ALBAWABA - There was a lot of controversy recently when video footage of pilgrims circling around a copy of the Kaaba in Nigeria rather than Saudi Arabia surfaced. Some viewed this as a slight to the Saudi authorities or the faith.
Social media posts with pictures purporting to depict a copy of the Kaaba in Nigeria with people doing tawaf (circumambulation) around it have been going viral for years. According to the posts that go along with it, this is done to stop Saudi authorities from allegedly taking money from Nigerians, using the justification that God is everywhere.
Many countries, such as Nigeria and Kenya, often create these replicas for the purpose of training pilgrims in the rituals of Hajj as the pilgrimage season approaches. Additionally, some schools in Islamic countries build these replicas to teach children religious practices in a way that is easier and more understandable for them.
Every year, the same wave of rage sweeps over, leading to inquiries concerning the significance of the pictures. While a duplicate of the Kaaba is depicted in the pictures, its main function is to aid Nigerian pilgrims in their training as they learn the Hajj customs.
Two pictures that have been making the rounds on social media for years purport to show people doing tawaf around a Nigerian-built copy of the Kaaba, supposedly taking the place of the Mecca trip. But this assertion is untrue. Actually, one of these copies was constructed in Kenya to serve as a training ground for pilgrims before they travel to Mecca.
The description that follows reads, "Nigeria, a country of 150 million people, builds a Kaaba replica and performs tawaf around it, claiming there's no need for the Saudis to steal our money as God is everywhere." It turns out, though, that this is just electronic misinformation meant to sow division and animosity inside Muslim communities.
