Adaabs Of The Haramayn

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

“In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”

• Enter Al Masjidul Haram with utmost respect & humility with the right foot saying:

بِسْمِ اللهِ والصَّلاةُ والسَّلامُ عَلٰى رَسُوْلِ اللهِ اللّٰهُمَّ افْتَحْ لَيْ اَبْوابَ رَحْمَتِكَ

Bismillaahi wassalaatu wassalaamu alaa rasoolillaah. Allaahummaftah lee abwaaba rahmatik

“In the name of Allah. May the Peace and Salutations (of Allah) be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, open for me the doors of Your Mercies”.

• Remain engaged in the dhikr (remembrance) of Allah as much as possible.

• Do not discuss worldly affairs, even via a phone call / text / whatsapp.

Rasulullah ﷺ has said in a hadith: There will come a time upon people when they will talk about worldly affairs in the masjid. At such occasions, do not sit with them. Allah does not need such people. (Al-Bayhaqi)

• Keep the Masjid free from filth, clean up after yourselves, your children & after anyone who may have left any rubbish behind.

• Do not spit in the Masjid.

• Do not engage in worldly affairs for e.g. business transactions, even by means of the cellphone.

• If someone has smoked cigarettes or eaten something, which has a bad odour, e.g. garlic, onion etc, then one should thoroughly clean the mouth before entering the Masjid.

• Do not not climb over the shoulders of those already seated in the rows to get to the front. This disrupts the congregation.

• Do not force your way into a row wherein there isn’t enough space. 18. One should not cross in front of someone offering salah.

• Do not quarrel with anyone in the Haram / Masjid.

•Dress respectfully, modestly, in loose fitting & in clean clothes. (Cover one’s awrah. Women should ensure all their hair is covered.)

• Children are welcome in the Haram /Masjid, however parents should make them aware of the appropriate manners of the Masjid & ensure that they are under their continuous care – both for the respect of the masjid and for those Present in it. it.

• Do not raise your voice. (This includes cellphone rings – Keep them on silent mode or switch them off)

• Leave the Masjid with the left foot reciting:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ

Allaahum-ma In-nee As ‘aluka Min Fadhlik [O Allaah, I seek of You Your Grace.]

Photography / Selfies In The Haram

As for halal / haraam. The scholars who regard digital photography as haraam would class it as a haraam & those who don’t would say it’s permissible.

I once heard in a talk given by a scholar who classes digital photography as permissible, in which he mentioned something along the lines of that, even if there is a 95% chance digital photography is permissible & a 5% chance that it’s not, why would you risk that 5% in such a sacred place where good deeds & sins are multiplied.

Another scholar explained that selfies have an element of pride in them. When one is stood before the Ka’abah / holy grave of the Prophet ﷺ, they should show the utmost humility & hence selfies should be avoided.

It is also very disrespectful to turn one’s back towards the Ka’bah / Masjid Nabwi, especially how the trend is these days to take pictures with the kabah / Masjid Nabwi in the background.

One should also consider that sins are multiplied in these blessed places. If one posts these pictures whilst in haram, then not only will they be sinful for every non mahram male’s gaze that looks at them, but this sin will also be multiplied.

It is absolutely heart breaking to see what happens in the house of Allah ﷻ & in front of our beloved Nabi ﷺ! People are so focused on taking their selfies & perfect shots & videos for social media that they are causing so much difficulty & inconvenience to other worshippers in the haram. These people are the cause of crowds. They are in your way whilst you are trying to do tawaaf & disturbing you in your Ibaadah. These are the people who rather record themselves touching the Ka’bah & waste time, than to give others an opportunity also to touch the Ka’bah peacefully. They stand near the Ka’bah for ages, getting the perfect shot amidst all the people yearning to just get one hand on the Ka’bah.

Our Nabi ﷺ has given us severe warnings about causing the slightest inconvenience & difficulty to others in many Hadiths. Yet that is exactly what we do right in front of him & in the house of Allah ﷻ . It’s a crazy obsession. Not to mention sins are multiplied in the haram.

Live in the moment, let your heart & mind capture everything. Stop obsessing over showing the world. Let some precious moments be a secret between you & your Allah ﷻ. The natural camera created by Allah ﷻ, your vision, your heart & mind will capture these memories better than any man made camera can. May Allah ﷻ protect us & grant us understanding & true respect in our hearts.