The Reach for the Sacred: Asake and the Timeless Quest for the Black Stone

By Jolayemi James

The viral video of Asake trying to touch the Black Stone of Mecca recently stirred a wave of reflection. Watching the scene unfold sparked a deeper curiosity about the stone and what it symbolizes to millions of believers around the world. It was enough to send my mind on what could best be described as a mental jet into the lanes of history.

Out of that curiosity, I found myself exploring several YouTube videos and historical accounts showing pilgrims from different parts of the world making determined efforts to reach the sacred stone. In each clip, the story was almost the same — an ocean of humanity circling the Kaaba in Mecca, with individuals gently pushing through the crowd, hoping for a brief moment of contact with the stone embedded in the Kaaba’s eastern corner.

The scenes were strikingly similar: devotion, determination, and reverence blending into a powerful display of faith.

Asake’s effort was not merely a celebrity moment captured on camera. It reflected a universal experience shared by millions of Muslims who visit the holy city each year during Hajj or Umrah.

Within the massive courtyard of Masjid al-Haram, pilgrims circle the Kaaba seven times in a ritual known as Tawaf. The Black Stone marks the starting point of this sacred movement. For many pilgrims, touching or kissing it is a deeply emotional aspiration — an act performed in imitation of Muhammad, who is believed to have kissed the stone during pilgrimage.

Yet the reality inside the sacred courtyard is that reaching the stone is rarely easy. The density of pilgrims around the Kaaba means that even a small step forward can require patience, strength, and careful navigation through the moving crowd.

In the course of reflecting on the moment, I had a brief chat with a devout Muslim acquaintance, Wasiu Sonekan who had previously made the journey to Mecca. His words carried both humor and realism — the voice of someone who had experienced the moment firsthand.

According to him, the attempt to reach the stone is anything but gentle.

“That thing is tug of war.
I couldn’t touch it when I went oooo…
People will die just to touch it.”

The statement, though delivered half in jest, captures the intensity that often surrounds the effort. Not because the stone itself is worshipped, but because of what it represents in the heart of the believer.

As I watched those videos, I could not help but remember the story of a colleague who once traveled to the holy land with the quiet hope of touching the Black Stone.

During his pilgrimage, he tried to move closer to the corner of the Kaaba where the stone is embedded. For a moment, it appeared possible. The crowd seemed to open slightly, and the sacred corner came into view. But within seconds, the human tide surged again, and the opportunity disappeared.

He completed his pilgrimage with gratitude and fulfillment, yet with the silent understanding that touching the stone might have to wait for another visit.

His experience mirrors that of countless pilgrims. Many leave Mecca having performed every required act of worship, yet still carrying the humble wish that one day they might reach the stone.

Why do people strive so passionately to touch it?

The answer lies in the deep symbolism attached to the stone.

According to Islamic tradition, the Black Stone dates back to the time when the Kaaba was rebuilt by Abraham and his son Ishmael. Over centuries, it has become a sacred marker within the structure and a focal point in the ritual movement of pilgrims around the Kaaba.

Touching or kissing the stone is not considered an act of worship toward the object itself. Rather, it is a symbolic gesture — a way of following the example of the Prophet and connecting with a tradition that has been practiced for more than fourteen centuries.

Islamic history even records the words of Umar ibn al-Khattab, who once kissed the stone but declared that he knew it possessed no power to harm or benefit anyone. His act, he explained, was simply in obedience to the example of the Prophet.

One of the most compelling aspects of the viral video was the way it quietly dissolved the barrier between celebrity and ordinary life.

Inside the sacred space surrounding the Kaaba, fame holds little meaning. Whether a global music star like Asake or an unknown pilgrim from a distant village, everyone moves in the same circular rhythm of Tawaf, dressed in simple garments that erase the symbols of status and wealth.

In that moment, Asake was not merely an Afrobeats icon. He was simply another pilgrim reaching for a sacred symbol, just like millions before him.

Ultimately, the significance of the Black Stone lies not merely in touching it but in what it represents.

The struggle to reach it reflects the broader human journey of faith; a pursuit marked by hope, humility, and perseverance. Some pilgrims succeed in touching the stone, while many do not. Yet the spiritual reward of the pilgrimage remains intact.

Perhaps that is the deeper lesson hidden in the viral moment.

The true essence of the pilgrimage is not the brief contact of a hand against an ancient stone. It is the devotion that carries a believer across continents to stand before the Kaaba in the first place.

And in that sacred circle, every pilgrim either famous or unknown, becomes part of a timeless story of faith.

• James, a corporate communication and public relations expert, writes from Lagos