Why are non-Muslims not allowed in Mecca?

 

Do you know that in the Holy City of Mecca, only Muslims are allowed? Non-Muslims may not enter or travel through Mecca and attempting to enter Mecca as a non-Muslim can result in penalties such as a fine or deportation from Saudi Arabia. However, in Medina, both Muslims and Non-Muslims are allowed. The exception is non-Muslims entering the Nabawi Square, where the Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi is located. But why this disparity? In this blog, I am sharing some of the best answers I could trace…Read on! 

Comparison of Mecca with cantonment areas 

 This is the most common answer I found – non-Muslims are not allowed in Mecca because it is a holy sanctuary. One has to qualify certain requirements to be there and be a believer. Understand it like this: civilians are allowed in cantonment areas or high security areas. You need a certain permit to be there. It’s the same with Mecca. In this case the permit is being a Muslim. Also please note that Mecca as a city has no significance. The only significance is the presence of Kaaba.

To keep the spirituality intact 

Mecca and Madinah are cities of great importance in Islamic tradition - centers of pilgrimage and prayer, sacred places where Muslims are free from the distractions of daily life. Restricting access to these holy cities is intended to provide a place of peace and refuge for Muslim believers and preserve the sanctity of the holy cities. At this time, millions of Muslims visit the cities each year, and additional tourist traffic would simply add to the congestion and detract from the spirituality of the pilgrimage visit.

Mecca and cleanliness  

The Quran says: “Oh you who believe! Truly the idolaters are unclean; so let them not, after this year, approach the Sacred Mosque….” (Quran – 9:28) Mosques or holy places in other religions as well as places reserved for meditation usually have basic requirements for entry - cleanliness and purity. Prayer is a form of meditation and meditation requires cleanliness. This basic principle drives the restriction to not allow someone 'not clean' into a Mosque - be it a Muslim or a non Muslim. Although it is said that even Muslims are prohibited to enter the Mosque if they are not clean, but no one can keep a check on this. It is believed that every Muslim will follow cleanliness guidelines as per Islam which mentions a specific way to take bath and perform ablution to touch the holy book of Quran or perform prayers. It is obviously assumed that people from other religions being unaware of these rules are not purified in that sense and hence denied entry to Mecca. 

Mecca and cleanliness