84 THE MAGIC OF JEWELS AND CHARMS
of
people could have the privilege of paying reverence to it. There seems
to be fairly strong reasons for the belief that the Black Stone of the
Kaaba at Mecca is an aerolite.25 If the conjecture be
correct, this stone occupies a unique place among meteoric masses, for
it was an object of worship for many centuries before the advent of
Mohammed, and is to-day regarded with the highest reverence by one
hundred and twenty millions of Mohammedans. One of the most solemn acts
performed by the pilgrims at Mecca is the kissing of the Black Stone,
and should any one doubt that true religious enthusiasm is aroused by
this act, he should read the following words of Ibn Batoutah :26
The
eyes perceive in it a wonderful beauty, similar to that of a young
bride ; in kissing it one feels a pleasure that delights the mouth, and
whoever kisses it wishes he might never cease to do so; for this is an
inherent quality in it and a divine grace in its favor. Let us only
cite the words of the Prophet in this connection : " Certainly it is
the right hand of God on earth."
For
centuries before Mohammed's time the Kaaba at Mecca had been a famous
sanctuary and a religious centre for the nomadic Arabs. It is stated
that there were 360 idols in the temple, a number which suggests a
connection with the year of 360 days in use among the Arabs. The most
celebrated of these idols bore the name of Hobal, and was the figure of
a man cut out of red agate. There was a tradition to the effect that
this idol had been brought from Belka in Syria. As one of the hands was
broken off, the Koreish, the Arab tribe having charge of the Kaaba,
repaired this defect by attaching a golden hand, in which were held
seven arrows, plain shafts without heads or feathers, similar to the
arrows used for divination by the
"Lenormant,
"Lettres Assyriologiques," Paris, 1872, vol. ii, p. 123. ""Voyages
d'Ibn Batoutah." Translation by C. Defremery and B. R. Sanguinette,
vol. i, 3d Ed., Paris, 1893, p. 314.
