Chapter: Tawaf and Its Etiquette (1)

Hadith 1

It is narrated from ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he approached the Black Stone, kissed it, and said: “I know full well that you are only a stone; you can neither harm nor benefit. Had I not seen the Prophet ﷺ kiss you, I would never have kissed you.”

Overall meaning
Places, times, and other created things are not venerated with the reverence due to the worship of Allah on account of any inherent sanctity; they become sacred only through revealed law. Thus ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab came to the Black Stone and kissed it in full view of pilgrims who were only recently removed from idol-worship. He clarified that he did not kiss or honor this stone on his own initiative, nor because the stone has power to benefit or harm. Rather, it is an act of worship learned from the Lawgiver ﷺ: he saw the Prophet kiss it, so he kissed it in imitation and obedience, not as a personal opinion or innovation.

Points derived from the hadith

1. It is prescribed for those performing tawaf to kiss the Black Stone when they come level with it, provided this can be done without hardship.
2. The kissing is not because the stone confers benefit or harm, but purely as worship of Allah, taught to us by the Prophet ﷺ.
3. Acts of worship are tawqīfī—established only by revelation; nothing is legislated except what Allah and His Messenger have legislated. Worship is therefore not based on personal opinion or preference but is taken directly from the Lawgiver. This is a great and beneficial principle drawn from the words of the inspired “muhaddath,” the Commander of the Believers ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him and grant him contentment.
4. Scholars should clarify matters that might confuse the general public, so they do not adopt erroneous beliefs.
5. Whatever the Prophet ﷺ did is part of his Sunnah to be followed; nothing is deemed exclusive to him unless there is evidence.
6. Once an act of worship is authentically established from the Lawgiver, it must be practiced even if its wisdom is unknown; one of the intended wisdoms is people’s submission and obedience in carrying it out.
7. Shaykh al-Islam said: It is recommended for the person performing tawaf to remember Allah and supplicate with the sanctioned invocations and remembrances; if he recites Qur’an quietly, there is no harm in that. As for tawaf