The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-04-14
VOL. XLIV---NO IA
BLACK STONE OF ISLAM

So carefully is the black stone of the
Temp eof Mecca guarded, even to this
day, that the accounts given by differ.
ent writer's as to the nature and an
pearance of the black stone exhibit
some considerable variation, for ortht.-
dox Mussulmans cannot be prevailed
upon to give a strs ightforward descrip-
ton of it, and mere adventure e. like
the European Halls (Burckhardt, Bur
ton and the others) could only gratify
their Intelligent curiosity by stealthy
investigations. Detection in the act
OF pursuing such investigation would
have cost the travellers their lives. in
pursuance las Mahometans suppose)
IT the law of the prophet. Your faith
tul MLssulman cannot understand that
any other motive than Worship should
lead any one to visit Mecca.
Mr.. Bate mentions what intelligent
travellers have recorded concerning the
nature of the black stone. One of them
tells US that it is undoubtedly "a large
4rolIte-an opinion which" scarcely
harnonizes with its reputed quality of
floating in water, since arolites usual
ly contain large percentage of heavy
metallic matter, such as iron pyrites.
Another traveller reports that it looks
like piece of lava, containing small
eXtraneous particles of some white and
yellowish substance. Still another of
these authorities affirms that it is a
fragment of volcanic basaIt, sprinkled
throughout its surface with small
pointed colored crystal, and varied
with feispar upon a dark ground, like
coal-excepting one of it's protuber-
ances, which happens to be a little
reddish. Others, again, claiming an
equal title to exact knowledge, give it
as their opinion that it is nothing else
than al ordinary piece of stone from
quarries in which the Meccan territory
abounds. These last mentioned trav-
elers, however, appear to overlook the
circumstance that this opinion of
theirs does not take due cognizance of
that property of the stone to which we
have just alluded, and also the circum-
stance that the only kind of stone
yielded by the Meccan quarries is a
sort OF gray granite.
Not SO difficult is it to form an idea
as to its size and present appearances.
In form it is an irregular oval, the in
equality of its two longer sides impart-
ing to it a somewhat semi-circular ap-
pearance. 1t measures about six
inches in height and eight in breadth,
the diameter on it's lower and wider
side being eight inches and a half.
The surface is protuberant and some
what knobby or undulating, and has
the appearance Of being composed of a
number of smaller stones of different
sizes and shapes, securely fitted
together with cement and perfectly
smooth. Its appearance is as though
the original piece of stone had been
broken to pieces by a violent blow and
then repaired. And, as a matter of
fact, this appears to be the true ex-
PLANTATION of this irregularity of the
surface, for it is recorded by the Ara
bian historians of the kalba that in
the year Ala of the Hajira an emissary
of a certain Egyptian Khalifa, known
as 1.-The Mad Khalifa Hakim." shat
tered it to pieces by stroke of club;
and they relate that, aft4r this event,
the pieces, and even the dust also, were
carefully restored, and the fragments
cemented together.
The protu berapces mentioned are IL
or IL in number, and are such as 20 i'm
part to the surface of the stone mus
cular or pebbly appearance. Near the
middle there is a hollow which reaches
to about much as two inches below
the Outer euBe OF the stone, anu Is OF
a kind to suggest to tie visitor the sur
mise that one of the protuberances
may have beeL removed. The color
or the surface of the relic is at the
present time of a deep reddish brown,
or, as some kave described it, a metal
lie black; and, Notwithstanding the
polished appearance impaired to it by
the constant touching of unnumbered
myriads of devctees, it yet bears on its
undulating surface what appears to be
evident marks of volcanic origin.
These muscular protuberances. how
ever, are attributed by the Moslem
authorities to the ipcessapt oscillations
and rub5ings of the faithful. the
smoothness may perhaps be attribu-
table to this cause, but the obviously
fractured and pebbly appearance is
not accounted for in this way.