Hadith # 167
'Abis bin Rabi'ah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I saw 'Umar bin Al-Khattab(May Allah be pleased with him) kissing the Black Stone (Al-Hajar Al-Aswad) and saying: "I know that you are just a stone and that you can neither do any harm nor give benefit. Had I not seen Messenger of Allah (PBUH) kissing you, I would not have kissed you".
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Commentary
1. The statement of 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) quoted in this Hadith is highly significant in the sense that he wanted to make it absolutely clear to the illiterate and ignorant that Al-Hajar Al-Aswad (Black Stone of the Ka'bah) is not kissed for because stones are venerated in Islam, as was the practice in pre-Islamic period. What he wanted to emphasize was that kissing the Black Stone was in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). 2. Obedience of the Prophet (PBUH) in every affair is a must, whether one understands the wisdom behind it or not. By analogy, kissing of the Black Stone, some people think it is permissible to kiss and show respect to the tombs of saints. But this is not valid reason because kissing the Black Stone is an 'Ibadah (act of worship), or a part of it, and every 'Ibadah is Tauqifiyah (prescribed by Allah and the Prophet (PBUH)) and it can neither be increased nor diminished, nor can it be graded as something else.
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