Where dua is accepted in Makkah, and sacred places to visit
The places in and around Makkah where dua is said to be accepted, and the historic sites (Khadijah's house, the caves of Hira and Thawr, and more) worth visiting.
There are special places in and around Makkah where dua is especially likely to be answered, and other places worth visiting because of what happened there long ago.
| Place | Best time |
|---|---|
| Looking at the Kaʿbah | Any time, especially the first time you see it |
| Near the Black Stone | The afternoon |
| Facing the door of the Kaʿbah, in the Mataf | Any time |
| Near the Multazam | Midnight |
| Inside the Hateem | Any time |
| Under the Mizab (the water spout) | The morning |
| Near the Yemeni corner | The morning |
| At Maqam Ibrahim | The morning |
| At the Zamzam well | Sunset |
| On Safa and Marwah | After Asr |
| On the plain of Arafat | Midday and sunset |
| At Mash'ar al-Haram in Muzdalifah | Before sunrise |
| In Mina, near Masjid al-Khayf and at the Jamarat | Midnight on the 14th |
There are other such places too, but these are the best known.
Visiting the Kaʿbah itself
- Go in barefoot, with your head lowered, feeling sorry for anything you have done wrong.
- Do not stare at the decorations; keep your attention on your dua instead.
- Pray, or make dua, near the door, and then visit each of the four corners inside.
Around Makkah, places worth visiting include the house where Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) lived, the place where the Prophet ﷺ was born, Abu Bakr's house, the birthplace of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), the house of Arqam where many early Muslims first prayed together, and two caves: the Cave of Hira, where the Prophet ﷺ used to worship before he became a prophet, and the Cave of Thawr, where he hid during the migration to Madinah.
A number of places in and around Makkah are named as places where dua is especially likely to be accepted, and a further set of sites are recommended for visiting because of their history.
| Place | Best time, where given |
|---|---|
| The Kaʿbah, especially on first sight of it | None |
| Near the Black Stone | The afternoon |
| In the Mataf, facing the door | None |
| Near the Multazam | Midnight |
| In the Hateem | None |
| Beneath the Mizab al-Rahmah | Morning |
| Near the Yemeni corner | Morning |
| Between the Yemeni corner and the closed rear door (Mustajar) | None |
| Between the Yemeni corner and the Black Stone | None |
| Near Maqam Ibrahim | Morning |
| At the Zamzam well | Sunset |
| Inside the Kaʿbah, between the four corners and columns | During the adhan |
| On Safa and Marwah | After Asr |
| Between the two miqats | None |
| Beneath a ber tree at Arafat, and to the left of Jabal al-Rahmah | Midday, and sunset, respectively |
| In the mosque at Mash'ar al-Haram, Muzdalifah | Before sunrise |
| In Mina, near Masjid al-Khayf and where the pebbles are thrown | Midnight on the 14th |
Other places are mentioned by some, but only the well-known ones are listed here. It is narrated that Imam Abu Hanifah, asked what dua to make on seeing the Kaʿbah, replied that since this is itself a place where dua is accepted, if that very dua is accepted, every other dua one might have made is accepted with it.
اللَّهُمَّ أَدْخِلْنِي الْجَنَّةَ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ
Allāhumma adkhilni'l-jannata bi-ghayri ḥisāb.
O Allah, enter me into Paradise without reckoning.
Visiting the interior of the Kaʿbah
- Enter barefoot, with complete humility, lowering the head in repentance for past wrongdoing.
- Avoid looking up at the lights and decorations, as this runs against the proper manners of the visit.
- Stand about three hands from the wall near the door and pray voluntarily there, since this is where the Prophet ﷺ used to pray.
- Place the cheek against the wall, praising Allah and seeking forgiveness, then make dua.
- Visit all four corners of the interior in the same way, sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ.
