The Saudi government is back at it again with their Vision 2030, aiming to secularize the heart of the Muslim world faster than wax drips from a burning candle. This time, in pursuit of their goals, they’ve produced a golden replacement for the Holy Ka’bah.
Middle East Monitor reports:
Muslims on social media have reacted angrily after Saudi Arabia unveiled plans to build a large cube-shaped structure as part of a re-development project in the capital, Riyadh’s city centre.
The controversy stems from the perception that the giant building of the “Mukaab” (or Cube) shares a resemblance of the Kaaba, which is Islam’s most sacred site in the Holy City of Makkah. Both terms also share a common root-word in the Arabic language.
In a pathetic attempt to hide the fact that this golden cash cow is supposed to represent a mockery of the Ka’bah, the marketing campaign constantly alludes to it as being supposedly based on ‘Najdi architectural design.’ In order to try and thwart backlash and suspicions, they claim that there are numerous cubic structures that are found in Arab architecture, and just because the shape of the Mukaab is also cubic, that doesn’t mean it has any relation to the Ka’bah.
Yeah, right. Even the names Mukaab and Ka’bah are derived from the same root word in Arabic, ka’b (kaf, ’ayn, ba), i.e., ‘cube.’ I wonder how many of these ‘Najdi architectural designs’ were literally named after the Ka’bah.
The dedicated concept video even concludes by referring to the Mukaab as the ‘new face of Riyadh.’ By that, of course, they mean the new face of Saudi. And so, if this representation of wealth and pleasure is meant to be the new face of Saudi, it makes you wonder what the old, traditional face of Saudi must be? I wonder which ancient religious center of the Muslim world exactly they are trying to replace with this shiny new secular one?
Hmm, it’s such a huge mystery…
Due to the fact that Riyadh is located in Najd; and that within this Mukaab there will be a tower atop a spiral base, references have been made to the following Hadith:
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ emerged from the house of ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) and said:
It will be from this place that the pinnacle of disbelief (kufr) will appear, wherefrom the horn of Satan will emerge (referring to the east). (Sahih Muslim: 2905d)
Then, there is also the following Hadith:
Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
He (the Prophet ﷺ) said, “O Allah! Bless our Sham and our Yemen.”
They (some people) said, “And our Najd as well.”
He (the Prophet ﷺ) [again] said, “O Allah! Bless our Sham and Yemen.”
They (the people) [again] said, “And our Najd as well.”
Thereupon, he (the Prophet ﷺ) said, “Therein (i.e., in Najd) will appear earthquakes and afflictions (fitan), and the horn of Satan will emerge from there.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1037)
And indeed, if we take a look at the images, with the prospect of there being a spiraling horn hidden inside a blatant replica of the Ka’bah, it is quite understandable why many people may be thinking this way.
Aesthetically, the outward impression given is similar to that of the Ka’bah, but the reality concealed within is something quite sinister. This is reminiscent of how a significant portion of the onslaught against Islam now arrives, camouflaged, in the form of something seemingly friendly and devoutly religious. Perhaps that is the very message this architectural decision is intended to convey—a satanic entity enshrouded in a holy disguise.; to turn entertainment and worldly pleasures into a religion.
To sell the idea of a dreamlike reality, one that offers its people everything they desire, the video utilizes phrases such as ‘gateway to another world’ and ‘explore a world of magic.’ The footage demonstrates how VR (virtual reality) and, in particular, AR (augmented reality) will be used to cast all sorts of mega illusions in order to actualize this dreamlike world. This is their ultimate idea of entertainment and pleasure; their ‘paradise’ on earth.
“Rather than the Ka’bah, come to the Mukaab instead. Rather than striving for the Paradise promised by Allah, through effort and enduring hardships, just come along in comfort and join the one we’ve built here on Earth.”
Through visual illusions achieved via AR, the environment inside the Mukaab will be constantly transforming. From an underwater setting where gigantic whales are swimming around, to snowy mountainous peaks, ‘anything will be possible.’ But as we all know, this is all nothing but a façade. It’s just a mere illusion, made possible only through technology. However, for those who will actually be present inside this luxurious golden box, it will be very difficult for them to make this distinction. For them, it will all appear quite convincing and realistic; and the ambience produced therein will seem so completely perfect that all the ‘magic’ will feel very real. They won’t want to ever leave.
It will be the perfect place to forget and escape the problems of the Ummah, while indulging in fleeting illusory pleasures.
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Not only are they trying to replace the Ka’bah with a structurally larger shiny replica in terms of design, they are also trying to replace the Ka’bah in the purpose it serves. Muslims travel to the Holy Land in order to perform ’Umrah and the Hajj pilgrimage, tasks that require a great deal of hardship. Undertaking these hardships and persevering through them; humbling oneself before Allah; circumambulating the Ka’bah while praising Him—all of this brings the believer ever closer to his Creator, Allah.
