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Egyptian geologist calls for analysis of holy stone
An Egyptian preacher was accused of excessive indulgence in the supernatural when he called for carrying out an analysis of the holy stone in the Mecca shrine to prove it is not made of earthy material.Islamic thinker and professor of geology Dr. Zaghloul al-Naggar called for taking samples from the Black Stone at the holy shrine of Mecca to prove the Prophet's hadith-saying-that it is made of heavenly substance and to respond to the West's deriding perception of Islam. Naggar referred to the way the West ridicules Muslims for kissing the Black Stone during the pilgrimage ritual. "What I called for is not an exploration of the supernatural," he told AlArabiya.net. "It is scientific research." According to a hadith (saying) by Prophet Mohamed, "The Black Stone descended from Paradise much whiter than milk, but it was turned black by the sins committed by mankind." In a seminar hosted by the Egyptian Press Syndicate on Monday, Naggar stressed that taking a sample will not damage the holy stone and called for scholars to utilize science in the right way. Professor of Hadith at al-Azhar University Dr. al Agami al Damanhouri said Naggar's call is not going to add to the stone's value and stressed that there is no point in trying to demonstrate this value to the West. "They made this analysis before and made sure its substance is not earthly," he told AlArabiya.net. Damanhouri cited a saying by the Prophet's Companion and second Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab: "I know well that you are simply a stone, and have no power to confer a benefit or to do harm. Had I not seen the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) kissing you, I would not have kissed you." According to Damanhouri, this saying proves that the Prophet's actions should be emulated by Muslims without the need to find a scientific proof that supports its validity. On the other hand, Sheikh Abdullah Megawer, advisor of the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, supported Naggar's call while agreeing to the necessity of following the Prophet in whatever he said or did. "If Naggar's call is to discover the scientific formation of the stone, we welcome it. Other than that, we follow the text we have," he told AlArabiya.net. Posted by: Fred 2008-11-20 |
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