Quraysh to rebuild the Kaʿbah. They wanted to roof it over but were hesitant to demolish the existing structure, for it was no more than a pile of stones a little higher than a man. Their intention was to raise its walls and set a roof upon it. At that time the sea had cast a ship ashore at Jeddah and it broke apart, so they collected its timber and prepared it for the roofing. There was also a Coptic carpenter in Mecca, and they enlisted his skills for the project.
A serpent used to emerge from the well of the Kaʿbah, into which people would cast their daily offerings. It would crawl up the wall of the Kaʿbah, and the people feared it; anyone who came near it would see it coil, hiss, and open its jaws. One day, while the serpent was perched on the wall, Allah sent a bird that snatched it up and flew away with it. The people rejoiced at this, yet they still dreaded beginning the demolition.
Al-Walid ibn al-Mughira said, “I shall start the demolition for you.” He took up a pickaxe, saying, “O Allah, do not be dismayed; O Allah, we seek nothing but good.” He then demolished part of the wall between the two corners, and they continued until they reached the foundation laid by Abraham—upon him be peace—where they found green stones interlocked with one another. They then rebuilt the structure.
When the construction reached the place of the Corner—that is, the Black Stone—they quarreled over who should set it in position, each clan eager for the honor to the point that they were on the verge of fighting, and this lasted four days. They finally met in the Mosque and sought a fair solution. It is said that Abu Umayyah ibn al-Mughira, the eldest of Quraysh, proposed, “Let the first person to enter through the gate of the Mosque decide the matter between you.” They agreed, and the first to come upon them was the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. When they saw him they exclaimed, “This is the Trustworthy one; we accept his judgment.”
When he reached them they told him what had transpired. He said, “Bring me a cloak.” They brought it, and he placed the Black Stone in it with his own hand. Then he said, “Let each clan take hold of a side of the cloak, and raise it together.” They did so, and when they had lifted it to its place, he—peace and blessings be upon him—set it in position with his own hand and built over it.
Ibn Wahb narrated from Yunus, from al-Zuhri, who said: When the Messenger of Allah