Inside Mecca

Islam is one of the most rapidly growing religions in the modern world. Of course, there is Christianity, which has the largest number of followers; there is Confucianism, where the religion successfully transformed into the lifestyle. However, Islam, undoubtedly, deserves the right to be taught and demonstrated since so many people turn to Islam every single day. Today, in the era of digital technology, people can not only follow the religion but, also, with the help of media, play an important role in the expansion of religions. One of the examples of media informing people about Islam, more specifically, about the pilgrimage to Mecca, is a documentary "Inside Mecca", directed by Anisa Mehdi. By the time, a person finishes watching "Inside Mecca", he or she learns the experience from the trip to Capital in Islamic traditions. Throughout the movie, we see how pilgrimage to Mecca becomes an important, life-changing lesson in Muslim's life on the example of three different people. It demonstrates that worshippers of Islam are submitted to one God, value equality with tolerance, and strive for patience. This essay would expand on these three aspects, but it is worth to mention that there are other observations a spectator of "Inside Mecca" could have highlighted. One of the obvious characteristics of Islam we may learn from the movie: God in Islam is the absolute one, strictly singular. In fact, it is like Christianity and Judaism, where people believe in one God, as well, God of Abraham. Historically, some Christians and Jews converted to Islam, when the prophet Muhammad established the new religion ("How Islam Began", Fred Donner). Anyway, the movie clearly highlights the fact that Muslims are submitted to one God, but it does not explain the roots of such a belief. Thus, to explain, Adam was created by God to "establish 'a vicegerent on earth'", which means creating the social moral order (Rahman, p.17-18). Muslim believe in the story of Adam and Eve, which is well known among Christians and Jews, yet the main contribution of Islam regarding that story is that Adam's religion was monotheistic: there is only one God. In the movie, we see that pilgrimage to Mecca includes a ritual when Muslims circle the Kaaba 7 times. Here, Kaaba is a representation of one God, since it is 'House of God' and Muslims worship not the Kaaba, but the idea behind it. Another ritual from the movie that highlights the all-powerful ruler and creator of the universe is "The standing at Arafat". Pilgrims pray and ask for forgiveness at the place, where Prophet Mohammed delivered his last sermon. This realm of forgiveness is shown as an extremely emotional experience, where people connect with God. I believe that the physical meaning of the place plays an important psychological role. Since the God does not have human-like nature or representation, it is impossible to convey the connection with God to a specific place, except Kaaba. However, Muslims worship Prophet Mohammad because he attracted people's trust ("Authority in Islam"), thus stepping on the ground where Prophet once walked is a solid experience, which allows Muslims to physically connect with the God, thus boosting the mind connection. Apart from the demonstrating total submission to one God, Muslims, who come to Mecca in the Hajj period, challenge their tolerance. In Islam, God's mercy "comprehends everything", one implication of which is tolerance towards every other religion. When Leo Byzantine Emperor, for instance, commanded to destroy all icons repeating after Islamic traditions, ironically, Muslims protected defender of iconography, demonstrating the teachings of tolerance of other faith ("Eastern Orthodoxy"). Apart from tolerance between religions, Muslims should be tolerant within themselves. One of the main characters in "Inside Mecca" is a female neurosurgeon from US, another one is an African-American man from South Africa named Khalil. While watching the documentary, the idea of diversity among Islam worshippers is shown. There are women and men, elderlies and children; as in "The Life of Muhammad': "a man ... stood up and prayed. Then a woman ... stood up and prayed. Then out came a youth ... stood up and prayed" (p. 113). It is important to mention that women can enter Mecca only if provide the legal permission from male member of the family. Despite that, women are equal during the Hajj; in fact, women played an important role in collecting Hadith, which is the source of law in Islam ("Formation of Islamic Law and Hadith"). There are, also, rich, and poor, yellow, black, and white skinned people but everyone is equal in the face of God because He looks at the heart only. "God can ensure the essential unity of the human race as His creation", meaning that everyone is equal (Rahman, p. 38). During Hajj, 2 million different people from different countries gather to share the experience, which requires philosophic tolerance. However, fair attitude towards everyone is not as difficult as inside struggles of pilgrims during the Hajj. The journey, shown in the documentary, tests both body and soul of pilgrims. The ritual that physically represents the mind struggle Muslims experience is 'The Stoning of the Devil'. In "The Formation of Islam", Berkey defined jihad as the 'holy war', which means struggle against evil. In Islam, jihad refers to any striving in the path of God and stoning the devil represent how people fight temptations and expel Satan from their lives. While the ritual is great in helping pilgrims to physically fight the evil, the whole journey tests their patience. In Q 48 'Victory' of Qur'an, a win of good over evil is said to be attained through courage, devotion, faith, and patience (McAuliffe, p. 168). Muslims struggle between wrong and right but with the help of God they stay on the 'middle way', the right path. Thus, failing to demonstrate respect, patience, and courtesy, will make the Hajj not count for a pilgrim, since they are highly valued abilities in Islam. All in all, the documentary "'Inside Mecca" excellently showed the process of pilgrimage to Mecca by highlighting the important aspects of Islam. It should be suggested to both believers of other religions, atheists, and Muslims. Apart from worshipping one God, tolerance, and patience, we learn that Islam do not value material wealth, instead values necessities, such as water. Of course, spectators of the movie make their own conclusions and focus on different things but, overall, the documentary transfers the basic spirit of Islam.