The black stone itself is kissed. Some Muslims take this to be an important aspect of Hajj. Given the huge crowds during Hajj, however, it becomes difficult for people to get to the black stone and actually kiss it. Thus, one finds Muslim "how-to" guides for getting to the stone (like this one: "Pucker Up! How To Kiss the Black Stone Every Time")
This may remind one of the superstitious idolatry found in Roman Catholicism and the kissing of the toe of the statue of Peter in Rome. But it gets worse. The Hadith provide the following comments on the black stone:
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said concerning the Stone: “By Allaah, Allaah will bring it forth on the Day of Resurrection, and it will have two eyes with which it will see and a tongue with which it will speak, and it will testify in favour of those who touched it in sincerity.”And again:
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 961; Ibn Maajah, 2944
This hadeeth was classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi, and as qawiy by al-Haafiz ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari, 3/462
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Touching them both [the Black Stone and al-Rukn al-Yamani] is an expiation for sins.”Finally, the somewhat contradictory testimony:
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 959. This hadeeth was classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi and as saheeh by al-Haakim (1/664). Al-Dhahabi agreed with him).
Narrated 'Abis bin Rabia:And I'll just leave it at that. There is an odd religious veneration of the black stone in Islam, though they do not consider it a "god" yet they give it an extraordinary amount of attention.
'Umar came near the Black Stone and kissed it and said "No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit anyone nor harm anyone. Had I not seen Allah's Apostle kissing you I would not have kissed you."
-TurretinFan
4 comments:
Good post...never thought I'd see such plain parallels between RC and Islam (Stone/Mary)
Yes, the importance of the Kaaba in Islam is all too often drowned out by the loud proclamation of strict monotheism. The circumambulation of the object and the kissing thereof are pagan in origin and the belief that touching the stone provides remission of sins stems from pagan beliefs, too. It is said that the blackness of the Kaaba was caused by all the sins that are transmitted from the pilgrims' hands to the Kaaba when they touch it. The orientation toward the stone in prayer is very suspicous because such behavior normally reveals the addressee prayed to--in this case the stone. People bow before statues, dance around calfs, kiss statues or walk around the kaaba and kiss it. The similarities are striking and it's astounding how such customs are supposed to align with such a high view of monotheism as Islam claims to adhere to.
Finally, the somewhat contradictory testimony:
Narrated 'Abis bin Rabia:
'Umar came near the Black Stone and kissed it and said "No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit anyone nor harm anyone. Had I not seen Allah's Apostle kissing you I would not have kissed you."
And I'll just leave it at that. There is an odd religious veneration of the black stone in Islam, though they do not consider it a "god" yet they give it an extraordinary amount of attention.
Mentioning the 'contradictory testimony' reminded me of what I have observed in both Islam and Roman Catholicism: that they have many contradictory teachings which their followers are taught to ignore or explain away. Islam of course teaches against violence in some places in the Koran and in favor of violence against 'infidels' in other places, for instance. Then there is the contradiction of the 'monotheism' teaching with the worship of the black stone which you mentioned, TurretinFan.
Of course you know there are many contradictions in Roman Catholism, which I won't go into here.
Contradictions (glaring and unresolvable ones) seem to be a hallmark of false religions, which is not surprising, since their author is not the omnipotent, omniscient God of Scripture. Of course, there are many who point to seeming contradictions in the Bible, so maybe I shouldn't open this can of worms, but I think the 'contradictions' in the Bible are resolvable and are kind of like puzzles for those who desire to find the truth. They aren't to be ignored (once they are seen), but to be solved.
Without the Kaaba cult, there would be no Muslim pilgrimage either, and pilgrimage is one of the "five pillars of Islam":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Pillars_of_Islam#Hajj
In other words, this idolatrous nonsense is one of the indispensable components of Islam.
Without Kaaba getting re-appropriated from pagan Arabs, Islam would not have had a firm geographical center, and it could have fallen apart at early stage.
Post a Comment