A friend of mine got upset when I told him that he would not be allowed to enter the sanctuary of the Kaaba. Does this go for all of Mecca or just where pilgrims enter to perform Hajj? Why was this done? Is it justified?
My friend went on to say that he would declare shahadah just to get in, eventhough he is non-muslim. I’ve never been so I dont know what its like there. Thanks.
There is a checkpoint on the way to Mekkah from Jeddah, where they check the passports. Non-muslims are not allowed beyond that point. So its not just the premises of Ka'aba, but the whole cities of Mekkah and Medinah.
There have been several instances in the past, some quite high profile, where non-muslims managed to sneak past these check-points. Some for journalistic reasons, and some for others, so its not beyond possibility. Au contraire,, I have been told of instances, where new-muslims (caucasians) who even had their names changed in their passports, were not allowed past these check-points because the shurta (policeman manning the checkpoint) refused to accept that the caucasian is a muslim.
Re: why or justification... well, thats Saudi Arabia for you. They do things their own way.
i can t imagine a blond girl being allowed there even if truly changed
the religen but a hindu can change name and visit.
Thats fine rivzk the question is what will they do to you if they catch you!!! Knowing the Saudis I won’t be seen near that place for at least 100 mile radius. 
Munni, i would suggest your friend read Michael Wolfe’s One thousand roads to Mecca. It gives lots of accounts of the pilgrimage from both Muslims, and those nonMuslims who managed somehow to sneak in to the city (Faisal Bhai’s point regarding this is precisely related). Michael Wolfe discusses how, in the majority of cases, these nonMuslims would return to their native countries to publish usually inaccurate, overly-exotic, and/or misleading reports about the Hajj and Muslims in general. Many Arab governments felt they had further reason to view so-called “foreigners” wanting to enter their country, more suspiciously.
Those nonMuslims who actually did revert and did not “look” Muslim - such as Michael Wolfe himself, Leopold Weiss (Muhammad Asad, formerly a Polish Jew), Malcolm X, and others whose personal journals/accounts of the Hajj are reproduced in Wolfe’s book, did experience difficulties in entering the city. Most of them apportioned this blame towards deceiving nonMuslims who snuck in somehow and then returned to their native countries only to paint a very negative picture of Islam.
Anyways - i would suggest that you suggest to your friend he read this book; IMHO i think he would find it a fascinating book on its own, apart from any issue related to what i have written above. 
{O ye who believe! Truly the idolaters are unclean; so let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the Sacred Mosque.} (Surah 9:28)
This verse has been variously interpreted to mean that no polytheist (or no non-Muslim even) is permitted to enter the sanctuary of the Kabah, others extend it to mean the entire city of Makkah and yet others take it to mean that no polytheist is permitted any longer to perform Hajj or Umrah as some pagans used to do in the time of the Prophet (s).
And Allah knows best.
Iqbal
how do they know ? i am sure lot of curious people must have
done.many non-arab muslim dont even speak arabic . sdo they have a test to find out ? many muslim in india go to both temples and mosques
Okay remember when the prophet(saw) came back to claim Mecca? Didnt he leave the pagans alone and say they were not prisoners, so what happened? Did they all have to get up and leave the city? Whats the history?
Thanks.
The area off limits to non-Muslims is called the Hijaz. It includes Mekkah and Madina. Arabia itself is accesible to everyone. As for the non-Muslims who stayed, they were relocated to other parts of Arabia. The second Khalifa Umar (RA) personally relocated 70 Jewish families to Jerusalem. After the crusades when the peace loving Christians annihilated the entire Muslim and Jewish population of Jerusalem and destroyed all Mosques and synagogues, Saladin again relocated Jews there and rebuilt their homes and synagogues which were being used as stables.
Why can't non Muslims go there?
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*Originally posted by aravamudhan: *
Why can't non Muslims go there?
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It has been declared a Sanctuary...Any creature that enters it is not to be harmed...You cannot own property there...Not even a blade of grass can be harmed unless the ruler of the time or the Khalifa decides...There is peace there that only Muslims can comprehend...And non-Muslims have a tendency to always disrupt things...:)
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*Originally posted by Lajawab: *
There is peace there that only Muslims can comprehend...And non-Muslims have a tendency to always disrupt things...:)
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makes me wonder - what if non-muslims make similar comments about muslims, and offically barr them from certain cities, how many of them would take it smiling.
i hate to say this, but from what i have seen on these forums, muslims here expect equal treatment, respect and freedom from non-muslims when living as a minority amidst them, but dont seem too keen to hand down the same equality, respect or freedom to non-muslims in their countries.
