Q.1. Could you please tell us what is the Black Stone and its origins and significance?
Q.2. Please explain the meaning and importance of Aqeeqah, and how to perform it?
A. Khanum
A. The Black Stone is an easily distinguished stone, placed a little below shoulder level at one corner of the Kaabah. The act of worship which is particularly associated with the Kaabah, and never stops except when congregational prayer is held, is tawaf, which means walking round the Kaabah seven times in an anti-clockwise direction. Tawaf is one of the duties of the Haj and Umrah (minipilgrimage). It is also a recommended act of worship at all times. Moreover, it is the way to offer greeting to the Kaabah.
It is said that when Abraham completed the building of the Kaabah, with the help of his son, Ishmael, God commanded him to do the tawaf. He was not able to keep a correct count of the rounds he made. He felt that other worshipers would be similarly confused. He prayed God to give him a sign to be used for counting rounds. The Angel Gabriel brought him the Black Stone.
When one starts tawaf, and at the completion of each round, one should kiss the Black Stone or touch it with one’s hand, if it is possible, or signal to it from a distance, if the place is too crowded. As one does so, one should repeat this declaration: “There is no deity save God, God is supreme.” The significance of this particular action is best expressed by Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the second greatest figure among the companions of the Prophet Muhammad and his second successor as ruler of the Islamic state, and a distinguished scholar. He addressed the Black Stone in these words: “I know that you are a stone which can cause no harm or benefit. Had it not been for the fact that I saw God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) kissing you, I would not have kissed you.”
A.2. I am not sure I understand your question, but I suppose you mean Aqeeqah, which is performed after a child’s birth. One of the main recommendations when a child is born is that his father should sacrifice one or two sheep, and invite relatives and neighbors to a dinner, using the meat of the sheep. This is to give a chance to relatives and the community to share in the joy of a Muslim family. When they have their dinner, the guests pray for the child and wish the family well. The word is derived from a root that means “slaughter”, which is done on this occasion.
However, you spelled the word as Aqeeqah, which means “truth” or a “fact”. The word has a special meaning according to some Sufi traditions, which I am not familiar with.