NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Black Stone

The Black Stone (called الحجر الأسود al-Hajar-ul-Aswad in Arabic) is a Muslim object of reverence, said by some to date back to the time of Adam and Eve. It is the eastern cornerstone of the Kaaba, the ancient stone building towards which Muslims pray, in the center of Masjid al-Haram, the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.^[1] The Stone is roughly 30 cm (12 in.) in diameter, and 1.5 meters above the ground.^[2] Drawing of the excavated Lapis Niger, by Christian HÃ¼lsen, 1906 The Lapis Niger (trans. ... Al-Hajar al-Aswad (Arabic: â€Ž) is a Syrian city administratively belonging to Rif Dimashq. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Kaaba covered by the Kiswa The Kiswa (an Arabic word meaning cover in English) is the cloth that is used to cover the holy Kaaba. ... The Kaaba (Arabic: ; IPA: ) , also known as (), ( The Primordial House), or ( The Sacred House), is a large cuboidal building located inside the mosque known as al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. ... This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. ... Arabic redirects here. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... Michelangelos Creation of Adam, from the Sistine Chapel. ... The Kaaba (Arabic: ; IPA: ) , also known as (), ( The Primordial House), or ( The Sacred House), is a large cuboidal building located inside the mosque known as al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…Ø§Ù†, Turkish: MÃ¼slÃ¼man, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Al-Masjid al-HÌ£arÄm ( IPA: The Sacred Mosque), is the largest mosque in the world. ... This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. ...

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 Muhammad.^[3] If they cannot reach it, they are to point to it on each of their seven circuits around the Kaaba.^[4] In Islamic context, Tawaf refers to the ritual of circumambulating the Kabah (the holiest building in Mecca) during the Hajj (pilgrimage). ... A supplicating pilgrim at Masjid Al Haram, the mosque which was built around the Kaaba (the cubical building at center). ... Muhammad in a new genre of Islamic calligraphy started in the 17th century by Hafiz Osman. ...

The Stone is in 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.

Origins and history

Islamic views

Many Muslims believe that the Stone fell from Heaven during the time of Adam and Eve, and that it was once a pure and dazzling white, but has turned black because of the sins it has absorbed over the years.^[2] Michelangelos Creation of Adam, from the Sistine Chapel. ...

Some say that the Stone was found by Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son Ishmael (Ismail)^[5] when they were searching for stones with which to build the Kaaba, around 1700-2000 B.C.^[6] They recognized its worth and made it one of the building's cornerstones. It was also said that the stone was given to (Ibrahim) Abraham by the Archangel Gabriel.^[7] Î // ---- Insert non-formatted text here]] For other uses, see Abraham (name) and Abram (disambiguation). ... Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness, by Karel Dujardin Ishmael (Hebrew: ×™Ö´×©Ö°××žÖ¸×¢Öµ××œ, Standard Tiberian ; Arabic: Ø¥Ø³Ù…Ø§Ø¹ÙŠÙ„, IsmÄÄ«l) was Abrahams eldest son, born by his wifes handmaiden Hagar. ... The Kaaba (Arabic: ; IPA: ) , also known as (), ( The Primordial House), or ( The Sacred House), is a large cuboidal building located inside the mosque known as al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. ... Gabriel delivering the Annunciation. ...

Non-Islamic views

Non-Islamic historians point to the history of baetylus, or meteorite worship, in pre-Islamic Arabia, and say it is likely that the Stone is a meteorite.^[7]^[8]^[9] Grunebaum, in Classical Islam, says that the Kaaba was a place of pilgrimage even in pre-Islamic times, and was probably the only sanctuary built of stone, but that there are other sources which indicate there were other Ka'ba structures in other parts of Arabia. A "red stone", the deity of the south Arabian city of Ghaiman, and the "white stone" in the Ka'ba of al-Abalat (near the city of Tabala, south of Mecca). He points out that the experience of divinity of that time period was often associated with stone fetishes, mountains, special rock formations, or "trees of strange growth."^[10] Other people speculate the actual significance that the Kaaba should play in Islam. Many historians realize the political skill Muhammad possessed; in order to win support for his newly established religion, historians such as Jeffrey Goldschmidt maintain that Muhammad fabricated an excuse for the Kaaba to be a part of Islam.^[11]^{[verification needed]} Baetylus or Bethel is a semitic word denoting a sacred stone, which was supposed to be endowed with life. ... Willamette Meteorite A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives an impact with the Earths surface without being destroyed. ... This article concerns the concept of fetishism in anthropology. ...

Significance

It is clear that the Black Stone was an object of veneration even before Muhammad, but in modern Islam, he is clearly associated with it. Image File history File links Mohammed_kaaba_1315. ... Image File history File links Mohammed_kaaba_1315. ...

Early chroniclers say that the Kaaba was rebuilt during Muhammad's lifetime, after damage caused by a flood. Around 600 A.D., the various tribes worked together on the project, but there was some contention among the Quraysh, Mecca's ruling clan, as to who should have the honor of raising the Black Stone to its final place in the new structure. Muhammad is said to have suggested that the Stone be placed on a cloak and that the various clan heads jointly lift it. Muhammad then placed the Stone into its final position with his own hands.^[12]^[13] Quraish (sura) is also the name of a Surah in the Quran. ...

