MUTAL. No doubt, in the beginning the stone of Kaba was set there by our ancestor Abraham when he was returning from Egypt after his initiation in the ancient mysteries. He set this stone here as a token of his initiation, making it a center of pilgrimage for the children of Beni Israel. The line of our family, son, is traced back to Ishmael. Neither Abraham nor his son Ishmael worshipped the idols of many gods. It was afterwards, I suppose, in order to draw more people to the Kaba, that these idols were placed there. However, this has long become the religion of our people; they expect to see at the Kaba the gods of their families. If it were not for these festivals, there would be no interest left in our religion.