“Were it not for what was touched by the impurities of the Jāhiliyyah, no person afflicted with any ailment would touch it except that he would be cured. And there is nothing on earth from Paradise except it.”
Reported by al-Bayhaqī in al-Sunan al-Kubrā (no. 9230) and ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Ṣanʿānī (no. 8915) from the narration of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr — may Allah be pleased with them both — both marfūʿ and mawqūf.
Also reported by al-Ṭabarānī in al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr (no. 11314) marfūʿ from the narration of Ibn ʿAbbās — may Allah be pleased with them both.
Brief Explanation of the Hadith
The Black Stone is a blessed stone, honored by Allah and endowed with virtues not granted to any other. It is one of the symbols of Allah, with the ṭawāf beginning at it. It is prescribed to touch and kiss it, and many texts have been narrated regarding its virtue and status. Among these is what the Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — informed: that were it not for what befell it of the impurities of the Jāhiliyyah (pre-Islamic era) —when they would approach it and touch it while steeped in shirk and sins, and circumambulate the Kaʿbah unclothed—its apparent blessing would never have diminished, to the extent that whoever touched it while afflicted with an ailment—such as leprosy, vitiligo, or blindness—would be cured by the permission of Allah, the Exalted. However, sins have intervened between people and the manifestation of that blessing in this world. What remains for them is its hoped-for effect in the Hereafter, such as the expiation of sins and its bearing witness for whoever touched it rightfully. Then the Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — informed that there is nothing on earth from the stones of Paradise except the Black Stone. There is no wonder in this, for it is neither far-fetched nor impossible for Allah to send down a stone from Paradise.
In this ḥadīth is an indication of the virtue of the Black Stone — that it is the most honored stone on earth — and that it would have been a cause of healing were it not for what it was touched by from the impurities of the Jāhiliyyah.
It also contains an indication that sins may be a cause for the removal of blessings, just as the Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr) was obscured when two Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) disputed.