Introduction
The combination of peoples beliefs, natural phenomena, and socio-cultural conditions led to the increase of the role of artefacts in the life of society. Today, the development of science and technology has resulted in some individuals abandoning their mythical and religious beliefs. However, many people still hold on to their supernatural beliefs and traditions.
The fact is that the majority of modern objects of worship are connected with the religion, as people need to believe in a phenomenon they cannot explain. As the paper reveals, one of them, Mecca, the sacred city of all Muslims, could be taken as the greatest artefact of the modern world, which has an outstanding influence on the life of millions of people all over the world. This city is the main symbol of the Muslim faith. It has its unique history, which the paper seeks to present. Nevertheless, several aspects should be analysed to understand Meccas symbolism and importance to people.
The History
The account of Mecca is closely associated with Ishmael’s birth line. Hubal was the central pagan goddess who had been positioned in this place by the Quraysh community up to the seventh century. In the 5th century, the Quraysh community had taken over Mecca. The people had become trained businesspeople. By the sixth century, the people had also ventured into the flavour business because conflicts in different areas of the globe were causing business courses to turn away to hazardous paths through the ocean.
Mecca’s business reputation outshined Palmyra and the Petra metropolitans. However, the Sassanids did not always threaten Mecca until 575 CE. As Lewis asserts, they had sheltered this municipality against the Kingdom of Axum, which was headed by Christian organiser. With the help of the Persians, Arabians prohibited the extension of Christianity in Arabia and Mecca. The unforgiving hot topography and surroundings of the Arabian Stretch implied a steady situation of wrangles among the neighbouring ethnic groups.
However, once in a year, these tribes would declare a ceasefire and meet in Mecca in the annual festival of prayer and worship. Until the 7th century, this trip was meant for religious purposes. It was set aside for the Arabs who wished to honour the holy place and/or fetch water from the Zamzam oasis. It was also a time of reconciliation. This yearly occasion offered the ethnic groups a sense of belonging and a universal distinctiveness, thus giving the city of Mecca a vital spotlight that captured the attention of people around the globe.
Prophet Mohammad and the Conquest of Mecca
Based on the Islamic faith, the account of Mecca can be traced to the time of Abraham who is believed to have established the Kaaba together with his descendant Ishmael. This establishment took place in 2000 BCE. During the period, the inhabitants of this region, which was then known as the Bakkah, had fallen from monotheism through the influence of the Amalekites. It is believed that Prophet Mohammad was born in 570AD in Mecca. Thus, according to Glubb, Islam has since been linked with Mecca. Prophet Mohammad was a Hashemite, a negligible clan of the Quraysh.
According to Islam teachings, Glubb reveals how Muhammad started getting his heavenly disclosures from Allah through Archangel Gabriel around 610 AD. He advocated for Abraham Monotheism against the paganism. As a result, the non-believers mistreated him for close to 15 years, although he later fled to Yathrib with his friends around 620 AD. Muslims declared Mecca the most sacred region. Hence, as Ja’fari reveals, it was destined as the hub of their pilgrimage, which is among Islam’s pillar.
Even after his death in 632 AD, the sense of unanimity he passed to his Ummah led to the speedy growth. In a few hundred years, Islam had spread to other regions all over the world. With this growth, the City of Mecca continued to draw pilgrims who came to observe their yearly Hajj pilgrimage. Over the years, this metropolitan has fascinated many academicians and religious Muslims who have shown interest in staying near the Kaaba. Kaaba is one of the relics and the main Meccas work of art. Pilgrims all over the world try to reach and touch it. Kaaba is situated in the centre of another Muslims sanctuary the Al-Masjid al-Haram mosque. Millions of people who perform the Hajj gather here.
However, Kaaba was built not by Muslims. The facts show that pagans, who lived in the area before the Arab conquerors, also took it as the object of worship, considering it their great sanctuary. Besides, the new owners of the land did not destroy it since it had become a very important place for them. Kaaba is a cubic building of about 13m high. It is made of marble and some other materials, which make it look mysterious. Inside the building, marble and limestone are also used. A special coverlet called kiswah covers Kaaba. The coverlet is changed once a year. It is also important to mention the Black Stone, which is inbuilt in Kaabas wall. Pagan tribes added it. However, since Mohammad did not destroy it, it became one of the main Muslims artefacts.
Destruction of Historic Buildings
During the Saudi empire, since mid-1980s, approximately 98% of Mecca’s momentous structures, some of which had been in existence for beyond 1000 years, have been shattered. Mecca’s remarkable religious sites that have been smashed include five of the seven famous mosques, which are believed to be built by Prophet Muhhamas’ daughter and four of his closest companions. Currently, close to 20 structures that traced back to the epoch of Prophet Muhammad remain. Other essential structures that have been shattered include the house that belonged to the wife of Muhammad.
This house was demolished to make way for lavatory construction. Muhammad’s hometown was damaged to generate room for a bookstore. Moreover, the Ajyad towers were also damaged to put up Abraj Al Bait Towers. The demolition of such many chronological structures followed the need to create room for the erection of parking lots, residential houses, restaurants, and other developments.
