What is the significance of pilgrimage to Mecca for the modern-day Muslim?
Hajj is the largest annual convention of faith, where between three to five million faithful gather to perform their prescribed religious duties. It is a wholesome demonstration of Islamic brotherhood and sisterhood, linking the individual pilgrim to the totality of humanity, for believers from every part of the earth are represented there. It acquaints pilgrims with Mecca and thus with the historical and spiritual environment of the prophets Abraham, Ishmael, and Muhammad. It serves as a bridge that links the present with moments of ancient history, and it is also a means of identifying the pilgrims with the commitment and struggles of past prophets. The rituals performed are in fact reenactments of fundamental aspects of that sacred history. Finally, Hajj serves as a reminder of the grand assembly of the Day of Judgment. Why do Muslim women need to be accompanied by a mahram? A mahram is a woman’s husband or a legally approved male companion to whom marriage is prohibited. It is stro
