Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu. Shaykhs, is it true that one should not live in Makkah, that one should perform Hajj or ‘Umrah and leave? Is there any authentic hadith on this subject? May Allah reward you.

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

Some scholars disliked permanent residence in Makkah for several reasons which Imam Al-Ghazaali explained in the following statement:

"Those who are fearful and cautious among the scholars disliked permanent residence in Makkah for three reasons:

Firstly, the fear of feeling bored and getting used to the House (the Ka‘bah), which may affect the heart's ardent respect for it. It is for this reason that ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, would strike the pilgrims once they had finished their rituals of Hajj and say, 'O people of Yemen, go back to your Yemen; O people of Shaam (the Levant), go back to your Shaam; O people of Iraq, go back to your Iraq.' And it is also for this reason that ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was about to prevent the people from making Tawaaf (circumambulation) so often and said, 'I feared that the people would become too used to this House (and thus their veneration for it would weaken).'

Secondly, stirring the feelings of longing to return by departure, because Allah made the House {a return for the people and a sanctuary} [Quran 2:125]; i.e. it is a place to which they should return time after time without ever getting enough of it.

Thirdly: the fear of committing sins in the House, as this is very grave, because this may cause the Wrath of Allah due to the honor and sanctity of the place."

The preponderant opinion in this regard, as An-Nawawi said, is that it is recommended to reside in Makkah and Madeenah unless one thinks that he would most likely commit Shariah violations and do what Allah prohibited him from doing. He said in Al-Majmoo‘:

"The chosen opinion is that residing is recommended in Makkah and Madeenah, except if one predominantly believes that he would commit dispraised matters; indeed, numerous numbers of people among the Salaf (righteous predecessors) of this nation and the pious late-comers who are taken as role modes resided in Makkah. However, the one who resides in it should remind himself of what was narrated from ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that, 'A sin committed in Makkah is more serious to me than seventy sins committed elsewhere.'"

For more benefit, please refer to fatwa 2668043.

Allah knows best.