Muslims embark on journey of faith, discussing the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, was published in The Argus Newspaper on January 19, 2004. Traditionally, the Islam faith requires five daily prayers to take place, a service held every Friday, a month of fasting during the time of Ramadan, and a Pilgrimage to the hajj in Mecca. .
The first Muslims left to begin their journey during the week of January 12th. The hajj begins during the last week of January, which is the eighth day of the 12th month of the lunar calendar. Most people believe this journey to be one of the highlights in a Muslim's life because it brings about an overwhelming sense of peace for the individual person and the community around them. .
Although it is only required of a Muslim to make the long trip to Mecca once in their lifetime, there is a large number of followers who revisit the hajj year after year. For Muslims who travel from all over the world, the turning point of their trip is when the airplane pilot announces when they cross over the boundaries of Kaba, a stone mosque built by Adam and then reconstructed by Abraham. Christians and Jews believe Adam was the first man and Abraham was the father of Judaism, but Muslims count them with the prophets. After this announcement, the Muslims enter into a state of "ihram," meaning complete self-control. They .
Pledge not to harm any living creature, become angry or engage in sin. During their entire trip, their attention must only be focused on God orAllah.
On the first day, Muslims circle the mosque seven times, showing they are circling around the one reality. They also pray to the stone encased in glass where Abraham stood while reconstructing the mosque. Next, they will take a drink from the "zam-zam," a river that Muslims believe sustained Hagar, the mother of Abraham's first son, Ishmael, when she was sent to Mecca. Through walking between two small hills near the mosque, they show her search for water, which they believe Allah, provided.
