Makkah Al-Mukarramah -UNS : In late Muharram 1351 AH, corresponding to 1932, the Grand Mosque in Makkah witnessed a rare incident involving the Black Stone.
A man described in historical accounts as a Persian from Afghanistan managed to reach the Black Stone and remove a fragment from it before attempting to steal other items associated with the Holy Kaaba.
According to an account by Sheikh Hussein Basalama in his work History of the Holy Kaaba, the man removed a fragment of the Black Stone and also took a piece of the Kaaba’s covering, known as the kiswa, together with a piece of silver from the Kaaba’s mudraj, a staircase structure located between the Zamzam Well and the Gate of Banu Shaybah.
The account states that guards at the Grand Mosque detected the incident and apprehended the man before he could escape. The stolen objects were recovered following his arrest.
Arrest and Execution of the Sentence
Historical accounts state that the man was subsequently sentenced to death and that the sentence was carried out as a discretionary punishment, or ta’zir, following the offence committed inside the Grand Mosque.
The incident did not end with the recovery of the stolen objects. Particular attention was subsequently given to the fragment removed from the Black Stone, which required treatment before it could be returned securely to its original position.
Treatment of the Detached Fragment
Historical accounts describe the preparation of a special compound for securing the detached fragment. Some accounts state that the preparation included aromatic substances such as musk and amber.
The restoration was reportedly undertaken carefully in the presence of officials, dignitaries and the custodians of the Holy Kaaba.
An academic study concerning the landmarks and history of the Grand Mosque during the Saudi era also records that King Abdulaziz visited the Grand Mosque on the occasion of the fragment’s restoration. According to the study, the King personally placed the fragment back in its position after a special material had been prepared to secure it.
King Abdulaziz and the Restoration of the Black Stone
Historical accounts agree that King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud was present when the detached fragment was returned to the Black Stone.
One account dates the restoration to 28 Rabi’ al-Thani 1351 AH. It states that King Abdulaziz arrived from Taif accompanied by officials and dignitaries, while preparations were made for the fragment to be restored and securely fixed in place.
There is, however, a discrepancy in the Gregorian conversion of the date.
An academic study gives 28 Rabi’ al-Thani 1351 AH as 31 August 1932, while Saudipedia gives 30 August 1932 as the date on which the fragment was restored, without specifying the corresponding Hijri date in the same account.
For historical accuracy, the Hijri date is therefore best cited as 28 Rabi’ al-Thani 1351 AH, while noting that published sources differ by one day in their Gregorian conversion.
A Rare Incident in the History of the Black Stone
The incident forms part of the long and eventful history of the Black Stone.
Centuries earlier, during the fourth century AH, the Black Stone was seized by the Qarmatians and removed from Makkah.
It was eventually returned to the Kaaba more than two decades later.
The 1351 AH incident was different in scale. The Black Stone itself was not removed; rather, a fragment was detached from it during an attempted theft.
The guards of the Grand Mosque apprehended the perpetrator, recovered the stolen objects, and the detached fragment was subsequently treated and restored.
A Documented Episode in the Modern History of the Grand Mosque
The incident has been recorded in historical works dealing with the Holy Kaaba and the history of the Grand Mosque.
Accounts describe the theft as having taken place in late Muharram 1351 AH, followed by the arrest of the perpetrator and the recovery of the stolen objects.
Several months later, in Rabi’ al-Thani 1351 AH, the detached fragment was restored to the Black Stone in the presence of King Abdulaziz and a number of officials and custodians of the Kaaba.
The episode therefore remains a distinctive and unusual incident in the modern history of the Holy Kaaba: a fragment was removed from the Black Stone during an attempted theft, the perpetrator was apprehended, the fragment was recovered and treated, and it was ultimately returned to its original position.
The restoration brought the unusual episode to a close and preserved the fragment as part of the Black Stone within the Holy Kaaba.
