Origin and status of the Black Stone
The Black Stone came from Jannah by the hand of Jibril and became the most honoured part of the Kaaba. The Kaaba is the first House for worship, as Allah says, “Indeed, the first House established for mankind was that at Bakkah, blessed and a guidance for the worlds” (Aal Imran 96). Ibrahim and Ismail raised its foundations, “And when Ibrahim was raising the foundations of the House and Ismail” (Al Baqarah 127). Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet said, “The Black Stone descended from Paradise” (Al Tirmidhi, 877).
The hidden defect in the hadith
Al Tirmidhi graded the wording, “It was whiter than milk then the sins of the children of Adam made it black,” as hasan sahih through Jarir from Ata ibn al Saib from Said ibn Jubayr from Ibn Abbas. Ata underwent ikhtilat. Jarir heard from him after ikhtilat, and Hammad ibn Salamah’s hearing from him is disputed. So the full wording is weak, while the clause “The Black Stone is from Paradise” has external support (Jami al Tirmidhi, 2, 215–216; Musnad Ahmad, 2795; Al Nasa’i, 5, 226; Ibn Khuzaymah, 2733; Al Bayhaqi, Shuab al Iman, 4034).
Main routes and grading
Route of Jarir from Ata from Said from Ibn Abbas, declared hasan by Al Tirmidhi, but the critics weakened it due to late hearing and ikhtilat.
Route of Hammad ibn Salamah from Ata from Said from Ibn Abbas, disputed because Hammad likely heard both before and after ikhtilat and the periods cannot be separated with certainty.
A shortened wording, “The Black Stone is from Paradise,” is preserved without the whiteness clause in some routes (Al Nasa’i, 5, 226; Musnad Ahmad, 5, 13–15).
Parallel reports and additions
Al Tabarani narrated extra wordings about cure and that nothing on earth is from Jannah other than it, but the chains are weak.
Reports on “The Corner and the Station are rubies from Jannah” come with dispute over marfu versus mawquf. Ibn Hibban authenticated one route, while many critics prefer the mawquf form (Al Mu‘jam al Kabir, 11314; Musnad Ahmad, 2, 213–214; Ibn Hibban, 3710; Al Hakim, 1, 456).
Mawquf reports from the companions
There are several mawquf reports from Ibn Abbas, Abdullah ibn Amr, and from Anas, and reports from Kab al Ahbar. Their wordings include that the Stone is from the stones of Jannah and that it was white then became black due to sins. These chains are mostly weak, but the mawquf of Anas is authentic, and it carries the ruling of marfu because it is not said by opinion (Akhbar Makkah, 1, 328; Musannaf Abd al Razzaq, 8915; Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, 8, 395; Musnad Ahmad, 3, 277).
Statements of the hadith critics
The main weakness returns to Ata ibn al Saib’s ikhtilat. Early hearers like Sufyan and Shuabah are sound. Late hearers like Jarir and Ziyad are not sound.
Hammad ibn Salamah likely heard twice, once early and once late, so his corpus from Ata is mixed. This is why the full wording remains disputed while the clause “from Paradise” gains strength only by support (Tahdhib al Tahdhib, 3, 103; Al Duafa lil Aqili, 3, 398; Tarikh al Duri, 2, 403; Al Jarh wa al Tadil, 6, 332; Tahdhib al Kamal, 20, 86; Sharh Ilal al Tirmidhi, 2, 734; Al Kawakib al Nayyirat, 319).
Differing scholarly views on authenticity
Some authenticated the report, such as Al Tirmidhi, Ibn Khuzaymah, and Al Diya in al Mukhtarah, and among later scholars Al Albani. Al Arnaut first authenticated the clause “from Paradise” due to shawahid (supporting narrations), then retracted and preferred weakness.
The most secure report is the mawquf wording from Anas, “The Black Stone is from Paradise,” with a sahih chain on mawquf (Bayan al Wahm wa al Iham, 4, 278–279; Musnad Ahmad, 21, 380).
Story of the placement of the Black Stone
Before prophethood, at age thirty five, the Prophet ended the dispute of Quraysh over who would place the Stone. He put it on a cloth, had each tribe lift a side, then he placed it in its spot with his blessed hand. This showed his wisdom, justice, and leadership, prevented bloodshed, and confirmed his title as the trustworthy one.
