the back of a camel; he also touched the Black Stone with the rod in his hand; all of which goes to show that the Muslims never entertained the idea of the worship of these things, nor was their attitude towards them at any time that of the worshipper towards the object of his worship. The Black Stone was not kissed alone; the Holy Prophet kissed both the Black Stone, which is in the Eastern corner, and the Yaman corner, while some of the Companions kissed all the four corners of the Ka‘bah.
To say that ṭawāf of the Ka‘bah is a remnant of idolatry is to force a meaning on idolatry which it has never borne. Circumambulation of an object which is considered sacred is met with in the history of the Israelites, “where the altar is circumambulated once on the first six days and sometimes on the seventh” (En. Is., art. Ṭawāf), yet no critic has ever asserted that the altar was worshipped by the Israelites. And, of all men, the Muslim would be the farthest from the idea of idol-worship in his ṭawāf of the Ka‘bah, when he feels himself in the presence of the One God, crying aloud, labbaika Allāh-umma labbaika, la sharīka la-ka labbaika, “Here am I, O Allāh ! here am I in Thy presence, there is no associate with Thee, here am I.” From the time when he is still at a distance of several miles from Makkah, to the time when he leaves the Holy City, there is but one phrase on his tongue, one idea in his heart, there is no associate with God. How could he at the same time entertain the idea of idol-worship? And what is ṭawāf itself? It is going round about the House which is an emblem of Divine Unity, the place from which sprang the idea of Divine Unity, the place which would always be the centre for all believers in Divine Unity. All ideas of the pilgrim at that time are concentrated upon one theme, the theme of Divine Unity. The pilgrim forgets everything and remembers only the One God. He forgets even his own presence, and to him the august Divine presence is all in all. That is the ṭawāf.
That the Ka‘bah was rebuilt by Abraham is an historical fact. The Black Stone has been there ever since the Ka‘bah has been known to exist, there is not the least reason to doubt. There is no reliable