Sunnah Methods and Virtues of Touching the Hajar al-Aswad

Sunnah Methods and Virtues of Touching the Ḥajar al-Aswad
Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori

Virtue of Touching the Ḥajar al-Aswad​

① Sayyiduna ‘Umar رضي الله عنه
He kissed the Ḥajar al-Aswad and said:


"I know well that you are a stone and can neither harm nor benefit.
ولولا أني رأيت رسول الله يقبلك ما قبلتك
‘If I had not seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ kiss you, I would not have kissed you.’"
(Bukhari: 1597; Muslim: 1270; Abu Dawud: 1873; Nasā’ī: 5/227; Tirmidhī: 862; Ahmad: 1/86; Bayhaqī: 5/74; Sharḥ al-Sunnah: 4/68)


② Sayyiduna Ibn ‘Abbās رضي الله عنهما
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:


"On the Day of Resurrection, this stone will be brought with two eyes by which it will see and a tongue by which it will speak, testifying in favour of the one who touched it in truth."
(Sahih: Sahih Ibn Majah: 2382; Mishkāt: 2578; Tirmidhī: 961; Ibn Majah: 2944; Ahmad: 1/247; Ibn Khuzaymah: 2735; Dārimī: 2/42; Abu Ya‘lā: 2719; Ibn Ḥibbān: 3711; Ḥākim: 1/457; Bayhaqī: 5/75)

Sunnah Methods of Touching the Ḥajar al-Aswad​

① Kissing the Ḥajar al-Aswad directly
② Touching it with a stick or similar object and then kissing the object

• During the Farewell Ḥajj, the Prophet ﷺ performed ṭawāf on his camel and touched the Ḥajar al-Aswad with a stick.
  (Bukhari: 1607; Muslim: 1272; Ahmad: 1/214; Abu Dawud: 1877; Nasā’ī: 5/233; Ibn Majah: 2948)
• In the narration of Abu al-Ṭufayl رضي الله عنه: ويقبل المحجن – "He kissed the stick."
  (Muslim: 1275; Ibn Majah: 2949)

③ Touching it with the hand and then kissing the hand

• Nāfi‘ رحمه الله says: I saw Ibn ‘Umar رضي الله عنهما touch the stone with his hand and then kiss his hand, saying:

ما تركته منذ رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يفعله
"I have not stopped doing this since I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ doing it."
(Ahmad: 2/108; Bukhari: 1606; Muslim: 1267; Nasā’ī: 5/232; Ibn Khuzaymah: 2715)

Touching the Rukn Yamānī​

① Sayyiduna Ibn ‘Umar رضي الله عنهما narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said:


"Touching the Rukn Yamānī and the Rukn Aswad removes sins."
(Sahih: Sahih al-Jāmi‘: 2194; Ahmad: 2/3; Nasā’ī: 2919; Tirmidhī: 959; Ibn Khuzaymah: 2729)


② Ibn ‘Umar رضي الله عنهما says:


"I did not see the Prophet ﷺ touch any part of the House except the two Yamani corners."
(Bukhari: 1609; Muslim: 1267; Ahmad: 2/89; Abu Dawud: 1874; Nasā’ī: 2946; Ibn Majah: 2946)


③ Another narration from Ibn ‘Umar رضي الله عنهما:


"The Prophet ﷺ used to touch the Rukn Yamānī and the Ḥajar al-Aswad in every ṭawāf."
(Hasan: Irwā’ al-Ghalīl: 1110; Nasā’ī: 2947; Ḥākim: 1/456; Bayhaqī: 5/80; Abu Dawud: 1876)


Note:

• The Ka‘bah has four corners:
  
  • Rukn Aswad (Ḥajar al-Aswad) and Rukn Yamānī = Ruknayn Yamāniyyayn
  • Rukn Shāmī and Rukn ‘Irāqī = Ruknayn Shāmiyyayn