++ Black Stone (Hajar ul Aswad)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Islamic holy relic. For the ancient Roman shrine, see Lapis Niger. For the city in Rif Dimashq, Syria, see Al-Hajar al-Aswad. For other uses, see Black Rock.
The Black Stone, surrounded by its silver frame and the black cloth kiswah on the Kaaba in Mecca
The Black Stone, surrounded by its silver frame and the black cloth kiswah on the Kaaba in Mecca

The Black Stone (called الحجر الأسود al-Hajar-ul-Aswad in Arabic) is a Muslim object of reverence, which according to Islamic tradition dates back to the time of Adam and Eve. It is the eastern cornerstone of the Kaaba, the ancient sacred stone building towards which Muslims pray, in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.[1] The Stone is roughly 30 cm (12 in.) in diameter, and 1.5 meters (5 ft.) above the ground.[2]

When pilgrims circle the Kaaba as part of the Tawaf ritual of the Hajj, many of them try, if possible, to stop and kiss the Black Stone, emulating the kiss that it received from the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[3] If they cannot reach it, they are to point to it on each of their seven circuits around the Kaaba.[4]

The Stone is broken into a number of pieces from damage which was inflicted during the Middle Ages. It is now held together by a silver frame, which is fastened by silver nails to the Stone.