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88-671: The Grand Mosque seizure , also known as the Siege of Calamity , was a siege that took place between 20 November and 4 December 1979 at the Grand Mosque of Mecca , the holiest Islamic site in Mecca , Saudi Arabia . The building was besieged by up to 600 militants under the leadership of Juhayman al-Otaybi , a Saudi anti-monarchy Islamist from the Otaibah tribe. They identified themselves as " al-Ikhwan " ( Arabic : الإخوان ), referring to

176-469: A bulwark against the expansion of rights for women. Commenting on the Sharia rule that the testimony in court of one woman was insufficient, Ibn Baz said: "The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) explained that their shortcoming in reasoning is found in the fact that their memory is weak and that their witness is in need of another woman to corroborate it." He also issued a fatwa against women driving cars , which in

264-460: A market. He also took lessons in the Qur'an , hadith , fiqh , and tafsir , with the man who would precede him as the country's top religious official, Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh . In 1927, when he was sixteen, he started losing his eyesight after a serious infection in his eyes. By the time he was twenty, he had totally lost his sight and had become blind. At that time, Saudi Arabia lacked

352-542: A meal with him. Ibn Bāz was among the Muslim scholars who opposed regime change using violence. He called for obedience to the people in power unless they ordered something that went against God. During his career as the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, he attempted to both legitimise the rule of the ruling family and to support calls for the reform of Islam in line with Salafi ideals. Many criticised him for supporting

440-630: A modern university system. Ibn Baz received a traditional education in Islamic literature with Islamic scholars. He held a number of posts and responsibilities, such as: In 1981 he was awarded the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam. He was the only Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia not to come from the Al ash-Sheikh family. Ibn Bāz wrote more than sixty works over the course of his career on subjects including

528-655: A new wing and an outdoor prayer area to the mosque. The new wing, which is also for prayers, is reached through the King Fahd Gate. This extension was performed between 1982 and 1988. 1987 to 2005 saw the building of more minarets, the erecting of a King's residence overlooking the mosque and more prayer area in and around the mosque itself. These developments took place simultaneously with those in Arafat , Mina and Muzdalifah . This extension also added 18 more gates, three domes corresponding in position to each gate and

616-662: A number of the Ikhwan were locked up as troublemakers by the Ministry of Interior security police, the Mabahith , in 1978. Members of the ulama (including Ibn Baz) cross-examined them for heresy but they were subsequently released as being traditionalists harkening back to the Ikhwan, like al-Otaybi's grandfather and, therefore, not a threat. Even after the seizure of the Grand Mosque, a certain level of forbearance by ulama for

704-473: A repudiation of the West; abolition of television and expulsion of non-Muslims." He proclaimed that "the ruling Al-Saud dynasty had lost its legitimacy because it was corrupt, ostentatious and had destroyed Saudi culture by an aggressive policy of Westernization ." Al-Otaybi and Qahtani had met while imprisoned together for sedition , when al-Otaybi claimed to have had a vision sent by God telling him that Qahtani

792-639: A second article on the same subject written later in 1966, and repeated his belief that the Sun orbited the Earth. In 1985, he changed his mind concerning the rotation of the Earth (and, according to Lacey, ceased to assert its flatness), when Prince Sultan bin Salman returned home after a week aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery to tell him that he had seen the Earth rotate. In addition, there

880-403: A space shuttle flight in 1985. However, Malise Ruthven and others state that it is incorrect to report that Ibn Baz believed "the earth is flat" Professor Werner Ende, a German expert on Ibn Baz's fatwas, states he has never asserted this. Abd al-Wahhâb al-Turayrî calls those that attribute the flat earth view to Ibn Baz "rumour mongers". He points out that Ibn Baz issued a fatwa declaring that

968-477: A statement on 25 November, alleging to clarify the demands of the insurgents. The party, however, denied any involvement in the seizure of the Grand Mosque. Officially, the Saudi government took the position that it would not aggressively retake the mosque, but rather starve out the militants. Nevertheless, several unsuccessful assaults were undertaken, at least one of them through the underground tunnels in and around

