Hajj

Over 2 million pilgrims from today, the 8th day of Islamic month of Dhul Hijja, started the 5 day spiritual experience known as Hajj. But what is Hajj? And why it is held every year? Why muslims from all over the world converge into the Holy city of Makkah every year, sacrificing their time, money & bearing patiently all the hardships of the journey, constantly chanting "Here I am Lord, at Your service, here I am. Here I am at Your service and You have no equal. Yours alone is All Praise and All Bounty, and Yours alone is The Sovereignty. You have no partners".

Since I am not a good writer, I will quote Islamonline website which very beautifully describes the experience.

Hajj literally means "to continuously strive to reach one's goal." It is the last of the five pillars of Islam. The other four are a declaration of faith in one God and in Prophet Muhammad, the five daily prayers, offering regular charity, and fasting the month of Ramadan. Pilgrimage is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for those who have the physical and financial ability to undertake the journey.

Hajj is essentially a reenactment of the rituals of the great prophets and teachers of faith. Pilgrims symbolically relive the experience of exile and atonement undergone by Adam and Eve after they were expelled from Heaven. They also retrace the footsteps of Hajar as she ran between the hills of Safa and Marwah, searching for water for her thirsty baby. Lastly, the pilgrims also commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son for the sake of God. God later substituted a ram in place of Abraham's son.

Yet, Hajj is more than these rituals. The faithful hope that it will bring about a deep spiritual transformation, one that will make him or her a better person. The fact that millions of Muslims transcending geographical, linguistic, level of practice, cultural, ethnic, color, economic, and social barriers converge in unison on Makkah, attests to the universality of the Hajj. It plants the seed to celebrate the diversity of our common humanity. Pilgrims return home enriched by this more pluralistic and holistic outlook and with a new appreciation of their own origins.

The result of a successful Hajj is rich inner peace, which is manifested outwardly in the values of justice, honesty, respect, generosity, kindness, forgiveness, mercy, and empathy. And it is these values, all attributes of God almighty, that are indispensable to us all if we really want to get along in this world.