حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَکْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُوسَی حَدَّثَنَا شَيْبَانُ عَنْ أَشْعَثَ بْنِ أَبِي الشَّعْثَائِ عَنْ الْأَسْوَدِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ سَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ الْحِجْرِ فَقَالَ هُوَ مِنْ الْبَيْتِ قُلْتُ مَا مَنَعَهُمْ أَنْ يُدْخِلُوهُ فِيهِ فَقَالَ عَجَزَتْ بِهِمْ النَّفَقَةُ قُلْتُ فَمَا شَأْنُ بَابِهِ مُرْتَفِعًا لَا يُصْعَدُ إِلَيْهِ إِلَّا بِسُلَّمٍ قَالَ ذَلِکَ فِعْلُ قَوْمِکِ لِيُدْخِلُوهُ مَنْ شَائُوا وَيَمْنَعُوهُ مَنْ شَائُوا وَلَوْلَا أَنَّ قَوْمَکِ حَدِيثُ عَهْدٍ بِکُفْرٍ مَخَافَةَ أَنْ تَنْفِرَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لَنَظَرْتُ هَلْ أُغَيِّرُهُ فَأُدْخِلَ فِيهِ مَا انْتَقَصَ مِنْهُ وَجَعَلْتُ بَابَهُ بِالْأَرْضِ
ابن ماجہ · Hadith 2955
It was narrated that Aishah said: "I asked the Messenger of Allah about the Hijr, and he said: 'It is part of the House.' I said: 'What kept them from incorporating it into it?' He said: 'They ran out of funds.' I said: 'Why is its door so high up that it can only be reached with a ladder?' He said: 'That is what your people did so that they could let in whoever they wanted and keep out whoever they wanted. Were it not that your people have so recently left disbelief behind, and I am afraid that it would bother them, I would have changed it, incorporating what they left out and I would put its door at ground level." (Sahih)
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020