The week after 'Eid-U-Fitr in the first days of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Muslim calendar, Muslims from all over the world travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Muslims must make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca in their lifetime according to the Five Pillars of Faith if they have the money and health.

Many of the rituals connected to the Hajj come from the story of Hagar and Ishmael near Mecca. When Hagar and Sarah, the mother of Isaac, were fighting, Abraham took Hagar and Ishmael to the valley outside Mecca and left them to go back to Sarah. Soon they ran out of water and were very thirsty. Hagar ran back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwa looking for water. Then Ishmael came and rubbed his heel through the sand.  When he did this a well sprung up at Zamzam. This well brought many settlers to the well and Abraham returned and built the house of Ka'bah as a monument to God for providing water.

Hagar is thought to be the mother of all Arab people and Sarah is believed to be the mother of all Jewish people. Hagar is believed to be buried in the Ka'bah that Abraham built.

Every pilgrim must start with niyyat, good intentions. They worship God in the house of Ka'bah. The Ka'bah is located in the center of the mosque, Masjid al-Haram. It is a small rectangular structure measuring 10x12x15 meters and is possibly the smallest and most simple monument built by man. In the very corner of the Ka'bah there is a black stone which is believed to be a stone found by Abraham and Ishmael when they were looking for stones to build the monument.

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Muslims believe that the Prophet Mohammad received the first verses of the Qur'an while visiting the monument which is why the Masjid al-Haram and the Ka'bah are so important to the Islam faith.

Pilgrims walk around the Ka'bah seven times counter-clockwise like the planets revolve around the sun. Circling the Ka'bah is called tawaf in Arabic. Then they kiss the black stone. The highlight of the Hajj happens on the ninth day of the month, which is known as the Day of Arafat about eight miles from Mecca. The pilgrims gather in the afternoon in the Plains of Arafat and pray for God's forgiveness and mercy. They run between the hills of Safa and Marwa seven times like Hagar during her search for water. This is called Sa'y in Arabic.

Then they spend the night on a hill called Arafat. At noon the next day a leader will give a sermon. On the way back to Mecca they stop at Mina which is where Satan tried to persuade Abraham not to kill his son, Ishmael. Here the pilgrims throw seven stones three times. On the tenth day, each pilgrim slaughters a lamb as a reminder of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son. In Arabic the sacrificing of the lamb is called Id-i Ghorban. Part of the lamb is given to the needy and the rest is eaten at a feast.

After the stoning of Satan and the sacrifice of a lamb, Muslims will stay for about three days to consider the experience of their Hajj. Each pilgrim will take some water from the Zamzam Well as a reminder of the story.

Men are not to remove any hair during the Hajj. They cannot shave or cut their hair. They must wear ihram, two pieces of white cloth without any seams. Women can wear ihram also but their entire bodies and their hair must be covered.

Those Muslims who finish the Hajj are called Hajji. If someone dies during the Hajj they are considered a martyr. When they return home they are greeted by family and friends and treated with much respect.

Today if you want to make a Hajj you must apply to the Saudi Arabia to join a tour. You are not allowed to be part of the Hajj without being connected to a tour unless you get a special permit from the government.