According to another authentic report, it is mentioned that thirty years before the appointment of the Holy Prophet (S) by God to prophethood, Mecca was inundated by floods which damaged the walls of Kaaba. Thieves stole the golden deer from it. The legs of those deer were studded with jewels. The Quraish intended to reconstruct it with wider dimensions but they feared that if they dug with a digging tool it might cause some kind of calamity.
Walid bin Mughira said: Let us start digging. If Allah is pleased with this act of ours no calamity will fall on us. But if He is not pleased and some calamity falls we will stop demolition work. Then he went up the ceiling of Kaaba. When he removed a stone a snake came out and attacked him and the sun eclipsed. Observing this event people began to weep and prayed saying: O Lord! Corruption is not our intention. We only want reform. Then the snake disappeared. They felled the walls and went on digging down to the foundation which was laid by Ibrahim (a.s.).
When they intended to dig that part again the earth quaked and darkness enveloped the atmosphere. Ibrahim’s foundation was 30 yards long and 24 yards wide. Its height was 9 yards. The Quraish decided to maintain the length and width as before and to raise its height. A dispute then arose in the matter of fixing the black stone. Every tribe insisted that they had the right to perform this noble job. Finally it was agreed that who entered first from Bani Shaibah gate would decide the matter. The first to enter was the Holy Prophet (S). People exclaimed: “Lo, the honest (Amin) has arrived and we will abide by what he decides.”
The Holy Prophet (S) spread out his sheet (some say his shirt) and put the black stone on it and then said: “The chief of all the tribes should hold each corner and lift it.” Accordingly those who held the four corners were Utbah bin Rabiah from Bani Abde Shams, Aswad Bin Abdul Muttalib from Bani Asad bin Abdul Uzza, Abu Huzaifa from Bani Makhzum and Qays bin Adi from Bani Saham.
Then the Holy Prophet (S) took up the stone and put it at its proper place.
Reference:Hayat Al-Qulub Vol. 2