Kissing Al-Hajar Al-Aswad

Q 5: It is narrated that `Umar kissed Al-Hajar Al-Aswad (the Black Stone in a corner of the Ka`bah) and said, " I know that you are only a stone and that you can neither bring benefit nor cause harm. Had I not seen the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) kiss you, I would have not kissed you." Did Al-Hajar Al-Aswad descend from heaven? Or is it just a stone like any other stone? What is the significance of this stone being put in this place? Some people think that it is the Qiblah faced by the Muslims when they pray, Allah forbid!

A: Al-Hajar Al-Aswad was singled out by Allah (Exalted be He), as He prescribed for us to kiss it and touch it, and He willed that it should be set in the corner of the Ka`bah which we face when we offer Salah (Prayer). He prescribed that the people who do Tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka`bah) should touch it and kiss it if they are able to, and if they cannot do that then they should point to it when they come in line with it, and say Takbir (saying: "Allahu Akbar [Allah is the Greatest]"). According to a Hadith related by Al-Tirmidhy and others, it came down from Jannah (Paradise), but there is some weakness in the Sanad (chain of narrators) of this report.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.