By Carrie Sheffield
It is a time of spiritual renewal, symbolism and unity. It is a celebration of culture, history and faith. It is probably the largest annual gathering of people on the face of the earth.
Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is the fifth pillar of Islamic belief that states every Muslim who is financially and physically able must make a journey to Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime.
Each year, more than 2 million Muslims gather from numerous countries to take part in the ceremonies and rites of the Muslim faith and to commemorate the trials of the prophet Abraham and his family.
Those who have completed the pilgrimage say it''s a life-changing experience.
'It''s so amazing to be a part of it,' said Usama Baioumy, a native of Egypt who now works as a software engineer in Linden. Baioumy has completed the Hajj three times. 'It''s a very emotional feeling. It''s hard to describe it. God has asked us to go there, and we are answering his call. It''s like you are going to visit God''s home.'
Palestinian Bashar Sader, 28, a BYU graduate student in mechanical engineering, agrees. Sader''s mother completed Hajj last year.
'It''s not just a trip, it''s about starting a new life,' Sader said. 'Everybody who goes to Hajj feels like they have a new record. They change in all aspects. They try much harder to keep their obligations and their promises and to live the law of Islam.'
There are a limited number of people who can answer the call each year. Mecca can accommodate only a fraction of the world''s estimated 1.2 Muslims. Countries with large Islamic populations set up quotas or lotteries to restrict the number of attendees.
'They give preference to older people,' said Wasiq Zarif, 25, a Bangladesh native studying electrical engineering and president of the Muslim Student Association at BYU. 'There are waiting lists, but I haven''t heard of anyone traveling to Mecca and being turned away.'
Baioumy said the pilgrims arrive in the city Mena, just outside Mecca, where they store their belongings.
Before taking part in the five-day ceremonial pilgrimage, Muslims must undergo a process of purification. They wash their bodies and wrap themselves in large, unstitched pieces of white cloth.
During Hajj, participating Muslims must abstain from arguing, hunting, sexual relations and cutting their hair.
'The main objective is for people to leave everything behind in their daily life. Everybody is equal, the small, the big, the white, the black,' said Palestinian Enass Tinah, 28, a graduate student majoring in molecular biology. Tinah''s father completed Hajj in 1983. She said she hopes to go within the next ten years.
After arriving in Mena, worshipers travel to a mountain called Arafat, where they pray, meditate and read the Koran.
After spending the day at Arafat, pilgrims travel to Al Mozdalfa, where they collect small stones. Baioumy said the pilgrims return to Mena, where they throw the stones at a white pillar in a ceremony symbolically described as 'stoning Satan.'
'They are reminding themselves that they have to fight evil, that Satan is still in the world, and that they need to fight him, especially after they return from Hajj,' Tinah said.
Fourteen people were killed and several others injured in a stampede during this year''s stoning ceremony. Thirty-five people were killed in 2001, and at least 118 were trampled to death in 1998.
'It''s a logistical nightmare,' Tinah said.
Hajj usually ends with a feast when Muslims purchase livestock and sacrifice it to commemorate the day when God tested Abraham.
'Saudi Arabia has a good system where they take the extra food, clean it up, freeze it and send it to poor countries to feed the poor,' Baioumy said.
James Toronto, assistant professor of Asian and near-eastern studies, and his wife have lived in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. He said he sees similarities between Mormonism and the Islamic Hajj.
'It''s similar to some of the same purposes as our temple worship and general conference all rolled into one,' Toronto said. 'There are people dressed in white, remembering and re-enacting historical events. Strengthening the bonds of the community and being spiritually-renewed are all purposes of the Hajj that we find in our religion.'
This year''s Hajj made headlines after Saudi officials said they would not allow Hajj to be used as a rallying point for anti-American sentiments.
Baioumy said using Hajj as a forum for anything other than religious practice, including anti-American discussion, is wrong.
'We shouldn''t talk about any political issue,' Baioumy said. 'You are praying, asking for forgiveness. You shouldn''t discuss anything other than asking for mercy.'
However, not everyone agrees.
'People who are doing the Hajj should be able to express their opinions,' Tinah said. 'They should be allowed, even if it''s anti-American. Hajj historically was a place where Muslims met and discussed what is happening in their country.'