The virtue of the Black Stone and its kissing
Touching and kissing the Stone is a sunnah in tawaf. If one cannot kiss it, one touches it and kisses the hand, or points to it. Ibn Umar continued this from the Prophet. Umar clarified that the Stone does not harm or benefit by itself, and that we follow the Prophet in this act of ibadah. Reports on its testimony on the Day of Resurrection and on expiation by touching are cited with varying strength (Muslim, 1207d; Al Bukhari, 1597; Al Tirmidhi, 961; Ahmad; Al Nasa’i, 2919).
Explanations on wisdoms and objections
Ibn Hajar transmitted that Umar taught the people to avoid any belief like idol worship and to follow the Sunnah without believing intrinsic power in the Stone. Al Muhib al Tabari likened the act to greeting a king by kissing the right hand, while affirming that to Allah belongs the highest example. Ibn Qutaybah answered the objection about blackening and whitening by noting that black dye stains by nature. The remaining blackness is a lesson about the effect of sins on hearts. A report that Allah changed its colour so people would not see the beauty of Jannah is weak (Fath al Bari, 5, 403–404).
The Black Stone is a stone from Paradise. Jibril, peace be upon him, brought it down so that it would become the most honoured part of the noble Kaaba. It is known that the first House placed for mankind on earth for the worship of Allah was the Kaaba, as Allah said, “Indeed, the first House established for mankind was that at Bakkah, blessed and a guidance for the worlds” (Aal Imran: 96). The first to build the Kaaba were Ibrahim the close friend of Allah and his son Ismail, peace be upon them both, as Allah said, “And when Ibrahim was raising the foundations of the House and Ismail, saying, ‘Our Lord, accept from us. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing’” (al-Baqara: 127).
Abdullah ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The Black Stone descended from Paradise” (reported by al-Tirmidhi).
The Hidden Defect in the Hadith: “The Black Stone Descended from Paradise and Was Whiter Than Milk, Then the Sins of the Children of Adam Made It Black”
Imam al-Tirmidhi narrated this hadith (877) through the chain of Jarir ibn Abd al-Hamid, from Ata ibn al-Saib, from Said ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, as a marfu narration. Al-Tirmidhi declared it as Hasan Sahih
Qutaybah narrated to us, he said: Jarir narrated to us from Ata ibn al-Saib from Saeed ibn Jubayr from Ibn Abbas who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad) descended from Paradise, and it was whiter than milk, but the sins of the children of Adam turned it black.”
Tirmidhi said: The hadith of Ibn Abbas is hasan sahih (good and authentic).
(Footnote: He said this, although Ata ibn al-Saib experienced confusion in his narrations, and Jarir narrated from him after that confusion. Likewise, those who followed him in narrating this hadith, namely Ziyad ibn Abdullah and Hammad ibn Salamah, are the same. Although Hammad ibn Salamah is among those about whom there is disagreement regarding whether he heard from Ata before or after his confusion, the chain of this hadith is weak.)
Jami At Tirmdihi (2/215-216)
Imam Ahmad also narrated this hadith in his Musnad (2795) through Affan, from Hammad ibn Salamah, from Ata ibn al-Saib, as a marfu narration. The scholars differed regarding Hammad ibn Salamah whether he narrated from Ata before the ikhtilat or after it. The stronger view is that he narrated from him both before and after (as will come from Ibn al-Madini and Ibn Hajar).
Affan narrated to us, he said: Hammad narrated to us, he informed us from Ata ibn al-Saib, from Saeed ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“The Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad) is from Paradise. It was whiter than snow until the sins of the people of shirk (polytheism) turned it black.”
Shauyb Al Arna’ut said: His saying, “The Black Stone is from Paradise,” is authentic due to supporting reports. However, the rest of the hadith has no supporting reports to strengthen it, and its chain is weak because of the confusion in the narrations of Ata ibn al-Saib. Imam Ahmad said: He used to attribute to Saeed ibn Jubayr things that he did not attribute before. Abu Hatim said: He attributed things to the Companions that he used to narrate from the Followers (tabi’in).)
(It was also narrated by al-Nasai, in his Sunan (5/226), through the chain of Musa ibn Dawud, and by Ibn Adi (2/679), and through him by al-Bayhaqi in Shuab al-Iman (4034) through the chain of Abdullah al-Ayshi, both of them from Hammad ibn Salamah with this same chain. The version of al-Nasai is shortened, saying only: “The Black Stone is from Paradise.”)
(It was also narrated similarly by al-Tirmidhi (877) through the chain of Jarir ibn Abd al-Hamid, and by Ibn Khuzaymah (2733) through Jarir, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Harashi, and Ziyad ibn Abdullah, all three from Ata ibn al-Saib with this same narration, and they said at the end: “The sins of the children of Adam turned it black.” These are among those who narrated from Ata after his confusion. Al-Tirmidhi said: It is hasan sahih (good and authentic). It will appear later under numbers 3046 and 3537. See also 2643.)
