﴿ وَإِذْ جَعَلْنَا ٱلْبَيْتَ مَثَابَةًۭ لِّلنَّاسِ وَأَمْنًۭا وَٱتَّخِذُوا۟ مِن مَّقَامِ إِبْرَٰهِۦمَ مُصَلًّۭى ۖ وَعَهِدْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ إِبْرَٰهِۦمَ وَإِسْمَٰعِيلَ أَن طَهِّرَا بَيْتِىَ لِلطَّآئِفِينَ وَٱلْعَٰكِفِينَ وَٱلرُّكَّعِ ٱلسُّجُودِ ﴾

“AND LO! We made the Temple a goal to which people might repair again and again, and a sanctuary: take then, the place whereon Abraham once stood as your place of prayer." And thus did We command Abraham and Ishmael: "Purify My Temple for those who will walk around it, and those who will abide near it in meditation, and those who will bow down and prostrate themselves [in prayer]."”

Every year, the faithful come from all over the world to visit the Ka‘bah in Makkah, where no one is allowed to harm even the lowliest living creature; for Makkah has been made into a sacred place of worship for all time. Since people come to this place to remember God in an atmosphere of peace and solitude, it has to be cleansed of all impurities, and all activities that are contrary to this basic purpose are banned. Here the faithful bow and prostrate themselves, their greatest mark of respect for their Creator being the circumambulation of the Ka‘bah.