Millions of Muslims have congregated in the Saudi city of Mecca to begin the five day Hajj pilgrimage. More than 2 million pilgrims don’t just learn the rules of how to properly perform the rituals, they also pick up helpful tips and tricks to make the overall experience smoother. Hajj is a spiritual requirement and one of the five pillars of Islam, meaning that it must be performed by every Muslim at least once in their lifetime, so long as they are financially, physically, and emotionally able to do so.
Spiritually, the five-day Hajj is without comparison, an awe-inspiring experience for the faithful, an experience that brings them closer to God and to the entire Muslim Ummah/community. Physically, it can be grueling. Pilgrims walk outdoors for hours in the Saudi summer heat, circling holy sites in Mecca and the surrounding desert. They are caught in unimaginable and often overwhelming crowds, all trying to get to the same place. Barriers directing the traffic mean that if you miss your turn, you might walk hours more to get where you want to be.
All men are required to wear simple white robes without any stitching, a rule aimed at uniting rich and poor. Women must forego beauty products and cover their hair but have slightly more flexibility to wear fabrics from their native countries, resulting in a beautiful, colorful display of Islam’s global reach and multiculturalism.
This article features some helpful packing advice for those lucky enough to make the trip. Sadly I’m not among those making the pilgrimage this year, but Inshallah I’ll have my opportunity very soon.
Side Items
Scumbag Corruption Trial: The corruption trial of the leader of apartheid Israel is ongoing, and has involved some big names. A billionaire Hollywood producer named Arnon Milchan took the stand recently, acknowledging that the long list of gifts (champagne, cigars and jewelry) that he systematically gave to the Israeli prime minister ‘may have been excessive’. According to the indictment against Netanyahu, Milchan gave Netanyahu and his equally horrid wife a “supply line” of expensive gifts valued at nearly $200,000. Truly baffling behavior
Travel Is Bad?: An article in which the author is apparently arguing against the the value of traveling, claiming that people who travel are simply looking for a distraction. But as an avid enjoyer of traveling, it’s a painful hate-read as the author doesn’t really make any coherent points. This became much less surprising when I realized this same author’s views on throwing away her children’s Halloween candy. Just an all-around poor critical thinker
RIP Mocha Cub: I don’t know how to write this, but I learned some tragic news from a friend yesterday regarding a mutual buddy from high school. Truth be told, I’m still trying to process what I heard. While doing fieldwork for his PhD, our friend and brother Gabriel Trujillo was murdered in Mexico. Gabe was a remarkably curious, endlessly kind and generous soul. He was silly, he was passionate, and above all he was simply a good person. I’ll forever cherish the memories we made together, back in high school as foolish rapscallions and as adults as we both grew and continued to learn. He was full of life and love and enamored with nature and studied botany to learn more about the world around us, and I’m not sure I’ll ever look at a wildflower the same way. I pray he didn’t suffer and that his family and friends always remember his kindness. May his memory forever be a blessing