Ruling on making models of the Ka‘bah to explain the rituals of Hajj

Praise be to Allah.

It should be noted that the basic principle concerning acts of worship is that there should be taqwa in the heart and veneration of the symbols and sacred things of Allah, may He be exalted; anything that undermines that veneration of His symbols or turns them into something commonplace, as people do and have become used to doing, should not be allowed. 

For that reason, more than one of the scholars have stated that it is not allowed to make models of the Ka‘bah, because that undermines the veneration of the symbol in the heart. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a school that teaches the students about Hajj and ‘umrah but the students do not understand properly; it is permissible to make a model of the Ka‘bah and holy places in the school so that they can learn in practical terms and not just theoretically. 

He replied: 

This is not permissible and it is not appropriate at all. The teacher can draw a picture of the Ka‘bah on the blackboard and say, We circumambulate it like this… But as for making a model, this to my mind is turning acts of worship into mere movements with no impact on the heart.

End quote from Majmoo‘ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-‘Uthaymeen, 24/91 

It says in a fatwa of the Standing Committee: It is not permissible to make models of the Ka‘bah and the (green) dome that is over the grave of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).

End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah, 2 (1/324) 

And Allah knows best.