It is widely known now that photography and videography have been banned in the two most Holy Places for Muslims; Masjid al-Haram and Masjid an-Nabwi. This ban was enforced back in November 2017, but do we all really know the reason behind it? Why is this discouraged in these sacred places?
Initially, Muslims around the world began to indulge in photography and videography of the Holy sites as well as their own pictures standing in front of them to mark their memories. However, this started to become a major problem overtime and the Saudi government stepped in to take the matter at hand.
The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Masjid al-Haram and Masjid an-Nabwi advised pilgrims as well as the worshippers to avoid getting engaged in taking photos or selfies inside.
Mashhour Al-Mun’emi, the assistant under deputy for Masjid al-Haram services, said that it was urged by the presidency that worshippers should concentrate on performing their Holy rituals rather than getting involved in photography. Moreover, the professor of Islamic Law, Atiah Al-Youssefi, commented that the aim of prohibiting photography at Masjid al-Haram was to prevent the Muslims from wasting time. Evidently, due to the fact that individuals began looking for the perfect angle for a good photograph or a video. These actions resulted in disturbing other worshippers by becoming an obstacle in the performance of their respective Ibadah.
A crowd management specialist namely Akram Jan, had deduced that people frequently stop for taking pictures at the starting point of tawaf, which confuses and disturbs the movement of the rest of the worshippers. A dynamic movement is vital to ensure that people proceed simultaneously. A possibility of stumbling persists which could cause a stampede; being highly risky in terms of everyone’s safety. In the case of Masjid an-Nabwi, photography is prohibited inside ‘Roza Mubarak’ and the surroundings of ‘Riaz-ul-Jannah’ whereby the tombs of Sahabah are also situated.
The Saudi statement quoted:
"In the case of any violation of the ban, security guards have been instructed to confiscate the photos and the camera if needed."
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah had circulated the message to spread and raise the awareness to pilgrims regarding the importance of adhering to the instructions of discouraging photography. Thus, the measure was incorporated as a means to preserve the tranquility of the holy sites; visited by a myriad of Muslims from time to time.
It is essential that such initiatives should undeniably be followed by all the Muslims out of respect for the sanctity of the holy places. At an individual level, it is our responsibility that our actions must not disturb other believers in performing their rituals.
