Entering Makkah
إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُّضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِىْ بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَّهُدًى لِّلْعَـٰلَمِيْنَ
“Surely the first House established for humanity is the one at Bakkah — a blessed sanctuary and a guide for people” (3:96).
Upon entering Makkah, remember that you have reached the Sanctuary of Allah in safety. Have hope that this entry will be a means of protection from Allah’s punishment, and fear that you may not be worthy of nearness.
Have hope in all moments, for Allah’s generosity is vast and His mercy is encompassing. The sanctity of the House is immense, the right of the visitor is respected, and the sanctuary of the one who seeks refuge is never forsaken.
Take a moment to internalise the deep importance of this blessed place. It is the place where revelation descended, and it is the blessed land of safety and security. It is the place where the best of creation was born, the blessed water zamzam flows and where the House of Allah is. It is free from falsehood and shirk. It is pure, and preserved for the pure. Only true believers dwell within it, and even the Dajjāl will be barred from entering. It is the most beloved land to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
Just as it is a place where every good deed is multiplied, sins are also multiplied so preserve its sanctity and remember the following:
وَمَنْ يُّرِدْ فِيْهِ بِإِلْحَادٍ بِظُلْمٍ نُّذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيْمٍ
“…Whoever intends to deviate by doing wrong in it (al-Masjid al-Ḥarām), We will cause them to taste a painful punishment” (22:25).
“The severity of sins in virtuous times and places increases, and their punishment is proportionate to the virtue of the time and place.” – Ibn Taymiyyah (raḥimahullāh)
Reflect: What sins do you think you may be susceptible to falling into in Makkah? What can you do now to prepare yourself not to commit these?
Act: Try your best to perform as many good deeds as possible in Makkah and refrain from any sins.
Seeing the Kaʿbah
As you get ready to approach the Kaʿbah, think of the following:
1. Imagine yourself standing before Allah, in His very presence, inside His Holy Sanctuary. Let your heart be filled with divine awe and reverence. Let it flow with love; the love of meeting Allah and of finally fulfilling your longing of being honoured to see His house with your own eyes.
Act: Thank Allah for granting you this immense privilege and ask Him to grant you the blessing of seeing Him.
When their eyes beheld His Sacred House —
The very House for which hearts of creation burn with longing;
It was as if they had never suffered toil before,
For all their hardship seemed to melt away.
How many tears for Allah were shed in that moment,
And how many more followed in their tracks, unrestrained.
The lover’s eyes were choked with tears,
Gazing through them as they fell, overwhelmed in awe.
When the eye finally beheld it, its darkness vanished,
And the aching of the sorrowful heart was healed.
Yet the eye that sees it cannot grasp its full beauty,
Until it looks again, with greater longing than before.
No wonder, then, for when the Most Merciful
Attributed it to Himself, it became truly exalted.
He clothed it in the finest robe of majesty,
Embroidered with a mark of divine grace and beauty.
And for this reason, all hearts are drawn to love it,
They humble themselves in awe, and magnify it.
Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh)
2. The feeling you’re experiencing of immense awe and longing for this blessed House is a direct response to the duʿā’ of your grandfather Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhis-salām):
ْرَّبَّنَآ إِنِّىٓ أَسْكَنْتُ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِىْ بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِىْ زَرْعٍ عِنْدَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَوٰةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْـِٔدَةًۭ مِّنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِىٓ إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُم مِّنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُوْنَ
Our Lord! I have settled some of my offspring in a barren valley, near Your Sacred House, our Lord, so that they may establish prayer. So make the hearts of people yearn towards them, and provide them with fruits, so that they may be grateful. (14:37)
The one chosen to build this blessed House was none other than Ibrāhīm and his son Ismāʿīl (ʿalayhis-salām):
وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَٰهِيْمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَـٰعِيْلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّآ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيْعُ الْعَلِيْمُ
“And (remember) when Ibrāhīm raised the foundation of the House with Ismāʿīl, (supplicating), ‘Our Lord! Accept (this) from us. You are indeed the All-Hearing, All-Knowing’” (2:127).
Reflect: Pause for a moment and take in what surrounds you. The scenes you are witnessing around you are signs. Signs that Allah accepted their sincere efforts. You are here, along with millions of other people today, and billions of people throughout history, all because of a sincere prayer. You are the answer to the duʿā’ of your grandfather Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhis-salām).
