“I once in the sacred Masjid asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), ‘For what reason has Allah named it al-‘Atiq (freed)?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘Every house that Allah has established on earth has a master and inhabitants who live there, except this House which has no master except Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious. This is free.’ He then said, ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, created it before the earth, then He created the earth and extended it from underneath the House.’”