By Dr Lubna Farah
Images and video footage showing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the roof of the Kaaba have repeatedly attracted attention on social media, prompting questions about why he climbed onto the sacred structure and whether Islamic law permits prayer on its roof.
The incident, however, is not a recent event. It took place on 12 February 2019, when Mohammed bin Salman visited the Grand Mosque in Makkah as part of a tour that included an inspection of major expansion and development projects at the holy site. Contemporary reports said that he went onto the roof of the Kaaba to obtain a closer view of the ongoing development works.
A crucial distinction should be made between going onto the roof of the Kaaba and praying there. Reports from the time stated that the Crown Prince performed two rak’ahs inside the Grand Mosque, while separately reporting that he went onto the roof of the Kaaba. The available reports do not establish that the two rak’ahs were performed on the roof itself.
As for the religious ruling, prayer on the roof of the Kaaba is not necessarily considered invalid. A published ruling by the late Saudi scholar Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Baz states that prayer performed on the roof of the Kaaba is valid, although he considered praying outside it preferable in order to avoid scholarly disagreement. He also explained that facing the Kaaba’s direction or its vertical space can constitute facing the qiblah in relevant circumstances.
This means that the claim that a person praying on top of the Kaaba may simply pray “in any direction” is misleading. The requirement to face the qiblah does not disappear merely because the worshipper is above the Kaaba. Rather, Islamic jurisprudence discusses how the requirement to face the Kaaba is fulfilled in such a position.
The roof itself is also a highly specialised architectural area. Official Saudi information states that it contains, among other features, the covering structure, the roof door and the Kaaba’s water spout, and has an area of approximately 145 square metres.
The most accurate interpretation, therefore, is that Mohammed bin Salman’s presence on the roof of the Kaaba in 2019 was primarily connected with his inspection of the Grand Mosque’s development and expansion works. It should not be stated as an established fact that he performed the two rak’ahs on the roof itself.
From a jurisprudential perspective, prayer on the roof of the Kaaba is a matter of scholarly discussion, with recognised views holding that it is valid, while recommending prayer outside the Kaaba to avoid disagreement among scholars.
