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Hajarul Aswad |
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According to Islamic tradition, the Hajarul Aswad is a Stone
which fell from Heaven during the time of Adam and Eve, when
it was pure and dazzling white. It was later removed and
hidden in the hill of Abu Qubays near Mecca. When Abraham
rebuilt the Kaaba, the Malaikat Jibrael (Archangel
Gabriel) brought the Stone out of hiding and gave it to him.
Even though there is no hadis sahih or anywhere
mentioned in the Quran, it is believed that the Stone has
since turned black because of the sins it has absorbed over
the years. Subsequently, it broke into smaller pieces and is
now held together by a silver frame, which is fastened by
silver nails to the Stone. It is located at the eastern
cornerstone of the Kaaba. |
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Prophet Muhammad PBUH played a key part in the
history of the Black Stone. In 602, before the first of his
prophetic revelations, he was present in Mecca during the
rebuilding of the Kaaba. The Black Stone had been temporarily
removed while a new structure was being constructed. Prophet
Muhammad PBUH settled a quarrel between Meccan clans as to which
clan should set the Black Stone in place. His solution was to
have all the clan elders raise the cornerstone on a cloak, and
then Prophet Muhammad PBUH set the Stone into its final place
with his own hands. |
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The Meccan elders lifting the Black
Stone into place |
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The current ritual of the Hajj involves pilgrims attempting to
kiss the Black Stone seven times (once for each
circumambulation of the Kaaba), emulating the actions of
Prophet Muhammad PBUH. When Umar ibn al-Khattab (580-644),
the second Caliph, came to kiss the Stone, he said in front
of all assembled: "No doubt, I know that you are a stone and
can neither harm anyone nor benefit anyone. Had I not seen
Allah's Messenger [Muhammad] PBUH kissing you, I would not
have kissed you." Many Muslims follow Umar: they pay their
respects to the Stone in a spirit of trust in Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH), not with any belief in the Stone itself.
This, however, does not indicate their disrespect to the
Black Stone but their belief that harm and benefit are in
the hands of Allah SWT, and nothing else. In modern times,
large crowds no longer make it practically possible for
everyone to kiss the stone, so it is currently acceptable
for pilgrims to simply point in the direction of the Stone
throwing a "flying kiss" after saying "Bismillah Allahu
Akbar Alhamdulillah"on each of their circuits around the
building. Some even say that the Stone is best considered
simply as a marker, useful in keeping count of the ritual
circumambulations (tawaf) one has performed.
Some Muslims also accept this hadith, from Tirmidhi, which
asserts that at the Last Judgement (Qiyamah), the Black
Stone will speak for those who kissed it:
"It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said: The Messenger of
Allah (PBUH) said concerning the Stone: "By Allah, Allah
will bring it forth on the Day of Resurrection, and it will
have two eyes with which it will see and a tongue with which
it will speak, and it will testify in favour of those who
touched it in sincerity." "
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The Hajarul Aswad is
located at the eastern corner of the Kaabah |
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The Black Stone is broken into a number of fragments, with
varying accounts putting the number at between seven and
fifteen, held together by a silver frame. The damage appears
to have occurred in several stages. Legend has it that
during the siege of Mecca in 683, the Kaaba was ignited by a
flaming arrow and the fire's heat cracked the Black Stone
into three large parts and several smaller fragments. In
930, the Black Stone was seized by the Qarmatians and
carried off to their base at Bahrain. According to the
historian Al-Juwayni, the Stone was returned in 951 under
somewhat mysterious circumstances; wrapped in a sack, it was
thrown into the Friday Mosque of Kufa accompanied by a note
saying "By command we took it, and by command we have
brought it back." Its abduction and removal caused further
damage, breaking the stone into seven pieces. Some Muslims
believe the Black Stone should be less accessible to the
general public, as a way of protecting such a relic |
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In a hadith, Tthe Prophet PBUH said to Sayyidina Umar
AL-Khatab, who accompanied him to perform the Haj together
with 124,000 Muslims ” Dear Umar, don't you make it
difficult for the other people just because you desire
strongly to kiss the hajaraul aswad. If you have the chance,
then kiss it, but not at the expense of making it difficult
for the others. Making it difficult and causing pain to
other Muslims is a big sin."
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Back to My Umrah Trip |
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Yours
truly |
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The Black Stone, surrounded by its
silver frame and the black cloth kiswah
on the Kaabah in Mecca |
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