How has Wikipedia's Black Stone article changed?

Wikipedia's first sentence called it "one of the most sacred holy relics in islam". Today it says "rock set into the eastern corner of the kaaba". The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read "Islamic relic at the Kaaba in Mecca, also known as Hajar Al Aswad". It now reads "Islamic relic at the Kaaba in Mecca". We saved the article's opening at 6 moments between 2005 and 2025, and every claim links the exact revision.

How can I verify what Wikipedia's Black Stone article used to say?

Each snapshot on this page links the Wikipedia revision it came from, so you can open their own history and compare. We also keep our own copy of the text, which stays readable if the article changes again.

How Wikipedia rewrote the Black Stone article

The opening as it read in 2005

It is roughly 50 cm in diameter. It is found in the Kaaba , a sacred site in Islam. It is the cornerstone of one of the four corners of the religious construction. It can be recognized instantly because it is surrounded by a silver band. The Stone is actually broken into several pieces, damage which occurred when the stone was stolen in 930 C.E. Ismaili ( Qarmatian ) warriors sacked Mecca and carried the Black Stone away. It was returned twenty-two years later. In the process, the Black Stone was cracked.¹ It is now held together by a silver band, which is fastened by silver nails to the Stone.² Some Muslims would regard the Stone as "just a stone". When Umar ibn al-Khattab , the second Caliph, came to kiss the stone, he said, in front of all assembled: "No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither harm anyone nor benefit anyone. Had I not seen Allah’s Messenger kissing you, I would not have kissed you." Other Muslims believe that this stone fell from the sky during the time of Adam , and that it has the power to cleanse worshippers of their sins by absorbing them into itself. They say that the Black Stone was once a pure and dazzling white; it has turned black because of the sins it has absorbed over the years. Still others will say only that the stone can erase the believer's minor sins. On the Day of Judgement, the Stone will testify before God (Allah) in favor of those who kissed it. The stone is said to have been found by Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son Ishmael (Ismail), who were searching for stones with which to build the Kabaa. They recognized its worth and made it one of the building's cornerstones.³

This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16188144.

The opening as it stood in 2010 16 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

The Black Stone, surrounded by its silver frame and the black cloth kiswah on the Kaaba in Mecca . The Black Stone (called الحجر الأسود al-Hajaru-l-Aswad in Arabic ) is a Muslim relic, which according to Islamic tradition dates back to the time of Adam and Eve . Many geologists and historians believe it to be a tektite or a meteorite . It is the eastern cornerstone of the Kaaba , the ancient sacred stone building towards which Muslims pray, in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca , Saudi Arabia . The Stone is roughly 30 cm (12 in.) in diameter, and 1.5 metres (5 ft.) above the ground. When pilgrims circle the Kaaba as part of the Tawaf ritual of the Hajj , many of them try, if possible, to stop and kiss the Black Stone seven times, emulating the kiss that it, according to Islamic tradition, received from the Islamic prophet Muhammad . If they cannot reach it, they point to it on each of their seven circuits around the Kaaba. The Stone was broken into a number of pieces from damage inflicted during the Middle Ages . The pieces are held together by a silver frame, which is fastened by silver nails to the Stone. "The Meteorites of the US National Museum of Natural History" , Meteorite-Times Magazine , undated Sheikh Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarkpuri (2002). Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar): Biography of the Prophet . SaudiCities - The Saudi Experience. Your Door to Arabia . Hajj to Umrah: From A to Z .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 371039559.

The opening as it stood in 2015 9 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Pilgrims jostle for a chance to kiss the Black Stone; if they are unable to kiss the stone, they can point towards the stone on each circuit with their right hand. The Black Stone (or Hajarul Aswad , al-Ḥajar al-Aswad ) is the eastern cornerstone of the Kaaba , the ancient stone building, located in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca , Saudi Arabia . It is revered by Muslims as an Islamic relic which, according to Muslim tradition, dates back to the time of Adam and Eve . The stone was venerated at the Kaaba in pre-Islamic pagan times. According to Islamic tradition, it was set intact into the Kaaba's wall by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the year 605 A.D., five years before his first revelation . Since then it has been broken into a number of fragments and is now cemented into a silver frame in the side of the Kaaba. Its physical appearance is that of a fragmented dark rock, polished smooth by the hands of pilgrims. Islamic tradition holds that it fell from the heaven as a guide for Adam and Eve to build an altar, although it has often been described as a meteorite , a hypothesis, which is now uncertain. Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba as a part of the tawaf ritual during the hajj and many try to stop and kiss the Black Stone, emulating the kiss that Islamic tradition records as it received from Muhammad. Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar): Biography of the Prophet . Your Door to Arabia . Hajj to Umrah: From A to Z .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 668080822.

