The Meaning of the Statement of Allah the Exalted: {EQUAL ARE THE RESIDENT IN IT AND THE VISITOR}

Question:
Allah the Exalted said: [Surah al-Hajj: 25]. What is the meaning of this equality? And in what does it consist?

Answer:
It is to be understood according to its apparent meaning, meaning that the visitor is the one who came to Makkah, and the resident is the one who lives there. They are equal in the obligation to respect this place and purify it, and that they are in a state of great good in the deeds, acts of obedience, and worship they perform. It is not permissible to harm them; rather, they must be respected and left alone from harm, because they are the guests of the House of Allah and the neighbors of His House. This one is a guest, and this one is a neighbor. However, if the public interest in the Shari'ah requires the removal of a person because he commits blasphemy in the Sacred Precinct, or because he causes harm, or for other interests that require him to return to his country—so that the residents of Makkah do not increase to a number that prevents them from obtaining what sustains them and makes them independent of others—then the state has the right to order the pilgrims to return to their countries after they have completed their Hajj and performed its rites. But whoever remains there as a resident or is from among its people, and is able to stay to worship, and does not cause harm, is equal to his brothers who were the previous residents.