رَبِّ أَدْخِلْنِي مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَّ اَخْرِجْنِي مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ وَّ اجْعَلۡ لِي مِنَ لَّدُنۡكَ سَلْطَانًا نَّصِيرًا اَللّٰهُمَّ اَدْخِلْنِي جَنَّتَكَ كَمَا أَدْخَلْتَنِي بَيْتَكَ وَ ارْزُقْنِي رُؤْيَتَكَ اَللّٰهُمَّ يَا رَبَّ الْبَيْتِ الْعَتِيقِ اَعْتِقۡ رِقَابَنَا وَ رِقَابَ اٰبَائِنَا وَأُمَّهَاتِنَا مِنَ النَّارِ يَا عَزِيزُ يَا غَفَّارُ اَللّٰهُمَّ يَا خَفِيَّ الْأَلْطَافِ اٰمِنَّا مِمَّا نَخَافُ اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِ مَا سَأَلَكَ مِنْهُ نَبِيُّكَ مُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا اسْتَعَاذَكَ مِنْهُ نَبِيُّكَ مُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلۡ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
Rabbi adkhilnī mudkhala ṣidqin wa akhrijnī mukhraja ṣidqin wa'jʿal lī min ladunka sulṭānan naṣīrā. Allāhumma adkhilnī jannataka kamā adkhaltanī baytaka wa'rzuqnī ru'yatak. Allāhumma yā rabba'l-bayti'l-ʿatīq, aʿtiq riqābanā wa riqāba ābā'inā wa ummahātinā mina'n-nār, yā ʿazīzu yā ghaffār. Allāhumma yā khafiyya'l-alṭāfi āminnā mimmā nakhāf. Allāhumma innī as'aluka min khayri mā sa'alaka minhu nabiyyuka Muḥammadun ṣalla'llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam, wa aʿūdhu bika min sharri ma'staʿādhaka minhu nabiyyuka Muḥammadun ṣalla'llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam. Rabbanā taqabbal minnā innaka anta's-samīʿu'l-ʿalīm, wa tub ʿalaynā innaka anta't-tawwābu'r-raḥīm.
O Lord! Enter me with truth and bring me out with truth, and appoint for me from Yourself a helper. O Allah! Enter me into Your Paradise as You have entered Your House, and grant me the blessing of seeing You. O Lord of the ancient House! Free us, our fathers, and our mothers from the Fire. O Almighty, O Forgiving! O Allah! O Hidden Bestower of Mercy, keep us safe from the fears that surround us. O Allah, I ask You for the best of what Your Prophet Muhammad ﷺ asked from You, and I seek refuge in You from the evil that Your Prophet Muhammad ﷺ sought refuge from. Our Lord, accept this from us; indeed, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. And accept our repentance; indeed, You are the Most-Turning, the Most Merciful.
| Site | Significance |
|---|---|
| The house of Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) | Where Fatimah was born, and where the Prophet ﷺ lived until the migration |
| The place of the Prophet's ﷺ wudu and worship | Recommended to visit |
| The birthplace of the Prophet ﷺ | Beneath Mount Buqubays |
| The house of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) | Known as the Goldsmiths' street; two stones there are said to bear marks from the Prophet's ﷺ presence |
| The birthplace of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) | In the Shiʿb Bani Hashim area |
| Dar al-Arqam | Where the Prophet ﷺ prayed with the early Muslims in secret, and where Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), reportedly the fortieth to accept Islam, embraced Islam |
| The Cave of Hira (Jabal al-Nur) | Where the Prophet ﷺ worshipped before prophethood; also associated with the opening of his chest before revelation began |
| The Cave of Thawr | Where the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr hid during the migration to Madinah |
| The Mosque of Rayah | Where the Prophet ﷺ prayed and planted a spear on the day Makkah was conquered |
| The Mosque of the Jinn | Where jinn are said to have listened to the Qur'an being recited |
| The Mosque of the Tree | Opposite the Mosque of the Jinn |
| The Mosque of Ghanam (also called Masjid al-Ijabah) | In Wadi Muhassab |
| The Mosque of al-Jiyad | Once a place horses were tied; now a Makkah neighbourhood |
| The Mosque of Abu Qubais, and the fragment of the mountain nearby | Where Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) gave the first adhan; associated with the splitting of the moon |
| The Ma'la graveyard (Jannat al-Mu'alla) | Where Khadijah and many Companions and Followers are buried |
| The Mosque of Dhu Tuwa | On the route travellers once used to enter Makkah |
| The Mosque of Ji'ranah | Nine miles from Makkah, on the road to Ta'if, marking the Haram's boundary there |
| The Mosques of Aisha, Manhar al-Nabi, al-Kabsh, al-Khayf, and the Cave of Mursalat | In or near Mina; al-Kabsh marks where Ibrahim ʿalayhi's-salam offered his sacrifice, and the cave is associated with the revelation of Surah al-Mursalat |
The manual distinguishes two related but separate lists: places within Makkah and its environs where duʿā is reported to be especially accepted, and sites recommended for ziyārah on account of their history.