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1056-431: Is a Kafir (disbeliever), and their blood and wealth become violable. It is the duty of the responsible authority to ask them to repent of this; either they repent or be executed. Thanks to Allah that this issue is not debatable among scholars. Ibn Baz's second article written in 1966 also responded to similar accusations: I did not declare those who believe that the earth rotates to be infidels, nor those who believe that

1144-525: Is the main setting for the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages that occur in the month of Dhu al-Hijja in the Islamic calendar and at any time of the year, respectively. The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the Pillars of Islam, required of all able-bodied Muslims who can afford the trip. In recent times, over 5 million Muslims perform the Hajj every year. There has been some controversy that the expansion projects of

1232-474: Is to leave alone this disastrous path, and to fear Allah and to beware of His vengeance and His Anger, and to return to guidance and to repent to Allah for whatever has preceded from them. And Allah, Glorified, has promised His repentant servants that He will accept their repentance and be good to them. So Allah the Glorified said: "Say, 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves. Do not despair of

1320-605: The Ikhwan army that which Juhayman's father served in or the hostel, Beit al-Ikhwan, in which Juhayman lived in). Al-Ikhwan were former students of Ibn Baz and other high ulema under the Al-Jama'a Al-Salafiya Al-Muhtasiba (literally, the Salafi Group that Commands Right and Forbids Wrong"), before breaking off from the group due to their extremism and militantism. Juhayman declared his brother-in-law, Mohammed al-Qahtani, to be

1408-585: The Mahdi (end of times) had arrived in the form of one of the militants' leaders, Muhammad Abdullah al-Qahtani. Seeking assistance for their counteroffensive against the Ikhwan, the Saudis requested urgent aid from France , which responded by dispatching advisory units from the GIGN . After French operatives provided them with a special type of tear gas that dulls aggression and obstructs breathing, Saudi troops gassed

1496-496: The Mahdi , or redeemer, who is believed to arrive on earth several years before Judgment Day . His followers embellished the fact that Al-Qahtani's name and his father's name are identical to the Prophet Mohammed 's name and that of his father, and developed a saying, " His and his father's names were the same as Mohammed's and his father's, and he had come to Makkah from the north, " to justify their belief. The date of

1584-638: The Mahdi . The Mabahith (secret police) of the Minister of Interior, Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud , had identified Mohammed al-Qahtani and a number of the Ikhwan as troublemakers. They had them imprisoned months before—only to release them at the request of Sheikh Ibn Baz. Islam forbids any violence within the Grand Mosque. Ibn Baz found himself in a delicate situation, especially as he had previously taught al-Otaybi in Medina . The situation

1672-738: The Sacred Mosque or the Great Mosque of Mecca , is considered to be the most significant mosque in Islam. It encloses the vicinity of the Kaaba in Mecca , in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia . It is among the pilgrimage sites associated with the Hajj , which every Muslim must perform at least once in their lives if able. It is also the main site for the performance of ʿ Umrah ,

1760-636: The Salafi group Al-Jamaa Al-Salafiya Al-Muhtasiba ( The Salafi Group That Commands Right and Forbids Wrong ) in Medina headed by Sheikh Abd al-Aziz Ibn Baz, chairman of the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Issuing Fatwas at the time. The followers preached their radical message in different mosques in Saudi Arabia without being arrested, and the government was reluctant to confront religious extremists. Al-Otaybi, al-Qahtani and

1848-566: The Soviet Union . It is said to be the first official call for jihad by a nation state against another nation state in modern times. [REDACTED] Politics portal Ibn Baz was born in the city of Riyadh during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah in 1912 to a family with a reputation for their interest in Islam . His father died when he was only three. By the time he was thirteen, he had begun working, selling clothing with his brother in

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1936-540: The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah , saying that a peace treaty with non-Muslims has historical precedent if it can avoid the loss of life. Ibn Baz deemed it mandatory to destroy media that promoted Bin Laden's views, and declared that it was forbidden for anyone to co-operate with him. He wrote: ...It is obligatory to destroy and annihilate these publications that have emanated from al-Faqeeh , or from al-Mas'aree, or from others of

