Committing a Sin Inside the Ḥaram

Ṭalq ibn Ḥabīb رحمه الله narrates that ‘Umar رضي الله عنه said:

“O people of Makkah! Fear Allāh with regards to this Ḥaram of yours! Do you know who resided in this Ḥaram before you? Such and such a tribe was residing in it, and they violated its sanctity and so were destroyed…” he then went on mentioning a number of tribes, and then said, “By Allāh! That I commit ten sins outside Makkah is more desirable to me than that I commit even one inside Makkah!”[1]

Imagine the amount of sins people commit in the Ḥaram, even whilst inside Al-Masjid Al-Ḥarām. Casting lustful glances at the opposite gender, backbiting, and violating the command of the ḥijāb are just a few from the exhaustive list. The sanctity of a place or of the time adds to the gravity of a sin, as can be deduced from this statement of ‘Umar رضي الله عنه. May Allāh protect us all. Āmīn.

[1] Ibn Abī Shaybah and Al-Bayhaqī

أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عَبْدَانَ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ الصَّفَّارُ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْفَرَجِ الْأَزْرَقُ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كُنَاسَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا مِسْعَرٌ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ مُرَّةَ، عَنْ طَلْقِ بْنِ حَبِيبٍ، عَنْ عُمَرَ، قَالَ: قَالَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ: يَا أَهْلَ مَكَّةَ اتَّقُوا اللهَ فِي حَرَمِكُمْ هَذَا، أَتَدْرُونَ مَنْ كَانَ سَاكِنَ حَرَمِكُمْ هَذَا مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ؟، كَانَ فِيهِ بَنُو فُلَانٍ فَأَحَلُّوا حُرْمَتَهُ فَهَلَكُوا، وَبَنُو فُلَانٍ فَأَحَلُّوا حُرْمَتَهُ فَهَلَكُوا حَتَّى عَدَّ مَا شَاءَ اللهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: وَاللهِ لَأَنْ أَعْمَلُ عَشْرَ خَطَايَا بِغَيْرِهِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَعْمَلَ وَاحِدَةً بِمَكَّةَ " (رواه ابن أبي شيبة واللفظ له، والبيهقي في الشعب)

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