Towards a Better Experience of Makkah

Each pilgrim, upon arriving in the holy city of Makkah for pilgrimage, should strive to make the most of the occasion. So golden is this opportunity, and so rare, that it cannot be missed or underutilized.

After all, most Muslims come to Makkah only once in a lifetime, spending not more than a couple of weeks there. That is it: once, and slightly more than half a month. How then can one maximize the opportunity and condense infinite miraculous treasures into finite competences and prospects?

Finding home and the self in Makkah

A pilgrim furthermore needs to open and sharpen all his senses so as to witness what is on display in the physical realm and, beyond that, to feel, experience, and be enriched by the metaphysical. Following painstakingly the rule and spirit of equilibrium, if a person does not transcend the level of the five senses, his perceptions will be reduced to mere sensations of externalities. Such is the minimum, and on the scale of actuality and authenticity, it is nothing. It is surface-the tip of the iceberg.

As a result, a sixth sense or a higher intuitive faculty must be awakened, with which a person can rise and penetrate the deepest recesses of truth, leading to extraordinary understandings and experiences. These transport him from here to there, from now to then. They move him from the present to the past, and gradually even to the future.

They carry him across the dimensions of time, dissolving the boundaries between what was, what is, and what is yet to come. In their flow, the pilgrim discovers continuity: the past as memory, the present as immersion, the future as promise. Thus, he is no longer confined to a single moment but is knitted into the eternal rhythm of existence, where Makkah becomes both anchor and horizon.

Only in such a way can the pilgrim's universe connect to that of the city, with his heart as the chief organ corresponding to the Ka'bah, itself the heart of Makkah within the wider al‑Masjid al‑Haram. Only in such a way can he feel that he has been accepted and embraced. He is given the license to move through dimensions freely and to feel freely, as though he were another segment of the holy city's identity as a free and secure milieu. In that freedom, he ceases to be a mere visitor and becomes a participant. Exclusively in this manner do they become one: the pilgrim came to Makkah, and Makkah came to him. His journey met its destination, and the destination met his soul.

Whenever the Qur'an emphasizes that some people are deaf, dumb, and blind, it seeks to drive home the message that the world of matter and its corresponding senses is small and inconsequential. Those who use it as the fulcrum of their existence and behavior are reduced to equivalent smallness and inconsequentiality in realization and engagement. To avoid blindness, dumbness, and numbness-paralysis vis‑à‑vis the true spiritual and intellectual arousal-one must truly wake up, affirm transcendence, and cultivate metaphysical orientation both within himself and in association with Makkah.

The incompetent and the myopic do not truly succeed in Makkah. To them, the city appears small, constricted, and overcrowded, still bearing the guise of the ordinary. They perceive it through the lens of their own inner smallness, constriction, and congestion. Others, however, initially-as is natural and expected-perceive Makkah according to its immediate topography and outward atmosphere. First impressions follow first encounters. Yet to describe these initial impressions as either untrue or purely misleading would be both an understatement and a misdirection. Rather, they function as a prelude, a necessary stepping stone.

They soon give way to a higher vantage point, a portal through which true vision is granted, and from which horizon upon horizon unfurls. As inner faculties are awakened, the far-sighted come to perceive far more, seeing through veils and apprehending what lies beneath the surface. They come to comprehend the city as akin to a womb, adapting and expanding in accordance with need. Everything in Makkah appears to grow and multiply in response to the conditions and requirements of its pilgrims, following-figuratively speaking-a principle of demand and supply. It is always enough, and there is always room for more. Undeniably, Makkah is alive: it senses and responds.

In Makkah, all realities converge upon the believer

It goes without saying that everything in Makkah-as the epitome of Islam-is centered on humanity and human dignity. All the rituals of the Hajj and 'umrah pilgrimages, along with the principles that underlie them, are oriented towards affirming the centrality of the human being as Allah's most honored creation and His vicegerent on earth. In this way, human capital emerges as the most critical element in the making of civilization. Once this is properly realized, each subsequent stage of human development and civilizational formation becomes not only attainable but also facilitated.

The critical task, therefore, is to perceive and internalize Makkah as it ought to be understood, seeing the outward rituals as forms whose inner strengths and meanings constitute the true essence and the ultimate object of all Islamic striving. Just as it is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step and at home, so too it may be said that the arduous task of cultivating individuals and constructing a virtuous civilization either begins in Makkah or finds its defining parameters there.

With regard to the consequentiality of Islam in Makkah, some people are, as it were, born and begin their development there, while others arrive already formed and commence their maturation. In either case, the vitality of Makkah seldom goes unnoticed. It nurtures, it shapes, it expands, granting each soul its measure of growth, whether in beginnings or in continuations. It is up to individuals how they choose to reciprocate.

