(1) Recorded by Abu Dawud and others; several scholars declared it sound. See Sahih Abi Dawud, no. 1653. (2) Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: “Istilam (touching) is wiping it with the hand; none of the other sides of the Kaaba, the Maqam Ibrahim, any part of the mosque’s ground or walls, nor the graves of prophets and righteous people—such as the Prophet’s chamber, the Cave of Ibrahim, the site where our Prophet used to pray, and similar graves, nor the Rock of Jerusalem—may be touched or kissed by consensus of the jurists. Circumambulating any of these is among the gravest forbidden innovations; whoever adopts it as a devotional act must be ordered to repent, and if he refuses he is to be put to death. ‘Abd al-Razzaq (no. 8945), Ahmad, and al-Bayhaqi have aptly related from Ya‘la b. Umayyah: ‘I performed tawaf (circumambulation) with ‘Umar b. al-Khattab— in another version, with ‘Uthman—when we reached the corner beside the door, next to the Hijr, I took his hand so that he might touch it. He asked, “Did you not perform tawaf with the Messenger of Allah?” I replied, “Indeed.” He said, “Did you see him touch it?” I answered, “No.” He replied, “Then move on, for you have in the Messenger of Allah a good example.”’