The ruling on seeking blessing from the mosques located on the Mount of Mercy in 'Arafah
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Fatwa number ( 3019 ):
Q: There areon Mount al-Rahmah at 'Arafahthree mosques with adjacent, open-air prayer niches. Pilgrims visit them to rub their bodies against the niches and walls, and they sometimes place money in some of the niches. They also pray two units of prayer in each one, and some of this occurs during the prohibited times. There is also crowding of men and women in them. All of these actions are performed by pilgrims in the days before the ninth of Dhu al-Hijjah. We ask Your Eminence to issue a ruling on the matters mentioned. May Allah reward you with good for Islam and the Muslims.
A: First: 'Arafah is entirely among the rites of Hajj in which Allah the Exalted commanded the performance of one of its rituals, which is standing there on the ninth of Dhu al-Hijjah and the night of 'Id al-Adha. It is not a place for people to reside, so there is no need to build a mosque or mosques there or on the mountain known to people as the Mount of Mercy for the purpose of performing prayers there. Rather, there is the Mosque of Namirah at the place where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the midday and afternoon prayers during the Farewell Pilgrimage, for pilgrims to use as a prayer place on the day of their standing at 'Arafah , so that whoever is able can pray the midday and afternoon prayers on that day. Likewise, it is not known from the Salaf that they built mosques in what
is known among people as the Mount of Mercy. Therefore, building a mosque or mosques on it is a religious innovation, and praying two rak'ahs or more in each of them is another religious innovation, and the occurrence of these two rak'ahs or more during the times when prayer is prohibited is a third religious innovation. Second: People turning to these mosques, rubbing themselves against their walls and mihrabs, and seeking blessing from them is a religious innovation and a type of shirk (associating partners with Allah), similar to the actions of the disbelievers in the first pre-Islamic age of ignorance with their idols. It is obligatory for the authorities to order the removal of these mosques and their destruction; to block the door to evil and prevent fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), so that pilgrims do not find anything that calls them to go to the mountain and climb it to seek blessing from it and pray in it. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.