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What did Ibn Battuta see in Makkah?

Ibn Battuta performed Ḥajj multiple times over thirty years of travel. His descriptions of the Sacred Mosque, the pilgrims, the scholars of Makkah, and the state of the Muslim world in the 14th century are an irreplaceable record.

8 passages from 2 books in the library

In Makkah, Ibn Battuta describes the pilgrimage and the people drawn to the Sacred House. The cited passages name fellow pilgrims he traveled with — "Hajj Ahmad Tabrizi, Hajj Ibrahim Kanawi, Hajj Hussain Khorasani" — and record local devotion, such as Karaz ibn Wabra of Makkah, who "would circumambulate the Kaaba seventy rounds daily." He notes the ceremony as the emir of Mecca arrives and circumambulates the Kaaba. Alongside these, al-Ghazali's passages on the rites — that "Hajj is Arafah" and contentment amid hardship "is a sign of the acceptance of one's hajj" — supply the inner meaning.

Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.

Where the answer comes from

The classical approach.

These passages are drawn from 2 books by Ibn Battuta — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.

Read them closely. If a passage doesn't sit right, open the full book in the library and listen to the chapter around it. Context in the classical tradition is everything.

Cover of Volume One: From Tangier to the Lands of the East
Volume One: From Tangier to the Lands of the East
Ibn Battuta · Rihla — The Travels of Ibn Battuta

14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
More on Ibn Battuta → · Provenance →

  1. "be pleased with him, slightly sideways, is the dome known as the Jewish Dome. The gates of the Sacred Mosque and its surrounding noble sites. The Sacred Mosque, may Allah honor it, has nineteen doors, most of which are open to multiple gates. Among them is the Gate of Safa, which opens to five doors and was formerly known as the Gate of Banu Maqsum. It is the largest gate of the Mosque, providing access to the Sa'i. It is recommended for newcomers to Mecca to enter the Sacred Mosque, may Allah honor it, from the Gate of Banu Shaba and exit after their circumambulation from the gate of Safa, making their path between the two columns installed by the commander"

  2. "wishes. So he left it as it was to prevent any potential issues. People from regions allied to Mecca, such as Bajila, Zuharan, and Gamid, hastened to attend the Umrah of Rajab, bringing grains, ghee, honey, raisins, oil, and almonds. Consequently, prices in Mecca drop, improving the livelihood there and facilitating provisions. Without these regions, Mecca's people would endure hardship. It's said that if they stay home without bringing these supplies, their lands suffer drought, and their livestock die. But if they deliver the supplies, their lands prosper and become blessed, and their wealth increases. Therefore, when it's time for them to bring"

  3. "may Allah be pleased with him, and the origin of this Umrah is that when Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with both of them, completed the building of the sacred Kaaba, he set out barefoot, performing Umrah with the people of Mecca. This was on the 27th day of Rajab. He reached the hill and entered into Ihram, a state of ritual consecration there, making his way over the Thaniya al-Hajun to al-Mu'alla, from where the Muslims entered on the day of the conquest. This Umrah remained a tradition for the people of Mecca until this time. During Abdullah's period, it is mentioned that he sacrificed large camels and the nobles"

  4. "exclaim, ìGod is greatî and invoke, ìO Allah, open for us the doors of your mercy and forgiveness, most merciful of the merciful.î Inside the Honored Kaaba is paved with variegated marble, and its walls are similarly adorned. There are three long teakwood columns exceedingly tall, spaced four strides apart, centrally located within the Kaaba's empty space, with the middle one aligned half with the width of the wall between the Yemeni and Levantine corners. The drapery of the revered Kaaba is made of black silk, embroidered in white, shimmering with light and radiance, covering it from top to bottom. Among the wondrous"

Cover of Volume Two: From India to the Lands of the West
Volume Two: From India to the Lands of the West
Ibn Battuta · Rihla — The Travels of Ibn Battuta

14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
More on Ibn Battuta → · Provenance →

  1. "to the adherents among the poor. In Granada, there are numerous poor Persians who settled there due to its resemblance to their homeland, among them, Hajj Abu Abdullah Samarkandi, Hajj Ahmad Tabrizi, Hajj Ibrahim Kanawi, Hajj Hussain Khorasani, and the two Hajjas Ali and Rashid al-Hindia, among others. Then I traveled from Granada to Al-Hama, then to Velez, then to Malaga, and then to the fortress of Daquan, a beautiful fort abundant with water, trees, and fruits. From there I journeyed to Ronda, and then to the village of Banu Riyah. Its sheikh, Abu al-Hassan Ali Suleiman al-Riyahi, one of the noble and distinguished"

  2. "From there, I sailed across the sea, reaching Jeddah. I then journeyed to Mecca, may God honor and cherish it, arriving on the 22nd of Shaban in the year 9. I stayed in close proximity to the pious and virtuous Maliki leader, Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman, known as Khalil. I completed the fast of the month of Ramadan in Mecca and performed Umrah every day following the Shafi'i school."

  3. "In this mosque, I met a virtuous jurist from Mogadishu named Saeed, who was of good demeanor and manner and continuously observed fasting. He recounted to me his 14-year stay in Mecca and another 14 in Medina. He met the emir of Mecca Abu Numai and the emir of Medina Mansur ibn Jamaz and traveled through India and China."

  4. "with numerous graves of virtuous men of great benefit. Among its renowned scholars is the virtuous Sheikh Mahmoud al-Kaaba, one of the foremost pious figures. People claim he subsists by miraculous means, as he possesses no wealth. He appeared, feeding those who came and went, giving gold, silver, and garments, and many miracles were attributed to him, for which he became renowned. I saw him many times and was blessed by his presence. Among them was the righteous scholar Sheikh Ala al-Din al-Nili, seemingly named after the Nile of Egypt, God knows best. He was one of the companions of the righteous scholar"

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Grounded in the Qurʾān, authentic Sunnah, and the four madhāhib. Sourced answers. Never a fatwā — for personal matters, ask a qualified imam. How these answers are made →

The whole road

Every stop of the thirty-year journey, on one map — with the passage from the Riḥla for each: Ibn Baṭṭūṭa's route, mapped →

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