(Al-Tabarani also narrated in al-Mu’jam al-Kabir (11314) through Muhammad ibn Imran ibn Abi Layla, from his father, from Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla, from Ata, who is Ibn Abi Rabah, from Ibn Abbas, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: “The Black Stone is from the stones of Paradise, and nothing on earth is from Paradise other than it. It was white like the gazelle, and were it not for what the impurities of ignorance had done to it, no one with any ailment would touch it except that he would be cured.” This chain is weak.)
(The statement “The Black Stone is from Paradise” has another supporting narration from Anas, which will appear in his Musnad (3/277) with a sahih (authentic) chain.)
(Also in this chapter, there is a narration from Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The Corner (al-Rukn) and the Station (al-Maqam) are two rubies from the rubies of Paradise. Allah has removed their light, and if He had not done so, they would have illuminated what is between the east and the west.” This will appear in the Musnad (2/213–214), and it was authenticated by Ibn Hibban (3710).)
(And from Anas, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The Corner (al-Rukn) and the Station (al-Maqam) are two rubies from the rubies of Paradise.” This was narrated by al-Hakim (1/456).)
Musnad Ahmad (5/13-15)
Moreover, Hammad ibn Salamah’s narrations from other than Thabit have weakness, even if the narration of Affan from Hammad is stronger than that of others from Hammad.
Among those who found a defect in this hadith is Abu al-Hasan al-Qattan.
The hadith, “The Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad) is from Paradise,” is also narrated through the same chain, from Ata ibn al-Saib, from Saeed ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas.
And the hadith, “Tawaf (circumambulation) around the House is like prayer,” was narrated, but none after him said except that others besides Ata stopped it at Ibn Abbas. Jarir is the one who narrates it from Ata, from Tawus, from Ibn Abbas. The chain was cut off from Ata, while the cause of weakness lies in what comes before that. If he had mentioned that it was from the narration of Jarir from Ata, then he would have been free of responsibility. He himself made it clear in his large book, after this hadith, that Ata had experienced confusion.
All these narrations come through different routes from Hammad ibn Salamah, from Ata, from Saeed ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas as a marfu narration (meaning attributed to the Prophet). This chain is weak because Hammad heard from Ata both before and after his confusion, and his narrations cannot be distinguished between the two periods.
However, it has been narrated from Ibn Abbas through another route, which was recorded by al-Tabarani in both his al-Mu’jam al-Awsat and al-Mu’jam al-Kabir. Al-Haythami said in Majma al-Zawaid (3/242): In its chain is Muhammad ibn Abi Layla, and there is discussion about him. I say: there is no harm in his narrations when used for supporting or corroborating evidence.
It was also narrated by al-Bazzar, al-Tabarani in al-Mu’jam al-Awsat, al-Aqili in al-Du‘afa (3/147), and al-Bayhaqi (5/75), from Umar ibn Ibrahim al-Abdi, from Qatadah, from Anas, as a marfu narration (attributed to the Prophet). Al-Aqili said: This narration is also transmitted from Anas as mawquf (stopped at him), and Umar ibn Ibrahim has several narrations from Qatadah that are rejected, which no one else has followed.
Al-Haythami said in Majma al-Zawaid: In its chain is Umar ibn Ibrahim al-Abdi. Ibn Ma‘in considered him reliable, but others declared him weak.
I say: Ahmad (3/277) narrated it through Yahya ibn Saeed, from Shu‘bah, from Qatadah, from Anas as mawquf. Its chain is sahih (authentic) as mawquf, and it carries the ruling of marfu (Prophetic) because such a statement cannot be said based on opinion.
It also has another mawquf supporting narration from Ka‘b al-Ahbar, which al-Bayhaqi recorded in Shu‘ab al-Iman (19/6). This hadith will be mentioned again under number 1821.
Hadith 1819 has already been mentioned under hadith number 600.
Bayan al-Wahm wa al-Iham (4/278–279)
Differing Scholarly Views on the Hadith’s Authenticity
This hadith is disputed in its grading. Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Khuzaymah, and al-Diya al-Maqdisi in al-Mukhtarah authenticated it. Among later scholars, al-Albani also authenticated it.
