بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
The first House [of worship] established for mankind was the one at Bakkah [Makkah], full of blessings and guidance for the worlds.In it are clear signs [such as] the standing place of Abraham; whoever enters it will be safe. Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to Allah upon all people who are able to make their way to it; whoever disbelieves, then Allah is in no need for the worlds. (Surah Ale-'Imran Chapter 3 Verse 96,97)
1. Makkah is sanctuary since the day ALLAH Azwajal created the Heavens and the Earth ( Sahih al-Bukhari 3189)
2. Al- Masjid-ul-,Haram (in Mecca) was the first built masjid on the surface of the earth, then after 40 years then Masjid Al-Aqsa ( in Jerusalem) was build.(Sahih al-Bukhari 3366, Sahih Muslim 520a))3.
3. Ibrahim Alaihiwasllam built the Kabah first
And [remember] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and Ishmael, [saying], “Our Lord, accept this from us, for You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. (2:127)
4. Rebuilt by Quraysh before Sallahu alaihiwasallam became Prophet (Sahih al-Bukhari 1582, Musnad ahmad :14957)
5. Quraish did not include Hijr Ismaeel as part of Kaba because they ran short of the means (to do so). (Sahih Muslim 1333j
6. Kaba door has been made on a higher level because Quraysh didn't want everyone to get in and they can't get in without a ladder. When someone they dislike was about to enter, they pushed him and he would fell down (Sahih Muslim 1333j)
Demolishing the Ka'bah and rebuilding it
Imam Muslim in the Book of Pilgrimage place a chapter called "Demolishing the Ka'bah and rebuilding it" (Chapter 69)
1. After the death of Yazid ibn Mu‘aawiyah ibn Abi Sufyaan, Abdhullah Ibn Zubair demolished Ka'bah and rebuilt it with 2 doors and included Hijr Ismaeel as part of Ka'bah (Bukhari:1586, Muslim 1333)
2. After Killing Abdhullah Ibn Zubair, Abd al-Malik Hajjaj ibn Yusuf under the command of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan demolished and reconstructed again as it existed at the time of Prophet (ﷺ). (Muslim 1333)
Lesson
If it is permissible for the Muslim to avoid some of the recommended matters in order to win people’s hearts, then shunning what is forbidden is required with even greater reason. Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, “A Muslim may not do what is recommended if doing it would incur graver evil that outweighs the sought benefit
Thus, the Prophet(ﷺ) gave up the opinion that he believed to be the best of the two options and adopted the other one given its outweighing benefit. That is, the people of Quraysh were close to the pre-Islamic era and the idea of demolishing the Ka'bah would have driven them to become averse to Islam. Hence, the evil consequences were more probable than good ones. Therefore, Imaam Ahmad and other scholars, may Allah have mercy upon them, ruled that it is favourable for the Imaam to give up what he sees as a better choice, if this would foster more accord and rapport for those led in prayer.
Maqaam Ibraaheem and the footprints on it
Ibn Jareer narrated that Qataadah said: “ ‘And take you (people) the Maqaam (place) of Ibraaheem (Abraham) [or the stone on which Ibraaheem (Abraham) stood while he was building the Ka‘bah] as a place of prayer (for some of your prayers, e.g. two Rak‘at after the Tawaaf of the Ka‘bah at Makkah)’ [al-Baqarah 2:125 – interpretation of the meaning]. This means that they were commanded to pray at that place; they were not commanded to touch it. This ummah went beyond what was prescribed for it, to an extent that no previous nation did. We have heard from those who saw the marks of his heels and toes on it, but this ummah kept touching them until they disappeared.” From Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/117
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: Undoubtedly Maqaam Ibraaheem is proven and that on which the glass enclosure is built is indeed Maqaam Ibraaheem. But the engraved marks that appear on it do not seem to be footprints, because what is well known from an historical point of view is that those footprints disappeared a long time ago. But these engraved marks were meant as a marker only, and we cannot be certain that these are the footprints of Ibraaheem (peace be upon him)
Hajarul Aswad - Black Stone
1. The Black Stone was sent down by Allaah to this earth from Paradise. (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 877; al-Nasaa’i, 2935. The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi).
2. The Stone was whiter than milk, but the sins of the sons of Adam made it black.(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 877; Ahmad, 2792. Classed as saheeh by Ibn Khuzaymah, 4/219. Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar classed it as qawiy (strong) in Fath al-Baari, 3/462).
3. The Black Stone will come forth on the Day of Resurrection and will testify in favour of those who touched it in truth. (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 961; Ibn Maajah, 2944 hasan by al-Tirmidhi, and as qawiy by al-Haafiz ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari, 3/462)
4. Touching the Stone is one of the things by means of which Allaah expiates for sins (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 959. This hadeeth was classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi and as saheeh by al-Haakim (1/664). Al-Dhahabi agreed with him).
5. The Black Stone is broken
Some say it was broken by a stone fired by the Umayyad army laying siege to Makkah whilst it was under the control of Abdullah ibn Zubair ®.
However, most agree that it was most damaged in the middle ages by an extreme heretical Ismaili group from Bahrain called the Qarmatians who had declared that the Hajj was an act of superstition. They decided to make their point by killing tens of thousands of hujjaj and dumping their bodies in the well of Zamzam.
As if this act of treachery was not enough, these devils took the Black Stone to the East of Arabia and then Kufa in Iraq where they held it ransom until they were forced to return it by the Abassid Caliph. When they returned it, it was in pieces and the only way to keep them together was by encasing them in a silver casing.
Sign of The Hour - demolition of the Ka'bah
The demolition of the Ka'bah is one of the signs that the Hour is near, but it is not one of the signs of the Day of Judgement.
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Dhus-Suwaiqatain (the thin legged man) from Ethiopia will demolish the Ka`ba. A black person with thin legs plucking the stones of the Ka`ba one after another"(Sahih al-Bukhari 1596, 1595, Sahih Muslim Sahih Muslim 2909)
However, in the narration reported by Imaam Ahmad, there is an addition which reads: "He will take all its jewellery and treasures. He is a bald, thin-legged man who will hit it with his axe and his pick." Imaam Ibn Hajar, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: 'This incident will not take place except at the end of the time before the Hour.'
More Info:
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/1902/the-black-stone
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/36521/maqaam-ibraaheem-and-the-footprints-on-it
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/3748/a-brief-history-of-al-masjid-al-haraam-in-makkah