Misconceptions about hajj

THE institution of hajj in Islam is no doubt a course of spiritual enrichment and moral rearmament, a course of intensified devotion and disciplinary experience, a course of humanitarian interests and inspiring knowledge and it is a foregone conclusion that the rites of hajj can only be performed in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, as the sacred, blessed, and anointed holy land. (Q.3.96; 27:91). The historical antecedents of the holy shrines where hajj rites are performed also make it possible only to be performed in Mecca. (Q. 2:126; 4:35).

However, one of the major distortions about hajj is that Muslims go to Mecca to kiss a black stone. Such distortions or misconceptions are indeed based on falsehood, ignorance, and an attempt to debase a divine call.

The Black Stone called Hajara-I-Aswad is the remaining antique of the Ka’bah from Prophet Adam (Alein Salam) to date. The sacred mosque built nearly five thousand years ago served as the first House of Allah on earth with stones from paradise. The Black Stone thus becomes the only remaining relic of the ka’bah since Adam, as it had been rebuilt many times in the course of the centuries. It was rebuilt once in the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), before his mission, when he was chosen by chance to place the black stone in its position. The Hajara-I-Aswad is in the east corner of Ka’bah, about four feet ground level, set in a silver frame. The black stone of eight inches in diameter is believed to be the only remnant of the first mosque built and only a mere stone It does not have any relevance or importance as part of the essentials of hajj devotion. The entire course of hajj rites is to Allah alone.

Muslims go to Mecca in glory of Allah, not to kiss a stone or worship a man or semi divinity. Kissing or touching the black stone at the Sa‘bah is indeed an optional action, not an obligation or a prescription. Those who kiss the black stone or touch it do not do it because they have faith in the store or attribute any superstitious qualities to it. Their faith is in Allah only. They kiss or touch or point to the stone only as a token of respect to a symbol of love for Prophet Muhammad (SAW), who laid the stone at the foundation of the Ka’bah when it was reconstructed. That event has a special significance. It depicts Muhammad as a man designated for peace. When the Ka’bah was under reconstruction, some years before Muhammad was called to prophethood, the Black Stone was to be laid at its foundation. The tribal chieftains had a quarrelsome dispute over who was to have the honour of restoring the stone. This was a very serious matter hung over the holy place. The stone was held in especially high reverence by the chieftains, although it was nothing more than a piece of stone. This reverence may be attributed to the fact that the stone remaining from the antique structure of the sacred edifice. Thus, the stone has no significance whatsoever as far as Islam and the Muslims are concerned when the chieftains failed to settle the dispute among themselves, they agreed to let the first incomer decide the issue. Muhammad was the first incomer. He then decided to put the stone in the middle of a piece of cloth and asked the four disputing tribes to carry the stone from each end of the cloth; and restored it in such a way that each chieftain had a part in the operation. They were happy with his wise decision. Hence, the issue died and peace was restored. This is the moral of the story of the black stone. So, when the pilgrims kiss the stone or point at it with reverence, they do so in remembrance of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the wise peace-maker.

It may be necessary to make the issue of the Black Stone clearer by comparison. It is natural for a good patriot returning from exile, or a fighting soldier coming from the battlefield to do certain things upon reaching the borders of his beloved homeland. For example, he may kiss the ground at the borders, or embrace with deep emotions the first few compatriots he meets, or show admiration for some landmarks. This is considered normal and appreciable, but no one would think that the patriot or soldier defies his fellow compatriots or attributes some divine qualities to the landmarks. The behaviour of the pilgrims should be interpreted a similar way. In fact, the second Caliph, Uman Bin Al-Khattab, was reported to have told the stone that he would not have kissed it if not because of love for Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that placed it as a form of foundation as it was just an ordinary stone that could not do anything.

The Ka’bah in Mecca is the spiritual centre of Islam and the spiritual homeland of every Muslim. When the pilgrim reaches Mecca, his feelings would be like those of a patriot coming home from exile to a triumphant soldier returning from a decisive battle. This is not a figurative interpretation. It corresponds with the facts of history. The early Muslims were expelled from their homes and forced to live in exile for years. They were denied the right to worship in the Ka’bah, the most sacred House of God in existence when they returned from exile, the Ka’bah was their main destination. They joyfully entered the Sacred Shrine, destroyed all the idols and images that were there, and completed the rites of hajj.

May Allah Grant us the true understanding of the principles and practices of Islam (Ameen).

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