2024-538: The United Arab Emirates and Pakistan . In Islamabad, Pakistan , on the day following the takeover, the U.S. embassy in that city was overrun by a mob, which burned the embassy to the ground . A week later, in Tripoli, Libya , another mob attacked and burned the U.S. embassy. Soviet agents also spread rumours that the U.S. was behind the Grand Mosque seizure. Al-Qahtani was killed in the recapture of

2112-552: The trial of Galileo by the Catholic Church in the 16th century. Ibn Baz is often said to have believed that the Earth was flat . Author Robert Lacey says that Ibn Baz gave an interview "in which he mused on how we operate day to day on the basis that the ground beneath us is flat ... and it led him to the belief that he was not afraid to voice and for which he became notorious." Though satirized for his belief, "the sheikh

2200-638: The Earth is round, and, indeed, in 1966 Ibn Baz wrote "The quotation I cited [in his original article] from the speech of the great scholar Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allah be merciful to him) includes proof that the earth is round." Lacey quotes a fatwa by Ibn Baz urging caution towards claims that the Americans had landed on the Moon . "We must make careful checks whenever the kuffar [unbelievers] or faseqoon [immoral folk] tell us something: we cannot believe or disbelieve them until we get sufficient proof on which

2288-420: The Earth, and that "the earth is fixed and stable, spread out by God for mankind and made a bed and cradle for them, fixed down by mountains lest it shake". As a result of the publication of his first article, Ibn Baz was ridiculed by Egyptian journalists as an example of Saudi primitiveness, and King Faisal was reportedly so angered by the first article that he ordered the destruction of every unsold copy of

2376-462: The Grand Mosque, to the extent that plants cannot be uprooted without explicit religious sanction. Ibn Baz found himself in a delicate situation, especially as he had previously taught al-Otaybi in Medina. Regardless, the ulema issued a fatwa allowing deadly force to be used in retaking the mosque. With religious approval granted, Saudi forces launched frontal assaults on three of the main gates. Again,

2464-586: The Grand Mosque, which had occurred amidst the Islamic Revolution in nearby Iran , prompted further unrest across the Muslim world . Large-scale anti-American riots broke out in many Muslim-majority countries after Iranian religious cleric Ruhollah Khomeini falsely claimed in a radio broadcast that the Grand Mosque seizure had been orchestrated by the United States and Israel . Following

2552-590: The Kaaba. According to Islamic tradition, it is said that Allah showed Abraham the exact site, which was previously built by Adam , very near to what is now the Well of Zamzam . After Abraham had built the Kaaba, an angel is said to have brought him the Black Stone , a celestial stone that, according to tradition, had fallen from Heaven on the nearby hill Abu Qubays . The Black Stone is believed by Islamic scholars to be

2640-570: The Masjid al-Haram were not declared non-Muslims, despite their killings and violation of the sanctity of the Masjid, but only called " al-jamaah al-musallahah " (the armed group). Regardless, the ulema issued a fatwa allowing deadly force to be used in retaking the mosque. The senior scholars also insisted that before security forces attack them, the authorities must offer the option "to surrender and lay down their arms". Ibn Baz has been described as having inflexible attitudes towards women and being

2728-507: The Muslims can depend." Ibn Baz has been associated with some members of the 20 November–4 December 1979 takeover of the Grand Mosque ( Masjid al-Haram ) in Mecca. The two-week-long armed takeover left over 250 dead, including hostages taken by the militants. According to interviews taken by author Robert Lacey, the militants, led by Juhayman al-Otaybi , were known as Al-Ikhwan (named after

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2816-407: The Saudi government under King Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz announced an expansion of the mosque, involving the expropriation of land to the north and northwest of the mosque covering 300,000 m (3,200,000 sq ft). At that time, the mosque covered an area of 356,800 m (3,841,000 sq ft) including indoor and outdoor praying spaces. 40 billion riyals (US$ 10.6 billion)

2904-673: The Saudi government when, after the Persian Gulf War , it muzzled or imprisoned those regarded as too critical of the government, such as Safar al-Hawali and Salman al-Ouda . His influence on the Salafi movement was large, and most of the current prominent judges and religious scholars in Saudi Arabia are his former students. His wives and children lived in the Shumaysi neighbourhood of Riyadh in "a little cluster of modern two-story buildings". Like all senior Saudi clerics, his home

