Sacred Stone Hajr e Aswad

Makkah (The City in Saudi Arabia) is the holy place of Muslims and is often thought to offer the most important pilgrimage to Islam, the Hajj and Umrah. Hajar-e- Aswad is a black stone adorned in the southern corner of the Kaaba. There are several traditions of famous scholars regarding this stone touching and kissing rituals. However, regardless of its different traditions, this stone has its own significance and is considered a "Stone of Paradise".

According to the Hadith of Tirmidhi:

“Hajar-e-Aswad was a white-white stone when he reached Paradise, but at that time it came out as a result of the increase in the sins of humanity on earth.”

It is said that The Black Stone was brought from heaven to earth. According to the hadeeth narrated by Ibn 'Abbas (RA),' The Black Stone was brought down from heaven and it was whiter than milk, but the sins of the people made it black '. According to some other arguments, the black stone was sent to Prophet Adam so that he could guide the location of the earth to the altar. At the time of the last Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.W,

Time of Placing of Black Stone:

A dispute arose between different tribes on the issue of placing black stones. Each tribe wanted to be the first to do this blessed work. So it was decided that whoever enters the first mosque will have a stone. By Allah (SWT) will, The Last Prophet PBUH arranged the position of the black stone from his blessed hands. Turned to The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) made a very wise decision to allocate everyone in this prestigious task. He ordered the stone to be placed on a sheet and an individual from each tribe would hold the corner of the sheet, so Hajar Aswad was placed where the Prophet (PBUH) took it in his hand and kissed it. So it became a Sunnah to kiss this blessed stone and to seek forgiveness from Allah (SWT).

Religious significance of The Black Stone:

Since the stone was descended from the heavens and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) mentions kissing it in his hadiths and Sunnah, Muslims kiss it at least once during Hajj and Umrah. Although it is a stone, it still represents God's mercy that by kissing it one can forgive one's sins. For this reason, pilgrims should not be anxious, but rather wait for their turn in the event of a crowd. If a person is unable to kiss him, he should not fight but he should just kiss in the air by pointing the Hands to Hajar Aswad and pray. The significance of the pilgrimage is mentioned in the Hadith of the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), 'The right hand of Allah is on this earth. The stone is neither submerged in water nor heated in fire.

According to Islamic belief, “The credit for placing a black stone at the present site in the wall of the Kaaba goes to Muhammad. A story found in Ibn Ishaq's Sirah Rasulullah relates how the tribes of Mecca renovated the Kaaba after a major fire that partially destroyed the structure. Black Stone was temporarily removed to facilitate reconstruction work. The tribe could not agree that any of them should have the honour to place the black stone in their place.”

They decided to wait for the next man to come in and ask to make a decision. That person was 35-year-old Muhammad (PBUH), five years before His Prophethood. He told the elders of the tribe to bring him a cloth and put a black stone in the middle of it. Each leader of the tribe grabbed the corners of the cloth and carried the black stone to the right place. Then, Muhammad gave the stone a place, rejoicing the honor of all the tribes. In the conquest of Mecca 630 in, it is said that Mohammed circled the Ka'bah seven times on his camel, and touched the black stone with his stick in a gesture of reverence.

Almost every Muslim wants to kiss the black stone in order to ask Allah for forgiveness and to wash away their sins. Hajj and Umrah are two religious journeys that provide this opportunity to people. You can go this sacred place by getting Cheap Umrah Packages and Hajj packages but this time umrah and hajj will be suspended due to coronavirus. But it is not confirmed news may be Umrah and Hajj will open as soon as possible.