Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 2013-10-04

The lock of the Holy Ka’ba in Makkah, Saudi Arabia has been changed after 30 years when officials washing the Ka’ba noticed it was rusty and failed to work properly.

The General Presidency of the Two Holy Masaajid’s said an order was issued to King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology to make a technical study on the issue.

“After studies, it was found that the door needs a new lock from 18 Carat gold,” added the presidency. The new lock was handed to the senior “Sadin,” the Ka`ba’s key keeper, Shiekh Abdulqader Al-Sheibi.

The statement clarified the controversy over having the lock changed, which came at the request of the late senior Sadin Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheibi, the previous keeper of the Holy Ka’ba’s door key.

However, the new Ka’ba’s key keeper said he should have been notified about the matter.

Sheikh Abdulqader Al-Sheibi said that Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, head of the General Presidency of the Two Holy Masaajid's, inspected the new lock while the Sadin was away.

“This sidelining of the role of the sadin is a violation of his lawful rights,” said the senior Sadin.

All affairs of the Ka’ba, such as the washing, changing the Kiswaa, the lock or the other affairs are usually notified by the Royal Court to the Sadin, and not the general presidency, through the governor of Makkah, said the senior Sadin.

Ahmad bin Muhammad Al-Mansouri, the spokesman of the General Presidency of the Two Holy Masaajid's, said that the new key will be delivered to the Sadin at the request of the Royal Court in compliance with the legal provisions on the affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.

The key is used twice a year: once in the month of Muharram and the second is in the first day of the month of Sha’ban.

Since Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) handed over the key to the Ka`ba to Othman bin Talha (RA), the prophet’s companion’s lineage sons have been inheriting it and the title Sadin of the Ka`ba until today.

The Sadin is the keeper of the Ka’ba’s key. Sadins are originally members of the Al-Sheibi family whose history can be traced to pre-Islamic period.

“During the days of Prophet Muhammad, his companion Abdullah bin Abbas (RA), who was responsible for Zamzam water, asked the Prophet to assign Ka’ba key-keeping to him,” he said, “but the prophet told him that in Surah An Nisa, Allah ordered us to return the trusts to those to whom they are due (Allâh commands that you should render back the trusts to those to whom they are due), and then he took the key to our grandfather Talha.

Makkah is home to the holiest Muslim places, including Ka`ba, Al-Masjid Al-Haram and Mount `Arafat.

Muslims from around the world pour into Makkah every year to perform hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.

Twelve million pilgrims visit the city every year with the numbers expected to increase to 17 million by 2025.