Makkah, before the revelation. Quraysh gathered to rebuild the Ka'ba.
It was then stones piled just above a man's height. They wanted to raise it and give it a roof.
The Prophet ﷺ was thirty-five years old.
The Prophet ﷺ himself carried stones that day, with his uncle al-'Abbâs (may Allah be pleased with him).
The biographers tell it: before the work began, Abû Wahb, of the clan of Makhzûm, stood up and spoke to Quraysh.
He said: put into it only your pure earnings. No wage of prostitution, no usury, nothing taken unjustly.
Then fear held them back. Al-Walîd ibn al-Mughîra struck first, saying: O Allah, we intend nothing but good.
They waited a night. He returned to work, and they reached the foundation of Ibrâhîm (peace be upon him).
The Qur'an recalls Ibrâhîm and his son Ismâ'îl (peace be upon him) raising those foundations, and their prayer.
And [mention] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ishmael, [saying],
"Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing."
'Â'isha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked the Prophet ﷺ about the wall of the Hijr: is it part of the House?
He said: yes. She asked: why did they leave it out? He ﷺ answered: your people ran short of funds.
Each clan gathered stones and built its part. At the place of the Black Stone, each wanted to lift it alone.
They got ready to fight. Banû 'Abd ad-Dâr and Banû 'Adî swore to die for it, their hands in a bowl of blood.
This lasted four or five nights. They came close to fighting with swords.
They met in the mosque to consult. The eldest man among them spoke.
He said: let the first man to come in through the door of this mosque judge between you. They agreed.
The first to come in through the door was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
When they saw him, they said: this is al-Amîn. We accept him. This is Muhammad ﷺ.
A Companion who told this scene added: in the Jâhiliyya, they used to call him al-Amîn.
They told him what had happened. He ﷺ said: bring me a cloth. He placed the Stone on it with his own hand.
Then he said: let each clan take hold of a side of the cloth, then lift it together.
They did. When it reached its place, he ﷺ set the Stone there with his own hand, and the building went on.
Quraysh rebuilt the Ka'ba together. Then a single stone brought them to the edge of a fight.
They let one man decide. Why him, years before any revelation?
Nights of anger ended with one cloth and a share for every clan.
They accepted his judgment the moment they saw him: this is al-Amîn.
Tonight, in one disagreement around you, look for the solution where nobody loses face.