Did the Catapult Destroy the Kaaba

The Messenger of God Was Truthful… And No One Will Violate the House Except Its People

The Prophet ﷺ Predicts the Violation of the Kaaba’s Sanctity

The Messenger ﷺ confirmed that the Kaaba will never be invaded by an infidel army, and that anyone who tries to approach it will be destroyed by God. He also confirmed that until the Day of Resurrection, no one will commit immorality in the Kaaba, transgress, or violate its sanctity — except those who are Muslims themselves.

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه), that the Messenger of God ﷺ said:

“Allegiance will be given to a man between the corner and the station, and no one will desecrate the House except its people. If they desecrate it, then he will not be asked about the destruction of the Arabs. Then the Abyssinians will come and destroy it in a way that will never be rebuilt again, and they are the ones who will extract its treasure.” [1]

The Holy Qur’an did not rule out the possibility of conflict arising from rebellious groups near the Sacred House. Allah ﷻ gave us the Qur’anic rule:

“And do not fight them at al-Masjid al-Haram until they fight you there. But if they fight you, then kill them.”

There is no disagreement among the nation that Mecca — may God glorify and protect it — will not be defeated by an infidel, a rebel, or a warrior until the Day of Resurrection, and victory will be for the Muslims.

No Unclean, Uncircumcised Person Shall Enter the Kaaba

Until today, it has been more than 1400 years, and we have not heard that the Kaaba has been attacked, invaded, or demolished by any army of non-Muslims. No unclean, uncircumcised person will enter it, and no infidel or worshipper of humans and stones will enter it.

This is proof of the truth of the prophecy of the Messenger of God Muhammad ﷺ — that it will be forbidden to non-Muslims. God has given us a covenant that no non-Muslim will touch it. Therefore, no violation of its sanctity will be made except by the wicked Muslims, whom Satan tempts to do so.

The Messenger ﷺ said:

”…And none will violate the Kaaba except its people. If they violate it, then no one will be asked about the destruction of the Arabs…” [2]

All of this was from the signs of his prophethood ﷺ and evidence of his truthfulness. We have more than 1400 years — since the time of the Messenger and his prophethood until today — and we have never found an enemy who attacked the Kaaba and violated its sanctity.

When Some Christians Thought of Invading the Kaaba… God Destroyed Them

Since the end of the second century AD, since the emergence of the followers of Paul, and the spread of their Roman state in the countries east and west, shedding blood and slaughtering — until today, we have never heard of an army that came and demolished the Kaaba.

When some Ethiopian Christians were led by their blind hatred to try, God humiliated them with the birds of Ababil. Allah ﷻ said:

“Have you not seen what your Lord did with the companions of the elephant? Did He not make their plot go astray? And He sent against them birds in flocks, striking them with stones of baked clay. And He made them like straw eaten up.”

Thus, God destroyed some of Paul’s followers, the Ethiopian Christians, and what they worshipped did not avail them against God.

Only Its People Will Be Allowed to Enter the House

The Hebrew prophecies in your books predicted that when the House was rebuilt, God would purify it from all impurity and all vice. Muhammad ﷺ purified it in only about 25 years from the filth of polytheism and idolatry.

The Messenger of God Muhammad ﷺ informed us with his true prophecy that corruption in the House of God would be limited to the wicked Muslims.

Just as the Chosen Messenger predicted, since the dawn of Islam until today, no enemy of the Muslims has destroyed the Kaaba. Those who came close were Muslims themselves:

Al-Hussain bin Numayr — commander of the army of Yazid bin Muawiyah — did not invade the Kaaba itself, but wanted to fight Abdullah bin Al-Zubayr and those with him when they took refuge there.
Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf — invaded and killed Abdullah bin Al-Zubayr within it.
Sulayman bin Al-Hasan Al-Jayyani — may God curse them all.

Did the Catapult Destroy the Kaaba?

The Answer: Certainly Not

The historical fallacy that the objector deliberately uses twists texts to serve his purposes. When the stubborn person reads the words “hitting the Kaaba with a catapult”, he steals the title and fabricates a narrative, depicting the event as if the remnants of emperors gathered to demolish the House of Allah — and concludes with the lie that the Kaaba was demolished by a catapult.

The ones who threw the catapult were Al-Hussain bin Numayr and Al-Hajjaj Al-Thaqafi — followers of the Umayyads. They wanted to kill Abdullah bin Al-Zubayr, who was fortified near the Kaaba. They did not intend the Kaaba itself, and the catapult never destroyed the Kaaba.

The Context of the Strife

Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr ibn Asma bint Abi Bakr al-Siddiq appointed himself governor of Mecca and Medina when the Umayyads in the Levant considered musical instruments and many innovations permissible. They considered him to have left their allegiance, and since he sought refuge in the sanctuary, they fought him.