| Place | Best time |
|---|---|
| The Kaʿbah, particularly on first sighting it | None |
| Near the Black Stone | The afternoon (ʿaṣr onward) |
| The Maṭāf, facing the door | None |
| Near al-Muʿtazim (al-Multazam) | Midnight |
| Within al-Ḥaṭīm (the Ḥijr) | None |
| Beneath the Mīzāb al-Raḥmah | Morning |
| Near the Yemeni corner | Morning |
| Between the Yemeni corner and the closed rear door (al-Mustajār) | None |
| Between the Yemeni corner and the Black Stone | None |
| Near Maqām Ibrāhīm | Morning |
| The well of Zamzam | Sunset |
| Inside the Kaʿbah, among the four corners and the pillars | During the adhān |
| Ṣafā and Marwah | After ʿAṣr |
| Between the two mīqāts | None |
| Beneath a bēr tree at ʿArafah (no longer standing), and to the left of Jabal al-Raḥmah | Midday; sunset, respectively |
| The mosque at Mash'ar al-Ḥarām, Muzdalifah | Before sunrise |
| At Minā (near al-Khayf, and where the pebbles are thrown) | Midnight of the 14th |
Others are reported by some authors; only the well-attested ones are given here. Imām Abū Ḥanīfah, asked what to say on sighting the Kaʿbah, is reported to have replied that since the sighting itself is a place of accepted duʿā, the acceptance of that very duʿā carries with it the acceptance of everything else asked for.
اللَّهُمَّ أَدْخِلْنِي الْجَنَّةَ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ
Allāhumma adkhilni'l-jannata bi-ghayri ḥisāb.
O Allah, enter me into Paradise without reckoning.
The etiquette of entering the interior of the Kaʿbah
- Enter barefoot, in complete humility, the head lowered in repentance for past wrongdoing.
- Avoid looking up at the lighting or decoration, contrary as this is to the manners appropriate to the visit.
- Approach the door, and where roughly three hand-spans from the wall, offer nafl prayer there, this being where the Prophet ﷺ prayed.
- Place the cheek against the wall in praise and istighfār, then make duʿā.
- Repeat at each of the four corners of the interior, with ṣalawāt at each.
رَبِّ أَدْخِلْنِي مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَّ اَخْرِجْنِي مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ وَّ اجْعَلۡ لِي مِنَ لَّدُنۡكَ سَلْطَانًا نَّصِيرًا اَللّٰهُمَّ اَدْخِلْنِي جَنَّتَكَ كَمَا أَدْخَلْتَنِي بَيْتَكَ وَ ارْزُقْنِي رُؤْيَتَكَ اَللّٰهُمَّ يَا رَبَّ الْبَيْتِ الْعَتِيقِ اَعْتِقۡ رِقَابَنَا وَ رِقَابَ اٰبَائِنَا وَأُمَّهَاتِنَا مِنَ النَّارِ يَا عَزِيزُ يَا غَفَّارُ اَللّٰهُمَّ يَا خَفِيَّ الْأَلْطَافِ اٰمِنَّا مِمَّا نَخَافُ اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِ مَا سَأَلَكَ مِنْهُ نَبِيُّكَ مُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا اسْتَعَاذَكَ مِنْهُ نَبِيُّكَ مُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلۡ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
Rabbi adkhilnī mudkhala ṣidqin wa akhrijnī mukhraja ṣidqin wa'jʿal lī min ladunka sulṭānan naṣīrā. Allāhumma adkhilnī jannataka kamā adkhaltanī baytaka wa'rzuqnī ru'yatak. Allāhumma yā rabba'l-bayti'l-ʿatīq, aʿtiq riqābanā wa riqāba ābā'inā wa ummahātinā mina'n-nār, yā ʿazīzu yā ghaffār. Allāhumma yā khafiyya'l-alṭāfi āminnā mimmā nakhāf. Allāhumma innī as'aluka min khayri mā sa'alaka minhu nabiyyuka Muḥammadun ṣalla'llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam, wa aʿūdhu bika min sharri ma'staʿādhaka minhu nabiyyuka Muḥammadun ṣalla'llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam. Rabbanā taqabbal minnā innaka anta's-samīʿu'l-ʿalīm, wa tub ʿalaynā innaka anta't-tawwābu'r-raḥīm.
