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One of the five pillars of Islam is Hajj or the pilgrimage, which should be performed at least once in every Muslim's lifetime, financial or personal circumstances permitting. The importance of Hajj is mentioned in the Koran in surah 22:30 (Al-Hajj) which says "Such (is the Pilgrimage): whoever honours the sacred rites of Allah, for him it good in the Sight of his Lord."

The Pilgrimage has a special significance to the city of Mecca because it is here that Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael built the Kaaba, the holiest shrine in Islam. The idols placed inside the shrine were destroyed and it was made sanctimonious for those who would submit to the monotheistic principles of worshiping one God. As the Koran put it in Sura 22:26, "You shall not idolize any other god beside Me, and purify My shrine for those who visit it, those who live near it, and those who bow and prostrate". It is around the Kaaba that the circumambulations during the pilgrimage are performed.

Apart from giving the Muslims a focal point towards which to perform their five daily prayers, Mecca also becomes the home temporarily for millions of pilgrims who descend on it during the time of the Pilgrimage. They come here to relive the rites that Abraham left them and they relive history as it happened thousands of years ago. According to the Koran, "They will come to you walking or riding on various exhausted (means of transportation). They will come from the farthest locations." (22:27).

The state of purity in mind, body and soul, (Ihram) has to be practiced even before arriving to Mecca by repeating the words. "Here I am at your service, O God, Here I am!. While the pilgrims are in state of Ihram, sexual activity is forbidden, no killing of any living creature is allowed and no backbiting or use of bad language should be used.The simplicity of the garments worn by the pilgrims symbolises the equality of humans in the eyes of God, and during the rites being performed during the Hajj, there is no way of recognising the status of the person walking beside you.

Even before embarking on the life-changing journey the pilgrim has to ensure that, he owes no debt to anyone and asks for forgiveness from those he has hurt in any way. It is as if the soul cleansing rituals begin well before the Pilgrimage and while every pilgrim tries to maintain this state of purity throughout the Pilgrimage, it is also important to continue his efforts to remain a good person when he goes back home to his normal routines.

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