Sheikh Saleh Al Shaiba, who was the 109th head of the Kaaba, passed away today. Sheikh Saleh Al Shaiba was prayed at Al Haram Mosque and buried at Al Mualla Cemetery.
In accordance with the order of the Prophet (PBUH), the next guardian will remain the Al Shaiba family.
“The custodian of the Kaaba and the custodian of its keys, Dr. Saleh bin Zain Al-Abidin Al-Shaibi,” said a post published on the Inside the Haramain Facebook page.
The deceased was the 109th custodian of the Kaaba since the conquest of Makkah.
Saleh Al-Shaibi became the key keeper of the Kaaba in 2013 after his uncle Abdulqader Taha Al-Shaibi passed away.
A video of Sheikh Saleh al-Shaiba was shown on the keys of the Kaaba, at the door of Tawba that allows access to the roof of the Kaaba and Maqam Ibrahim.
The key to the Holy Kaaba is in the hands of certain people who were given to them by the Prophet Muhammad, and they are known as the people who hold the key to the Kaaba Sudnat Al-Kaba.
Sudnat Al Kaaba is a family that was given the Key of the Kaaba by the Holy Prophet Muhammad and that family comes from Banu Shayba, they have held the key of the Kaaba for 16 centuries. Qusay Bin Kilab Bib Murra, the family of Qusay Bin Kilab held the Key to the Kaaba before Islam.
Sheikh Saleh Al Shaiba is the 109th person and the successor of Uthman ibn Talha (RC) to whom Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) gave the key to the Kaaba and promised to protect the Kaaba for the coming generations, as reported on the official website of Haramayn Sharifayin.
Al-Shaibi was born in Makkah and has a doctorate in Islamic studies. He first became a university lecturer and published many books on the religion and history of Islam
What is the Kaaba key made of?
The Prophet did not hand over the key of the Kaaba to the Banu Shayba, who have been holding it until now, and they open it during cleaning.
He said the key was made of metal and was 35 centimeters long. It has been modified and refined several times throughout the centuries.
Today the key and lock of the Kaaba are made of nickel plated with 18-carat gold while the inner Kiswah or covering of the Kaaba is green.
Al-Zulfah said that the pattern of the key should be changed every time. In Turkey, there is a museum with 48 keys that were used to open the Kaaba from the Ottoman government, while in Saudi Arabia there are two copies of those keys made of pure gold.
Ahmed Adan Dagaal (Ahmed Safina) who comments on the history of Islam told BBC Somali: “When the Prophet was born, the work of the Quraish clan was divided”.
“The family of Bani Hashim, from whom the Prophet was born, owned and held the key to the well of Zamzam and the watering place for pilgrims, which was known as (Al-Siqaaya). The key to this Kaaba was also held by the Banish community,” he said.
He added: “The key was held by the chief of the community, called Uthman ibn Abi-Dallah. There was a story between him and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at the time of the new religion of Islam. He asked the Prophet to visit the Kaaba. open it and he refused, so the Prophet said to him, ‘There will come a day when I will take you away’.”
Ten years after the Muslim conquest of Makkah, the Prophet took the key of the Kaaba from the old man, opened it and then it was cleaned.
The Prophet did not hand over the key of the Kaaba to the Banu Shayba, who have been holding it until now, and they open it during cleaning.
This family is responsible for what is known as ‘Sudnah’ which means the general care of the Kaaba and its opening and closing.
According to tradition, the key is held by the oldest member of the Banu Shaybah family.
“The key to the Kaaba is important, historically and religiously. The key has its own pocket and is kept by the family and the Shura Council,” said Dr Mohamed al-Zulfah.
Al-Zulfah, who specializes in Islamic history, said that the pattern of the key changes. “In a museum in Turkey there are 48 keys that have been collected since the Ottoman Empire, while Saudi Arabia has two keys made of gold copies. The family also always works to clean the Kaaba and the Kaaba is cleaned twice a year. And those two times are the first of the month of Sha’ban and the 15th of the month of Muharram.
