Q71 :Is it true that the Black Stone in the Ka’aba,
which marks the beginning of tawaf, was given to Adam on his fall from
heaven, as mentioned in the Encyclopedia Brittanica . Or has it fallen
from heaven by some other means?
A71 : There is nothing in Islamic tradition to
suggest the Black Stone was known to anyone on earth before Prophet
Ibrahim, or before the building of the Ka’aba. This means that it was
not given to Adam when he was sent down from the heaven. According to
Islamic tradition, when Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail netpleted the
building of the Ka’aba, Allah netmanded them to do the tawaf. They
could not count the rounds as they got confused with corners. Ibrahim
prayed Allah to give him a mark to signal the beginning of each round.
It is reported that Black Stone was given to Ibrahim by Archangel
Gabriel. Obviously, Ibrahim could have used a mark of his own, but he
wished that Allah would give a mark which remained for all time, so
that all those who do the tawaf have the same signal. It should be
clear to everyone that the Black Stone does not have any significance
other than what I have just mentioned. It does not give any blessing to
anyone. We simply kiss it at the beginning of tawaf because the Prophet
kissed it when he did the tawaf. Our attitude to it is that of Umar ibn
Al Khattab who said addressing the stone: “I do know that you are only
a stone which can cause no benefit or harm to anyone. Had it not been
for the fact that I have seen the Prophet kissing you, I would not have
kissed you.”
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )