July 5th, 2011 @ admin // No Comments

THE MEANING OF THE PILGRIMAGE IN ISLAM

One of the pillars of Islam is to undertake the hajj (pilgrimage) to Macca. The Muslim spends a few days there in different places, and at the same time lives through this experience and shares it with over two million Muslims from all over the world representing all kinds of cultures and who speak the most diverse languages. They all move into Macca dressed in simple white clothes, and their occupation, age, and social status do not matter, least of all nationality or skin color. During the pilgrimage, man divests himself of all worldly superficialities, and he is thrown back to his roots as a human being and a creature of God. Control over oneself plays an important role during the pilgrimage, and man is directed towards the friendly and peaceful interaction with others – which, taking into consideration the millions of pilgrims in a small area, and the efforts to prepare for the journey itself, can represent a major challenge.

 

The conscious interaction with the environment is also part of the pilgrimage. In Macca, no Muslim may harm any animal or plant, regardless of whether they are large or small. Thus, man is reminded that he is not lord over everything, but only a creature of the same God. The experiences of this peaceful gathering and of the collective praising of God in Macca represent a turning point in the life of a Muslim, for it leaves the impression of an unforgettable closeness to God and fraternity with other Muslims. One of these decisive experiences is documented in history in great detail: the pilgrimage of the American civil rights activist Malcolm X(1) in 1964, which made an actively racist nationalist into a peaceful man, in the company of all ethnicities.

Malcolm X describes his experiences during the pilgrimage as follows:

 

“Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races here [...] For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colors. [...] There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and non-white. America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem. [...] I have never before seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced by all colors together, irrespective of their color. You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to re-arrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. [...] We were truly all the same (brothers)–because their belief in one God had removed the white from their minds, the white from their behavior, and the white from their attitude.”

 

 

Tags: Islam, Macca, Pilgrimage