2992-477: The West may have been his most well known ruling. He declared: "Depravity leads to the innocent and pure women being accused of indecencies. Allah has laid down one of the harshest punishments for such an act to protect society from the spreading of the causes of depravity. Women driving cars, however, is one of the causes that lead to that." During the Persian Gulf War Ibn Bāz issued a fatwa allowing

3080-604: The assaulting forces were repulsed. Snipers continued to pick off soldiers who revealed themselves. The insurgents aired their demands from the mosque's loudspeakers throughout the streets of Mecca, calling for the cut-off of oil exports to the United States and the expulsion of all foreign civilian and military experts from the Arabian Peninsula . In Beirut , an opposition organization, the Arab Socialist Action Party – Arabian Peninsula , issued

3168-514: The attack, 20 November 1979, was the last day of the year 1399 according to the Islamic calendar ; this ties in with the tradition of the mujaddid , a person who appears at the turn of every century of the Islamic calendar to revive Islam, cleansing it of extraneous elements and restoring it to its pristine purity. Juhayman's grandfather, Sultan bin Bajad al-Otaybi , had ridden with Ibn Saud in

3256-523: The attack, Saudi king Khalid bin Abdulaziz enforced a stricter system of Islamic law throughout the country and also gave the ulama more power over the next decade. Likewise, Saudi Arabia's Islamic religious police became more assertive. The seizure was led by Juhayman al-Otaybi, a member of the Otaibah family, influential in Najd . He declared his brother-in-law Mohammed Abdullah al-Qahtani to be

3344-537: The authorities must offer them the option to surrender. Because of donations from wealthy followers, the group was well-armed and trained. Some members, like al-Otaybi, were former military officials of the National Guard. Some National Guard troops sympathetic to the insurgents smuggled weapons, ammunition, gas masks and provisions into the mosque compound over a period of weeks before the new year. Automatic weapons were smuggled from National Guard armories and

3432-488: The callers of falsehood ( bin Laden and those like him), and not to be lenient towards them. And it is obligatory to advise them, to guide them towards the truth, and to warn them against this falsehood. It is not permissible for anyone to co-operate with them in this evil. And it is obligatory upon them to be sincere and to come back to guidance and to leave alone and abandon this falsehood. So my advice to al-Mas'aree, al-Faqeeh and Bin Laden and all those who traverse their ways

3520-425: The courtyard and dropped grenades into the rooms below, indiscriminately killing many hostages but driving the remaining rebels into more open areas where they could be picked off by sharpshooters. More than two weeks after the assault began, the surviving rebels finally surrendered. However, this account is contradicted by at least two other accounts, including that of then GIGN commanding officer Christian Prouteau :

3608-539: The deployment of non-Muslim troops on Saudi soil to defend the kingdom from the Iraqi army. Some noted that this was in contrast to his opinion in the 1940s when he contradicted the government policy of allowing non-Muslims to be employed on Saudi soil. However, according to The New York Times , his fatwa overruled more radical clerics. In response to criticism, Ibn Baz condemned those who "whisper secretly in their meetings and record their poison over cassettes distributed to

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3696-545: The early decades of the century, and other Otaibah family members were among the foremost of the Ikhwan . Juhayman acted as a preacher, a corporal in the Saudi National Guard , and was a former student of Sheikh Abd al-Aziz Ibn Baz , who went on to become the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia . Al-Otaybi had turned against Ibn Baz "and began advocating a return to the original ways of Islam, among other things:

3784-572: The ease of influencing him with the various means which the interior ministry practises". Ibn Baz was the subject of Osama bin Laden's first public pronouncement intended for the general Muslim public. This little open letter condescendingly criticized him for endorsing the Oslo peace accord between the PLO and Israeli government. Ibn Baz defended his decision to endorse the Oslo Accords by citing

3872-561: The entire city of Mecca had been evacuated. Prince Sultan appointed Turki bin Faisal Al Saud , head of the Al Mukhabaraat Al 'Aammah (Saudi Intelligence), to take over the forward command post several hundred meters from the mosque, where Prince Turki would remain for the next several weeks. However, the first task was to seek the approval of the ulama, which was led by Abdul Aziz Ibn Baz. Islam forbids any violence within

