Are non-Muslims Allowed to Enter Mecca and the Sacred Mosque (Haram)?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

I pray this finds you in the best of health and faith.

The short answer to your question is that historically there was disagreement among jurists with respect to the matter. Abu Hanifa’s opinion was that non-Muslims can enter Mecca and even the Sacred Mosque [haram], as long as they do not do so for the sake of the pilgrimage [hajj or umra], which they are not allowed to perform. This is the opinion of the Hanafi school of law, which historically up to today has been the largest juridical school of Islam. Other schools of thought, however, differed on the legal ruling.