The word Kaaba means cube in Arabic, and it refers to the square-like building in the holy city of Mecca, which is covered with a silk and cotton veil. It is the most sacred site for Muslims, and millions of people travel to visit that as a pilgrim each year. 

Many people think that Kaaba was built at the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) and with the advent of Islam. However, history has a different narration about which we are going to talk in this article. 

1. The First People who Built Kaaba

The first person who built Kaaba was Adam (PBUH), and it was remained unharmed until the great flood at the time of Noah (PBUH) [1], which caused it to be partially damaged. Afterward, the structure of the Kaaba was reconstructed by prophet Abraham (PBUH) and his son, Ishmael, under the command of Allah. The Quran has narrated this story in this verse: 

As Abraham raised the foundations of the House with Ishmael, [they prayed]: 'Our Lord, accept it from us! Indeed, You are the All-hearing, the All-knowing. (2: 127)

2. Kaaba Between Abraham (PBUH) and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) 

The son of prophet Abraham (PBUH), Ishmael (PBUH), and a tribe named Jorohom were the guardians of Kaaba after the demise of prophet Abraham (PBUH). This magnificent building stood upright until that Jarhim tribe, and then a tribe named Amaaleh rebuilt the square-shaped holy place [2]. Years after, one of the predecessors of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) named Qusai Bin Kelab, made a wooden structure to protect the building and neighbored it with another building Called Dar-ol Nadvah, which was the governor's state. Then he asked each Quraysh tribe to locate their houses mirroring one side of the Kaaba, to build a circle around it. Some say that Kaaba was once ruined in flood before the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP), but that again is not proven [3].

3. Kaaba and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP)

When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) was chosen as the Messenger of Allah, Kaaba was considered a holy place. Some reference books say that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) took part in the reconstruction of the Kaaba after the flood. Also, there was a fight between the Arab clans about where to locate the Black Stone, and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) was chosen as the trustee of all clans to locate the holy stone on the eastern side's edge. (4) Kaaba was filled with idols and statues when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) left Mecca because of the severe tortures and problems the Arab clans made for him and his followers. Even years before, Kaaba was a place to worship the idols.
When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) gathered his followers and returned to Mecca, he ruined all those idols with the help of his first follower and friend, Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS). Kaaba became a center of performing Hajj and the Qibla [i] of the Muslims. The Dome of Rocks (Qubbat al-Ṣakhrah ) was the first Qibla of Muslims, but Allah inspired Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP)  to change it toward the Cubic Kaaba. 

4. Kaaba After Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP)

Kaaba has been reconstructed many times after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP), but the cubic shape of the building has never been changed. Now, the Saudi Arabian Government is responsible for preserving this sanctuary, though it belongs to all Muslims and all nations. There are many different parts and holy sites around Kaaba, like the Black Stone, the Iraqi corner, the Kiswa, or the black covering, which we are going to discuss in our next articles.

Notes:

[i] Qibla is the direction to which all Muslims say their prayers.

References:

1. Arzaghi, Abu Valid Kaaba News and What happened to that, Vol. 1, P 68.
2. Seyyed Hashem Bahrani,Tafsir Al-Burhan Vol. 1 P 301 Hadith 36.
3. Rasouli Mahallati, Hashim Analytical History of Islam (2), (1991) Tehran, Iran. 
4. Guillaume, A. (1955). The Life of Muhammad. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 84–87.
    

At the beginning of Islam, the number of literates in the whole Mecca was about 17 people (1). In those times, it was even considered as a shame to be able to read or write (2). In the ancient times, people mostly weren’t able to read and literacy was the exclusive privilege of the royal families or rich people. However, in the Arabia, even the royal families couldn’t read or write. Once, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH & HP) wrote a letter to “Bakr ibn Va’il”, a large Arab tribe, and enjoined them to believe in Islam; but when they received the letter, they weren’t even able to read it (3).
In spite of these shameful circumstances, Allah al-mighty sent His most important apostle to the people with only a book as his miracle. The first verses of the Quran, revealed to the Prophet (PUBH & HP), are about reading:
Read in the Name of your Lord who created; (1) created man from a clinging mass. (2) Read, and your Lord is the most generous, (3) who taught by the pen, (4) taught man what he did not know. (5) [96:1-5]

