What does circling the Kaaba seven times mean?

In Islam the number seven stands for perfection and for something without end. During Hajj it also recalls Hagar, who searched for water seven times between two hills in the desert until God helped her and Mecca grew up around the Kaaba.

The Kaaba is very ancient. The Holy Qur’an calls it the first House founded for mankind. Abraham (as) and his son Ishmael (as) rebuilt it from its ruins at God’s command. It was to be a sign of the Unity of God and the unity of mankind.

Before that, Abraham (as), on God’s command, brought his wife Hagar and the little Ishmael (as) to this place. There was no town, no water and no food. He left them a skin of water and some food. When the water ran out and the child cried with thirst, Hagar in her distress ran up a hill, looked out for a caravan, ran across to the other hill and back again. Seven times she did this. Then a spring of fresh water burst forth beside the child, the spring of Zamzam.

Where there is water in the desert, birds and greenery soon appear. A passing caravan noticed the signs and settled there. So the first settlement grew up around the House of God, and from it came Mecca. To this day pilgrims walk seven times between these two hills, as the hadith above explains.

The number seven carries a deep meaning here. It stands for perfection and for something without end. The Holy Qur’an speaks of seven heavens, although the universe has no end. The week has seven days and repeats itself endlessly. The opening chapter, Al-Fatihah, has seven verses and carries a perfect, never-ending message.

Whoever goes seven times around the Kaaba is therefore expressing that their devotion to God should be complete and never cease. And the story of Hagar shows that God does not abandon those who rely on Him entirely.