1117 – Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “The Prophet ﷺ entered Mecca with a mail coif on his head. After he removed it, a man came and said, ‘Ibn Khatal is clinging to the curtains of the Kaʿbah!’ He ﷺ responded, ‘Kill him.’” Agreed upon.⦗1⦘
Vocabulary of the ḥadith
• al-maghfar: a mail coif woven to fit the head, worn beneath the helmet for protection.
• Ibn Khatal: ʿAbd Allah ibn Khatal. He embraced Islam, then apostatized and joined the idolaters of Mecca. He kept two singing-girls who mocked the Prophet ﷺ in song. On the day Mecca was conquered the Prophet ﷺ said, “Kill him, even if you find him clinging to the curtains of the Kaʿbah,” and he was killed.
• Astar al-Kaʿbah: the cloth coverings of the Kaʿbah.
Points derived from the ḥadith
- Mecca—may Allah ennoble it—was conquered by force, not by treaty, which is the stronger of the two scholarly views.
- It is legislated to make thorough preparations, remain vigilant against the enemy, take precautions against aggression, and fortify oneself against harm.
- Planning, determination, and taking safeguards do not contradict reliance upon Allah; rather, they are among the rationally and legally mandated means of protection.
- It is permissible to enter Mecca—may Allah ennoble it—without iḥrām for those who are not intending ḥajj or ʿumrah.