Al-Arnaut authenticated the first part of this hadith in his edition of Musnad Ahmad due to corroborating narrations (2795), and he weakened the remainder due to lack of corroboration. He said, “The statement ‘The Black Stone is from Paradise’ is authentic due to corroborating reports. As for the rest of the hadith, there is no corroboration to strengthen it, and the chain is weak because of the ikhtilat of Ata ibn al-Saib. Imam Ahmad said, he used to raise things from Said ibn Jubayr that he did not used to raise. Abu Hatim said, he raised things from the Companions that he used to narrate from the Successors.”
Later, al-Arnaut retracted from authenticating the first part and preferred its weakness
Yahya ibn Saeed narrated to us, from Shu‘bah, who narrated from Qatadah, from Anas, who said: “The Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad) is from Paradise.”
(Its chain is authentic according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs, al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
It was also narrated by Abu al-Qasim al-Baghawi in al-Ja’diyyat (975) through Ali ibn al-Ja’d from Shu‘bah with this same chain. It was also narrated by al-Bazzar (1115, Kashf al-Astar), Abu al-Qasim al-Baghawi (976), al-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat (4951), and al-Bayhaqi (5/75), through the chain of Umar ibn Ibrahim from Qatadah, from Anas, as a marfu narration (attributed to the Prophet). Umar ibn Ibrahim al-Abdi al-Basri is weak in his narrations from Qatadah, therefore this chain is weak.
Ibn Abi Hatim said in al-‘Ilal (1/275–276): I asked my father about the hadith narrated by Umar ibn Ibrahim from Qatadah from Anas from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he said: “The Black Stone is from the stones of Paradise.” My father said: Umar ibn Ibrahim erred. Shu‘bah and Amr ibn al-Harith al-Misri narrated it from Qatadah from Anas as mawquf (stopped at him).
We say: This narration from Ibn Abbas has already appeared under number (2795) as marfu (attributed to the Prophet), but with a weak chain. We mentioned there that the narration of Anas supports it, without pointing out that it is mawquf. It should have been clarified that this narration is only authentic as mawquf. Allah the Exalted knows best.
There is also a narration in this chapter from Abdullah ibn Amr, as marfu: “Indeed, the Corner (al-Rukn) and the Station (al-Maqam) are two rubies from the rubies of Paradise.” It has already appeared under number (7000) with a weak chain, and the correct version is that it is mawquf.
Musnad Ahmad (21/380)
Corroborating Reports (Shawahid)
The hadith has corroborating reports from others besides Ibn Abbas—from Abdullah ibn Amr, Abu Hurayrah, Aishah, and Anas.
Al-Bazzar said in al-Bahr al-Zakhkhar (2/189): “This hadith has been narrated from Ibn Abbas through more than one route.”
However, all of these corroborations are not authentic except the report of Anas, which is authentic from him as mawquf, not marfu
What Has Been Reported Regarding the Virtue of the Black Stone, the Corner, and the Station
The ḥadīth of Abdullah ibn Amr
It was narrated from him by Musāfiʿ ibn Shaybah and ʿAṭāʾ.
As for the narration of Musāfiʿ from him, it was recorded by al-Tirmidhi (3/217), Ahmad (2/213 and 2/214), Ibn Khuzaymah (4/219), al-Azraqi (1/328) in a mawqūf (stopped) form, al-Fākihī (1/440), al-Bayhaqi (5/75), and al-Ḥākim (1/456), through the route of Rajāʾ Abu Yahyā and al-Zuhrī. The version of Rajāʾ states that both of them narrated from Musāfiʿ al-Ḥājib who said: I heard Abdullah ibn Amr say: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “The Corner and the Station are two rubies from the rubies of Paradise. Allah has erased their light. If He had not erased their light, they would have illuminated what is between the East and the West.”
This is the version of al-Tirmidhi. There is a difference of opinion whether this narration is marfūʿ (attributed to the Prophet) or mawqūf (stopped at the Companion). Al-Zuhrī narrated it as marfūʿ from Ayyūb ibn Suwayd, from Yūnus, from al-Zuhrī, with this same wording. Ibn Khuzaymah said that Ayyūb was alone in transmitting it, saying:
(Abu Bakr said: “No one that I know of narrated this report from al-Zuhrī as a musnad except Ayyūb ibn Suwayd, if he preserved it.”)
Then he mentioned that Rajāʾ Abu Yahyā supported him, but he ruled that Rajāʾ was not known to be reliable or unreliable, saying: (I do not use a report like his as proof).
