The Hateem is the crescent-shaped area immediately adjacent to the Ka’bah. Part of it is also known as the ‘Hijr Ismail’ as this was the place where Ebrahim (upon him be peace) constructed a shelter for Ismail (upon him be peace) and his mother Hajrah (upon her be peace).
Hijr (Hateem) is a low divider, which was a part of Kabah when Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) built it initially. It is said that approximately 3 meters of the area adjacent to the wall of Hijr (Hateem) are considered to be a part of Kabah so Tawaf must be performed outside the finish range of the Hijr (Hateem)
When the Prophet (ﷺ) was 35 years old, a devastating flood damaged the Ka’bah and, as it had already been weakened by an earlier fire, was in danger of collapsing. Seeing that their house of worship was under threat, the Quraysh decided to rebuild the Ka’bah. They resolved not to taint the project with resources gained through usury (interest), prostitution, or thieving. They came to know of a Roman ship that had become wrecked at a nearby port and a contingent went to purchase the wood of the ship. They also contracted a carpenter, named Baqoom, who had been one of the passengers on the ship to come and reconstruct the walls. The construction started with each tribe being allocated specific duties. The nobles among them carried pieces of stone and piled them up in one place. The Prophet (ﷺ) and his uncle Abbas were among those carrying stones. However, the tribes were unable to collect enough money to rebuild the Ka’bah completely so a small wall was built showing the boundaries of the original foundation laid by Ebrahim (upon him be peace). This small wall enclosed an area on the northern side of the Ka’bah.
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reports that when she asked the Prophet (ﷺ) whether the Hateem was part of the Ka’bah, he replied that it was. When she further asked why it was then not included in the walls of the Ka’bah, the Prophet (ﷺ) replied, “Because your people (the Quraysh) did not have sufficient funds.” [Bukhari]
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says, “When I expressed the wish to perform salah within the Ka’bah, the Prophet (ﷺ) took me by the hand and led me into the Hijr (Hateem) where he said, ‘Perform salah here if you wish to enter the Ka’bah because this is part of the Baytullah.’” Sunan Abi Dawud 2028
Another narration states that Rasulullah (ﷺ) said, “O Aisha! Had your people not very recently been in the Period of Ignorance, I would have had the Ka’bah demolished and included the left-out portion within its walls. I would have also brought the inside of the Ka’bah to ground level and added two doors, with one on the eastern wall and the other on the western wall. In this manner, it would be according to the building and foundation of Ebrahim (upon him be peace).” In the year 65 AH, Abdullah bin Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him had the Ka’bah constructed according to this wish of the Prophet (ﷺ).
There is a water outlet that channels water from the roof of the Ka’bah down to the Hateem area. This was first constructed by the Quraysh and is known as the ‘Meezab-e-Rahmah’ (the water outlet of mercy).
