“The Messenger of Allah — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — would not touch except the (Black) Stone and the Yamānī Corner.”

Narrated by al-Bukhārī (no. 1609) and Muslim (no. 1267) — and this is his wording — from the ḥadīth of Ibn ʿUmar – may Allah be pleased with them both.
And in another wording by both of them: “I did not see the Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — touch anything of the House except the two Yamānī corners.”
And in a narration by Aḥmad (no. 4686), Abū Dāwūd (no. 1876), and al-Nasāʾī (no. 2947): “In every circumambulation (ṭawāf).”
Authenticated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ (no. 4751) and Silsilat al-Aḥādīth al-Ṣaḥīḥah (no. 2078).

Brief Explanation of the Hadith

Circumambulation (ṭawāf) around the Sacred House is one of the noble acts of worship performed by a Muslim. Among the recommended practices in ṭawāf is the touching of the two Yamānī corners — the (Black) Stone and the Yamānī Corner — based on the narration of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar – may Allah be pleased with them both – that the Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — would not touch except the (Black) Stone and the Yamānī Corner when passing by them. That is because those two corners are built upon the original foundations of Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him), and due to the virtue of the corner which contains the Black Stone. Therefore, touching them is recommended by consensus of the scholars.
As for the other two corners, they are not to be touched, according to the majority of scholars, since they are not built upon the original foundations of Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him).
Touching (Istilām) the Black Stone has several levels of practice:
• First, to kiss it directly.
• If one cannot, then to touch it with the hand and then kiss the hand.
• If one cannot, then to touch it with something (like a stick) and kiss that object.
• If one cannot do any of these, then one should point toward it with the hand and say “Allāhu Akbar”, without kissing the hand, since it did not actually touch the Black Stone.
As for the Yamānī Corner, it is touched with the hand only, without kissing it or pointing to it.
The place where istilām (touching) is performed is the two corners, if one can do so without harming other pilgrims, since causing harm is forbidden, while istilām is a Sunnah. Therefore, the Sunnah should not be prioritized over avoiding what is prohibited.
As for women, it is recommended for them to perform istilām only when the area around the Ka‘bah is not crowded, such as at night or during less busy times, in order to avoid temptation, both to them and from them.
In this ḥadīth, there is an indication of the obligation to follow the example of the Messenger of Allah — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — in his words, actions, and even in what he deliberately left undone. This is known as the Sunnah Tarkiyyah (the Prophetic practice of omission).
It is a fundamental principle by which the rulings of the Sharī‘ah are preserved and through which the door to innovation in religion is closed.