Lexus SLIDE hoverboard (Photo : YouTube)
A video of a Muslim circling the Kabbah - which followers of the Islam faith consider as the most sacred site - has not only gone viral. It has also sparked a debate among Muslims if it is proper to use a hoverboard instead of walking.
The Quran requires pilgrims to walk around the Kabbah, located in Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, seven times during the hajj. The yearly pilgrimage is required of all able-bodied followers of Islam who could afford it to go to Mecca at least once in their lifetime, explains The Washington Post.
The 26-second video posted on YouTube showed an adult male circling the Kabbah while riding a rolling Segway-like device, often called a hoverboard, rather than performing the rite - called tawaf - on foot. In five days since the video was posted, it has more than 21,000 hits.
Muslims who saw the video are sharing their opinion on how the male Muslim complied with tawaf.
Ahmed Al-Hilali tweeted, "Does his Tawaf even count anymore?"
Meowal considers that man's compliance with tawaf "messed up," while Ahsan chastised the hoverboard user for being disrespectful. He reminded the man: "If you can walk then you must perform Tawaf by walking."
On one hand, some Muslims did not mind the use of the hoverboard since the prophet Mohammad was said to have circled the Kabbah riding on a camel. Maulana Najeeb Qasmi Sambhali, a religious scholar based in Riyadh, opined it is okay to use the device if the pilgrim's feet is not covered by the hoverboard. He compares the use of the device to circling the Kabbah while on a wheelchair. However, Sabhali adds that if it causes an accident or sows fear among pilgrims, the hoverboard should be banned
At the comments section of the YouTube post, the debate continues
Harris Helmi believes it is alright for the pilgrim to use the device, saying, "God allowed him to, otherwise he would fall over."
On the other hand, Arega Eniyew points out that the hoverboard could be a handiwork of the devil which has done "much miracles in the last days." Sidiq called the hoverboard user "lazy" and said he needs help for his level of faith that has gone so low.
Muslim24hour7days suggests the use of wheelchair for people with certain problems or are old. He adds that the wheelchair is cheaper than the hoverboard, and proposed for the Saudi Arabian government to even ban photography or the use of mobile phones to record events during the hajj.
