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The Black Stone of the Ka’bah dates back before the creation of humankind. The black stone is a revered object set in a corner wall of the Ka’bah, a sanctuary Muslims believe to be the holiest place on Earth. The stone, haven been sundered, is composed of several pieces and fragments, bound together by a silver ligature. It is semicircular and measures about ten inches horizontally and twelve inches vertically.
A mysterious object of old and possible of extraterrestrial origin is revered today by Muslims around the world as being consummately holy, as coming from the Supreme Being, Allah, and as having been touched through the millennia by holy men from Abraham to Mohammed. This is Alhajar Al-Aswad, the Black Stone, and it is lodged in a wall of a sanctuary on grounds that are strictly forbidden to non-Muslims.
According to Islamic tradition, the stone came to Earth long ago from heaven, where numerous angels linked in a chain worshipped Allah by chanting and praying as they continually circled Al-baitul Ma’moor, the House meant for the worship of Allah by Angels, built under the throne of Allah. Allah wanted humankind to have a similar shrine from which to worship him, and he gave Adam a bright and pure white stone to bring to Earth from Paradise to set in the Ka’bah, the shrine he would build. The stone was called Alhajar Alsad, the happiest stone, because of all the stones in paradise it alone had been chosen for the Ka’bah.
As the centuries passed, the Ka’bah was frequently damaged by natural calamities and rebuilt by whichever Arab tribe held it as property at that particular time. Eventually it became a place of worship for Arab tribes from all over the region.
In the early seventh century a fire ravaged the Ka’bah, and the people rebuilt it this time with higher walls and the door several feet off the ground so sentinels could better regulate those who entered the house. But the Arab tribes, who had erected the sacred house jointly, disagreed about who should have the right to install the Black Stone. They decided to let the first person that entered the courtyard be the judge, to render a decision on who would have the right.
It happened to be that the first person to come from the outside was Mohammed. At this time Mohammed was not a prophet, but he did have a reputation of being a faithful, trustful young man. After hearing the problem, Mohammed wisely came up with a plan that would satisfy and honor all concerned. He placed a piece of cloth on the ground and set the Black Stone at the center. Then he asked each of the tribes to select a delegate to gather around the cloth. Together they lifted the cloth with the Black Stone off the ground and carried it to the Ka’bah, where Mohammed himself set the stone in place.
Mohammed’s outspokenness against idolatry stirred the rancor of the disbelieving tribes of Mecca. This rancor gradually grew to the point where the Prophet’s life was in danger, and in 622, on receipt of instruction from Allah, he migrated to Medina. His journey is called the Hegira, and the year 622 marks the start of the Muslim calendar.
With the spread of Islam came the eruption of battles, but eventually the people of Mecca, accepted the religion, believing that Mohammed was a prophet and the Koran, the Muslim sacred scriptures, the final revelations sent by Allah. The Ka’bah became the Muslim sanctuary, and the stone idols that had been placed inside were discarded. The Black Stone was left untouched.
The Black Stone is set about three feet from the ground into the exterior southeastern corner of the Ka’bah, a stone building shaped like a huge cube. It is the centuries-old tradition of Muslims to touch and kiss the stone because this was the prophet Mohammed’s practice. Muslims claim the Prophet taught that if one kissed the stone with conviction from the heart and walks around the Ka’bah praying to Allah, the stone will bear witness to one’s supplication on the Day of Judgment, when the stone will be given vision and the power to talk.
The Black Stone is set in a hole, so those wishing to touch or kiss it must insert their hand or face. The stone, which feels smooth and soothing, also has a pleasant fragrance, which it is said to have emitted since the time of Abraham.
Several feet in front of the Black Stone is the Zamzam well, which has an unusual provenance. While Abraham was away from his second wife, Hagar, and their newborn son, Ishmael. To visit his wife Sarah at Mecca, Hagar needed water, and she ran up and down between two mountains, Safa and Marwah, in extreme thirst, until the angel Gabriel hit the ground with his wings and brought forth a flow of clear water from under the feet of Ishmael. There seemed to be no man made source for this water, since no drilling had been done in the ground. Water still comes from the Zamzam well today, and Muslims believe it shall continue until the Day of Judgment.
From descriptions of its substance and color, modern Western scientists have agree that the Black Stone probably did not originate on this planet. But they surmise that rather than having been brought down by Adam from a celestial paradise, it is most likely a fragment of a meteor that fell to Earth uncounted years ago.
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