Mistakes & Wrong Beliefs About Makkah & Madinah
Compiled & Translated
By
Abbas Abu Yahya
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Makkah
1 – Touching & Seeking Blessings from the Noble Ka’abah
Shaykh Muhammad bin Salih al-Uthaymeen -Rahimahullaah- (d. 1421 A.H.) was asked:
‘What is the ruling on touching and stroking the honourable Ka’abah, and placing your cheeks on it, or licking it with the tongue, or stroking your hands on the Ka’bah then to place them on the chest of a person performing Hajj?’
The Answer:
‘This is from Bida which is not allowed rather it is closer to being prohibited (Haram), this is because it is not mentioned by the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam, the most that has been mentioned regarding this issue is ‘al-Iltizaam’ (cling to the Ka’abah), whereby a person places his chest, cheek, and hands upon the Ka’abah between the black stone and the door of the Ka’abah, and not all parts of the Ka’abah like the ignorant Hujjaj (those performing Hajj) do today.
As for licking it with the tongue or touching and stroking the Ka’abah then touching and placing the hands on the chest or on the body, this is completely a Bida. This is because it is not mentioned by the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam.
With this opportunity I would like to bring the attention of the Hujjaj (those performing Hajj) to the intent of touching the black stone and the Yemeni corner is that it is worship of Allaah Ta’ala by touching the black stone and the Yemeni corner, and it is not seeking blessings by touching them in contrast to what the ignorant think it is. They think that the intent is seeking blessings, and this is why you find some of them touching the Yemeni corner and the black stone then wipe their hands upon their chests, or upon their faces, or on their children’s chests, or their faces and this is not legislated. This is a belief which has no origin, and there is a difference between worship and seeking worship. What illustrates that the intent is pure worship and rather than seeking blessings is that Umar -RadiAllaahu anhu- said while he was at the black stone:
‘I indeed know that you are a stone, you cannot harm nor benefit, if I had not seen the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- kiss you I would not have kissed you.’ [Bukhari & Muslim]
Also, with this opportunity I would like to explain that what many from the ignorant do of touching all the walls of the Ka’bah and every corner of it, then this has no origin for it, it is Bida’ which is prohibited.
‘When Abdullah bin Abbas -RadiAllaahu anhumma- saw Muwayeeyah -RadiAllaahu anhu- touching every corner of the Ka’abah, he criticized him for doing this. Muwayeeyah said to him, ‘None of the Ka’abah is kept away from!!’
Ibn Abbas replied,
<< لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ>>
<< Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah you have a good example to follow>> and I indeed saw the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- touch the two corners facing Yemen.’ [Collected by Bukhari] Muwayeeyah returned back to opinion of Ibn Abbas -RadiAllaahu anhu.
This shows that touching the Ka’abah, or thinking that it is worshipping Allaah Ta’ala by touching it, or touching all its corners, in thinking that it is worship then in reality what is obligatory is only to follow the Athaar of the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam – for worship.
[Noor ala-Darb 2/12 -Tanbih ulu al-Absaar P.164]
2 – The belief that the earth spreads out from Makkah
Shaykh Muhammad Nasiruddeen Al-Albaani -Rahimahullaah- (d. 1420 A.H.) said:
‘There is no doubt in that Makkah is the Umm al-Qurrah (Mother of all cities), as for that the earth spreads
out from underneath Makkah, then we know that there is no origin for this from the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam.’
[‘Munaqib ash-Shaam wa Ahlihi’ by Ibn Taymeeyah and researched by Al-Albaani p.78]
3 -It is not a distinction of Makkah to seek blessings from its trees and rocks
The Ameer ul-Mumineen, Umar bin al-Khattaab -RadiAllaahu anhu- said, as he kissed the Black stone:
‘Indeed, I know that you are a stone and you cannot cause benefit or harm. If it were not that I saw the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- kiss you, I would not have kissed you.’
[Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]
4 – The pigeons of Makkah and Madinah do not have special significance
Shaykh Abdul Azeez bin Abdullaah bin Baz -Rahimahullaah- (d. 1420 A.H.) said:
‘There is no special significance for
the pigeons of Makkah or Madinah
whether they are not hunted or scared away as long as they are in the boundary of the Haraam, due to the general Hadeeth:
إنّ اللهَ حَرَّمَ مَكَّةَ، فَلَمْ تَحِلَّ لأحَدٍ قَبْلِي، ولا تَحِلُّ لأحَدٍ بَعْدِي، وإنّما أُحِلَّتْ لي ساعَةً مِن نَهارٍ، لا يُخْتَلى خَلاها، ولا يُعْضَدُ شَجَرُها، ولا يُنَفَّرُ صَيْدُها
‘Indeed, Allaah made Makkah sacred. It is not allowed for anyone to kill there before me, nor after me and it has been allowed for me for only a portion of the day. Do not cut down its plants or its wild growing trees, do not harm its animals.’
[Collected by Bukhari]
[Majmoo Fatawa 17/202-203]