Stories from Early Islam — Page 50
50 the Ka’abah. Whenever any dispute arose, the heads of the var- ious families living in Makkah would gather there to discuss it. Sometime after the birth of the Holy Prophet of Islam, the Ka’abah was in a very bad state of repairs and the people of Makkah had decided to rebuild it. A dispute arose about the placing of the famous Black Stone. The Black Stone has always been held in reverence because it was the Prophet Ibrahim who placed it in the Ka’abah. It is a stone in the south eastern corner of the wall and is about four feet from the ground. Several leading families of the Quraish tribe claimed the honour of placing the stone in position. The controversy became heated, tempers rose and threats were exchanged. Some of the leaders sensed the delicate situation and feared that it might lead to violence if no agreement was reached. So one of them suggested that the matter should be settled by the one who would be the first to arrive at the Ka’abah. Muhammad chanced to enter the enclosure of the Ka’abah at that moment, so the dispute was referred to him. Muhammad listened very calmly to the claims of each party. He spread out his cloak on the ground and placed the Black Stone on it. He then invited the leaders of all the tribes to lift the cloak and carry it to the place, where it had to be put in position. When the stone was thus carried to the place, he lifted it and placed it in the wall. This satisfied everybody, as each leader had been given the honour of lifting the sacred stone. Thus a dispute which had threatened bloodshed was resolved peacefully, through the wisdom of the Holy Prophet of Islam.