The Black Stone of Mecca

The Black Stone of Mecca
If you believe in the ancient astronaut theory of creation, you have
to wonder if the Black Stone is an alien artifact.
The Black Stone of Mecca, or Kaaba Stone, is a Muslim relic, which
according to Islamic tradition dates back to the time of Adam and Eve.
It is the eastern cornerstone of the Kaaba, the ancient sacred stone
building towards which Muslims pray, in the center of the Grand Mosque
in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The Stone is a dark rock, polished smooth by the hands of millions of
pilgrims, that has been broken into a number of fragments cemented
into a silver frame in the side of the Kaaba.
Although it has often been described as a meteorite, this hypothesis
is still under consideration.
The Black Stone is a Muslim object of reverence, which according to
Islamic tradition dates back to the time of Adam and Eve.
Many consider it to be a Tektite.
It is the eastern cornerstone of the Kaaba, the ancient sacred stone
building towards which Muslims pray, in the center of the Grand Mosque
in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The Stone is roughly 30 cm (12 in.) in diameter, and 1.5 meters (5
ft.) above the ground.
When 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 it received from the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
If they cannot reach it, they are to point to it on each of their
seven circuits around the Kaaba.
The Stone is broken into a number of pieces from damage which was
inflicted during the Middle Ages. The pieces are held together by a
silver frame, which is fastened by silver nails to the Stone.

The Black Stone of Kaaba or Mecca in Arabic, is calledAl-hajar
Al-aswad.The word Kaaba - Ka'ba - Ka'bah - means Cube.

There are various opinions as to what the Black Stone actually is.
Muslims say that the Stone was found by Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son
Ishmael (Ismail) when they were searching for stones with which to
build the Kaaba. They recognized its worth and made it one of the
building's cornerstones.
Secular historians point to the history of stone worship, and
especially meteorite worship, in pre-Islamic Arabia, and say that it
is likely that the Stone is a meteorite.
There is no way to test this hypothesis without removing and examining
the Stone, which would not be permitted by its guardians.
There is no indication as to where this stone originated, but since it
pre-dates the revelation of the Holy Qur'an and Muhammad's
prophethood, and even kissed, it must stem from the time of Abraham
since the Hajj traditions are traceable to the patriarch of
monotheism.
The Ka'bah at Mecca describes the shape of the black stone structure
on a marble base which stands in the centre court of the Great Mosque,
Masjidul Haram, at the centre of Mecca.
It stands about 50 feet high by about 35 feet wide. Set into the
eastern corner is the sacred stone. This Ka'ba is a cubed shaped
temple rebuilt by Abraham and his son Ishmael.
Reverently draped in black cloth throughout the year, it beckons to
every Muslim of the world to come to its sacred ground.
The Ka'ba - Kaaba - is the canonical center of the Islamic world and
every pious act, particularly prayer, is directed toward it.
Once a year it plays host to the greatest convention of religious
believers and stands ready to sanctify the Umrah traveler through the
balance of the year.
The official starting point of the walk around the Kaaba, that forms
the core of the holy pilgrimage, is called thehajj.During the Tawaf
pilgrims kiss or touch the black stone as they circumambulate the
Ka'ba.
Maqam Ibrahim or place where Abraham stood
It is opposite the Multazam the only door of the Ka'bah.
Invocation of the pilgrims on the hill of As-Safa,
Point of departure for the procession.
Pilgrims touching one of the walls of the Ka'bah.
Some Muslims are more willing to believe that the Stone itself has
some supernatural powers.
They believe that this stone fell from the sky during the time of Adam
and Eve, and that it has the power to cleanse worshippers of their
sins by absorbing them into itself.
They say that the Black Stone was once a pure and dazzling white and
it has turned black because of the sins it has absorbed over the
years.
It is remarkable, however, that even though the temple contained 360
idols worshipped before Muhammad's Prophethood, the black stone was
never kissed or made an idol of worship.
In fact, the Ka'ba was never worshipped by the idolaters prior to
Muhammad's Prophethood.
The building contained idols of worship but the building itself was
never an object of worship.
The fact that the Ka'ba was rebuilt by Abraham is a historical fact.
Since the stone has been there ever since, it stands to reason that
Abraham placed the stone in the Ka'ba.



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