The Ruling on Clinging to the Curtains of the Ka'bah and Adhering to It

Question:
Is clinging to the curtains of the Ka'bah and making supplication prescribed, or is it a religious innovation (bid'ah)? And is clinging to the Hatim prescribed?

Answer:
All of this is a religious innovation (bid'ah); there is no established evidence for it. Yes, as for adhering to it—meaning that a person comes to the area between the Black Corner and the door, attaches himself to the Ka'bah, and makes supplication—this was reported from some of the Salaf (the earliest generations), and there is a hadith regarding it, which I think is in Abu Dawud and others. So, if someone does this, he is not to be strongly rebuked. As for clinging to the Ka'bah from other sides, such as the side of the Hatim, the western side, or between the two Yemeni Corners, there is no evidence for this. The Ka'bah is the House of Allah; it is circumambulated and faced in prayer. This is what is prescribed for us. It is not an established recommended practice (sunnah). Yes. Something was seen in it, but... Yes.