What he said about Ayyūb ibn Suwayd being alone in narrating it is questionable, for Ahmad ibn Shabīb also followed him up by narrating from his father, from Yūnus, with the same chain, as in al-Bayhaqi. Shabīb was the son of Saʿīd al-Ḥaṭabī, and he is considered ḥasan in ḥadīth, especially since his son had preserved his father’s narrations.
As for the narration of Rajāʾ from Musāfiʿ in the marfūʿ form, it was contradicted by al-Muthannā ibn al-Ṣabbāḥ, as recorded by al-Azraqi, who narrated from Musāfiʿ from Abdullah ibn Amr as mawqūf. Both narrators are weak, and the main reliance for the authenticity of this ḥadīth is on the narration of al-Zuhrī. However, Abu Ḥātim in al-ʿIlal (1/299–300) mentioned another flaw in the ḥadīth, saying that the disagreement was between Rajāʾ ibn Ṣubayḥ and al-Zuhrī and Shuʿbah. He stated that Rajāʾ narrated it as marfūʿ, while al-Zuhrī and Shuʿbah narrated it as mawqūf upon Musāfiʿ, then he preferred the mawqūf narration. The correct view is that the difference from al-Zuhrī himself is established as mentioned earlier.
As for the narration of ʿAṭāʾ from him, it was recorded by Ahmad (2/211), Ibn Khuzaymah (4/221), al-Ṭabarānī in al-Awsaṭ (1/177), and al-Ḥākim (1/457), through the route of Abdullah ibn al-Muʾammal, who said: I heard ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ narrate from Abdullah ibn Amr that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“The Corner will come on the Day of Resurrection greater than Mount Abū Qubays, having a tongue and two lips, testifying for whoever touched it truthfully. It is the right hand of Allah upon earth by which He shakes hands with His creation.”
This is the wording of al-Ṭabarānī, who then said: (No one narrated this ḥadīth from ʿAṭāʾ from Abdullah ibn Amr except Abdullah ibn al-Muʾammal). Abdullah is weak.
ʿAṭāʾ also has another narration with a different chain, reported by al-Bayhaqi (5/75) through the route of Musaddad who said: Ḥammād ibn Zayd narrated to us from Ibn Jurayj from ʿAṭāʾ from Abdullah ibn Amr in a marfūʿ form:
“Were it not for what it was touched by from the impurities of the pre-Islamic period, no one with an ailment would touch it except that he would be cured. There is nothing on the earth from Paradise except it.”
This is the weakest chain among the narrations from Abdullah ibn Amr. There is also disagreement whether it is marfūʿ or mawqūf upon Ibn Jurayj. Those who narrated it as marfūʿ contradicted Ibn ʿUyaynah, as recorded by al-Fākihī (1/89) and al-Azraqi (1/322), who narrated it as mawqūf. The inclination is toward the narration of Ibn ʿUyaynah. Yet it requires further verification whether the marfūʿ version is firmly established up to Musaddad.
The ḥadīth of Abu Hurayrah
It was narrated by Ibn Mājah (2/985–986), al-Fākihī in Tārīkh Makkah (1/87–88), Ibn ʿAdī (2/274–275), through the route of Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAyyāsh who said: Ḥumayd ibn Abī Suwayd narrated to me, saying: I heard Ibn Hishām asking ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ about the Yemeni Corner while he was making ṭawāf around the House. ʿAṭāʾ said:
Abu Hurayrah told me that the Prophet ﷺ said: “There are seventy angels appointed over it. Whoever says, ‘O Allah, I ask You for pardon and wellbeing in this life and in the Hereafter. Our Lord, grant us good in this life and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire,’ they (the angels) say: Āmīn.”
When he reached the Black Stone, Ibn Hishām asked: “O Abu Muhammad, what has reached you regarding this Black Stone?” ʿAṭāʾ said: Abu Hurayrah told me that he heard the Prophet ﷺ say: “Whoever touches it is in fact shaking hands with the hand of the Most Merciful.”
Then Ibn Hishām said: “O Abu Muhammad, what about ṭawāf?” ʿAṭāʾ said: Abu Hurayrah told me that he heard the Prophet ﷺ say: “Whoever circumambulates the House seven times and does not speak except by saying Subḥānallāh, al-ḥamdu lillāh, Lā ilāha illā Allāh, Allāhu akbar, and Lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh, ten sins will be erased from him, ten good deeds will be written for him, and ten ranks will be raised for him. And whoever performs ṭawāf while speaking at that time, he walks through mercy with his feet as one walks through water with his feet.”
This is the wording of Ibn Mājah.
