Some Rare Known Facts of Hajr e Aswad – the black stone of Kaaba

Hajr e Aswad (the Kaaba black stone)is a stone from Paradise

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, Sunan, hadith no. 877, and classified as authentic hadith by Sheikh Al-Albaani in his book Sahih At-Tirmidthi, hadith no. 695 )

More hadith on the origin of Black Stone :

1)According to the Hadith, Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Abbaas (Radhiallaahu Anhu)narrates that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, ‘Hajr-e-Aswad(the black stone) was revealed from Jannat and it was whiter than milk.Thereafter, the sins of man had blackened it.’ (Tirmidhi vol.1 pg.166; HMSaeed)

2)In another Hadith, Abdullah ibn Amr (Radhiallaahu Anhu) says, ‘I heard the messenger of Allah saying, ‘Verily the Rukn (Hajr-e-Aswad) and the Maqaam (Ibraahim) are two precious stones from amongst the precious stones of Jannat. Allah Ta’ala took away its Noor (light). Had Allah not taken away its light then these two would have brightened up the east and west.’ (Ibid)

Present Location of Hajr e Aswad/the kaaba Stone

Hajr e Aswad(the black stone ) is located at the east Corner of Kaaba. Pilgrims stops at Hajr e Aswad and Kiss the Stone saying “Bismillah-AllahuAkbar ” and “Allahu Akbar”.The Stone looks black Polished and shining and there is rarely a time when no one is touching It and glorifying Allah.Black Stone is a Stone from Heaven and Muslim Kiss it following the Rituals of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Why do Muslim Kiss Hajr e Aswad ,the black stone

A hadith records that, when the second Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab (580–644) 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] kissing you, I would not have kissed you.”However, in the hadith collection Kanz al-Ummal , it is recorded that Ali responded to Umar, saying, “This stone (Hajar Aswad) can indeed benefit and harm…. Allah (swt) says in Quran that he created human beings from the progeny of Adam (as) and made them witness over themselves and asked them, ‘Am I not your creator?’ Upon this, all of them confirmed it. Thus Allah wrote this confirmation. And this stone has a pair of eyes, ears and a tongue and it opened its mouth upon the order of Allah (swt), who put that confirmation in it and ordered to witness it to all those worshippers who come for Hajj.

Also Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in one of His hadiths:

“By Allah! On the Day of Qiyaamah, Allah will present the Hajar e Aswad in such a manner that it will have two eyes and a tongue to testify to the Imaan (faith) of all those who kissed it.” (Tirmidhi)

It is to be noted that the kissing can be just symbolic too without any physical touching.

Read : Proposed Women only timing to touch Hajr e Aswad.

Hajr e Aswad ,The Kaaba Black Stone was not Black

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, Sunan)

The top of the Black Stone was black but the rest of it was white. The length was about a cubit. Ibn I’llan Al-Makki, one of the scholars at that time, saw the Black Stone during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Murad. Its length was then half a cubit and its width was a third of a cubit. It was white in colour but its top was black because of the misdeeds done by mankind. If the sins affect solid stone, their effects on the heart are even greater.

The Black stone of kaaba is not a Single Stone

But Do You Know that Hajre Aswad or the Black Stone of kaaba is not a Single stone? The parts we touch with our hands and “Kiss” are eight small pieces, the biggest of which is the size of a date. Hajr e Aswad is a stone irregular oval, about seven inches in diameter, with an undulated surface, composed of about a dozen smaller stones of different sizes and shapes, well joined together with a small quantity of cement, and perfectly well smoothed; it looks as if the whole had been broken into as many pieces by a violent blow, and then united again.

The Black stones of kaaba are held with a Silver Frame

It is very difficult to determine accurately the quality of this stone which has been worn to its present surface by the millions of touches and kisses it has received. It appeared to be like a lava, containing several small extraneous particles of a whitish and of a yellow substance. Its color is now a deep reddish brown approaching to black. It is surrounded on all sides by a border composed of a substance which look to be a close cement of pitch and gravel of a similar, but not quite the same, brownish color. This border serves to support its detached pieces; it is two or three inches in breadth, and rises a little above the surface of the stone. Both the border and the stone itself are encircled by a silver band, broader below than above, and on the two sides, with a considerable swelling below, as if a part of the stone were hidden under it. The lower part of the border is studded with silver nails

The first who encircled the Black Stone with silver rings was Abdullah Ibn AI-Zubair (may Allah be pleased with them). Then other caliphs and wealth) people followed suit and made the frame from silver and gold. The last who donated a frame of pure silver for the Black Stone, before the Saudi Government. was Al-Sultan Muhammad Rashad Khan in 1331 H. King Abdul Aziz (may his soul rest in peace) repaired part of it in 1366 H. In Sha ban, 1375 H., King Saud (may his soul rest in peace) replaced it with a new frame made of sterling silver.

The frame around the Hajr e Aswad and the black kiswah or cloth enveloping the Kaaba were for centuries maintained by the Ottoman Sultans in their role as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The frames wore out over time due to the constant handling by pilgrims and were periodically replaced. Worn-out frames were brought back to Istanbul, where they are still kept as part of the sacred relics in the Topkapı Palace.Do You Know what is written in kiswah?Well fnd it out here

Origin and History of Black Stone of kaaba:

Islamic tradition holds that the Black Stone fell from Jannah to show Adam and Eve where to build an altar, which became the first temple on Earth. Muslims believe that the stone was originally pure and dazzling white, but has since turned black because of the sins of the people who touch it.According to a prophetic tradition, “Touching them both (the Black Stone and al-Rukn al-Yamani) is an expiation for sins.”Adam’s altar and the stone were said to have been lost during Noah’s Flood and forgotten.

