Is It True That the Black Stone Used to Be an Angel?
Answered by Shaykh Farid Dingle
Question
Is it true that the black stone was originally an angel? If so, by kissing it, does not it constitute a Shirk?
Answer
Thank you for your important question.
No, it doesn’t seem to be the case that the black stone was originally an angel since nothing sound has reached us stating that.
Even if it was originally an angel, or is still an angel for that matter, kissing or touching it would not constitute worshipping gods besides Allah.
The Source of the Hadith
As far as any imperfect researcher can tell, the only source stating that the black stone was originally an angel is the Shiite hadith collection of hadith, “al-Kafi” by Kulini (d. 329 AH). Now that by no means makes it automatically weak, but at the end of the day, the hadith does not cite the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) or any of the Prophetic Companions as a source. [Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar]
Had there been anything even passably authentic, Ibn Hajar would have mentioned it in his commentary on Bukhari in the discussion of why Sayyidna ‘Umar was loath to kiss the black stone. But he didn’t. [Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari]
As for whether or not the black stone has or will have a tongue, this is established in Sahih Ibn Khuzayma and other reliable works.
Shiite Hadith Sources
One of the beautiful things about the Islamic tradition in general, and the Sunni tradition in specific, is that it is very objective and non-partisan.
A hadith is narrated, and its narrators are judged based on the likelihood of them lying and the likelihood of there being errors in their reports. Lying about the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is quite a big thing in any Muslim’s eyes, for which reason only the worst of certain extreme sects of Islam deemed it permissible to fabricate hadiths intentionally.
Consequently, we frequently find hadiths in reliable Sunni books in whose chains Shiite and Kharijite hadith narrators are found. In contradiction to Shiites, for Sunnis, you don’t have to be in our camp, or of our persuasion, for your hadith to be sound. You just have to be a solid and accurate preserver and narrator of hadiths.
Even when it comes to critiquing hadith, we rely on Shiite scholars like Ibn Khirash (d. 283 AH).
Gray Areas of Shirk
Shirk is a very clear-cut thing: you either worship a god besides Allah, or you don’t. Showing veneration to a created thing, such as a parent, scholar, angel, book (e.g., mushaf), or a building (e.g., Kaaba or a grave) is not shirk in and of itself. Rather, when one believes that such a thing has the power to benefit or harm independent of Allah, this is when it becomes shirk. [Thanvi, Imdad al-Fatawa]
Thus, if it turned out that the black stone was actually a living being, it would not constitute worshipping a god besides Allah.
Conclusion
In all likelihood, the black stone was not originally an angel, and even if we were to say that, still kissing or touching it would not constitute worshipping gods besides Allah.
I pray this helps.
[Shaykh] Farid Dingle
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years, he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language.