Ismāʿīl is weak when narrating from non-Shāmī narrators, and this is among such cases, for his teacher was Makkan. His teacher, known as Ḥamād or Ḥumayd ibn Abī Ḥamīd or ibn Abī Suwayd, is abandoned in narration. Therefore, this ḥadīth is very weak.
Note: Al-Tirmidhi said at the end of the chapter: “And there is also (a narration) from Anas.”
The ḥadīth of Anas
It was narrated by al-Bazzār (2/23), ʿAlī ibn al-Jaʿd (p.148) in mawqūf form, al-Ṭabarānī in al-Awsaṭ (5/164), al-Fākihī in Tārīkh Makkah (1/84), al-ʿUqaylī (3/147), al-Ghaṭrīfī in his Juzʾ as cited in al-Muntaqā minhu (p.43), and al-Bayhaqi (5/75), through the route of ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm from Qatādah from Anas from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said:
“The Black Stone is one of the stones of Paradise.”
This is the wording of al-Bazzār.
There is a disagreement whether it is marfūʿ or mawqūf. ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm narrated it as marfūʿ, but Shuʿbah ibn al-Ḥajjāj narrated it from Qatādah from Anas as mawqūf, as in Ibn al-Jaʿd’s narration, and the correct version is with Shuʿbah. ʿUmar is weak and contradicted others. He was alone in narrating the marfūʿ form, as al-Ṭabarānī said in al-Awsaṭ.
Yet what al-Ṭabarānī said about ʿUmar being alone in it requires examination, for al-Fākihī also narrated from him, then followed it with another chain from ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥārith from Qatādah with the same content, though he did not quote the full text but merely said “with a similar narration.” It is not clear whether this similarity refers to agreement with ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm in the marfūʿ form or with Shuʿbah in the mawqūf form.
Later, I found in al-ʿIlal of Ibn Abī Ḥātim (1/275) that ʿAmr supported Shuʿbah in narrating it as mawqūf, and Abu Ḥātim deemed the mawqūf version the correct one. This supports the indication that ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm alone raised it, and that the sound version is the mawqūf narration.
Nuzhat al-Albab fi Qawl al-Tirmidhi wa fi al-Bab by Hasan ibn Haydar al-Waili 3/1492–1494
Mawquf Reports from the Companions
Al-Azraqi narrated in Akhbar Makkah (1/328) from Ata, from Ibn Abbas, that he said: “The Black Stone is from the stones of Paradise. Nothing from Paradise exists in this world besides it. Were it not for what touched it of the filth and ignorance of the Jahiliyyah, no person with an ailment would touch it except that he would be cured.”
This is mawquf from Ibn Abbas, but its chain is very weak.
Ishaq ibn Rahawayh narrated it in his Musnad (938) through Abu Yahya al-Qattat, from Mujahid, from Ibn Abbas, mawquf, and al-Qattat is weak.
Al-Fakihi narrated in Akhbar Makkah with a weak chain from Said ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas:
“The Stone and the Maqam are from the jewels of Paradise.”
What is preserved from Ata ibn Abi Rabah is that he narrated this mawquf from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As and from Kab al-Ahbar.
Abd al-Razzaq al-Sanani said in his Musannaf (8915): “From Ibn Jurayj, from Ata, from Abdullah ibn Amr and Kab al-Ahbar that both of them said, were it not for what those with impurities of the Jahiliyyah wipe upon it, no person with an ailment would touch it except that he would be healed, and nothing from Paradise is on earth except it.”
Ibn Abi Shaybah said in his Musannaf (8/395): “Ibn Fudayl narrated from Husayn, from Mujahid, from Abdullah ibn Amr: The Stone indeed descended from Paradise, and it was whiter than snow, and nothing blackened it except the sins of the children of Adam.”
He also said: “Abdah narrated from Ibn Abi Aroubah, from Qatadah: Kab was asked about the Black Stone, and he said, ‘A stone from the stones of Paradise.’”
And: “Abu Usamah narrated from Shuubah, from Qatadah, from Anas: ‘The Stone is from the stones of Paradise.’”
These narrations indicate that the origin of the report is not from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, but from Kab al-Ahbar and some Companions, and that it is not a marfu hadith.
Statements of Later Scholars on the Chain
Abdullah ibn Abd al-Halim said in Jami al-Riwayat (11/10): “These chains contain Ata ibn al-Saib, who is truthful but underwent severe ikhtilat. Hammad ibn Salamah narrates from him, and the stronger view is that the narrations of Wahib, Hammad ibn Salamah, and Abu Awanah from him fall within what is affected by ikhtilat.”
