What is the ruling on a Companion's saying concerning unseen matters that can only be known through revelation and have not been attributed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and does it carry the ruling of being elevated [to the Prophet's saying], such as the statement of Ibn 'Abbas: "The Black Stone is the right hand of Allah on Earth"?

The saying of a Companion, in matters where there is no room for personal interpretation, such as reporting stories of prophets or conditions of the Afterlife, has the ruling of being elevated [to the Prophet's saying]. However, if their saying relates to legal rulings or interpretation of the Qur'an, there is a possibility that it is a matter of personal interpretation, and this is what many imams, such as Al-Bukhari, Muslim, and Al-Shafi'i, have adopted. Excluded from this are Companions known for their knowledge of Isra'iliyat (Judeo-Christian traditions), such as Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As. As for the narration, "The Black Stone is the right hand of Allah on earth," it is not authentic and there is disagreement regarding its chain of transmission.