This philosophy of humanity and spirituality-and the manner in which they interrelate and ultimately come together-is clearly articulated in the words of the Prophet. While circumambulating the Kaʿbah, visibly moved by its beauty and fragrance, he addressed it as part of an intimate, inward communication: "How pure you are and how pure is your fragrance; how great you are and how great is your sanctity."

Nonetheless, at the culmination of this emotional expression towards the First House and all that it typifies, the Prophet sought to reaffirm the higher truth for which it had been established in the first place, namely, for the sake of humanity and the facilitation of its existential purpose. He declared: "By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, the sanctity of the believer is greater before Allah than your sanctity-his blood, his wealth, and that one should think nothing but good of him" (Sunan Ibn Majah).

In the same vein, during his Farewell Hajj at 'Arafat, the Prophet further emphasized the unparalleled importance of human dignity as the foundation of a virtuous and productive life. Echoing the earlier sentiment, he proclaimed: "Your blood and your property are sacred to one another, like the sanctity of this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this town of yours (Makkah), until you meet your Lord."

The Prophet also said: "All mankind is from Adam and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab; neither does a white have superiority over a black, nor a black over a white-except through piety and good action. Every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim, and the Muslims constitute a single brotherhood. Nothing belonging to a Muslim is lawful for another except what is given freely and willingly."

To be sure, every Muslim is to be molded in accordance with the philosophy and principles entailed in the aforementioned hadiths, and to approach Makkah in such a state as to act in their spirit, thereby manifesting the fruits of the educational and formative processes he has undergone. Thus, one comes to Makkah in gratitude and appreciation, to begin giving if he has not yet done so, and to deepen and intensify his giving if he has. To experience Makkah in the way it was meant to be experienced, and to live in accordance with that experience, constitutes an integral part of this process.

Makkah is a place in which the honor and dignity of the human being are enshrined within its very sanctity. As such, those who have compromised either their own dignity or that of others find little welcome there. They struggle to find their footing-or themselves-within an atmosphere that champions liberty and self-respect. A prerequisite for truly appreciating and coming to terms with what Makkah represents is to be inwardly free and to uphold the highest degree of conviction.

Those who are enslaved-in the truest sense of the word-to other people, to material forces, or to their own lower selves are anomalies in Makkah. There is little, if anything, that works in their favor or aligns with their condition. For this reason, it can be said without hesitation that Makkah is the most authentic sanctuary of affirmation, and that its Kaʿbah stands as humanity's most genuine monument and testament to liberty. All other places and landmarks that claim a similar status are, by contrast, mere semblances, as the histories of their peoples readily attest.

Hence, there is no place better than Makkah for the acceleration of self-emancipation. Those who remain indifferent or aloof from its call to embark upon such a journey are, in truth, incapacitated and enslaved. Makkah offers no refuge to the soul deliberately in bondage, nor to those who invite, promote, or profit from the degradation and enslavement of others. Perhaps this is one reason why access to Makkah is restricted to Muslims. The city's moral economy and sacred aura are incompatible with self-sabotage and oppression, tendencies that often manifest most clearly in individuals estranged from faith, beginning with their own selves.

Makkah: the living archive of existence

Makkah, therefore, may be understood as an archive of existence: a place where the story and history of humanity are inscribed not in books, but in geography. It is also a library-the mother of all Houses of Wisdom. However, accessing its treasures requires more than conventional literacy or ordinary concentration. To read and comprehend them demands a literacy of the soul, whereby the capacities of the mind serve merely as a threshold-a window into deeper horizons of insight and illumination. Being "lettered" in the conventional sense is insufficient, and at times even secondary. Far more is required.

The imperative "Read in the name of your Lord", addressed to the unlettered Prophet atop one of Makkah's prominent rocky heights, within one of its defining caverns, continues to resonate with every visitor. Each is called to uncover, read, recite, and contemplate the revealed, created, and fashioned signs (ayat) of Allah, if one is to truly immerse oneself in the universe of Makkah and experience it in its fullness.

Makkah is the locus where much of the Qur'anic revelation descended, and where many of the created signs referenced therein are encountered. It is thus a place of grounding in belief, of spiritual reflection, and of primordial historical illumination. To engage with these signs in the very context of their revelation and manifestation is uniquely powerful, leaving a lasting imprint upon the individual. One may come to feel as though the Makkan revelations were addressed to him personally, as though the signs envelop him, reshaping his inner being and reconfiguring the trajectory of his life.

In this way, one's life becomes a continuation of Makkah's legacy. Armed with the contents of its living archive, the individual stands poised not only to receive, but also to contribute-to add, in turn, to its ever-renewing and expanding treasury. One should cultivate a lifelong membership in Makkah's archive, which endures beyond death and makes one a satellite of its memory.

