عَنْ اَبِي جَعْفَرٍؑ فِي قَوْلِ اللّهِ يَحْكِي قَوْلَ اِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلِ اللّهِ رَبَّنا اِنِّي اَسْكَنْتُ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِنْدَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ اِلَى آخِرِ الْقِصَّةِ فَقَالَؑ مَا قَالَ اِلَيْهِ يَعْنِي الْبَيْتَ مَا قَالَ اِلَّا اِلَيْهِمْ اَ فَتَرَوْنَ اَنَّ اللهَ فَرَضَ عَلَيْكُمْ اِتْيَانَ هَذِهِ الْاَحْجَارِ وَ التَّمَسُّحَ بِهَا وَ لَمْ يَفْرُضْ عَلَيْكُمْ اِتْيَانَنَا وَ سُؤَالَنَا وَ حُبَّنَا اَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَ اللّهِ مَا فَرَضَ عَلَيْكُمْ غَيْرَهُ
From Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) concerning Allah’s word – expressing the words of Ibrahim, the friend of Allah (peace be upon him), “Our Lord! Surely I have settled a part of my offspring in a valley unproductive of fruit near Thy Sacred House, our Lord! That they may keep up prayer; therefore make the hearts of some people yearn towards them and provide them with fruits; haply they may be grateful.”[1] He (peace be upon him) said,
“He (Allah) did not say, ‘towards him’ i.e. the House. Rather, He said, ‘Towards them’. Do you think that Allah made obligatory upon you to come to these stones and to wipe (yourselves) with them but did not make obligatory upon you to come to us, ask us and the love of us Ahl al-Bait? By Allah! He did not make obligatory upon you except this.”
Note:
From the progeny of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) are the fourteen infallible guides (peace be upon him). Imam (peace be upon him) says that Ibrahim (peace be upon him) prayed that Allah should make the hearts of the people inclined towards his progeny and not the Ka’bah. Why? The reason being the ‘Allah’s Emissary’ (سفيرالله) is greater than His House (بيت الله). The latter was material and later became holy due to its attachment with Allah but the emissary of Allah was created holy.
References:
1. Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 23, p. 224, H. 39
2. Tafseer-o-Furaat Ibn
Ibrahim al-Kufi, p. 223 under the above verse
[1] Surah Ibrahim (14): Verse 37