3960-477: The gates shut and killed two policemen who were armed with only wooden clubs for disciplining unruly pilgrims. The number of insurgents has been given as "at least 500" or "four to five hundred", and included several women and children who had joined al-Otaybi's movement. At the time the Grand Mosque was being renovated by the Saudi Binladin Group . An employee of the organization was able to report

4048-405: The hadith, tafsir, Islamic inheritance jurisprudence , Tawheed , fiqh, salat , zakat, dawah , Hajj and Umrah . He also authored a criticism of the concept of nationhood . Ibn Bāz had undertaken a number of charitable and similar activities such as: Ibn Bāz was a prolific speaker, both in public and privately at his mosque . He also used to invite people after Isha prayer to share

4136-570: The historical features built by the Ottomans, particularly the support columns, were demolished . On 20 November 1979, the Great Mosque was seized by extremist insurgents who called for the overthrow of the Saudi dynasty. They took hostages and in the ensuing siege hundreds were killed. These events came as a shock to the Islamic world, as violence is strictly forbidden within the mosque. The second Saudi renovations under King Fahd , added

4224-455: The idols in and around the Kaaba, similar to what, according to the Quran, Abraham did in his homeland. Thus ended polytheistic use of the Kaaba, and began monotheistic rule over it and its sanctuary. The first major renovation to the mosque took place in 692, on the orders of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan . Before this renovation, which included the mosque's outer walls being raised , the mosque

4312-605: The incident. Soon after the rebel seizure, about 100 security officers of the Ministry of Interior attempted to retake the mosque, but were turned back with heavy casualties. The survivors were quickly joined by units of the Saudi Arabian Army and Saudi Arabian National Guard . At the request of the Saudi monarchy , French GIGN units, operatives and commandos were rushed to assist Saudi forces in Mecca. By evening

4400-465: The installation of nearly 500 marble columns. Other modern developments added heated floors, air conditioning, escalators and a drainage system. In addition, the King Fahd expansion includes 6 dedicated prayer halls for people with disabilities. These halls have ramps to facilitate entry and exit with wheelchairs, as well as dedicated paths and free electric and manual carts for their use. In 2008,

4488-432: The interior of the Grand Mosque and forced entry. They successfully secured the site after two weeks of fighting. In the process of retaking the Grand Mosque, the Saudi forces killed the self-proclaimed messiah al-Qahtani. Juhayman and 68 other militants were captured alive and later sentenced to death by Saudi authorities, being executed by beheading in public displays across a number of Saudi cities. The Ikhwan's siege of

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4576-483: The lesser pilgrimage that can be undertaken any time of the year. The rites of both pilgrimages include circumambulating the Kaaba within the mosque. The Great Mosque includes other important significant sites, such as the Black Stone , the Zamzam Well , Maqam Ibrahim , and the hills of Safa and Marwa . As of 2024, the Great Mosque is both the largest mosque in the world, and the most expensive building in

4664-577: The lifetime of Muhammad in the 7th century CE , and so did architectural components such as the mosque. In that case, either the Mosque of the Companions or Quba Mosque would be the first mosque that was built in the history of Islam. According to Islamic tradition in the Quran , Abraham , together with his son Ismael , raised the foundations of a house, which has been identified by commentators as

4752-464: The locations "were carefully chosen not only to give maximum exposure but, one suspects, to reach other potential nests of discontent." Khaled, however, did not react to the upheaval by cracking down on religious puritans in general, but by giving the ulama and religious conservatives more power over the next decade. Initially, photographs of women in newspapers were banned, then women on television. Cinemas and music shops were shut down. School curriculum

4840-417: The mosque and Mecca itself are causing harm to early Islamic heritage. Many ancient buildings, some more than a thousand years old, have been demolished to make room for the expansion. Some examples are: Abd al-Aziz Ibn Baz According to French political scientist Gilles Kepel , Ibn Baz was a "figurehead" whose "immense religious erudition and his reputation for intransigence" gave him prestige among

