I'm working in a travel agency. Sometimes we have some non-Muslim tourists who want to visit mosques. Are they allowed to enter mosques or not?

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.

The jurists of Islam do not have a common opinion concerning letting non-Muslims get into mosques. The Hanbali scholars are of the view that it is prohibited except for the building and maintenance of mosques. The Maaliki scholars are also of the view that it is prohibited to let non-Muslims enter the mosques except if there is a real need to do so, for instance when there is no Muslim builder, or there is a Muslim builder but the unbeliever knows best how to do the work or asks for less wage. The Shaafi‘i scholars are of the view that the non-Muslim could enter the mosque if he gets a permission from a Muslim. The Hanafi scholars are of the view that he is allowed to go into the mosque with or without a permission from a Muslim. This divergence in the opinions concerns all the mosques except the Two Holy Mosques (i.e. the Holy mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s mosque in Madeenah) which have another ruling. We think that it is better to prevent the unbelievers from getting into the mosques, above all if we know that most of the tourists enter the mosques only to admire their architecture. This doesn’t render any service to Islam. But if letting them enter the mosques is to preach them and let them know about Islam, then it becomes lawful. The Prophet Muhammad tied Thumaamah ibn Athaal (who was not a Muslim at that time) to one of the mosque’s poles and went past him for three days each time asking him: “O Thumamah! What’s up…?

For more benefit on Non-Muslims entering the mosque, please refer to Fataawa 82236 and 81644.

Allah knows best.