Distraction in the Most Precious Moments: Selfies at the Kaaba
There are times so precious that you do not want to miss them at any cost. Millions of Muslim worshipers visit the Haram Alsharif to fulfil their Hajj and Umrah obligations every year. At the heart of the Hajj and Umrah is the circumambulation of the Kaaba known as the Tawaf or sa’i. During the Tawaf, worshipers are required to complete seven anti-clockwise rounds while making supplications and asking for forgiveness from Allah.
This is an intimate and very precious time for a worshiper to spend in the service of Allah, seeking His bounties and blessings in this life and the next. However, lately, there has been an increase in disheartening habits of many worshipers getting distracted by their smartphones, either taking selfies or recording videos at this moment, rather than supplicating and utilising the opportunity given to them.
The habit of smartphone distraction has become so troubling that the Twitter account of the Haram is highlighting this issue and warning against the practice. I recently had the opportunity to perform Umrah and spend the last 10 days of July in the Haram and in the Prophet Muhammad’s Mosque in Madina, and I experienced firsthand the atmosphere of devotion and deep supplication among the worshipers. However, amidst this spiritual environment, I also witnessed an increasing number of people being absorbed in their smartphones, taking selfies, and recording live social media posts while in Tawaf.
It is disheartening to see individuals who have been granted the opportunity to visit the most sacred place on the planet and to supplicate to Allah during such a precious time getting distracted by such trivial activities. The question is why someone would let the chance to draw closest to Allah, with the hope of having their supplications accepted, be attarcted by the need to take selfies and engage in social interactions.
While the answer to this question lies within the individuals themselves, I can only assume that this distraction is a combination of ignorance about the significance of the moment and what it represents, coupled with the vanity of a world where people feel compelled to show off every step of their daily activities, even if it means losing sight of the true purpose of their visit to the Haram.
Capturing the moment, you touch or see the Kaaba on your phone is not necessarily an issue; it is the constant distraction of taking selfies and recording videos that interferes with the most precious moments that are truly concerning. When one embarks on their pilgrimage with the utterance of the talbia — a devotional commitment expressing their service to Allah — they are affirming that they are here for a higher purpose, not for indulging in trivial activities like selfies and social media recordings.
It is crucial to remember the profound meaning behind the words of the talbia and the intention made at the beginning of their journey. The purpose is to be in the service of Allah and seek His forgiveness and blessings, not to be absorbed in mundane activities.
May Allah accept the Umrah of all those who have performed it with sincerity and devotion-Amin. It is the worshiper’s best interest to be mindful of their actions and ensure that they make the most of their time in the House of Allah — The Kaaba, without succumbing to distractions that take them away from the essence of their sacred journey.
Let us remember the words of Talbia which all worshipers affirm to dutifully uphold:
‘At Your service, Allah, at Your service. At Your service, You have no partner, at Your service. Truly all praise, favour and sovereignty is Yours. You have no partner’.
