628 – It is related from ʿUmar ﵁ that he kissed the Black Stone and said, “I know that you are only a stone; you can neither harm nor benefit. Had I not seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ kiss you, I would not have done so.” Agreed upon (1).

Points derived from the ḥadith

1. From the words of this inspired leader we learn a fundamental legal principle: the default ruling in acts of worship is prohibition and restriction. Nothing is considered worship unless Allah and His Messenger have legislated it, and therefore personal opinion or subjective preference has no place here. Moreover, the only model to be followed in such matters is the Prophet ﷺ himself, for he is the one who conveys revelation from Allah and is the definitive exemplar in all religious affairs.

2. Al-Nawawī explained: ʿUmar said, “It can neither harm nor benefit,” so that those who were still new to Islam—people long accustomed to worshipping and venerating stones in the hope of gain or out of fear of harm—would not be misled. ʿUmar feared that if one of them saw him kissing the Stone and giving it attention, he might misunderstand. He therefore clarified that it is merely a created stone like any other, devoid of power to harm or benefit. ʿUmar made this declaration openly during the ḥajj season so that pilgrims could carry the clarification back to their lands and preserve it for others.

3. History is repeating itself: in many Muslim countries today, ignorance of their own religion and of Allah’s monotheism—the very foundation of the faith—resembles that found among the people of pre-Islamic ignorance. Muslims are therefore in urgent need of those who will enlighten them about their religion and teach it to them in its true form—the form Allah intended when He sent His Messenger and revealed His clear Book.