Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad)

The stone set in the Kaaba's eastern corner. Each circuit of Tawaf starts and ends in line with it.

History and Seerah

The Prophet ﷺ kissed it. Umar ibn al-Khattab kissed it and said he knew it was only a stone that could neither harm nor benefit, and that he kissed it only because he had seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ do so (Bukhari 1597).

Visitor tips

Kiss or touch it only if you can reach it without pushing. Otherwise, when you are in line with it, point towards it and say Allahu Akbar, as the Prophet ﷺ did when riding (Bukhari 1613), and keep walking. Your Tawaf is complete either way.