Dr Turki al-Ghumayyiz said in Tahqiq Juz min Ilal Abi Hatim: “This chain contains Ata ibn al-Saib, and he underwent ikhtilat as stated by many imams, including Ibn Uyaynah, Ahmad, Ibn Main, al-Nasa’i, Abu Hatim, and others. Ahmad said, whoever heard from him early, his hearing is sound, and whoever heard from him late, his hearing is nothing. Those who heard from him early are Sufyan and Shuubah, and those who heard from him late are Jarir, Khalid, Ismail, and Ali ibn Asim. He used to raise things from Said ibn Jubayr that he did not used to raise.”
He continues: “Ibn Main said, he underwent ikhtilat, and what Jarir and his peers heard from him is not from his sound hadith. He also said, everyone who heard from Ata heard from him during ikhtilat except Shuubah and al-Thawri. Abu Hatim said, those with early hearing from Ata are Sufyan and Shuubah, and in the reports of the Basrans from him there are many confusions because he came to them at the end of his life.”
He adds that three narrators reported this hadith from Ata ibn al-Saib: Hammad ibn Salamah, Jarir ibn Abd al-Hamid, and Ziyad ibn Abdullah al-Numayri. Jarir and Ziyad heard from him after ikhtilat, and Ziyad is weak. As for Hammad ibn Salamah, the imams differed whether he heard from Ata before or after ikhtilat.
Ibn Hajar said:
Dr Turki concluded: “If this is the case, then the hadith of Hammad ibn Salamah from Ata ibn al-Saib is not established. There are also signs that Ata did not master this hadith, as he was not followed in it by a strong corroboration. He was followed only by weak routes and was even contradicted in it. Furthermore, most narrations carrying this meaning are mawquf on Ibn Abbas or other Companions, not marfu. It seems this statement originates from Kab al-Ahbar or other People of the Book, and some Companions and Successors took it from them. Allah knows best.” (See: Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq 5/30–38; Akhbar Makkah by al-Azraqi 1/322, 342; Akhbar Makkah by al-Fakihi 1/83–93; Ibn Abi Shaybah 3/274; Musnad Ishaq 1/282; Mustakhraj al-Tusi 4/112; al-Mu jam al-Kabir 11/55, 146; al-Awsat 6/21, 229; Ibn Adi 2/193; Tabaqat al-Muhaddithin bi Asbahan 4/220; al-Silsilah al-Sahihah 6/233.)
Classification of Hadiths
Dr Turki concluded this study with a useful classification of hadiths into four categories:
- Authentic (Sahih) – Agreed upon by scholars of hadith and must be accepted.
- Fabricated (Mawdu) – Agreed upon as false and must be rejected.
- Weak (Daif) – Agreed upon as weak; such hadiths are neither affirmed nor rejected outright. Some scholars allow acting upon mildly weak hadiths in virtues of deeds, while others do not. Severely weak hadiths are closer to rejection.
- Disputed (Mukhtalaf fih) – Hadiths about which scholars differ on authenticity or weakness. Whoever follows either view by ijtihad or imitation is not to be blamed, since grading is based on predominance of probability.
Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Bari (2/449): “The reasoning of the imams (leading scholars) regarding hadith is built upon predominance of probability (ghalabat al-dhann). Therefore, when they say, “So-and-so erred in such-and-such,” his error is not necessarily established in reality, but it is the stronger likelihood, and this is relied upon. If this were not the case, they would not have required the absence of what is considered shadh (a narration in which a trustworthy narrator contradicts one more reliable than himself) within the definition of a sahih hadith.”
This hadith, “The Black Stone is from Paradise”, falls under the fourth category—the disputed hadiths regarding authenticity and weakness.
The story of the placement of the Black Stone:
When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, reached the age of thirty-five, five years before his prophethood, Quraysh gathered to rebuild the Kaaba after its walls had cracked. The Kaaba was still as Ibrahim, peace be upon him, had built it, made of stones stacked without mortar to the height of a man.
The tribes divided the work among themselves, each taking a section of the Kaaba, and they built it with stones from the valley. When the building reached the level of the Black Stone, dispute broke out among the tribes of Quraysh, as each wanted the honour of lifting the Black Stone to its place. They nearly fought over it until Abu Umayyah ibn al-Mughirah al-Makhzumi suggested that the first person to enter from the gate of the Sacred Mosque should decide the matter.