I don't get why non muslims are not allowed there either.
Seems to me that opening up the holy places for all peoples would be wise. Why wouldn't one want to share the joy of God with another?
It's beyond my comprehension.
Its acting as if God's teaching are only for a selected few. Do you think God intended to select just a few and abandon the rest? I can't imagine God would do so, if I could then I don't think I would be able to praise God.
It's almost like saying God is only for some..not everyone and goes against everything I was ever taught of God.
Actually, one might even say arrogant and prejudice when you think about it. "Those with blond hair are not allowed."
Its almost like saying...You can't come to my church because I don't like the color of your skin.
AAG,
I'm surprised that you see it as "arrogant" and "prejudice", because when i'm not permitted into a Christian or a Jewish school to receive education, i don't have a problem with it.
The third holiest mosque for Muslims is in Quds, Jerusalem, the Mosque of Al-Aqsa. But as a Muslim i am not allowed to freely visit it because of the security restrictions imposed by the Israelis, yet i am a Muslim. Do you think that's fair?
It's for security reasons.
Well...I suppose arrogant and prejudice was to strong a statement to use.
Sinfully I was pointing fingers at people who always infer that Americans are arrogant and prejudice.
I need to learn to zip my mouth. Absolutely.
Where do you live that you cannot attend the school of your choice? The parochial school I sent my daughter to did not base acceptence on religion. Based it on brains.
LOL Imagine that? Being sarcastic here because I am accused of brain farting.
And I have to admit that my brain farts sometimes.
Majority of the time even.
Point anyway... Don't understand why this holy of holies is restricted.
And sorry for being factious about it.
In my opinion we should first consider, as muslims, what is there in these places that has a special sanctity. Allah himself has chosen Makkah to be His house. It is He who has decided to have His House, "The Haram," in Mecca. It is He, then, who decides who may come into that place and who may not. He told us in the Qur'an that non-Muslims are not allowed there. That is certainly His prerogative. We have to carry His orders. If we can restrict the guests visiting our houses, who determines whom to allow in Allah's own place? The same applies to Madina. People who do not believe in Muhammed (peace be upon him) as Allah's last messenger may not visit his city or his mosque.
Likely I will never understand why God would decree that non muslims are barred from visiting those holy sites.
Why would God want some but not others to see?
How come God invites you to visit his house and not me?
Doesn't God like me?
Why would God require that I practise Islam before seeing his holy places? Wouldn't it be easier to learn to live Islam by example?
Do you think its because I would annoy God with all of my questions?
Lhasa Apso was a sacred city to the peace loving Buddhists...The Forbidden city was ransacked and pillaged by the Chinese army...The Buddhists never bothered anybody and nobody bothered them...So why were they not left alone? They were for the most part defenseless monks and poorly armed farmers and herdsmen...What drove the Chinese to crush a worshipping race of people? It was pride...If it's curiosity that drives you, then there are thousands of websites with detailed pictures where you can see Ka'baa and the Mosque of the Holy Prophet (SAW)...But sorry...Entry restricted to Muslims only...
P.S. I'll try and post some pictures in the image gallery...:)
Okay so I read the word "idolators". Now my question is, whom are idolaters? Are christians idolaters, jews idolaters, sikhs idolaters? If not, should they not be allowed to approach it? From what I have read, what little it is, it seems that Qur'an refers to pagans as idolaters, and christians and jews as People of the Book. Clarification? Secondly, it says "Approach the sacred mosque". The sacred mosque is not in Madinah. It is in Makkah, and the verse doesnt say "approach Makkah". I'm no scholar, that is why I wanted to know what it really means. Just looking to know your opinion on this. I will research it further myself.
Thanks for all the responses so far.
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*Originally posted by AvgAmericanGirl: *
Its acting as if God's teaching are only for a selected few. Do you think God intended to select just a few and abandon the rest? I can't imagine God would do so, if I could then I don't think I would be able to praise God.
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this won't be a trip to disney land...u can praise God from the comfort of ur home :~)