4928-518: The mosque, but Juhayman and 67 other insurgents who survived the assault were captured and later beheaded. They were not shown any leniency. The king secured a fatwa (edict) from the Council of Senior Scholars which found the defendants guilty of seven crimes: On 9 January 1980, 63 rebels were publicly beheaded in the squares of eight Saudi cities ( Buraidah , Dammam , Mecca, Medina, Riyadh , Abha , Ha'il and Tabuk ). According to Sandra Mackey ,

5016-559: The mosque. According to Lawrence Wright in the book The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 : A team of three French commandos from the Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale (GIGN) arrived in Mecca. The commandos pumped gas into the underground chambers, but perhaps because the rooms were so bafflingly interconnected, the gas failed and the resistance continued. With casualties climbing, Saudi forces drilled holes into

5104-401: The oldest mosque. According to Islamic tradition, Islam as a religion precedes Muhammad, representing previous prophets such as Abraham . According to Islamic scholars, Abraham is seen as having built the Kaaba in Mecca , and consequently its sanctuary, which according to the Muslim view is seen as the first mosque that ever existed. According to other scholars, Islam started during

5192-406: The oldest surviving parts of the building. During heavy rains and flash floods in 1621 and 1629, the walls of the Kaaba and the mosque suffered extensive damage. In 1629, during the reign of Sultan Murad IV , the mosque was renovated. In the renovation of the mosque, a new stone arcade was added, three more minarets (bringing the total to seven) were built, and the marble flooring was retiled. This

5280-536: The only remnant of the original structure made by Abraham. After placing the Black Stone in the Eastern corner of the Kaaba, Abraham reportedly received a revelation in which God told the aged prophet that he should now go and proclaim the pilgrimage to mankind, so that men may come both from Arabia and from lands far away, on camel and on foot. Upon Muhammad's victorious return to Mecca in 630 CE , Ali broke

5368-460: The people". The Jamaican radical cleric Abdullah el-Faisal ex-communicated ( takfir ) Ibn Baz, declaring him an apostate who died unrepentant. According to his obituary in The Independent , Ibn Baz held ultra-conservative views and strongly maintained the puritan and non-compromising traditions of Wahhabism . However, his political views were not strict enough for Osama bin Laden who condemned Ibn Baz for "his weakness and flexibility and

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5456-399: The population of Saudi Arabia. He "could reinforce the Saud family's policies through his influence with the masses of believers". Ibn Baz issued a fatwa authorising a wealth tax to support the mujahidin during the anti-Soviet jihad . His endorsement of In Defence of Muslim Lands , principally written by Abdullah Azzam , was a powerful influence in the successful call for jihad against

5544-451: The rebels remained. When the government asked for a fatwa allowing armed force in the Grand Mosque, the language of Ibn Baz and other senior ulama "was curiously restrained." The scholars did not declare al-Otaybi and his followers non-Muslims, despite their violation of the sanctity of the Grand Mosque, but only termed them " al-jamaah al-musallahah " (the armed group). The senior scholars also insisted that before security forces attack them,

5632-474: The religious Arabian militia that had played a significant role in establishing the Saudi state in the early 20th century. The insurgents took hostages from among the worshippers and called for an uprising against the House of Saud , decrying their pursuit of alliances with "Christian infidels" from the Western world, and stating that the Saudi government's policies were betraying Islam by attempting to push secularism into Saudi society. They also declared that

5720-466: The remaining militants. According to a US embassy cable made on 1 December, several of the militant leaders escaped the siege and days later sporadic fighting erupted in other parts of the city. The battle had lasted for more than two weeks, and had officially left "255 pilgrims, troops and fanatics" killed and "another 560 injured ... although diplomats suggested the toll was higher." Military casualties were 127 dead and 451 injured. Shortly after news of

5808-458: The seizure to the outside world before the insurgents cut the telephone lines. The insurgents released most of the hostages and locked the remainder in the sanctuary. They took defensive positions in the upper levels of the mosque, and sniper positions in the minarets, from which they commanded the grounds. No one outside the mosque knew how many hostages remained, how many militants were in the mosque and what sort of preparations they had made. At

5896-428: The site which included adding more marble and three more minarets. In 1570, Sultan Selim II commissioned the chief architect Mimar Sinan to renovate the mosque. This renovation resulted in the replacement of the flat roof with domes decorated with calligraphy internally, and the placement of new support columns which are acknowledged as the earliest architectural features of the present mosque. These features are

