safe sanctuary, while people are being taken away[1] all around them? Then in falsehood do they believe, and in the favor of Allāh they disbelieve?

— Saheeh International

[1]i.e., killed and taken captive.

Have they not seen that We have appointed a sanctuary immune (from violence), while mankind are ravaged all around them? Do they then believe in falsehood and disbelieve in the bounty of Allah?

— M. Pickthall

کیا وہ دیکھتے نہیں کہ ہم نے ایک پر امن حرم بنایا اور ان کے گرد و پیش كے لوگ اچک ليے جاتے ہیں تو کیا وہ باطل کو مانتے ہیں اور اللہ کی نعمت کی ناشکری کرتے ہیں

— Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

[https://quran.com/al-ankabut/67]

The Kaaba is located in the city of Makkah in the country known today as Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

The Kaaba has been a sanctuary for several millennia. Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael were commanded to purify it for the worshippers. Then again, Prophet Muhammad was commanded to do the same. 

So, the Kaaba has been a sanctuary, a place of worship, regardless of whether it has been in the control of Muslims or polytheists. Throughout its known history, it has been a place of pilgrimage, and people have generally honoured that status and sanctity. Makkah has been generally left in peace, when all around tribes and nations have been battling, killing and looting each other. 

The peace and safety that Makkah enjoys is a special favour of Allah. And it is not a transient favour. This favour has been in place since several millennia, or at least as far back as we know the history of the world. 

So, then shall humans not abandon the false gods, and be truly grateful to Allah? 

Don't we see that the Earth has been placed in a safe and secure zone, such that it enjoys relative peace as compared to the rest of the planets around us? 

Zoom out or zoom in, the home, the family, the sanctuary, the planet, all the levels of safety and security we find embedded in. Shall we not then be truly grateful to our Lord? 

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