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 honors the sacred rites of Allah, for him it good in the Sight of his Lord."
The city of Mecca has a special significance in the Pilgrimage because it was 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 symbolizes the equality of humans in the eyes of God, and during the rites being performed during the Hajj, there is no way of recognizing 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. For people performing the Hajj, not only do they fulfill one of the five pillars of Islam but it also brings the focus of their lives back to the spiritual and away from the worldly.
For some Muslims, it can be events in their lives for which they feel the need to seek spiritual guidance or the need to be as close to the holiest place to get solace. Prayers for those who have left the world and prayers for the living are offered with a spiritual fervor. The only focus is God and they ask Him for everything they need without consulting or asking for human being for help or advice.
The places where the rites are performed also give the pilgrims the opportunity to "see" history for themselves. Running from the hills of Safa and Marwa for example, they relive the trauma that Hagar, the handmaiden of Sarah, Abraham's wife, went through all those years ago when she cried for her water in the desert for her son Ishmael. The result was the Zam Zam water, which God provided for her, and the well still flows to this day, a miracle for the believers who drink the water and bring it back home with them for their friends and family members and to improve their own health and spirits.
The gathering together of Muslims from around the globe during the time of Hajj brings people close, with the only purpose being the worship of God. During Eid ul Adha festival that follows the completion of the Pilgrimage, animals are sacrificed and the food is distributed freely in the spirit of charity to the poor and needy.
The qualities the Koran constantly advocates are those of piety, righteousness, charity and above all the worship of one God. All these qualities are brought together during the Pilgrimage so that the Muslim can purify his mind, body and spirit to strengthen his bond with his maker. It is also a test to put back what he has learnt from this spiritual journey into his daily life and become a true Haji, a person who has completed the Hajj not just in name but also by being a living example to those around him.