A ‘commercialised Mecca’ or a spiritual Makkah’?

This question has arisen in the minds of many Muslims since the beginning of the modernisation of Makkah, and more especially to the surrounding of the holy mosque with modern shopping centres and commercial establishments, all contrasting with the spiritual backdrop of the journey. Indeed, in my engagement with the Muslim community, I find many who feel unhappy with a modern shopping complex around the holy mosque and that they have felt violated and diverted during their journey of spiritual quest and the accomplishment of their religious duties.

This problem relates not only to the situation in Makkah but equally to the situation surrounding the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.

We need to consider this situation with an open mind. Whenever I asked those same people what kind of Makkah they want, they, at first, displayed bewilderment. When an answer did come they said 'We want to see Makkah as it was in the time of the Prophet Mohammad, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him'.

That’s great and we all want this for sure, as, of course, we all want our journey to be spiritually purifying and religiously satisfying. Hajj is a religious obligation and both it and Umrah are ibadah. Both must be made acceptable to Allah and should not be spoiled by any outside influences, but we need to remember that Makkah, since its inception, has always been a place of commerce.

When the Prophet Ibrahim, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, prayed to Allah after building the Ka`bah, he said: ‘O my Lord! Make this a place of security and provide those of its people that believe in Allah and the Last Day with fruits and sustenance…’ S2 V126

The Quran mentions, in surah 126, called ‘Quraish’ the two famous trade journeys of Makkan, one to Yemen and the other to Syria. There were annual festivals in Makkah at that time, including Okaz, where people from many places came together to buy and sell all manner of goods.

The Quran, in more than one place, mentions the worldly benefits that pilgrims can gain during the period of hajj. Indeed, the Quran mentions both the material benefits as well as the spiritual benefits from the hajj journey, as long as hajj duties are not supplanted by commercial engagements. It says in the Surah Hajj: ‘and publicly proclaim pilgrimage for all mankind so that they come to you on foot and mounted on lean camels from every distant point, to witness the benefits in store for them….’ S V27-28

The Quranic scholars say that the ‘benefits’ mentioned in this verse should be viewed as both commercial and spiritual. Pilgrims are even allowed to take commercial goods to Makkah, to sell and engage in trade, as long as such activity does not divert them from their hajj duty. The Quran mentions this again in Surah 2, verse 198, saying: ‘It is no offence to seek the bounty of your Lord during pilgrimage’.  The bounty that is mentioned in the verse is the engaging in trade, according to Quranic scholars.

Trade itself is encouraged in Islam and our prophet Mohammad was, in his early life, a trader who travelled with goods and who dealt with traders in Makkah. Indeed, in one of his hadith, he says: ‘A trustworthy and truthful trader will be with the Prophets, Siddiqeen (Truthful) and martyrs’.

The books of trades mentioned in the collection of hadith is full of guidance about clean trades, and these still remain the most honourable means of livelihood and self-dependence.

Makkah, especially during the time of hajj, is perhaps the best place to test if people’s intentions are more related to their faith and religious duty or are directed more towards worldly matters. Indeed, as the Prophet, Peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, said, ‘the religion (deen) is all about dealing’. 

This most powerfully manifests itself during hajj, when people are tested by their manner of trading as to whether they seek purely material benefits, or truly seek to benefit spiritually. 

There is an interesting incident mentioned in the Surah 62, ‘al-Jumu`ah’. Here it says: ‘Believers, when the call for prayer is made on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and give up all trading that is better for you if you only knew’. ‘But when the prayer is ended, disperse in the land and seek Allah’s bounty and remember Allah much so that you may prosper’.  ‘Yet no sooner than they saw some trading or amusement, they flocked to it and left you standing by yourself. Tell them: that which is with Allah is far better than amusement and trading. Allah is best Provider of sustenance’.

Becoming diverted like this can happen to all of us and, in the modern world, we are now so often preoccupied by our trade and business activities that we don’t make time to pray or, indeed, be mindful of a spiritually tidier and cleaner trade.

To all those brothers and sisters who may have reservations towards a ‘more commercialised Makkah’, that looks like ‘Mecca’, and think of it as an abomination, I would say that, religiously, it is not wrong to modernise Makkah, nor to expand it. Several questions do, however, remain. What would we like to see in a 'modern' Makkah? What cultures should be represented? What architectural designs should be employed? Should we remove all trading from Makkah? Whose image of Makkah should we have? None of these questions have ever been asked in Islam before.

Many people have expressed objections towards the building of skyscrapers in Makkah, or indeed any buildings ‘higher than the Ka`bah’. But, as we all know, the Ka`bah is situated in the lowest part of Makkah valley, surrounded by hills, so any building, which was ever built, was always going to be higher than the Ka`bah! Even Makkans living on the surrounding hills in their tents and houses, were and are, higher than the haram area. This has never been seen as an insult to the Ka`bah and it was never termed 'the wahhabis' abomination'.

The Saudi government, despite their many and well publicised ‘faults’, is undoubtedly committed to the development of Makkah for the best use of pilgrims. Its intention is to provide them with high quality housing and the best facilities for trade engagement. Nothing is unreligious in such a development.

Pilgrims undertaking the journey to Makkah must decide for themselves what their intentions are for making it. We all struggle to focus and dedicate ourselves so that we may benefit from this spiritual journey of a lifetime. However, there has been a sea change in attitudes and conditions in the last two decades, including not only the expansion programme in Makkah by the Saudi government, but also the huge increase in the number of pilgrims and the facilities needed in order that they can perform their hajj and umrah duties to their complete satisfaction. May Allah unite the hearts and minds of this Ummah and grant us sincerity in our comments or criticism towards any institutions that seek to stabilise the interests of all Muslims.