I am not apprised of any racial connotations re: the Ka'ba, IssaEl21. The Qur'an says the following:
“Remember We made the House a place of assembly for men and a place of safety; and take ye the Station of Abraham as a place of prayer; and We covenanted with Abraham and Isma’il, that they should sanctify My House for those who compass it round, or use it as a retreat, or bow, or prostrate themselves therein in prayer." (Sura 2:125)
The Ka’ba is a cubed-shaped temple rebuilt by Abraham and his son Ishmael that stands in the middle of the Great Mosque of Mecca. It is reverently draped in black cloth throughout the year, and it beckons every Muslim in the world to come to its sacred ground.
The Ka’ba is the canonical center of the Islamic world, and every pious act - particularly prayer - is directed toward it. Once a year it plays host to the greatest convention of religious believers, and stands ready to sanctify the Umrah traveler through the balance of the year.
Placed into the Eastern corner of the Ka’ba rests the Hajar al-Aswad ("The Black Stone). During the Tawaf (“performance of the Hajj”) pilgrims kiss or touch the black stone as they circumambulate the Ka’ba.
There is no indication as to where this stone originated, although the general consensus of opinion among Muslim scholars is that it is probably of meteoric origin. But since it pre-dates the revelation of the Qur'an and Muhammad's Prophethood, it must stem from the time of Abraham...since the Hajj traditions are traceable to the patriarch of monotheism.
It is remarkable, however, that even though the temple contained 360 idols worshipped before Muhammad's Prophethood, the black stone was never kissed or made an idol of worship. In fact, the Ka’ba was never worshipped by the idolaters prior to Muhammad's Prophethood. The building contained idols of worship, but the building itself was never an object of worship.
It is a historical fact that the Ka’ba was rebuilt by Abraham. In addition, since the stone has been there ever since, it stands to reason that Abraham placed the stone in the Ka’ba. The Black Stone is in fact the cornerstone of the Ka’ba, and is there as an emblem of the progeny of Abraham that was rejected by the Israelites and became the cornerstone of the Kingdom of God.
The Psalms contains a clear reference to it:
“The stone which the builders refused is become the headstone of the corner.” (Psalms 118:22)
Ishmael was looked on as being rejected by God, or so the Israelites believed. Yet it was a progeny of Ishmael that the Last Prophet, “the headstone of the corner” was to arise.
While David referred to it as “the stone which the builders refused,” Jesus spoke of it more plainly in the parable of the husbandman, telling the Israelites that the vineyard, which in the parable stands for the Kingdom of God, would be taken away from them and given to “other husbandmen:” that is, to a non-Israelite:
“Did ye never read in the scriptures. The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?” (Matthew 21:42)
“The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” (Matthew 21:43)
That by the rejected stone in the prophecy (21:42) was meant a rejected nation (21:43) is made clear by Jesus Christ. That this rejected nation was none other than the Ishmaelites has been borne out by history.
The Black Stone, therefore, passes for the mithaq, the primordial covenant” between the Creator and His created. And in the whole world there is only this unhewn stone, the stone, “Cut out of the mountains without hands” (Daniel 2:45), and that is the cornerstone of a building, which in point of importance, stands unique in the world.
Touching or kissing the stone has a profound impact on the faithful as it is suppose to count in their favor on Judgment Day. The great Muslim traveler from Valencia, Ibn Jubayr (1145-1217 AD) describes the emotion he felt on touching the stone: “The stone, when one kisses it, has a softness and freshness that delights the mouth; so much so that he who places his lips upon it wishes never to remove them. It suffices, moreover, that the Prophet said that it is the “Right Hand of God on Earth.”
The single most important reason for kissing the stone is that Prophet Muhammad (saw) did so. No devotional significance whatsoever is attached to the stone. The Caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, made this crystal clear when - on kissing the stone himself in emulation of the Prophet - he proclaimed, “I know that you are but a stone, incapable of doing good or harm. Had I not seen the Messenger of God kiss you – may God’s blessing and peace be upon him – I would not kiss you.” (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Hajj, p.642)
Kissing or touching the Black Stone is a reverential act of acknowledgment that God’s hand directed its placement and construction; that Abraham and Muhammad (saw) had touched and kissed the stone; and an acknowledgment that God had entrusted the cornerstone of His religious central focus for man upon that hollowed and sacred place...