- The Black Stone (Arabic: الحجر الأسود al-Ḥajar al-Aswad) is the eastern cornerstone of the Kaaba, the ancient stone building toward which Muslims pray, in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is revered by Muslims as an Islamic relic, which, according to Muslim tradition, dates back to the time of Adam and Eve.[1]
The stone was venerated at the Kaaba in pre-Islamic pagan times. It was set intact into the Kaaba's wall by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad in the year 605 A.D., five years before his first revelation. Since then it has been broken into a number of fragments and is now cemented into a silver frame in the side of the Kaaba. Its physical appearance is that of a fragmented dark rock, polished smooth by the hands of millions of pilgrims. Islamic tradition holds that it fell from Heaven to show Adam and Eve where to build an altar. Although it has often been described as a meteorite, this hypothesis is now uncertain.[2]
Muslim 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 Islamic tradition records that it received from Muhammad.[3] If they cannot reach it, they point to it on each of their seven circuits around the Kaaba.[4]
Recently a friend sent me this photo after I made the comment, "Every circle needs a center". It's a remarkable image, isn't it? I knew nothing of the Black Stone and it's lore and thought I would post about it.
Has anyone here ever been to Mecca? Anyone kissed the stone?
The center of that circle is a void. The 'stone' is an 'adornment' of a 'facade' of the 'empty' 'box'. It used to be full of idols, but then the Prophet (SAW) knocked them all into little pieces and swept that box clean of idolatry.
Now this is what you need to picture in your mind:
5 revolving timezones continually sweep the globe. Any Muslim that find himself or herself in one of those timezones is prostrating towards that 'empty' 'box'. This happens all around the globe, and as the globe turns, different radials are activated and others deactivated. So there is this wonderful dynamic arrangement of souls bowing towards one another, each saying in their hearts (if they are indeed faithful) that "There is no god but God" while they prostrate towards one another.
Now 'boxes' are very interesting. In Semitic languages 'box' and 'chest' and 'crib' and 'ark' are all derivatives of the same root letters. Now Noah (SAW) carried the chosen remnant in an 'ark', and then the Israelites carried the Commandments in a 'box' (Ark of Covenant), and then the "word of God" (Salaam is ever upon him) (you know who) spoke as a babe in a 'box' (Crib in the manger), and now here we are, in the final act, where sons and daughters of Adam (SAW) bow to one another arrayed in a living circle towards an 'empty box'.
(You too have a 'box' that you carry with you and it is your 'chest' where this Spiritual organ called the Heart resides. Now, the thing to do is make sure your box is entirely empty and void of any idols just like the Box in Mecca.)
posted 4295 days ago