For a misguided person to consider it permissible to wage war in the sanctuary of the Kaaba is one thing. For a falsifier of events to claim that he destroyed the Kaaba with a catapult is another thing entirely.

Did the Besiegers Attack the Kaaba Itself?

The attack was not on the Kaaba itself. The attack was on people who had taken refuge in palm fronds around it. When fire caught hold of the curtains of the Kaaba, both the aggressor and the invading party thought they were doomed.

Historical narration:

My grandfather told me, Saeed bin Salem told us, on the authority of Uthman bin Saj, who said: An old woman from the people of Mecca who was with Abdullah bin Al-Zubayr told me — she said: There were many tents in the mosque, and a fire broke out from one of the tents, and the tents burned, and the mosque was engulfed in flames until the fire engulfed the House and it burned. Uthman said: It was reported to me that when the army of Al-Hussain bin Numayr came, some of the people of Al-Sham burned the gate of Bani Jumah, and the mosque at that time was tents and pavilions, and the fire spread until it engulfed the House — and both groups thought they were doomed. The construction of the Kaaba weakened, so much so that birds would land on it and its stones would scatter, and it was stripped and weak from every side, so the people of Mecca and the people of Al-Sham were terrified by that. [3]

The Objections Addressed

Objection 1: “Wasn’t the Kaaba hit by catapults in Islamic history?”

Objection 2 (Omar Bakr quoting Nahed Metwally):

“Thank you for admitting that Al-Hajjaj threw a catapult at the Kaaba and destroyed parts of it, even though fighting is forbidden in Mecca, according to what you say.”

Response:

The mere fact that the House has remained for more than 1400 years without being destroyed by a single enemy of the Muslims is evidence of the truth of the Muhammadan prophecy — and an argument against you regarding the truthfulness of Muhammad ﷺ.

Violating the house and encroaching on the sanctities is one thing.
Demolishing and destroying the Kaaba is something else entirely.

The Truth About the Fire

The catapult did not destroy the Kaaba. A fire broke out in the curtains when a spark lit by one of those seeking refuge flew and caught hold of the Kaaba’s cloth — and it burned. The army emigrated, the catapults departed, and the House continued to be circumambulated, with God Almighty being worshipped before it.

From the oldest historical sources:

Abu Aoun said: “It was only burned because of us. A man from among us, Muslim bin Abi Khalifa Al-Madhhaji, and his companions were lighting fires in their huts around the House. He took fire from the tip of his spear in the oil. It was a windy day, and a spark flew from it, and the Kaaba burned until it became wood. We said to them: This is your action. You have thrown oil and fire at the House of God Almighty. They denied that.” [4]

Al-Waqidi said: “They were lighting fires in the huts, and a spark came and the wind blew it, and the clothes of the Kaaba were burned, and the wood was burned.” [5]

Urwah bin Udaynah said: “I came to Mecca with my father on the day the Kaaba burned down. I saw that the fire had reached the wood, and I saw it stripped of the fire, and I saw the corner had turned black… He took fire from the tip of his spear, and the wind blew it away, striking the curtains of the Kaaba between the Yemeni corner and the Black Corner.” [6]

Has the Kaaba Ever Been Demolished — Other Than for Restoration?

The answer: Definitely not.

Muslims throughout history have never destroyed the Kaaba except to rebuild it more strongly and solidly. If the catapult was what destroyed the Kaaba — as they claim — then how did Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr order its demolition to rebuild it after the catapult strikes had ended and those forces had departed to their countries?

The Catapult Attackers Were Muslims Who Could Not Intentionally Hit the Kaaba

Even the catapult throwers denied that any of their strikes had reached the Kaaba itself. Those who were throwing near it admitted that the catapult did not destroy the Kaaba — at most, it tore a stone from its covering.

The catapult had no role in the destruction of the Kaaba, nor in the fire that occurred. The fire was caused by one of those taking refuge — when a flame flew from a palm frond they had lit, and the Kaaba’s curtains burned.

The Weakness of the Kaaba’s Structure Predated All of This

The weakness of the construction had been present since the time of the Messenger ﷺ himself. On the authority of Aisha (رضي الله عنها):

“I asked the Messenger of God ﷺ about the wall: Is it part of the house? He said: Yes. I said: Why did they not put it in the house? He said: Your people were short of money. I said: What is the matter with its door being high? He said: Your people did that so that they could let in whomever they wanted and prevent whomever they wanted. And were it not that your people were recent converts to ignorance and I feared that their hearts would disapprove, I would have considered putting the wall in the house and sticking its door to the ground.” [8]

Ibn Al-Zubayr Rebuilds — Then Al-Hajjaj Restores

Ibn al-Zubayr rebuilt the Kaaba as the Messenger ﷺ had wished — on the foundations of Ibrahim (عليه السلام).

Al-Hajjaj then demolished what Ibn al-Zubayr had added — not because of the catapult — but because Abdul Malik bin Marwan authorized him to return it to its prior state. He wrote to Abdul Malik asking permission, received it, and only then proceeded.

