In the time of the Jāhiliyyah the Arabs held the Ka‘bah in greater reverence than perhaps the Muslims of today. It was because, the Arabs viewed the Ka‘bah as a deity to be worshipped and would offer oblations to it. These offerings would be stored in an underground treasury and would be utilised for the requirements of its worshippers and pilgrims. The Ka‘bah in itself was of course sacred, but through it, not only Makkah, but its surrounding regions were also declared a Haram1 where all kinds of violence and bloodshed was prohibited. The significance of the Ashhur-e-Ḥurum2 was also due to the Ka‘bah, so that pilgrims could travel to and fro for the Ḥajj in complete peace without any fear or danger. It was also a custom that to express the particular sanctity of something it would be hung to the Ka‘bah. Therefore, seven renowned poems of the Jāhiliyyah are called the Sab‘ah Mu‘allaqah3 because they were hung on the Ka‘bah.
1 Sacred proximity of the Ka‘bah (Publishers)
2 The Four Sacred Months (Publishers)
3 The Seven Attached [Poems] (Publishers)