Q: I would like to ask you a question regarding Islamic law, connected with my PhD research. My research is about a Jewish man who became a Christian in Venice in 1595. From the years 1574-1593 he worked as the 3rd physician at the court of Sultan Murat iii in Istanbul. In the year 1580/ Islamic year 999 he accompanied the Valide Sultan to Medina and Mecca. Was it at that time possible that a Jewish physician visited Mecca, because he was the physician of the Valide Sultan? Or was it at that time for him already obligatory to revert to Islam in order to visit Mecca?
A: Historical records are not always reliable. You cannot use this as a basis for permissibility or impermissibility.
And Allah Ta’ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
Answered by:
Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)