Question: During a discussion in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a person of another faith asked: "You touch and kiss the 'Hajar-ul-Aswad' (Black Stone) in Mecca (at the Kaaba) and claim it came from Paradise. Hindu brothers also claim that the 'Linga'—a stone—came from Paradise. Please explain."
– Seyyid Muhideen, Vellore.
Answer: Muslims do not worship the 'Hajar-ul-Aswad' (Black Stone), which is embedded in a corner of the wall of the Kaaba in Mecca; nor does Islam instruct anyone to worship it.
However, Hindu brothers do worship the Linga.
This is the crucial difference.
Worshipping a stone implies that, upon standing before it, one feels a sense of reverential awe.
One must believe that the stone possesses the power to remove suffering and bestow happiness.
There must be a fear that failing to show it due respect could result in the stone causing some harm.
One must believe that it understands our prayers and will take appropriate action in response. Acts of reverence performed with such beliefs constitute worship.
Those who worship stone idols, the Linga, or other objects do so with precisely these beliefs. Does Islam say any of this regarding the 'Hajar-ul-Aswad'? Certainly not.
Islam does not claim that the Black Stone can hear us speak, fulfill our prayers, or punish us if we fail to show it due respect.
Islam clearly states that it is merely a stone, devoid of any divine attributes. Umar (RA)—the second ruler in Islamic history and a close companion of Prophet Muhammad—kissed the stone and addressed it, saying, "I know for certain that you are merely a stone. I know that you can cause neither benefit nor harm. Had I not seen Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) kissing you, I would not have kissed you."
(Bukhari: 1597, 1605)
Had Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) instilled a belief in the divinity of that stone, a companion who learned from him would not have spoken in this manner.
After the Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had clearly stated that no one and nothing should be worshipped or venerated other than God—and after the Prophet had smashed all idols, including those of his ancestors Ibrahim (Abraham) and Ismail (Ishmael)—how could he have attributed a divine quality to an ordinary stone?
If one asks, "If the stone known as Hajar-ul-Aswad possesses no power or divine nature, why then should it be touched and kissed?"—that is indeed a valid question.
Although it is not an Islamic tenet that the stone possesses divinity, Islam affirms that it holds a unique significance. It was for this reason that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) instructed Muslims to kiss it.
According to Islamic belief, after this world is destroyed, God will conduct a judgment; He will admit the righteous into Paradise and cast the wicked into Hell. The teaching of Islam is that attaining Paradise should be the ultimate goal of a Muslim.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) stated that the stone known as Hajar-ul-Aswad is one of the stones of Paradise. If an object from the very Paradise that humans aspire to reach as their ultimate goal is found in this world, a natural desire arises to see and touch it.
Apart from this stone, there is no other object from Paradise to be found in this world. Muslims touch and kiss it precisely because it is the only object from Paradise available here; it is not because they attribute any divine nature to the stone itself.
To understand this better, we can look at a well-known event as an example.
The team led by Armstrong brought back soil from the moon. Although it was ordinary soil, the fact that it originated from another celestial body led to it being sent to various countries—including Chennai.
Many people went to see, touch, and smell that soil, even though they knew it was merely earth. One cannot conclude that they were worshipping the soil simply because they did so.
Similarly, Muslims touch the stone based on the belief that it originated from Paradise; they hold no other belief regarding it.
Furthermore, touching the stone is not mandatory for those performing the Hajj pilgrimage; the Hajj remains valid even without touching it. If a Muslim were to pray to the Black Stone, believing it possessed the power to cause harm or good, or believing it could hear prayers or perceive their presence, they would step outside the fold of Islam.
It is also important to note that, despite believing the Hajar-ul-Aswad (Black Stone) to be an object from Paradise, Muslims do not seek to have a Hajar-ul-Aswad in every town or locality.