made Mecca sacred on the day He created the heavens and the earth. Fighting there was not lawful for anyone before me, nor will it be lawful for anyone after me. It was permitted to me only for a brief period during one day, and its sanctity has now been restored.”

If anyone claims a concession on the grounds that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, fought there, say: “Allah permitted it to His Messenger, but He has not permitted it to you.” It is well known that the Messenger was permitted to shed blood there only when doing so would have been lawful outside the Sanctuary. He clearly stated that this permission was granted to him alone, to the exclusion of everyone else. The words “Whoever enters it” refer to the entire Sanctuary.

As for religions being presented to a person at the time of death, some people undergo this trial while others do not. It is feared that someone who has not performed Hajj may die outside Islam, as stated in the hadith: “Whoever possesses provisions and a mount that can take him to the House of Allah, yet does not perform Hajj, let him die, if he wishes, as a Jew or a Christian.” And Allah knows best.