Is it from the Sunnah to kiss the Black Stone and crowd around it?

The questioner : This is a questioner from Riyadh who says: I saw some of the pilgrims pushing their women to kiss the Black Stone. So which is better, Honorable Shaykh: kissing the Black Stone or staying away from the crowding of the men?

The Shaykh : Kissing the Black Stone, if there is severe crowding, is not from the Sunnah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to kiss it and wipe it with his hand, and if there was crowding, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would point to it and not kiss it. So the Sunnah in the case of crowding is to point to it and not kiss it. It is narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: This is how it is narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And although this hadith is weak, the action of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)—that when there was an obstacle to touching and kissing, he would point to it—indicates that it has a basis. Based on this, we say to the man and also to the woman: if there is crowding, it is not from the Sunnah to crowd in order to reach the Black Stone. Rather, the Sunnah is to stay away from the crowding, the harm, and being harmed. Pointing to it is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. For this reason, if a questioner asked us which is better: that I crowd until I reach the Black Stone, or that I point to it from a distance and leave the crowding, we would say: your pointing from