Knowledge and Literacy in Islam

Muslims differentiate between the era before the Messenger (PBUH & HP) and the era after him based on peoples’ knowledge. We call the time before the rise of Islam “The Ignorance era”. 
The holy Prophet (PBUH & HP) taught people that knowledge is the criterion that sets them apart   . The Holy Quran says:
Say, ‘Are those who know equal to those who do not know?’ Only those who possess intellect take admonition (39:9)
About learning, the Holy Messenger (PBUH) says:
 Seek knowledge even if you have to go to China to find it. (4)
Imam Ali (AS) also highlights the Importance of knowledge in his speech with one of his companions:
O Komeil! Knowledge is better than wealth, because knowledge protects you. But for wealth, you have to protect it. Wealth and money get less when you spend them, but by using your knowledge or by teaching it to others you even get more knowledgeable … O Komeil! The ones who love wealth excessively, are like dead people (spiritually) even if they are alive (Physically). However, the spirit of knowledgeable ones will always be alive in the hearts of people even if their bodies are dead. (5)
The Holy Messenger (PBUH & HP) even considered learning as “Vajib” which means that learning is an obligation for every Muslim:
Seeking knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim, men and women (6)
One of the clearest signs that shows the Prophet (PBUH & HP) wanted everybody to be literate and knowledgeable is that he ordered the slaves after the Badr war to teach the children of Medina to read and write and in return, the slaves would be free. (7)

Keeping the Knowledge Safe

The Holy Quran says:
By the pen and what they write (68:1)
We all know that without writing, we weren’t able to communicate our thoughts and ideas with each other and we couldn’t keep them for future generations. In this regard, the Holy Prophet (PBUH & HP) says:
Keep your knowledge safe.
Some people asked:
How can we do that?
The Prophet (PBUH & HP) replied:
By writing it! (8)
Moreover, Imam Sadiq (AS) said to one of his pupils, Mufazzal ibn Umar:
Write and spread your knowledge among the people and if you were going to die, leave your writings for your children because there will be a chaos in the future and in those times, people will not find any peace except in their books (9)
He also said:
Keep your writings because you will need them in the future (10)
Imam Hassan (AS) would gather his children,his niece and nephews and tell them:
You may be considered as kids now, but it is so likely that you will be the elders of many groups and families in the future. Therefore, it is your duty to seek for knowledge. And if there are some people among you who cannot memorize their knowledge, they must write and put their writings in their houses and keep them safe. (11)

Carriers of Books

Action and knowledge are inseparable in the Islamic view. If you act without having enough knowledge and data about the work you’re going to do, you will spoil it and your efforts will be in vain. Imam Sadiq (AS) says:
The one who acts without having enough knowledge is like a passenger who goes on the wrong road. So they get farther and farther from their destination as they go faster and faster. (12)
On the other hand, knowledge without acting is also useless. Imam Ali (AS) says:
Knowledge without action is like a tree without fruit or like a bow without its string (13).
The Holy Quran also says:
The example of those who were charged with the Torah (Old Testament), then failed to carry it, is that of a donkey carrying books. Evil is the example of the people who deny Allah’s signs, and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing lot. (62:5)

Resources

1.  Fotooh al-Boldan, Pg.473
2.   Al-She’r va ash-Sho’ara, Pg.334
3.   As-Sahih fi sirah an-Nabi al-A’zam, Vol.1, Pg.49
4.   Vasa’il al-Shia, Vol.18, Pg.14, number 20 & 23
5.   Nahj al-Balaghah, Utterance no.147
6.   Kafi, vol.1, pg.3
7.   At-Tabaghat al-Kubra, vol.2, pg.22
8.   Bihar al-Anvar, vol.2, pg.151
9.   Kafi, vol.1, pg.52
10.   Kafi, vol.1, pg.52
11.   Kanz al-Ummal, vol.1, pg.752
12.   Tohaf al-Uqul, pg.362
13.   Mizan al-Hikmah, vol.4, pg.2841