Others were shattered aimlessly. For example, the ruler demanded the obliteration of Ali-Oraid residential home because he was afraid it would turn into a pilgrimage base. However, even with the materialisation of expertise and new infrastructure, the Kaaba has been preserved over the years. Muslims all over the world still visit the same place that was visited thousands of years ago by the great prophets and teachers for their spiritual fulfilment. This visitation brings the issue of pilgrimage, which the paper discusses in details.
Pilgrimage
Mecca’s Hajj has drawn many Muslims from every corner of the earth. Pilgrimage appears in two classes, namely Hajj and Umrah. The superior pilgrimage, Hajj, is conducted annually in Mecca and its environs. During this period, many Muslims pray in harmony. According to Al-Olaqi, every strong and economically able adult is required to travel to Mecca to perform the Hajj at least once in his or her life span. Umrah, which is the minor Hajj, is not necessary, although it is suggested in the Islamic faith. Muslims often conduct Umrah while visiting Masjid al-Haram.
Several accidents have been reported in Mecca. In 1990, a pilgrimage became a tragic scene when the aeration system broke down in a busy passageway. More than 1400 people suffocated while the rest were trampled to death in a stampede. According to Meysamie and Arkadani, 700 Muslims lost their lives in a stampede during a stoning ceremony in the late 2015.
Because of the many people who go for vacation to Mecca each year, the city enjoys very rich cultural legacy. Mecca has turned into one of the most assorted areas in the Muslim population. Contrary to the other parts of Arabia, Fattah confirms that Mecca has become a haven of debate and free contemplation with some degree of tolerance. Osman Nuri Pasha invented the primary publishing base in Mecca in mid-1880s. In the course of the Hashemite sovereignty, this publishing unit was used to circulate the metropolitan’s magazine, the al-Qibla.
The Saudi government boosted this publishing machine by establishing the Saudi official journal, namely Umma al-Qura. Publishing methods and machines were developed from the Arab world through Jeddah. Today, the capital of Mecca possesses its magazine. Saudi intercontinental reports are also distributed in Mecca and its environs. The magazines emphasise matters that affect Mecca and its populace. Television channels that Meccans watch include Saudi Tv2 and Saudi Tv1 among others. These services are used to cover the events of the pilgrimage during Hajj. Individuals who stay around Saudi Arabia but are unable to pay for the event are considered physically unfit. Hence, they can watch the proceedings in the televisions or read about the events from the news reports.
The Kabsa and the Yemeni Mandi are the most well liked foods in Mecca. Grilled meat cookeries such as shawarma, kofta, and kebab are also trendy and extensively purchased in this city. In the course of the Ramadan season, samosas among other soft foods are the most accepted foods taken at sunset. The foods are mostly available in various cafés. The combination of the diverse traditions, races, and tribes had led to a considerably influenced Mecca’s conventional cookery. The metropolis has been referred to as the most multinational Islamic capital that has an amazing intercontinental food.
Conventionally, male adults would supply water and fruit drinks to Muslims to discontinue their fasting in the evening. Presently, such adults make an income by retailing sugary products. Over the past 100 years, many restaurants and fast-food businesses established their contracts in Mecca. Their aim was to serve the neighbourhood residents and the pilgrims. The Muslim pilgrims often bring colourful farm products for sale to Mecca. The products are distributed and eaten by those who observe Hajj. The event not only brings Muslims close to one another, but also strengthens their religious unity while at the same time acting as an economic boost to the city of Mecca and its environs.
Importance of Pilgrimage to Islam
The Hajj is among the basic Muslim events. Pilgrimage is observed in the consecrated city of Mecca. Nowadays, Muslims face this city when giving their pleas and requests to God. The event is regarded as a praiseworthy movement, which acts as a self-punishment to Muslims who wish to have their faith strengthened. The event leads to the eventual pardon of their sins. As previously mentioned, the observation of the event is advisable to economically capable people who uphold the Islamic faith.
They congregate to rejuvenate their faith. Hajj acts as a prompt to Muslims that they are identical in the eyes of Allah. Besides, Hajj offers the faithful a collective outlook of the world and its occupants. Participating in the Eid-al-Ahda, which is a ceremony that takes place on the final day of Hajj, reminds the religious faithful that they should make huge offerings to please Allah. Hajj offers the lesson about endurance. It provides the faithful the opportunity to liberate themselves from their wickedness. In fact, individuals who participate in the Hajj while staying away from immorality return from the event reborn and enlightened. Hence, the pilgrimage can be considered an activity that cleanses all injustices. Killing an animal and handing out the meat to the disadvantaged demonstrates a sense of commonality and civilisation within the social order.
Conclusion
The pilgrimage reminds the faithful about the role they are expected to play in taking care of the deprived people and the society in general. Besides, the event is a rebuilding of the sacraments that were previously observed by prominent spiritualists and teachers of the Muslim faith. