{"_id":"668da07e0b76658b4c2338a6","title":"Why isn't the veneration of the Black stone and the Yemeni corner considered Shirk?","question":"I’m curious about veneration of the Black stone and Yemeni corner of the Ka’bah. I’ve seen videos of people rubbing and kissing them in hopes to receive blessings or forgiveness. Non-Muslims have asked why this isn’t Shirk and I don’t have a good answer. It seems very similar to when the Quraysh used to say “We only worship these idols so we can get closer to Allah.” Of course I know it isn’t Shirk because the Prophet SAW used to do it, but had he not done it I think it would be better that no one does it. Can you help me understand the concept of Shirk in Islam and why venerating these objects isn’t? How I can appreciate these amazing blessings from Allah SWT without taking away from their importance nor exceeding the bounds?","answer":"The answer to your question of \"how\" lies in the sunnah of our beloved Prophet ﷺ. He has not left us in the dark about anything. Shirk, which is associating others with Allah, is different from veneration. People often conflate the two, but they are not the same. Veneration is not worship. For example, Allah commanded the Angels and Iblees to prostrate to Adam. Was Allah commanding them to worship Adam? Absolutely not. Similarly, in the story of Prophet Yusuf, Allah tells us that his brothers prostrated to him, which was an act of veneration, not worship.\n\nThis distinction is crucial. The Quraysh used to say, \"We only worship the idols so they can bring us closer to Allah,\" but this is not the same as showing veneration to the Kaaba, the Black Stone, the prophets, the companions, or righteous scholars. These are entirely different actions. The verse you mentioned specifically refers to worship. The Quraysh claimed to worship the idols to bring them closer to Allah, yet they did not merely venerate them. In fact, they often placed their idols above Allah, which is evident from their behavior when they cursed Allah in retaliation for the Muslims cursing their idols. If they truly considered Allah dearer than their idols, they wouldn't have cursed Him in revenge.\n\nThe Prophet ﷺ venerated the Black Stone, and the companions followed his example. The companions also venerated the Prophet ﷺ and everything associated with him. There are many authentic hadiths about them seeking blessings from his noble hair, sweat, water he used for wudhu, saliva, places where he prayed, and other instances. \n\nYour statement that \"had he not done it, I think it would be better that no one does it\" likely stems from confusion about these two issues. As you mentioned, this confusion hinders one's ability to appreciate the blessings from Allah. Due to this confusion, many Muslims who love the Prophet ﷺ and wish to express their love and veneration as freely as the Sahaba and early generations did are held back by a manufactured fear of falling into shirk. \n\nWhy didn't the Sahaba have this fear? When they almost \"killed each other\" in their frenzy to grab his blessed hairs, as narrated in Bukhari, why did the Prophet ﷺ not scold them or warn them of the danger of falling into shirk? The reason is that they understood the difference between veneration and worship, and they were not confused.\n\nI hope I have shed some light on this topic.","tags":[{"_id":"668d9ff70b76658b4c232a80","tag":"Seerah: Sunnah and Hadith","count":68},{"_id":"668d9fe50b76658b4c232859","tag":"Aqeedah: Allah ﷻ‎","count":66},{"_id":"668da0390b76658b4c233170","tag":"Seerah: The Sahabah","count":17},{"_id":"668d9fec0b76658b4c232939","tag":"Shirk","count":8}],"createdOn":"2024-07-09T20:41:34.175Z"}