| Arabic | مَقَام إِبْرَاهِيم |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | ma-QAAM ib-raa-HEEM |
| Etymology | Maqam (مقام) from the root ق-و-م (q-w-m) means 'standing place' or 'station.' Ibrahim (إبراهيم) is the Arabic name for النبي Abraham. Together, مقام إبراهيم means 'the standing place of Ibrahim,' referring to where he stood while constructing the الكعبة. |
مقام إبراهيم(مَقَام إِبْرَاهِيم) مقام إبراهيم (Station of Ibrahim) is a stone near the الكعبة bearing the footprints of Prophet Ibrahim, enclosed in a glass and gold casing. Pilgrims pray two ركعةs behind it after completing الطواف.
مَقَام إِبْرَاهِيم
The مقام إبراهيم is a small stone that Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) stood upon while building the upper walls of the الكعبة. According to Islamic tradition, the stone miraculously softened under his feet, preserving his footprints, and rose and lowered as he needed to reach higher portions of the structure. The stone is now preserved in an elegant glass and metal enclosure located a few meters from the الكعبة, in front of its door. The القرآن explicitly mentions it: 'And take the مقام إبراهيم as a place of الصلاة' (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:125). Following this command, after completing the seven circuits of الطواف, الحجاج pray two ركعةs behind the Maqam, ideally with the station between themselves and the الكعبة. In the first ركعة, Surah al-Kafirun is recited, and in the second, Surah al-Ikhlas. During extremely crowded times, الحجاج may pray these ركعةs anywhere in the Haram.
Maqam (مقام) from the root ق-و-م (q-w-m) means 'standing place' or 'station.' Ibrahim (إبراهيم) is the Arabic name for النبي Abraham. Together, مقام إبراهيم means 'the standing place of Ibrahim,' referring to where he stood while constructing the الكعبة.