O Lord! Enter me with truth and bring me out with truth, and appoint for me from Yourself a helper. O Allah! Enter me into Your Paradise as You have entered Your House, and grant me the blessing of seeing You. O Lord of the ancient House! Free us, our fathers, and our mothers from the Fire. O Almighty, O Forgiving! O Allah! O Hidden Bestower of Mercy, keep us safe from the fears that surround us. O Allah, I ask You for the best of what Your Prophet Muhammad ﷺ asked from You, and I seek refuge in You from the evil that Your Prophet Muhammad ﷺ sought refuge from. Our Lord, accept this from us; indeed, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. And accept our repentance; indeed, You are the Most-Turning, the Most Merciful.
| No. | Site | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The house of Khadījah (raḍiya'llāhu ʿanhā) | Birthplace of Fāṭimah; the Prophet's ﷺ residence until the hijrah |
| 2 | The site of the Prophet's ﷺ wuḍūʾ and worship | None |
| 3 | The Prophet's ﷺ birthplace | Beneath Mount Buqubays |
| 4 | The house of Abū Bakr (raḍiya'llāhu ʿanhu) | In the Goldsmiths' street (Zuqāq al-Ṣawāghīn); two stones there bear reported marks of the Prophet's ﷺ speech and elbow |
| 5 | The birthplace of ʿAlī (raḍiya'llāhu ʿanhu) | In Shiʿb Banī Hāshim |
| 6 | Dār al-Arqam (also Dār al-Khayzurān) | Site of the earliest secret congregational prayer; ʿUmar's (raḍiya'llāhu ʿanhu) acceptance of Islam, reportedly completing forty Muslims and occasioning Sūrat al-Anfāl 8:64 |
| 7 | The Cave of Ḥirāʾ (Jabal al-Nūr) | The Prophet's ﷺ pre-prophetic devotions; the reported site of shaqq al-ṣadr before the revelation of Iqraʾ |
| 8 | The Cave of Thawr | The Prophet's ﷺ and Abū Bakr's concealment during the hijrah |
| 9 | Masjid al-Rāyah | Prayer and the planting of a spear on the day Makkah was conquered |
| 10 | Masjid al-Jinn | Reported site of the jinn's audience with the recited Qur'an |
| 11 | Masjid al-Shajarah | Opposite Masjid al-Jinn |
| 12 | Masjid al-Ghanam (Masjid al-Ijābah) | In Wādī Muḥaṣṣab |
| 13 | Masjid al-Jiyād | Formerly where King Tubbaʿ's horses were tethered; now a Makkah quarter |
| 14 | Masjid Abū Qubays, and the fragment of the mountain | The first adhān, by Bilāl (raḍiya'llāhu ʿanhu); associated with the splitting of the moon |
| 15 | Jannat al-Muʿallā (Maʿlā graveyard) | Burial place of Khadījah and many Ṣaḥābah and Tābiʿūn, including Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī |
| 16 | Masjid Dhū Ṭuwā | On the historic approach route to Makkah |
| 17 | Masjid al-Jiʿrānah | Nine miles out, on the Ṭāʾif road, marking the Ḥaram boundary there |
| 18 | Masjid ʿĀʾishah, Masjid Manḥar al-Nabī, Masjid al-Kabsh, Masjid al-Khayf, and the Cave of Mursalāt | Around Minā; al-Kabsh marking Ibrāhīm's ʿalayhi's-salām sacrifice, the cave marking the revelation of Sūrat al-Mursalāt |
Related
- Entering Makkah and the first sight of the Kaʿbah The etiquette and supplications for approaching the Haram, entering Makkah, walking to Masjid al-Haram, and seeing the Kaʿbah for the first time.
- Jannat al-Baqi, Masjid Quba, and other places to visit in Madinah The graves in the Baqi graveyard, the martyrs of Uhud, and the historic mosques of Madinah, including Masjid Quba.
- How to perform tawaf, step by step The full method of circling the Kaʿbah seven times, from the intention at the Black Stone to the two rakats at Maqam Ibrahim and drinking Zamzam.
- Visiting Madinah, and the etiquette of the Prophet's ﷺ grave The virtue of visiting Madinah, entering the Prophet's ﷺ mosque, and the words of greeting at his grave and those of Abu Bakr and Umar beside it.