Selected Exegesis:

The Kaʿba is one of the divine blessings that God, the Glorified, has intended to be constantly remembered. It stands as a place of return and refuge for all people, serving as a sacred sanctuary with absolute security where no harm can be willed against it.

The Kaʿba is not just a physical structure but a place of ritual circumambulation (ṭawāf), followed by prayer at the Station of Abraham, which marks the spot where Abraham (a.s.) stood. The constancy of worshipers at this location is so persistent that it feels as though the act of praying there is an inherent attribute of the place itself.

God commanded the founders of the Kaʿba—Abraham and Ishmael (a.s.)—to ensure its purity, both outwardly and inwardly, for those performing ṭawāf, staying for worship, bowing, prostrating, and praying. They accepted this pledge, committing themselves to safeguarding the sanctity of the Kaʿba.

This command also implies two significant points:

1. Continuity of Worship: The acts of ṭawāf, staying for worship, bowing, prostrating, and praying, though having different qualities, were practiced even before Islam.

2. Dedication to Worship: There were already individuals dedicated to these principles, undertaking acts of worship and purification of the sacred site.

In the verse, “those who stay there for worship” (ʿākif) refers not to the residents or locals of Mecca, but to those engaged in acts of devotion, such as iʿtikāf (spiritual retreat), ṭawāf, prayer, or gazing in contemplation at the Kaʿba.