The current ritual of the Hajj also involves pilgrims attempting to kiss the stone seven times (once for each circumambulation of Kaaba), emulating the actions of Muhammad. When Umar ibn al-Khattab (580-644), the second Caliph, 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."^[14] Many Muslims follow Umar: they pay their respects to the Black Stone in a spirit of trust in Muhammad, not with any belief in the Black Stone itself. This, however does not indicate their disrespect to the stone, but their belief that harm and benefit are in the hands of God, and nothing else. In modern times, large crowds no longer make it practically possible for everyone to kiss the stone, so it is currently acceptable for pilgrims to simply point in the direction of the Stone on each of their circuits around the building. Some even say that the Stone is best considered simply as a marker, useful in keeping count of the ritual circumambulations (tawaf) one has performed.^[15] A supplicating pilgrim at Masjid Al Haram, the mosque which was built around the Kaaba (the cubical building at center). ... For other uses of the name, see Umar (disambiguation). ... For main article see: Caliphate The Caliph (pronounced khaleef in Arabic) is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Sharia. ... Muhammad in a new genre of Islamic calligraphy started in the 17th century by Hafiz Osman. ... A supplicating pilgrim at Masjid Al Haram, the mosque which was built around the Kaaba (the cubical building at center). ...

Some Muslims also accept this hadith, from Tirmidhi, which asserts that at the Last Judgement (Qiyamah), the Black Stone will speak for those who kissed it: Al-Tirmidhi, full name Abu Isa Muhammad ibn Isa ibn Musa ibn al-Dahhak al-Sulami al-Tirmidhi (824-892, ie 209 AH - 13 Rajab 279 AH) was a medieval collector of hadith (sayings of Muhammad), who wrote the Jami at-Tirmidhi, one of the six canonical hadith compilations used... Yawm al-QÄ«yÄmah (Arabic: literally: Day of the Resurrection) is the Last Judgement in Islam. ...

Damage

There are conflicting stories about the reason that the Stone is in pieces. According to the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, the damage occurred during a siege in 638.^[7] However, the 2007 Britannica states that the damage occurred as the result of a theft in 930, when Qarmatian warriors sacked Mecca and carried the Black Stone away to their base in Bahrain. According to this version of the story, it was returned twenty-two years later, but in a cracked and damaged state.^[17]^[18] In yet another version, the editors of Time-Life Books state that the damage occurred during a siege launched by a general of the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik (646-705).^[19] Events With the establishment of the Icelandic Althing, now the worlds oldest parliament, the Icelandic Commonwealth is founded. ... Carmathians (also qarmathians or karmathians) was a Islamic sect named after Hamdan Qarmat, who accepted the teaching of the Ismailites from Hosain al-Ahwaz, a missionary of Ahmed, son of the Persian Abdallah ibn Maimtin, toward the close of the 9th century. ... The Courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, one of the grandest architectural legacies of the Umayyads. ... Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (646-705) (Arabic: Ø¹Ø¨Ø¯ Ø§Ù„Ù…Ø§Ù„Ùƒ Ø¨Ù† Ù…Ø±ÙˆØ§Ù† ) was an Umayyad caliph. ...

See also

the Stone - south is towards the top of the image For the foundation-stone of a building, see Cornerstone. ...

Notes

^ Sheikh Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarkpuri (2002). Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar): Biography of the Prophet. Dar-us-Salam Publications. ISBN 1591440718.
^ ^a ^b SaudiCities - The Saudi Experience. Makkah - The Holy Mosque:The Black Stone. Retrieved on August 13, 2006.
^ Elliott, Jeri (1992). Your Door to Arabia. ISBN 0-473-01546-3.
^ Mohamed, Mamdouh N. (1996). Hajj to Umrah: From A to Z. Amana Publications. ISBN 0-915957-54-x.
^ Austin Cline. The Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. about.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
^ Walking the Bible: Timeline. pbs.org (2005). Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Mecca" in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.
^ Brother Andrew. Islam: Meteorite Worship of the black stone. The Interactive Bible. Retrieved on 2007-05-05.
^ March of Islam, pp. 26, 47
^ Grunebaum, p. 24
^ Goldschmidt, p. 46
^ ^a ^b University of Southern California. The Prophet of Islam - His Biography. Retrieved on August 12, 2006.
^ Saifur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, translated by Issam Diab (1979). Muhammad's Birth and Forty Years prior to Prophethood. Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar): Memoirs of the Noble Prophet. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
^ University of Southern California. Pilgrimage (Hajj). Retrieved on August 12, 2006.
^ The Saudi Arabia Information Resource. The Holy City of Makkah. Retrieved on August 12, 2006.
^ http://www.icct.org/Hajj/BlackStone.html
^ Qarmatiyyah. Overview of World Religions. St. Martin's College. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
^ "Black Stone of Mecca." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 25 June 2007 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9015514>.
^ Time-Life Books (1988). Time Frame AD 600-800: The March of Islam, 47. ISBN 0-8094-6420-9.

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica, the eleventh edition The EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910â€“1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Contents

Origins and history

Islamic views

Non-Islamic views

Significance

Damage

See also

Notes

References

External links

Contents

Origins and history GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Islamic views

Non-Islamic views

Significance

Damage

See also

Notes

References

External links

Origins and history