Pilgrim uses electronic scooter to perform sacred Muslim ritual

For the first time in history it’s believed a pilgrim has performed a sacred ritual on an electronic scooter around the Kaaba in Mecca, angering some Muslims in the process.

The man went around the Kaaba, inside Mecca’s Grand Mosque, anti-clockwise seven times to perform the sacred ‘Tawaf’ – which literally means circling.

But opinions have been divided among Muslims since the man’s actions went viral 24 hours ago, as to whether he is truly performing a Tawaf legally and respectfully, ArabnewsArabnews.

The man chose to scoot around the most sacred mosque in Islam on an ‘uberboard’ rather than on foot as has been done for thousands of years.

He used the pathway reserved for wheelchairs and less-able-bodied people, but it is believed he was able to walk.

“This is not fair. If you can walk, then you must perform Tawaf by walking; this is disrespectful,” tweeted Ahsan via @AsnSaleem.

“People in pain walk to get the reward and he is just abusing it,” wrote @ibeabdul.

On the other hand, some sprung to the man’s defence saying there was nothing wrong with using an electronic mobility device to traverse the Kaaba.

“As long as the pilgrim’s feet are not covered by the contraption, it is all right. There is no problem with that. It is like doing circumambulation in a wheelchair,” said Maulana Najeeb Qasmi Sambhali, who has done his postdoctoral thesis in Hadith from a university in India.