The Prophet ﷺ was a resident of Makkah and he was also from a reputed family, Bani Hashim. Initially, the Kabah, when built by Prophet Ibrahim ﷺ was a rectangular, unroofed structure that wasn’t too high. Yet, it was a place of security. If anyone feared theft, he could tie up his valuables and place it in the Kabah, with complete peace of mind. This trust was established since the time of Ibrahim ﷺ. Once, a thief jumped inside the Kabah and stole some valuables. There was a need to make Kabah more secure and to repair it as the structure had been damaged because of recurrent floods.. It was decided to demolish it and to build a new roofed structure.It was decided to place a door at a higher spot for further security. Each tribe contributed and helped to build the structure as it was a huge honour for everyone.

Prophet ﷺ said:

 “The Black Stone came down from Paradise.”

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 877; al-Nasaa’i, 2935

“When the Black Stone came down from Paradise, it was whiter than milk, but the sins of the sons of Adam made it black.”

(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 877; Ahmad, 2792)

When the structure was erected and the time to place Hajr e Aswad in its spot came, a dispute ensued. Every tribe wanted to have the great honour of placing Hajr e Aswad. They could not reach an agreement even after several discussions. One of the tribes slaughtered an animal and collected its blood in a cup and placed the cup before everyone. They dipped their fingers in the blood to show their readiness for a battle, if required. The dispute grew into a storm. The other tribes followed suit and the entire Makkah was about to erupt in a bloody battle.  

The Trustworthy and the Truthful

Finally it was decided that the first person to enter the gate the next morning, would be the one to lift and fix the stone. It was Muhammed ﷺ who was the first to enter the next morning. The moment he entered, all the tribal seniors cried out, “Here is Mohammed, the most trustworthy and the truthful!”

These words are recorded in the Islamic history. It was the trustworthiness and truthfulness that cooled down a dispute which could have turned into a war.

But Mohammed ﷺ did not lift the stone himself. He could have taken that honour for himself or for his tribe, but he did not. He asked for a sheet and placed the stone in it. Then he asked the leaders of all the tribes to come and lift the stone together. When they lifted it and brought it towards the spot, Mohammed ﷺ lifted the stone and fixed it in its place.

This incident does not concern revelation. It shows that all these virtues of good Akhlaq like wisdom, tolerance, patience, courage, truthfulness and trustworthiness were Prophet’s ﷺ inherent qualities which were in his nature even  before the prophethood.