The Black Stone will be raised before the Day of Judgement

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

It is narrated by the two Shaykhs (Al-Bukhariyy and Muslim) from ^Umar ibnu l-Khattab, may Allah accept his deeds, that he kissed the Black Stone and then said:

"والله لقد علمت أنك لا تضر ولا تنفع، ولولا أني رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقبلك ما قَبَّلتُك"

"By Allah, I know that you neither cause harm nor bring benefit. Had I not seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ kiss you, I would not have kissed you."

And he recited:

{لقد كان لكم في رسول الله أسوة}

"You have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example."

He said this because the people had only recently abandoned idol worship, and he feared that the ignorant might believe that touching the stone was an act of worship or veneration of stones, as the Arabs had done during the era of ignorance. Therefore, ^Umar clarified that touching it was an act of adherence to the Prophet's guidance ﷺ, not that the stone itself has the power to harm or benefit, as the people of ignorance had believed about their idols. In ^Umar’s statement, there is also an indication of submitting to the religious rulings and following the Prophet’s example, even if the underlying wisdom is not fully understood, as Ibnu Hajar stated in Fathu l-Bari."

It is narrated that when ^Umar said this, ‘Ubayy ibnu Ka^b replied:

"إنه يضر وينفع، إنه يأتي يوم القيامة وله لسان زلق يشهد لمن قبله واستلمه"

"Verily, it harms and benefits. It will come on the Day of Judgement, having a tongue with which it will bear witness for those who kissed and touched it."

Narrated by the two Shaykhs.

In another narration, it is reported that ^Aliyy said to ^Umar:

"بلى يا أمير المؤمنين إنه يضر وينفع وإن الله لما أخذ المواثيق على ولد ءادم كتب ذلك في رق وأَلْقَمَهُ الحجر، وقد سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: “يأتي الحجر الأسود وله لسان يشهد لمن قبله بالتوحيد”

"Yes, O Commander of the Believers, it harms and benefits. Indeed, when Allah took the covenants from the children of Adam, He had it inscribed upon raqq (thin leather used for writing) and embedded it within the Stone. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:

“يأتي الحجر الأسود وله لسان يشهد لمن قبله بالتوحيد”

"The Black Stone will have a tongue; it will come forth and bear witness to the monotheism of those who kissed it."

Narrated by Al-Hakim in Al-Mustadrak.

^Umar then replied:

"لا خير في عيش قوم لستَ فيهم يا أبا الحسن، لا أحياني الله لمعضلة لا يكون فيها ابن أبي طالب"

"O ‘Abu l-Hasan, the life of a people in which you are not present would be bereft of great goodness!" "May Allah not let me live through a dilemma without the son of ‘Abu Talib being among us!"

In another narration, he said:

"أعوذ بالله أن أعيش في قوم لست فيهم يا أبا الحسن"

"May Allah protect me from living among a people of whom you would not be a part, O ‘Abu l-Hasan!"

The Black Stone's reverence

^A'ishah (may Allah accept her deeds) stated: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“أكثروا استلام هذا الحجر فإنكم توشكون أن تفتقدوه، بينما الناس يطوفون به ذات ليلة إذا أصبحوا وقد فقدوه، إن الله عز وجل لا يترك شيئا من الجنة في الأرض إلا أعاده فيها قبل يوم القيامة”

"Increase your contact with this stone, for you are near the time when you will lose it. One night, while the people are performing tawaf, they will awaken to find it missing. Indeed, Allah will not leave anything from paradise on earth except that He will return it before the Day of Judgement."

(Narrated by As-Suyutiyy).

^Abdu l-Lah ibnu ^Amr ibnu l-^As said:

"إن الله تعالى يرفع القرآن من صدور الرجال والحجر الأسود قبل يوم القيامة"

"Indeed, Allah will raise the Qur'an from the hearts of men and the Black Stone before the Day of Judgement."

The way to make contact with the Black Stone

The act of contacting the Black Stone involves facing it and raising one's hands to the level of the ears and shoulders, with the palms directed towards the stone. One then says: “Bismi l-Lah wa l-Lahu ‘Akbar, followed by La ‘ilaha illa l-Lah, Al-hamdu li l-Lah, and sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ. He then places his hands upon the stone, spreading them apart, and places his mouth between them without making any sound or touching with the tongue. It is recommended to repeat this three times. If he is unable to make contact with the stone, he should stand before it, raising his hands to the level of his shoulders, facing them towards it as if he were placing his hands upon it. He then says the takbir (‘Allahu ‘Akbar) as mentioned previously, kisses his hands, and does not gesture with his mouth or head towards the qiblah.

Among the etiquettes of making contact with the Black Stone

One should avoid causing harm or pushing others, for while kissing the stone is sunnah (recommended), refraining from causing harm to others is obligatory.

The Silver Frame

It was ^Abdu l-Lah ibnu z-Zubayr who was the first to encase the Black Stone in silver. Afterwards, the caliphs continued to add surrounding frames as needed.