Hajar al-Aswad is set in the southern corner of the Sacred Ka'bah, 1.10 metres above the ground. Hajar al-Aswad is 25 centimetres long and 17 centimetres wide. Originally, Hajar al-Aswad was a single piece. In 319 AH, the Qarmatian sect removed the stone and took it to their own region. At that time, the stone broke into eight pieces. The largest of these pieces is the size of a date. The pieces are now set into another stone surrounded by a silver border. Kissing the stone with the silver border does not count; rather, only if one is able to kiss or touch the pieces of Hajar al-Aswad set in it will it be considered that one has kissed or touched Hajar al-Aswad.
Hajar al-Aswad is a stone that descended from Paradise.[1] According to one hadith, its colour was originally whiter than milk or snow. Later, the sins of the children of Adam turned it black.[2] Touching Hajar al-Aswad causes sins to be forgiven.[3] Hajar al-Aswad has a tongue and two lips, and on the Day of Resurrection it will testify in favour of the person who kissed or touched it.[4] However, Hajar al-Aswad is merely a stone that can neither benefit nor harm anyone.[5]
1] - الحجر الأسود من الجنة (Al-Nasa'i: 5/226; Al-Albani graded this hadith sahih: Sahih Sunan al-Nasa'i: 2748)
[2] - نزل الحجر الأسود من الجنة وهو أشد بياضا من اللبن فسودته خطايا بني آدم (Al-Tirmidhi: Chapter on Hajj (877) وفي رواية أشد بياضا من الثلج (Ibn Khuzaymah: 4/282)
[3] - إن مسحهما يحطان الخطايا حطا (Al-Nasa'i: 5/221; Al-Albani graded this hadith sahih, no. 2732)
[4] - إن لهذا الحجر لسانا وشفتين يشهد لمن استلمه يوم القيامة بحق(Ahmad: 1/266; Al-Albani graded this hadith sahih. (See: Sahih Ibn Majah, no. 2381)
[5] - Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, إني أعلم أنك لا تضر ولا تنفع - I certainly know that you can neither benefit nor harm. (Al-Bukhari: 3/462)