Mukaab on the other hand, will essentially be a place that is predicated on gratification and comfort, not hardship. It will not instill humility within its consumers but, rather, complacency and extravagance. This is the purpose behind the Mukaab’s enormous size and polished golden color. Ultimately, there will be no meaningful purpose in indulging in its offerings. All it will achieve is pushing people further away from their Creator.
The satanic secular goal has always been to deceive mankind in two ways. The first is to make man reject Allah, and the second is to introduce him to a new false deity—the god of modernity, one that offers a cheap, short-lived paradise on this world in exchange for Allah’s true promise of endless bliss, tranquility and contentment in Jannah.
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One of the main steps that have been taken towards realizing this goal is yet another major illusion—instilling a deep reverence into the psyche of the masses for technological developments and modern progress. They do this by shining a huge spotlight on the comforts and conveniences imparted by these technologies. Meanwhile, however, they brush the often extremely devastating consequences that they’ve had on humanity under the carpet, well out of view. The art of distraction is something these secular deceivers excel in. And unfortunately, many of us have fallen for it.
This is why we have Muslims who don’t see anything wrong with the strong concentration of Arab wealth and resources being dumped into the development of luxury spaces and entertainment centers. These extravagant Arab countries are now known for their lavish shopping centers, malls, cinemas, hotels and other such excesses. They are often even hailed as landmark achievements. Some would ironically even perhaps describe them as blessings from Allah. But there’s a huge problem with this kind of mentality.
In the past, such luxuries were only available to royalty, emperors and nobles. Furthermore, it was usually their excessive indulgence in said luxuries that would lead to the weakening of their faith and their subsequent downfall. The Mughal and Ottoman empires are good examples of this. Their overindulgence in wealth and luxuries led to them accepting the West’s modernity. And once they started adopting secularism, both in ideology and practicality, the demise of these empires was inevitable.
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But the extreme comfort and luxury which leads to this kind of complacency is now available to almost every middle class individual. Even more so, in fact. For example, in the past, nobles had to travel for days or weeks to attend and witness certain grand events. Now it can simply be livestreamed on your phone. The delicious meals they would have prepared by their cooks for fancy banquets can now just be ordered online, every night, ready and on your table in less than an hour. And, if your food is too cold upon arrival, you can just microwave it.
These are just a few examples of how the way humans live has changed drastically. We depend much more on consumer technology now than we do on our own God-given faculties, and this has led to such a state of complacency that, not only has it directed us away from nature, it has even affected the quality of our Iman (faith). This is because, whether we like it or not, these modern comforts and conveniences end up attaching our hearts to the Dunya (this temporal world).
And what MBS is trying to achieve is the pinnacle of this unnaturalistic reality. His Vision 2030 is designed to make his people so dependent on technology that they won’t be able to live without it, literally. It would be harder for them to forsake those luxuries than it would be for someone to quit hardcore drugs. He wants to replace a society centered around the worship of Allah with one that is centered around the worship of entertainment, where people spiral endlessly around their own desires.
And to that end, Mukaab is just one of many pathetic attempts at replacing the promised Paradise of Allah with the cheap entertainment that they try and portray as paradise on Earth.
Every [single] soul shall taste death. And you shall [all] be rendered in full your rewards on the Day of Resurrection. So whoever is removed far from the Fire [of Hell] and is admitted to the Garden [of Paradise], truly he has triumphed. For the life of this world is nothing but the [mere] enjoyment of a delusion. (Qur’an, 3:185)
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I think most Muslims should realise by now that technological dependence will become prevalent and then Allah will take it away through world wars and solar flares, and then Dajjal will come to people with artificial rains, on jet plans and submarines, and then promise to return this technological paradise in return for their faith in him.
Use technology to become stronger and knowledgeable. Not as a replacement of your body, mind and eventually soul. It’s not too late
It is too late for the general masses
It’s obvious
We depend on high-level technologies just to make buildings, produce enough food, get water, gas, electricity
To get around we use cars that are produced from parts and technologies coming from every continent
If you want to be independent and not a slave to technology in this day and age you have to go to remote areas and establish an amish-like community
Anyone who truly knows how much modern society depends on technology would agree
You can still try to search for survival videos and maybe practice them? Also you can try and use dumbbell to compensate the lack of hardwork you would otherwise had to do without the technologies. Of course, this directs to the people who are willing to change themselves.
Notable omissions from this article: How big this thing is, how much it costs
How would you respond to Muslims who would say “oh but it’s not haram to build a building like cube where does it say that in the Quran or authentic Hadith?”
I don’t have an issue with the shape of the building. There are numerous cube shaped buildings. But in this case, it seems to me like they are explicitly marketing this building to get people talking about it, whether it be a positive or negative light. It seems to me as though it is a marketing strategy, to touch a sensitive nerve and sensationalise it. Imo, we should ignore it and not give it any attention.