Black Stone Is Just A Stone

Assalamualaikum w.b.t

To Durriyyah...

What is the function of aswad stone in one of the corner in kaabah?

Hajarul Aswad or Black Stone located at the eastern cornerstone of the Kaaba. The Stone is roughly 30 cm (12 in.) in diameter, and 1.5 meters (5 ft.) above the ground. We touch or kiss it in order to honor us with association with the great Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. We don’t exaggerate in our love for it. We do kiss it because our Prophet Muhammad s.a.w did so.

There are various reports concerning the origin of the Black Stone, but most of them are of doubtful origins. In Islam, we should not base our belief on sources which we cannot verify one hundred percent. The only fact that we can certainly establish is that it was put there by Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them both) by the order of Almighty Allah, and the purpose of it was to indicate the beginning of tawaf (Circumambulation of the Ka`bah).

Thus we as Muslims do not attach divine power to the stone. As `Umar ibn Al-Khattab
(may Allah be pleased with him) is reported to have said: “You are just a stone that
does not benefit or harm anyone, and if I had not seen the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kissing you, I would have not done so."

So, we are simply touching or kissing the Black Stone in order to honor us with association with the great Prophet Muhammad s.a.w; it does not imply any reverence whatsoever.

Moreover, some other scholars have classified some of the hadiths concerning the Black Stone as sahih (authentic) and as such they relate some importance to the Black Stone. The prominent Saudi scholar Sheikh Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid quotes some of those hadiths:

1. Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The Black Stone came down from Jannah (Paradise).” (At-Tirmidhi)

2. Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) also narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When the Black Stone came down from Paradise, it was whiter than milk, but the sins of the sons of Adam
made it black.” (At-Tirmidhi)

3. Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) further related that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “By Allah, Allah will bring it forth on the Day of Judgment, and it will have two eyes with which it will see and a tongue with which it will speak, and it will testify in favor of those who touched it in sincerity.” (At-Tirmidhi)

4. Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) quoted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying: “Touching them both [the Black Stone and Ar-Rukn Al-Yamani] is an expiation for one’s sins.” (At-Tirmidhi)

Story of the Black Stone during Prophet Muhammad s.a.w period

Before Muhammad s.a.w prophetic revelations, he was present in Mecca during the rebuilding of the Kaaba due to big flood in Mecca. After the flood nobody dare to destroy the wall of Kaaba for reconstruction except for Al-Walid ibn Mughirah, the leader of Makhzum's clan. Alone he destroyed the wall between Hajarul Aswad and Rukn Yamani. The next day, after seeing nothing happen to Al-Walid then only reconstruction work begins. The Black Stone had been temporarily removed while a new structure was being constructed. However, a quarrel occured between Meccan clans as to which clan should set the Black Stone in place. Some of them already started to draw their sword and swear to fight for their right on that stone.

For 5 days without solution, clan wars will explode any time that day but Aba Umaiyah give his opinion that whoever enter Kaaba by As-Safa door tomorrow, that person will be given full authorities to judge this problem and that person happen to be our prophet Muhammad s.a.w. His solution was to have all the clan elders raise the cornerstone on a cloak, and then Muhammad set the Stone into its final place with his own hands. Alhamdulillah by his wisdom which Allah s.w.t given to him the quarrel between clan ended.

The significant of the Black Stone

During Hajj Wida' the Prophet kiss the stone and then followed by sahabah by that time. It's not that prophet Muhammad did or didn't love the Black Stone. But he did consider it important enough that he kissed it. As for Meccan muslim that time during Hajj Wida' is the day that they waited for so long after their hijrah to Medina, at last they return back to their homeland and can meet with their families and friends without fear.

Thus, according to Hadith and Sirah, the Black Stone is a Heavenly object with a lot of sentimental value to Meccan people, is one of the proof that our prophet Muhammad s.a.w both wisdom and just in his judgement, and as for us to take the lesson from the story of the stone, to increase our believe in Islam, and to always remember that the stone is just a stone if our prophet Muhammad s.a.w not kiss it during Hajj Wida' as Allah s.w.t ordered him to do so. Wallahualam.

p/s: May Allah s.w.t guide us in learning about Islam and not let us strayed from the truth, InsyaAllah.

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