5984-403: The sun is static (thābita la jāriya) and refuses to repent of this after clarification. This is because denying the circulation of the sun constitutes a denial of Allah (Glorified be He), His Great Book, and His Honourable Messenger. It is well established in the Din (religion of Islam) by way of decisive evidence and Ijma' (consensus) of scholars that whoever denies Allah, His Messenger or His Book

6072-597: The sun moving around itself, but I do so for those who say that the sun is static and does not move (thābita la jāriya), which is in my last article. Whoever says so being an infidel is obvious from the Quran and the Sunnah, because God almighty says: 'And the sun runs on (tajri) to a term appointed for it' ... As for saying that the Sun is fixed in one position but still moving around itself, ..., I did not deal with this issue in my first article, nor have I declared as infidel anyone who says so. Western writers subsequently have drawn parallels between their perception of Ibn Baz and

6160-412: The supplies were hidden in the hundreds of small underground rooms under the mosque that were used as hermitages . In the early morning of 20 November 1979, the imam of the Grand Mosque , Sheikh Mohammed al-Subayil , was preparing to lead prayers for the 50,000 worshippers who had gathered for prayer. At around 5:00 am he was interrupted by insurgents who produced weapons from under their robes, chained

6248-414: The takeover was released, the new Islamic revolutionary leader of Iran , Ayatollah Khomeini , told radio listeners, "It is not beyond guessing that this is the work of criminal American imperialism and international Zionism ." Anger fuelled by these rumours spread anti-American demonstrations throughout the Muslim world , noted occurring in the Philippines , Turkey , Bangladesh , eastern Saudi Arabia ,

6336-465: The three GIGN commandos trained and equipped the Saudi forces and devised their attack plan (which consisted of drilling holes in the floor of the Mosque and firing gas canisters wired with explosives through the perforations), but did not take part in the action and did not set foot in the Mosque. The Saudi National Guard and the Saudi Army suffered heavy casualties. Tear gas was used to force out

6424-590: The time of the event, Crown Prince Fahd was in Tunisia for a meeting of the Arab League Summit . The commander of the National Guard, Prince Abdullah , was also abroad for an official visit to Morocco . Therefore, King Khalid assigned the responsibility to two members of the Sudairi Seven – Prince Sultan , then Minister of Defence, and Prince Nayef , then Minister of Interior, to deal with

6512-520: The total number of minarets to eleven. The circumambulation areas (Mataf) around the Kaaba would be expanded and all closed spaces receive air conditioning. After completion, it would raise the mosque's capacity from 770,000 to over 2.5 million worshippers. His successor , King Salman launched five megaprojects as part of the overall King Abdullah Expansion Project in July 2015, covering an area of 456,000 m (4,910,000 sq ft). The project

6600-416: The two papers that had published it. In 1982 Ibn Baz published a book, Al-adilla al-naqliyya wa al-ḥissiyya ʿala imkān al-ṣuʾūd ila al-kawākib wa ʾala jarayān al-shams wa al-qamar wa sukūn al-arḍ ("Treatise on the textual and rational proofs of the rotation of the sun and the motionlessness of the earth and the possibility of ascension to other planets"). In it, he republished the 1966 article, together with

6688-694: The world. It has undergone major renovations and expansions through the years. It has passed through the control of various caliphs , sultans and kings, and is now under the control of the King of Saudi Arabia who is titled the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques . The Great Mosque contends with the Masjid As-Sahabah in the Eritrean city of Massawa and Quba Mosque in Medina as

6776-623: Was a gift from a wealthy benefactor or a religious foundation for his distinguished religious work. On Thursday morning, 13 May 1999, Ibn Bāz died at the age of 86. He was buried in Al Adl cemetery , Mecca. King Fahd issued a decree appointing Abdul-Azeez ibn Abdullaah Aal ash-Shaikh as the new Grand Mufti after Ibn Bāz's death. His obituary in The Independent said "His views and fatwas (religious rulings) were controversial, condemned by militants, liberals and progressives alike". He

