Assalamu aliekum, I am planning on building a house for myself and was thinking about designing it like the Kaaba for no other reason but architectural beauty. Is this permissible?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is evident to us that it is impermissible to build a house with the same design of the Ka‘bah so as to avoid potential religious violations. For example, this three-dimensional image of the Ka‘bah will be a place where people relieve themselves and do other things that are normal practices in houses. This constitutes dishonoring that image. Also, some lay people may become emotionally attached to it - perhaps in the future. Scholars forbade making a three-dimensional image of the Ka‘bah for educational purposes, to teach people the rituals of Hajj and ‘Umrah; and they deemed it prohibited although teaching these rituals is a religious requirement. Therefore, deeming it prohibited to build a house in the image of the Ka‘bah for a worldly purpose is forbidden with greater reason.

The Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fataawa received this question, “In Morocco, there is a man who uses a practical approach in teaching the Hajj rites; he made a black wooden cubic structure (like the Ka‘bah), and other structures like the Maqaam of Ibraaheem, As-Safa and Al-Marwah, the Zamzam well, the Jamaraat (the three places for throwing the pebbles) and others related to the Hajj rites. The teaching process entails that people would wear their Ihraam outfits and carry out the Hajj and ‘Umrah rites. They recite the Talbiyah collectively and out loud inside the Masjid. This phenomenon has become widespread in all regions of Morocco: that you would find a cube-shaped structure like the Ka‘bah and the other structures inside a Masjid you may enter at anytime of the year. Could you, please, explain the religious ruling in this regard, given that this training in Hajj and ‘Umrah are taped and the videos are distributed among people?”

The answer of the Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fataawa reads, “Making three-dimensional structures from wood or other material of the Islamic rituals, like the Ka‘bah, Maqaam Ibraaheem, the Jamaraat and others for the purpose of teaching the Hajj and ‘Umrah rites in the manner mentioned in the question is impermissible. It is a Bid'ah (religious innovation) because it leads to committing religious violations such as becoming emotionally attached to those three-dimensional structures even if it is after a while, and exposing them to dishonor and other reasons. In addition, there is no need for that; verbal explanation and illustrative description of the rites are adequate in conveying that information to people. The Prophet said: "If anyone introduces in our matter something which does not belong to it, it is rejected." [Mulsim].” [End of quote]

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in this regard, “This is totally impermissible. He can simply draw on a board the image of the Ka‘bah and give full description of the rites. I believe that making such three-dimensional structures would render these acts of worship mere rituals and movements, without any impact on the heart.” [Quoted from the “Open Door” Series of lectures]

Moreover, the Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fataawa stated that it is impermissible to make a three-dimensional structure of the Ka‘bah or sell it. The Academy of Islamic Fiqh also deemed it forbidden due to the potential religious violations incurred by such a practice.

The Fatwa of the Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fataawa about the permissibility of making three-dimensional structures of the Ka‘bah and the green dome above the tomb of the Prophet reads, “It is impermissible to make or sell three-dimensional structures of the Ka‘bah and the dome above the tomb of the Prophet because making and selling them incur religious violations that should be avoided and the means leading to them should be blocked." [End of quote]

The resolution of the Fiqh Academy on making and marketing three-dimensional structures of the Ka‘bah reads: “The Academy has investigated this issue and decided that this door must be blocked and forbidden because it incurs religious violations and evils.”

Allaah Knows best.