Allow your heart to internalise this truth: every sincere action or prayer, no matter how small, is never lost. Allah is as-Samīʿ, al-ʿAlīm: The All-Hearing, The All-Knowing.
Act: During every step of your journey, always beg Allah to grant you sincerity and to accept your meagre efforts. Make duʿā’ for your future generations just like Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhis-salām) did.
3. Prophet Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhis-salām) was ordered to purify the Kaʿbah from all forms of filth and cleanse it, so that it may be a place of pure worship for Allah Alone:
وَإِذْ بَوَّأْنَا لِإِبْرَٰهِيْمَ مَكَانَ الْبَيْتِ أَنْ لَّا تُشْرِكْ بِىْ شَيْـًٔا وَّطَهِّرْ بَيْتِىَ لِلطَّآئِفِيْنَ وَالْقَآئِمِيْنَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُوْدِ
And (remember) when We designated for Ibrāhīm the site of the House, (saying,) “Do not associate anything with Me as My partner, and purify My House for those who do ṭawāf, stand (in ṣalāh), and bow and prostrate themselves (22:26)
Similarly, after the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet ﷺ was commanded to destroy the idols around the Kaʿbah to cleanse the space from anything besides Allah being worshipped and loved. The destruction of the idols isn’t simply a physical act, rather it serves as a powerful reminder to us to destroy the idols in our hearts: anything we place on par with Allah in love, fear or reliance.
Reflect: What or who have you placed on par with Allah in your heart? What do you love so deeply, fear losing, or rely on so heavily that it competes with your devotion to Him?
Act: Ask Allah to make Him be the most important focus in your life, and to remove any attachment from your heart that distracts you from Him. (Add this to your duʿā’ list.)
Looking at the Kaʿbah is ʿibādah. Everyone has a unique experience in seeing and looking at the Kaʿbah, especially the first time. Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal (raḥimahullāh) said, “How easy is worship in Makkah! Just looking at the Kaʿbah is an act of worship.”
Act: Write down the feelings you have when you first see the Kaʿbah.
5. Imagine the feelings of the Prophet ﷺ when he returned to Makkah after 10 years of being expelled from his hometown, and saw the Kaʿbah.
Think of the struggles of the Prophet ﷺ in the early years when the disbelievers dumped the filthy remains of a slaughtered camel on his blessed back as he prayed by the Kaʿbah; and the only one to rush to his aid was his young daughter, Fāṭimah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhā), wiping the filth from him with her small hands.
Recall the moment when the Prophet ﷺ was being strangled and it was his closest friend, Abū Bakr (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu), who rushed to his defense, crying out: “Will you kill a man because he says, ‘My Lord is Allah?’”
Now, fast forward 10 years, where the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is standing in the same place, in victory and honour, surrounded by thousands of believers. In this moment, it was clear that Allah had fulfilled His promise to His Messenger ﷺ.
Reflect: Allah ﷻ never wastes the efforts of His servants. Ṣabr and perseverance are vital for the victory of Allah to arrive.
Reflect: What ‘openings’ from Allah have you experienced in your life after exercising sabr and perseverance? What struggles are you going through now? How are you striving for His sake?
Act: Write your struggles down in your duʿā’ list and ask Allah to help you.
6. You’ve been honoured with an invitation to the Blessed House. Yet the Prophet ﷺ reminds us of something even more sacred in the sight of Allah: the lives of believers.
ʿAbdullah b. ʿUmar (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said: “I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ doing ṭawāf of the Kaʿbah and saying, “How pure you are and how pure is your fragrance! How great are you and how great is your sanctity! By the One in whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, the sanctity of the believer is greater to Allah than your sanctity, in his wealth, his life, and to assume nothing of him but good” (Ibn Mājah).
As our Muslim brothers and sisters are being brutally slaughtered in Gaza and other parts of the world, this should stir fear in our hearts, awaken our sense of responsibility and motivate us to defend and aid them through every means possible.
Reflect: You have been invited to the Sacred House. However, what is more sacred than this house is the sanctity of a believer. What are YOU doing to maintain the sanctity of believers not just locally but around the world? How are you defending the rights of Muslims who are being slaughtered around the world?
Act: Commit to one action that you will take to protect the sanctity of a believer/group of believers.
3. Talbiyah
