The Ka'bah of Najran

The banu-al-Harith ibn-Ka'b[1] had in Najran[2] a Ka'bah[3] which they venerated. It is the one which al-A'sha[4] mentions

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in one of his odes[5]. It has been claimed that it was not a Ka'bah for worship, but merely a hall for those people whom the poet mentioned[6]. In my opinion, this is very likely the case, since I have not heard of the banu-al-Harith ever mentioning it in their poetry.

FOOTNOTES

1. Ishtiqaq, p.155.

2. Sifah, pp.83-86; Buldan, vol. iv, pp.751-759.

3. Sifah p.127; Buldan, vol.II, pp.703-704.

4. Al-Shir w-al-Shu'ara, pp.135-143; al-Aghani, vol. viii, pp.77-87.

5. See Diwan al-A'sha, ed. Rudolf Geyer, London, 1928, p.122, line 6, where the poet says, "[To visit] the Ka'bah of Najran is an ordinance incumbent upon you; [you would not be released therefrom] until you dismount in front of its gates."

6. In the following verse (Diwan al-A'sha, p.122, line 7) where he says, "There we would visit Yazid, 'Abd-Manah, and Qays - in truth they are the best of its lords."