Can I, until now a non-Muslim, visit Mecca by declaring that Allah is one in front of 2 people?

Question

As per the BBC

Becoming a Muslim requires a very simple act, but the meaning behind it is very deep.

You have to believe that there is only one God, Allah, who created the entire universe, and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is his final messenger on earth.

If you recite this, with total sincerity, in front of two witnesses, you have become a Muslim. It really is as simple as that.

So if I travel to Saudi Arabia (with a normal tourist visa) and see such a sign

Can I simply say that I am a Muslim?

Or is there some documentation required that would have to be examined?

Answer 1

Muslims do not get some kind of documentation when they become muslim, though some countries' passports might state religion.

So, in general, when encountering a 'Muslims only' sign, stating you are a muslim should be sufficient. If you're not, and don't know basic tenets, you might be frowned upon, or angrily removed from the premises.

I was born in Iran (to a technically muslim father) and this meant I am muslim by default, even if I don't practice. I have visited several places that were 'Muslims only' (outside of Iran) and, as I don't speak, act and dress like someone who grew up in Iran, have sometimes been questioned. I simply would state I'm muslim and that was that, every time.

However, the photo you share specifically relates to Mecca. Saudi Arabia used to be very restrictive in allowing foreigners, muslim or not. In the past, I believe this mostly meant that a pilgrimage to Mecca (for non-Saudis) would only be possible when organised through officially recognised organisations, which typically would operate via your local mosque. So, your chances of being able to try and get into a 'Muslims only' area in Saudi Arabia, as a non-muslim would be so slim as to be practically irrelevant.

More recently, Saudi Arabia has started opening up access to the country to tourists, muslim or not. If you are a tourist and a muslim, and encounter a 'Muslim only' sign, I believe it very likely that, if questioned, your stating you're a muslim would be sufficient. That said, notwithstanding the language barrier, you might face some scrutiny. Though if you know what you're doing (show a particular respect, wash before entering a mosque, dress conservatively, etc.), I would suspect this questioning will be limited. If you're very western-looking, I would expect you'd primarily experience a lot of curiosity.

Not quite a full answer, perhaps, but it's also impossible to predict what would happen on every single occasion.

Addendum: Converting to islam does not require an external institution to 'prove' your conversion. However, as per this page, obtaining a Hajj visa requires a notarised certificate from an Islamic Center, for converts. Yet, with Saudi Arabia recently opening up the country to more regular tourists, I have no idea what that means in the context of visiting Mecca. Has the sign in the image of the OP been changed to 'Hajj visa holders only'?

Anecdotal addendum: I visited Al Aqsa (in Jerusalem) two days ago (April 2023), which currently is off-limits for 'tourists and non-muslims'. My clothes apparently gave me away as a tourist and, to enter, I was required to say the shahada in Arabic to enter.

Answer 2

The sign is not about what you believe but what you do.

Islam is not just about saying you're a Muslim. There are various rules that govern your behavior, as well as a body of Islamic culture that is common knowledge to Muslims. The sign is a way of saying that if you enter the area, you are expected behave as a Muslim would and be familiar with things that are common knowledge for a Muslim. If you are behaving the way that they expect a Muslim to behave, no one will kick you out or question you about your religion. If you do things that a Muslim obviously wouldn't (according to them) you may experience repercussions of varying severity - in fact, even if you were a genuine Muslim, you would surely experience repercussions for behaving in a way contrary to Islam in these Muslim-only areas.

Answer 3

"recite this, with total sincerity, in front of two witnesses"

Emphasis mine. That's the core of the issue here. And the idea of sincerity is not the modern one of "in this, and only this moment", but the pre-modern one of "in this moment and henceforth".

And to then proceed and answer your question:

Technically, yes, from that point onward you'd be allowed to use the three lanes on the left.

In practical terms, however, your car could be stopped for inspection a few hundred meters down the road and you might be asked to recite well-known verse from the Quran. You could get lucky and your two buddies might be up in tears of joy about how you just spoke the Shahada and became Muslim and then the police officers might be up in tears of joy and offering to take you into Mecca the Holy (that's what's written on that street sign in Arabic) to your very first prayer in the Holy Mosque and probably invite you to a proper feast at their house later that day. And I'd almost guarantee you'd have an amazing time in that case.

Unfortunately it's just as likely you'll find them in a bad mood because it's just been too much traffic that day, or whatever, and they smell something fishy and you're asked to recite not some verse but this specific one, or whatever, and you'd find yourself staring down the working end of the Saudi Arabian security apparatus.

Have adventurous westerners (both with or without intimate knowledge of Quran, Sunnah and islamic jurisprudence) visited Mecca and Madina, both in older as well as more recent times, sure. But it's absolutely not to be recommended.

One interesting biography that might be noted in this context is the one of an Austrian Jew who became Muslim and went to, among other places, Mecca. See e.g. https://en.qantara.de/content/muhammad-asad-a-jewish-lawrence-of-arabia for a nice intro about the guy.

Edit: Seeing @AussieJoe's answer with the recommendation to be speaking Arabic when you try this: I used to be more or less fluent in Modern Standard Arabic (but NOT in Saudi, or any other dialect) and I wouldn't try doing this. It's happened to me personally that BECAUSE as a white bread who speaks MSA (which is akin to speaking like Shakespeare around a bunch of native speakers of English) I was insinuated by police to be a terrorist from a neighbouring country. Only after having been taken to the nearby city's police headquarters and an hour trying to defend myself to the head of said headquarters did someone have the idea to try and communicate with me in a different language. A colleague was found who had studied criminology in the US and spoke English perfectly and who convinced them that there are no terrorists in the neighbouring (and very poor) country who knew how to speak English as well as I did. A funny anecdote perhaps, and one that thankfully ended without harm. But in general, don't fuck with the authorities in authoritarian states.

Answer 4

I have actually been there at that very sign on the way to Taif from Jeddah, which is also the way to Mecca. My father was driving and he actually missed the exit for Taif and went on towards Mecca, with the intention of doing a U-Turn. This was a mistake.

As soon as we approached the toll booth checkpoint, the guard advised us that we could not continue forward and to turn around immediately. He recognized that we are Western and spoke very little Arabic. We literally had to go in reverse, in our car, half a mile, on a toll road just to get to the Taif exit. It was insanity. Cars flying past us. There was no U-Turn. It was literally go backwards.

My advice is speak Arabic if you try this. They may question you thoroughly.

Answer 5

Muslims, in their own country, governed by their own law, respectfully ask non-Muslims to stay away. It's offensive to pretend to be a Muslim as a way around that. It's like trying to get into someone's window after being asked to stay away from the door.