They agreed and waited, and the first to enter was the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. When they saw him, they said, “This is the trustworthy one, we are pleased, this is Muhammad.” When he reached them, they told him what had happened. He said, “Bring me a cloth.” They brought it, and he placed the Black Stone in the middle of it and said, “Let each tribe hold one side of the cloth and lift it together.” They did so until they reached the place where it should be placed, then he took it with his blessed hands and set it in its place.
When he was thirty-five, he witnessed the rebuilding of the House of Allah, and he placed the Stone with his pure and noble hand. May the Creator of all creation send peace upon him.
In the story of the Black Stone, the wisdom of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, became clear. He had sound judgement and great wisdom, which appeared many times throughout his life, both before and after his prophethood. His way of resolving the dispute was just, wise, and successful. All accepted it, many lives were saved, and wars were prevented.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, achieved two things by this: first, he ended the conflict and prevented the expected fighting among the tribes of Quraysh; second, he himself gained the honour of placing the Black Stone with his own blessed hands in its place in the Kaaba.
This was by the success and guidance of Allah for His Messenger, showing his virtue and high rank. He obtained the honour that they all had almost fought for. This was one of the first signs of the great honour that awaited him and the recognition of Quraysh that he was indeed the trustworthy one.
The acceptance of Quraysh of his judgement and their testimony that he was “the trustworthy one” became part of the proof against them. Their acceptance of his decision in the matter of the Black Stone and their acknowledgment of his truthfulness and trustworthiness showed the depth of their later arrogance and stubbornness when he brought them the message from Allah and called them to Him.
They met him with denial and harm despite knowing his truthfulness, trustworthiness, good character, and noble manners. Allah said about them and those like them, “And they say, ‘Why was this Quran not sent down upon a great man from the two cities?’” (al-Zukhruf: 31).
And Allah said, “They do not deny you, but it is the wrongdoers who reject the verses of Allah” (al-An‘am: 33).
The virtue of the Black Stone and its kissing:
The Black Stone is the most honoured stone on earth, and it is from Paradise. Abdullah ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The Black Stone descended from Paradise whiter than milk, but the sins of the children of Adam made it black” (reported by al-Tirmidhi).
It is prescribed to touch the Black Stone at the beginning of tawaf and at the start of every circuit. It is also prescribed to kiss it. If that is not possible, one may touch it with the hand and then kiss the hand, and if even that is not possible, one should point to it without kissing.
Ibn Hajar said: “Al Tabari said, Umar only said that because the people were still new to Islam and close in time to their former worship of idols. Umar feared that the ignorant among them might think that touching the Black Stone was a form of glorifying stones, as the Arabs used to do in the period of ignorance.
So Umar wanted to teach the people that touching it was only in following the action of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, not because the Stone itself brings benefit or harm by its own nature, as the people of ignorance used to believe concerning their idols.
Al Muhib al Tabari said, its meaning is that every king, when a visitor comes to him, the visitor greets him by kissing his right hand. So when the pilgrim first arrives, it is prescribed for him to kiss the Stone, so that it takes the place of kissing the right hand of the King, and to Allah belongs the highest example.
In the words of Umar there is submission to the Legislator in the matters of religion and good following in what he legislates, even in those things whose meanings have not been explained. This is a great principle in following the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in what he does, even if the wisdom behind it is not known.
In it is a refutation of what has occurred to some ignorant people, that the Black Stone has a special property that returns to its own essence. It also contains clarification of the sunan through word and deed, and that when the leader fears that someone may fall into a corrupt belief because of an action, he should hasten to clarify the matter and explain it clearly.
Our Shaykh, in his commentary on al Tirmidhi, said, in it is the dislike of kissing anything for which there is no evidence from the Sharia permitting it.
As for the saying of al Shafi‘i, “whatever is kissed from the House is good,” he did not mean by that that it is recommended, for what is permissible is included among what is described as good according to the principles of the jurists.
Some atheists objected to the hadith mentioned earlier, saying, how did the sins of the polytheists blacken it while the obedience of the people of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) did not make it white again? The answer is what Ibn Qutaybah said, if Allah had willed, it would have been so, but Allah has made the natural law that black dye stains and is not itself stained, unlike whiteness.
Al Muhib al Tabari said, in its remaining black there is a lesson for whoever has insight, for if sins could affect a solid stone, then their effect on the heart is far greater. He said, it was narrated from Ibn Abbas that Allah changed its colour to black so that the people of the world would not look at the beauty of Paradise. If this is authentic, then this is the answer. I say, al Humaydi narrated it in Fada’il Makkah with a weak chain of transmission, and Allah knows best.”
Fath Al Bari (5/403-404)