The opening as it stood in 2020 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

The Black Stone is seen through a portal in the Kaaba The Black Stone ( , al-Ḥajaru al-Aswad , 'Black Stone') is a rock set into the eastern corner of the Kaaba , the ancient building in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca , Saudi Arabia . It is revered by Muslims as an Islamic relic which, according to Muslim tradition, dates back to the time of Adam and Eve . The stone was venerated at the Kaaba in pre-Islamic pagan times. According to Islamic tradition, it was set intact into the Kaaba's wall by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 605 CE, five years before his first revelation . Since then it has been broken into fragments and is now cemented into a silver frame in the side of the Kaaba. Its physical appearance is that of a fragmented dark rock, polished smooth by the hands of pilgrims. Islamic tradition holds that it fell from heaven as a guide for Adam and Eve to build an altar. It has often been described as a meteorite . Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba as a part of the tawaf ritual during the hajj and many try to stop to kiss the Black Stone, emulating the kiss that Islamic tradition records that it received from Muhammad. Muslims do not worship the Black Stone. Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar): Biography of the Prophet . Your Door to Arabia . Hajj to Umrah: From A to Z .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 964890289.

The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Islamic relic at the Kaaba in Mecca, also known as Hajar Al Aswad This article is about the Muslim object of reverence. The Black Stone is seen through a portal in the Kaaba The Black Stone ( , al-Ḥajaru al-Aswad , 'Black Stone') is a rock set into the eastern corner of the Kaaba , the ancient building in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca , Saudi Arabia . It is revered by Muslims as an Islamic relic which, according to Muslim tradition, dates back to the time of Adam and Eve . The stone was venerated at the Kaaba in pre-Islamic pagan times. According to Islamic tradition, it was set intact into the Kaaba's wall by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 605 CE, five years before his first revelation . Since then, it has been broken into fragments and is now cemented into a silver frame in the side of the Kaaba. Its physical appearance is that of a fragmented dark rock, polished smooth by the hands of pilgrims. Islamic tradition holds that it fell from heaven as a guide for Adam and Eve to build an altar. It has often been described as a meteorite . Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba as a part of the tawaf ritual during the hajj and many try to stop to kiss the Black Stone, emulating the kiss that Islamic tradition records that it received from Muhammad. While the Black Stone is revered, Islamic theologians emphasize that it has no divine significance and that its importance is historical in nature. Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar): Biography of the Prophet . Your Door to Arabia . Hajj to Umrah: From A to Z .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1177729539.

The opening as it stood in 2025 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Islamic relic at the Kaaba in Mecca This article is about the Muslim object of reverence. The Black Stone is seen through a portal in the Kaaba The Black Stone ( Arabic : ٱلْحَجَرُ ٱلْأَسْوَد , romanized : al-Ḥajar al-Aswad ) is a rock set into the eastern corner of the Kaaba , the ancient building in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca , Saudi Arabia . It is revered by Muslims as an Islamic relic which, according to Muslim tradition, dates back to the time of Adam and Eve . The stone was venerated at the Kaaba in pre-Islamic pagan times. According to Islamic tradition, it was set intact into the Kaaba's wall by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 605 CE, five years before his first revelation . Since then, it has been broken into fragments and is now cemented into a silver frame in the side of the Kaaba. Its physical appearance is that of a fragmented dark rock, polished smooth by the hands of pilgrims. It has often been described as a meteorite . Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba as a part of the tawaf ritual during the hajj and many try to stop to kiss the Black Stone, emulating the kiss that Islamic tradition records that it received from Muhammad. While the Black Stone is revered, Islamic theologians emphasize that it has no divine significance and that its importance is historical in nature. Your Door to Arabia . Hajj to Umrah: From A to Z .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1282741398. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.

What Wikipedia says this is