THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE KA‘BAH

 FAJR REMINDER: THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE KA‘BAH

By: Umm Affān

Ṣafar 2, 1448 (17-July-2026)

Last Friday, I spoke about how Allāh unites the entire Ummah through the Ka‘bah. Wherever Muslims may be, they all turn towards one Qiblah—the direction of the Ka‘bah—in every Ṣalāt, worshipping the One True God, Allāh.

This morning, our focus is on the four corners of the Ka‘bah: the Black Stone Corner (Rukn Aswad), the Yemeni Corner (Rukn al-Yamānī), the Iraqi Corner (Rukn al-‘Irāqī), and the Syrian Corner (Rukn ash-Shāmī). During Ṭawāf (circumambulation), the Prophet (ﷺ) only interacted with two of these corners: the Black Stone Corner and the Yemeni Corner.

Regarding the Black Stone Corner, the Sunnah is clear. Whenever possible, the Prophet (ﷺ) would touch and kiss the Black Stone. If the crowd prevented him from reaching it, he would simply point towards it and say, “Allāhu Akbar.” This teaches pilgrims that there is no justification for pushing, shoving, or causing harm to others in an attempt to reach the Stone. ‘Abīs Ibn Rabi’ah reported: ‘Umar Ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (Raḍiyallāhu ‘Anhu) came to the black stone and he kissed it. ‘Umar said, “Verily, I know you are only a stone with no power to harm or benefit me. Were it not that I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) kiss you, I would not have kissed you.” [Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1597, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1270]

As for the Yemeni Corner, the Prophet (ﷺ) would touch it with his hand whenever he was able to do so. However, he did not kiss it, nor did he point towards it when he could not reach it. Unfortunately, some pilgrims point at the Yemeni Corner, even though this practice has no basis in the Sunnah. Ibn ‘Umar said: “The Apostle of Allāh (ﷺ) did not give up touching the Yamani corner and the (Black) Stone in each of his circumambulations.” Ibn ‘Umar used to do so. [Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1876]

With respect to the remaining two corners—the Iraqi Corner and the Syrian Corner—although they are part of the Ka‘bah, there is no authentic narration showing that the Prophet (ﷺ) touched either of them during Ṭawāf. True adherence to the Sunnah means not only doing what the Prophet (ﷺ) did, but also refraining from what he deliberately left.

One may ask why the Prophet (ﷺ) touched only two of the four corners. The answer lies in an important principle of Islām: acts of worship are based on divine revelation, not personal opinion or human preference. The Prophet (ﷺ) worshipped Allāh only in the manner that Allāh prescribed. Therefore, the greatest way to honour the Ka‘bah is to follow his example precisely.

It is also established that while moving between the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone, the Prophet (ﷺ) used to recite: “Allāhumma Rabbanā ātinā fid-dunyā ḥasanatan wa fil-ākhirati ḥasanatan wa qinā ‘adhāban-nār (Meaning: Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire).”

The Sunnah is always the best guide. Therefore, pilgrims should strive to touch or kiss the Black Stone if it is safely possible, touch the Yemeni Corner when they are able, avoid pointing towards the Yemeni Corner if they cannot reach it, refrain from touching the other two corners, and never push, shove, or harm others in an effort to perform these acts of worship.

I beseech Allāh (ﷻ) to invite us soon to His Sacred House for ‘Umrah and Ḥajj. Aameen.