The Kaaba’s Black Stone is a cornerstone with an essence of Heaven

There are still a lot of secrets surrounding the Black Stone. The most significant mysteries, however, are in the parts that are missing It went from a 30 centimeters radius stone into small fragments of no more than eight little stones cemented into a silver frame to substitute the original stone.

“There is nothing left from the original stone but a few fragments. What is left is not the whole stone that was venerated when Ibrahim built the Kaaba, but just fragments,” Dr. Ahmad Moraei, professor at Umm al-Qura University said.

Many natural and human events have participated in the fragmenting of the Black Stone. The most famous crime was that of Qarmatians’, who invaded and robbed the holy place. They took the stone away from its base for twenty-two years starting from the Hijri year of 317. Some of the fragments were returned to their original place, but the rest are still missing

“The Qarmatians led by Ahmad al-Qarmati came to the Holy mosque, and unfortunately they invaded the Kaaba. They killed over 70,000 people in that day. Ahmad allegedly even said “God almighty gave life to people, and I am here to take it away They took the Black Stone to the city of Ahsa where it remained with them for 12 years before returning to the Kaaba,” Dr. Moraei said.

The most popular Islamic story says the stone is part of Heaven, that the archangel Gabriel brought when the creator of Kaaba, Prophet Abraham, wanted to mark the place where the pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba as part of the “Tawaf” ritual. It is still hanging in the right corner, at 110cm above ground.

“The people circumambulating the Kaaba seize the opportunity, if possible, to kiss the stone; but in the case of overcrowding, if they do not have the opportunity to kiss the Black Stone, they should point to it and exclaim “God is Great”,” Mohammed Al-Assaf, the General President’s advisor of the Prophet's Mosque Affairs said.

Being a part of the Kaaba, and the beginning and end of the “Tawaf” ritual, the Black Stone is considered as one of the Islamic holy sites that are the most seen, touched and kissed. Even before Islam, it was a sacred pillar for the Arabs.