If al-Hajjaj had demolished the Kaaba with the catapult, would he have then sent to Abdul Malik asking permission to demolish it? And would he have asked to rebuild it as it was before — not as Ibn al-Zubayr had made it? ^^

The House remained in the form built by Ibn al-Zubayr until Ibn al-Zubayr was killed — and al-Hajjaj demolished six cubits and a span of what was next to the stone, and built it on the foundation of the Quraysh. Everything in it today is built by Ibn al-Zubayr, except the walls in the stone — which are built by al-Hajjaj. [9]

Conclusion

All Muslims, in every time and place, denounced what the Umayyad leaders Al-Hussain bin Numayr and Al-Hajjaj Al-Thaqafi did — when they used the catapult to strike a group that had taken refuge in the Sacred Sanctuary. Their transgression against the Sacred Sanctuary was a transgression against the sanctity of the House — they terrified its people and its pilgrims while the stones were falling during circumambulation.

The claim of the demolition of the House with the catapult is a claim devoid of documentation. Whoever claims otherwise must provide evidence and proof — otherwise, silence is better than deception.

Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. The prophecy foretold in the Holy Book discovered in Qumran is thus fulfilled — the Holy House was never destroyed by any enemy of the religion. Every falsehood falls, and the truth rises.

Allah ﷻ said:

“Rather, We cast the truth upon falsehood, and it crushes it, and thereupon it departs. And for you is woe for that which you describe.”

Appendix: The Temple in the Bible — What Happened to the House of God?

For comparison, consider what befell the Temple — the house of God as Jews and Christians believe:

Event	Reference
Women lay with men at the entrance to the Tabernacle	1 Samuel 2:22
Idols and altars of Baal set up in the Temple	2 Kings 21:1–8
Abominations placed in the Temple to defile it	Jeremiah 32:34
Houses of sodomites built around the Temple	2 Kings 23:4–7
Theft and looting of the Temple treasury	2 Kings 24:13
The Temple burned	2 Kings 25:9
The Temple burned and the wall of Jerusalem broken down	2 Chronicles 36:19
God rejects the Temple and threatens to make it a mockery	2 Chronicles 7:20
The Temple demolished and its sanctuaries made idolatrous	2 Chronicles 24:7
The Temple closed and its vessels destroyed	2 Chronicles 28:24
The Temple defiled with impurity	2 Chronicles 29:16
Sons sacrificed to idols, then the sanctuary entered to defile it	Ezekiel 23:39
God commands the desecration of the Temple	Ezekiel 9:7
Wickedness found in the Temple	Jeremiah 23:11
The structure left desolate	Haggai 1:9
Made into a market for buying and selling	Mark 11:15
Called a den of thieves	Matthew 21:13

Despite all that was done to it — defilement with idols, burning, demolition, looting, lying with women at its entrance, the houses of homosexuals established nearby — Christ did not strip it of its sanctity, and it remains until his coming a house of prayer (Mark 11:17).

Where is the Temple now?

It does not exist.

But the Holy Kaaba — it is still standing until the Day of Judgment, until the One who inherits the earth and everything on it inherits it.

References

#	Source
[1]	As-Silsilah As-Saheehah 579, 2743 · Narrated by Ahmad and its men are trustworthy — Majma’ Az-Zawa’id 3/298 · Narrated by Abu Dawud At-Tayalisi, Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah, and Abu Ya’la Al-Mawsili · Narrated by Ibn Hibban in his Saheeh and via Al-Hakim, who said: It is authentic according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs — Ithaaf Al-Khayrah Al-Mahra 7567
[2]	Same as [1]
[3]	Akhbar Makkah by Al-Azraqi, p. 208
[4]	Al-Azraqi, p. 201
[5]	Al-Azraqi, p. 202
[6]	Al-Azraqi, p. 203
[7]	The same
[8]	Narrated by Muslim
[9]	Al-Azraqi, p. 208

Footnotes

* A stone may leave a protrusion or a gap, but demolishing a house? A catapult stone fell on Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr and did not move him — so why was he not demolished or killed? A little logic is all that is required.
** Its covering was torn — it was not demolished as they claim. We do not know where this claim originated.
*** The cause of the fire was a spark from the palm fronds. The catapult had nothing to do with the matter — and it was not demolished by the fire either.
**** It is not possible to deny or withdraw from those who wanted to destroy and demolish the Kaaba.
^ A narration from Ibn al-Zubayr confirms that the Messenger ﷺ wanted to rebuild the Kaaba — strengthened by what came in Sahih Muslim.
^^ May Allah fight deception and lies. If al-Hajjaj had demolished the Kaaba with the catapult, would he have sent to Abdul Malik to allow him to demolish it after the catapult battle was over? And would he have asked to rebuild it as it was before — not as Ibn al-Zubayr had made it?