How did the Black stone come to Earth

Out of the different narratives, the most significant and the most authentic one is the narrative of Hajre Aswad being a stone from Jannah that was installed in Kabaah by Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) and His son Hazrat Ismail (AS). According to the narration, when Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) and His son started construction of Kabah on the order of Allah Almighty as a place of worship and sanctity, they were a stone short in the building of the walls. Thus, upon this Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) ordered His son to go and look for a stone that could fit in the gap in order to complete the construction of the holy place. Hazrat Ismail (AS) went in search of the stone, but after a while when He could not find any suitable rock. and came back to His father and saw that a rock was already placed in the empty space, upon which He asked His father about the stone, regarding which Hazrat Ibrahim replied that it was delivered to Him by Garbriel. Thus this narrative proves that Hajre Aswad is a heavenly stone.

Ibrahim was said to have later found the Black Stone at the original site of Adam’s altar when the angel Jibrail revealed it to him. Ibrahim ordered his son Ismael — who is an ancestor of Muhammad — to build a new temple, the Kaaba, into which the Stone was to be embedded.

How Prophet Muhammad layed Black stone into Kabah.

During the time of Prophet Muhammad SAW ,Kaaba become old and collapsed due to heavy rain.So the rebuilding was started. The work progressed well enough until al-Hajar-ul-Aswad, the Black Stone, was to be put back in its place. Each quarter of the Ka’aba was being built by one leading family of Quraish – the big and prominent tribe of Mecca. Each family of Quraish felt the honour of placing the Black Stone belonging to it. The disagreement became deeper, and led to a lot of argument, shouting and abuse. The members of each big family were thinking that a war was going to break out, None of them was willing to change his position. They regarded it as a great insult if they didn’t have that special honour of putting the Black Stone back in its place. One member stood up and said, “I have a suggestion, let us wait till tomorrow and see who enters the Masjid-ul-Haram first in the morning; then let him decide”. All agreed, since that sounded like a good suggestion. They anxiously waited next morning to see who was the first to come and enter Ka’aba. Suddenly they heard footsteps heading towards them. It was Muhammad (S), the son of Abdulla. Everyone, of course, knew, loved, admired and respected Muhammad (S). So with a loud voice, everyone said, “Here comes Al-Amin” and the voice echoed through the place over and over again. He was surprised to hear of that title with which they called him. He was told about what the people of Quraish were fighting for. It was all silent for a while. Everyone thought his family was going to be favoured. Their hearts were beating hard and they were getting anxious and impatient. Muhammad (SAW) put his robe on the floor, took the sacred Black Stone and put it in the centre of the robe and said. “The chief of each family will take one corner of the robe and lift it together”. With that, each understood a marvellous example of justice in sharing the honour. It showed how Muhammad’s intelligence far exceeded those around him. It also showed his great capacity to solve difficult problems with such ease. When the robe with the Black Stone was lifted to a reasonable height. Muhammad (S) took the Black Stone and put it in its proper place by his own hands. None felt insulted and each had his share of the privilege and honour.

Dimension of Black Stone of kaaba

The Black Stone consists of a number of fragments held together by a silver frame, which is fastened by silver nails to the Stone. The smaller fragments have been cemented together to form the seven or eight fragments visible today. The Stone’s exposed face measures about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) by 16 centimetres (6.3 in). Its original size is unclear and the recorded dimensions have changed considerably over time, as the stone has been remodelled on several occasions

Black stone was stolen to Redirect Hajj away from Mecca

The Stone has suffered desecrations and significant damage over the course of time. It is said to have been struck and smashed to pieces by a stone fired from a catapult during the Umayyad siege of Mecca in 683. The fragments were rejoined by Abd Allah ibn Zubayr using a silver ligament. In January 930, it was stolen by the Qarmatians, who carried the Black Stone away to their base in Hajar (modern Bahrain). According to Ottoman historian Qutb al-Din, writing in 1857, Qarmatian leader Abu Tahir al-Qarmati set the Black Stone up in his own mosque, the Masjid al-Dirar, with the intention of redirecting the hajj away from Mecca. However, this failed, and pilgrims continued to venerate the spot where the Black Stone had been.

According to historian Al-Juwayni, the Stone was returned twenty-three years later, in 952. The Qarmatians held the Black Stone for ransom, and forced the Abbasids to pay a huge sum for its return. It was wrapped in a sack and 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. Its abductor, Abu Tahir, is said to have met a terrible fate; according to Qutb al-Din, “the filthy Abu Tahir was afflicted with a gangrenous sore, his flesh was eaten away by worms, and he died a most terrible death.”

Back Stone was Smashed and smeared

In the 11th century, a man allegedly sent by the Fatimid Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah attempted to smash the Black Stone, but was killed on the spot, having caused only slight damage In 1674, according to Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, someone smeared the Black Stone with excrement so that “every one who kissed it retired with a sullied beard”. The Shi’ite Persians were suspected of being responsible and were the target of curses from other Muslims for centuries afterwards, though explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton doubted that they were the culprits; he attributed the act to “some Jew or Greek, who risked his life to gratify a furious bigotry.”

Alhumdulillah the Black stone is still in Kaaba Now.May Allah give all of us a Chance to Kiss the Black stone -the Hajr e Aswad.

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