GEORGE TOWN: The practice of stroking or kissing the Hajar Aswad (Black Stone) is not a valid condition of circumambulation for the haj or umrah.
Penang Mufti Datuk Seri Dr Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor said the act was also not a pillar of haj or umrah, which is obligatory for a person performing the pilgrimages.
He said, if the situation resulted in forced pushing and shoving, it was enough to simply use a hand signal towards Hajar Aswad.
"For those who have the opportunity to stroke the Hajar Aswad or kiss it easily without crowding and without hurting others, then it is good that they take the opportunity.
"However, if you have to push and shove between the congregation to touch or kiss the stone, then it is better not to do it, just gesture with your hands towards it," he said today.
The Black Stone is an ancient Muslim relic, set into the eastern corner of the Kaabah (located in the centre of the Grand Mosque).
Wan Salim was commenting on the action by entrepreneur and social media influencer, Hafiz Mahamad, who uploaded a video of him struggling to kiss the Hajar Aswad.
Through the video, Hafiz is seen struggling to kiss the stone, so much so that his ihram cloth fell off and revealed his body shape.
Meanwhile, Wan Salim also suggested to Lembaga Tabung Haji and Muslim leaders to explain the matter to pilgrims before they leave for the Holy Land.
"Some people think that if they do not touch or kiss the Black Stone, it will reduce the reward of haj or umrah. Such a thought is not true.
"It is narrated in a hadith that Prophet Muhammad once advised Saidina Umar Al-Khattab not to fight to kiss the Black Stone. The purpose is to give an opportunity to the weaker congregation to touch or kiss the stone.
"So, it is obligatory on those who perform haj or umrah to preserve the honor of Baitullah and not to hurt any human being in that holy place," he added.