6864-459: Was a small open area with the Kaaba at the center. By the end of the 8th century, the mosque's old wooden columns had been replaced with marble columns and the wings of the prayer hall had been extended on both sides along with the addition of a minaret on the orders of Al-Walid I . The spread of Islam in the Middle East and the influx of pilgrims required an almost complete rebuilding of

6952-412: Was allocated for the expansion project. In August 2011, the government under King Abdullah announced further details of the expansion. It would cover an area of 400,000 m (4,300,000 sq ft) and accommodate 1.2 million worshippers, including a multi-level extension on the north side of the complex, new stairways and tunnels, a gate named after King Abdullah, and two minarets, bringing

7040-470: Was also criticised by hardline Salafi jihadists for supporting the decision to permit U.S. troops to be stationed in Saudi Arabia in 1991. In 1966, when Ibn Baz was vice-president of the Islamic University of Medina , he wrote an article denouncing Riyadh University for teaching the "falsehood" that the Earth rotates and orbits the Sun. In his article, Ibn Baz claimed that the Sun orbited

7128-472: Was carried out by the Saudi Binladin Group . In 2012, the Abraj Al Bait complex was completed along with the 601 meter tall Makkah Royal Clock Tower. On 11 September 2015, at least 111 people died and 394 were injured when a crane collapsed onto the mosque . Construction work was suspended after the incident, and remained on hold due to financial issues during the 2010s oil glut . Development

7216-563: Was changed to provide many more hours of religious studies, eliminating classes on subjects like non-Islamic history. Gender segregation was extended "to the humblest coffee shop," and religious police became more powerful. Not until decades after the uprising would the Saudi government again begin making incremental reforms towards a more liberal society. Masjid al-Haram Masjid al-Haram ( Arabic : ٱَلْمَسْجِدُ ٱلْحَرَام ‎ , romanized :  al-Masjid al-Ḥarām , lit.   'The Sacred Mosque'), also known as

7304-720: Was compounded and complicated by the fact that the Saudi Government found itself unprepared and incapable of dislodging the militants from the Mosque. They asked for outside assistance from the French GIGN and Pakistani SSG . Non-Muslims are not permitted within the Meccan city limits, let alone the Grand Mosque. When asked for a fatwa by the Government to condemn the militants, the language of Ibn Baz and other senior ulama "was curiously restrained". The invaders of

7392-437: Was controversy concerning the nature of the takfir (the act of declaring other Muslims to be kafir or unbelievers) which it was claimed Ibn Baz had pronounced. According to Malise Ruthven , he threatened all who did not accept his "pre- Copernican " views with a fatwa , declaring them infidels. Ibn Baz wrote a letter to a magazine in 1966 responding to similar accusations: I only deemed it lawful to kill whoever claims that

7480-758: Was eventually restarted two years later in September 2017. On 5 March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic , the mosque began to be closed at night and the Umrah pilgrimage was suspended to limit attendance. The resumption of Umrah service began on 4 October 2020 with the first phase of a gradual resumption that was limited to Saudi citizens and expatriates from within the Kingdom at a rate of 30 percent. Only 10,000 people were given Hajj visas in 2020 while 60,000 people were given visas in 2021. Imams : The Great Mosque

7568-518: Was the Mahdi. Their declared goal was to institute a theocracy in preparation for the imminent apocalypse. They differed from the original Ikhwan and other earlier Wahhabi purists in that "they were millenarians , they rejected the monarchy and condemned the Wahhabi ulama ." Many of their followers were from theology students at the Islamic University in Medina . Al-Otaybi joined the local chapter of

7656-417: Was the unaltered state of the mosque for nearly three centuries. The first major renovation under the Saudi kings was done between 1955 and 1973. In this renovation, four more minarets were added, the ceiling was refurnished, and the floor was replaced with artificial stone and marble. The Mas'a gallery (As-Safa and Al-Marwah) is included in the Mosque, via roofing and enclosures. During this renovation many of

7744-476: Was unrepentant. If Muslims chose to believe the world was round, that was their business, he said, and he would not quarrel with them religiously. But he was inclined to trust what he felt beneath his feet rather than the statements of scientists he did not know." According to Lacey, Ibn Baz changed his mind about the earth's flatness after talking to Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud who had spent time in

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