The Hebrew Israelites claim that Muslims are worshiping an idol by praying in the direction of the Kaaba. Let us examine this claim to see if indeed it is idol worship and whether it has a biblical basis.
Question: Do the Muslims worship the Kaaba as a god?
Answer: No, this is just a direction of prayer which they were ordered to pray towards. We cannot worship anything except Allah himself the creator of heaven and earth and everything in between.
وَمِنْ ءَايَـٰتِهِ ٱلَّيْلُ وَٱلنَّهَارُوَٱلشَّمْسُ وَٱلْقَمَرُ ۚ لَا تَسْجُدُوا۟ لِلشَّمْسِ وَلَا لِلْقَمَرِ وَٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَهُنَّ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ ٣٧
“Among His signs are the day and the night, the sun and the moon. Do not prostrate to the sun or the moon, but prostrate to Allah, Who created them ˹all˺, if you ˹truly˺ worship Him ˹alone˺.”
Muslims are not allowed to worship anything beside the Creator of the heavens and the earth. And the Creator has forbidden that Muslims give any worship to anything else in any way to other than himself. So, this would include the Kaaba and anything that is created. The only thing that is not created in the entire existence of existence is the creator of the heavens and the earth, Allah/Yahweh/Elohim.
وَ اعْبُدُواْ اللهَ وَ لا تُشْرِكُواْ بِهِ شَيْئاً
“And worship Allah and Do not associate anything with Him”
Surah An-nisaa 36
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِۦ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱفْتَرَىٰٓ إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا ٤٨
Indeed Allah will not forgive that anything is associated with him in worship and He will forgive anything other than that to whomever he wills. And whoever makes an association with Allah has invented a great sin.
Surah An-nisaa 48
Question: Is praying in a direction on earth specific to the Muslims who follow Muhammed or was this ordered upon the Banu Israel before them?
Answer: Yes this was ordered upon the Muslims to pray in the same direction as the Children of Israel. The direction of prayer for the Children of Israel was in the direction of the temple in Jerusalem. Just as Yahweh told them to pray in that direction this was not Him ordering them to worship the temple or to commit idolatry but just a direction to face when they are praying. This is evidenced in 1 Kings 8:27-36:
| 27But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You; much less this temple that I have erected. |
| 28And You shall turn toward Your servant’s prayer and to his supplication, O Lord my God: to hearken to the song and to the prayer that Your servant is praying before You today. |
| 29That Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place which You said, ‘My Name will be there;’ to listen to the prayer that Your servant will pray toward this place. |
| 30And You shall listen to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel that they will pray toward this place; and You shall hear in heaven, Your abode, and You shall hear and forgive. |
| 31If a man sins against his neighbor, and an oath be exacted of him to cause him to swear, and he come and swear before Your altar in this house. |
| 32And You shall hear in heaven, and do, and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness. |
| 33When Your people Israel are struck down before the enemy, because they sin against You, and shall turn again to You, and praise Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this house. |
| 34And You shall hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers. |
| 35When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You; and they shall pray toward this place and praise Your name, and repent of their sin, so that You may answer them. |
| 36And You shall hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, and of Your people Israel, when You teach them the good way wherein they should walk; and give rain upon Your land, which You have given to Your people for an inheritance. |
It is clear from the above that we (Hebrews) were ordered to pray in the direction of Jerusalem when we were praying to Yahweh. It was not an act of idolatry but an act of devotion and obedience to Allah. We never considered the Temple to be a god nor did we worship the temple as a god but it was the direction in which we turned to when praying.
The Muslims equally prayed in the direction of Jerusalem along with the Hebrews living in Arabia at the time. The only reason they changed their direction of prayer was because they were ordered to by Allah/Yahweh in the Quran to make the direction of their prayers towards the Kaaba.
قَدْ نَرَىٰ تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِىٱلسَّمَآءِ ۖ فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةًۭتَرْضَىٰهَا ۚ فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِٱلْحَرَامِ ۚ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنتُمْ فَوَلُّوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُۥ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ لَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ ۗ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ بِغَـٰفِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ ١٤٤
“Indeed, We see you ˹O Prophet˺ turning your face towards heaven. Now We will make you turn towards a direction ˹of prayer˺ that will please you. So turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque ˹in Mecca˺—wherever you are, turn your faces towards it. Those who were given the Scripture certainly know this to be the truth from their Lord. And Allah is never unaware of what they do.”
Surah Baqara 144
So, if the Children of Israel praying in the direction of Jerusalem is an act of idolatry, then indeed it could be argued that the Muslims praying in the direction of the Kaaba is idolatry. But the reason the Muslims pray in the direction of the Kaaba is identical to those given in the Tenach. It is a qibla, a direction of prayer, not an act of shirk or idolatry. We do not say that the Kaaba is Yahweh nor do we say Yahweh is contained within the Kaaba it is only a direction of prayer just as the Temple in Jerusalem is a direction of prayer. The Kaaba is the temple in Arabia for all of Mankind.