To walk in Makkah is to traverse the layers of time and existence, as much vertically as horizontally. It is to hear-and to replenish one's ontological covenant with the Creator at ʿArafat, intuiting and recognizing His words, "Am I not your Lord?", to which, after a profound inward reckoning with the arc of one's life and its defining moments, one responds: "Yes, You are our Lord."

It is to feel the footsteps of Adam beneath one's own, engendering a sense of warmth and intimacy characteristic of a child towards his father. It is moreover to sense the echo of Ibrahim's call to humanity-summoning them to fulfil their duties towards their Lord- vibrating through the mountains. In its wake, one envisions the accumulated presence of the best of humanity who have passed through Makkah across millennia, and seeks to partake in the blessings generated by their acts of worship. One becomes aware of the privilege of inhabiting a space reserved for the most elect and the very finest of the human race.

Makkah is not for everyone; rather, it is for those who are chosen. A person may possess the means, the desire, and the intention to reach it, yet only those who are approved and invited ultimately arrive. It is Allah's sacred domain, His House, and only His guests are granted admittance. Hence, pilgrims are known as duyuf al‑Rahman, literally "the Guests of the Most Merciful," which is a title that captures at once their humility before Allah and the special miraculous hospitality of Makkah.

Finally, to be in Makkah is to hear the voice of Muhammad carried upon the desert wind, to witness the unfolding of his life across the city's topographical and geographical features-each site to be "read," contemplated, and internalized-and to feel his steadfast resolve in the face of relentless rejection. As the culmination of this reenactment and reliving, one comes to perceive the definitive triumph of truth and the disappearance of falsehood in all its forms. The light of truth casts its rays upon all that the pilgrim seeks to uncover and comprehend, and some of those rays inevitably fall upon the pilgrim himself.

In this fashion, one connects with the continuity of truth from its very beginning to one's own time-and to one's own being. Indeed, Makkah is the only city where the past is not behind a person but surrounds him; nor is it external to him, but embedded within his very being. It lives on, perpetually.

Makkah as restorer of history's authenticity

Walking thus becomes a method of discovery and knowing: walking to Mina and learning dedication grounded in patience; walking to ʿArafat and learning trust and self-respect; walking to Muzdalifah and learning humility and trustworthiness; and, most importantly, walking around the Kaʿbah and learning orientation towards purpose and surrender.

Whereas in the ritual of sa'y-which means "striving," "hastening earnestly," "exerting effort," or "walking swiftly with purpose"-the pilgrim does not merely walk; rather, he moves with intention, pace, and exertion, as the very term implies. Along the distance between the hills of Safa and Marwah-once, prior to the modern expansions of al-Masjid al-Haram, a major thoroughfare of Makkah that both separated and connected the interior and exterior of the mosque-there remain designated stretches where the pilgrim runs at a moderate pace.

The implication is that, given the nature of life's struggles and the fact that man has been created of haste (al-Anbiya' 37), sa'y, as part of the lessons of Hajj and of Makkah itself, teaches when, where, and for what reasons a person should run or walk, compete or refrain. Most critically, it teaches when to take charge and direct, and when to yield and allow oneself to be guided.

All this suggests that in Makkah the body becomes the book and movement becomes the text. Spiritual poise, comportment, and mental focus themselves constitute the processes of reading that begin within and extend outward. Makkah is an imperative source for self-actualization and self-development, and it remains the ultimate reference for knowledge and guidance. What transpires does not constitute a book, but the Book itself.

Makkah along these lines restores the true meaning of history as a discipline whose primary objective is inquiry aimed at discovering what is the case, namely, the pursuit of truth. The Greek term "historia" originally denoted "inquiry" or "investigation" in relation to truth; only later did it come to signify a written account or narrative of past events.

In the modern world, however, much of history has been subjected to a range of internal and external influences that affect simultaneously the identification and the articulation of truth, thereby undermining its integrity. Against this backdrop, Makkah functions as a corrective. It stands as a rare place where history is once again aligned with truth, where truth takes precedence over all other considerations. In a world marked by manipulation and distortion-where truth is often the least desired commodity-Makkah offers a breath of fresh air.

Makkah teaches that without historical truth, the truthfulness of the present and the future is impossible. The lives of individuals and nations are duty-bound to uphold and live by truth, and nothing but truth; otherwise, they betray who they are and what they aspire to become. A normal and productive life is untenable in the absence of truth. Accordingly, Makkah functions as history's supreme source, superseding but not replacing conventional primary and secondary sources, which nonetheless ought to take Makkah as an indispensable point of reference.