Aswad

Source:
Wikipedia
Extract:
The Black Stone (called Al-Hajarul Aswad in Arabic) is one of the most sacred holy relics in Islam. It is roughly 50 cm in diameter. It is found in the Kaaba, a sacred site in Islam. It is the cornerstone of one of the four corners of the religious construction.

It can be recognized instantly because it is surrounded by a silver band. The Stone is actually broken into several pieces, damage which occurred when the stone was stolen in 930 C.E. Ismaili (Qarmatian) warriors sacked Mecca and carried the Black Stone away. It was returned twenty-two years later. In the process, the Black Stone was cracked. It is now held together by a silver band, which is fastened by silver nails to the Stone.

Some Muslims would regard the Stone as "just a stone". When Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Caliph, came to kiss the stone, he said, in front of all assembled: "No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither harm anyone nor benefit anyone.

Had I not seen Allah’s Messenger kissing you, I would not have kissed you."

Other Muslims believe that this stone fell from the sky during the time of Adam, and that it has the power to cleanse worshippers of their sins by absorbing them into itself. They say that the Black Stone was once a pure and dazzling white; it has turned black because of the sins it has absorbed over the years. Still others will say only that the stone can erase the believer's minor sins.

On the Day of Judgement, the Stone will testify before God (Allah) in favor of those who kissed it. The stone is said to have been found by Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son Ishmael (Ismail), who were searching for stones with which to build the Kabaa. They recognized its worth and made it one of the building's cornerstones.

Source:

Sword Of Truth

Extract:
The Black Stone is the Shiv Emblem (also known as Sange Aswad which is a corrupted form of the Sanskrit word Sanghey Ashweta--meaning non-white stone) still survives in the Kaba as the central object of Islamic veneration. All other Vedic Idols could be found buried in the precincts or trampled underfoot in labyrinthine subterranean corridors if archaeological excavations are undertaken.

The Black Stone has been badly mutilated, its carved base has disappeared and the stone itself is broken at seven places. It's parts are now held together by a silver band studded with silver nails. It lies half buried in the South Eastern portion of the Kaba Wall (Refer to Figure).

The term Kaba itself is a corruption of the Sanskrit word Gabha (Garbha + Graha) which means Sanctum. In addition, in the inscriptions from Hajja and its neighborhood was found a votive vessel dedicated by members of two tribes called Rama and Somia. Rama and Soma are Vedic deities, Rama is of the Solar dynasty and Soma is of the Lunar Dynasty.

The moon god was called by various names in pre-Islamic times , one of them was Allah. Allah had 3 children, Al-Lat, Al-Uzza and Manat. Al-Lat and Al-Uzza were both feminine deities. Alla is another name for the Hindu goddess Durga. It is obvious that the goddess Al-Lat was Alla (Durga) and Al-Uzza was Oorja (energy or life force also known as Shakti). Manat was none other than Somnath which is another name for Lord Shiva. One significant point to note that Soma in Sanskrit means Moon and Nath means Lord. Thus the Kaba itself was dedicated to the Moon God Somnath alias Shiv and the word Somnath was corrupted to Manat.

The famous Black Stone is none other than the ShivLing of Makkeshwar alias Mecca. Lord Shiva is always shown with a crescent Moon on his head and every Shiva temple is supposed to have a sacred water spring representing the Ganges. The Crescent Moon pinnacle of the Kaba and the Zamzam spring (actually Zamza from Ganga) are irrefutable testaments to the Vedic origins of the Kaba.

Thoughts:

I respect and bow to all religions of human kind. I believe that religion is very tightly coupled with society. However, spirituality has no such bounds, no such norms, no such rules and no such restrictions. Shiva is may not always be seen as an individual entity, rather can be viewed as a dormant state in all humans. Whether or not Aswad is a Shiv Linga or not is not one of my greatest concerns. Whether or not we realise the Shiva in each and every one of us, is what this is all about. "He is in me and I in Him"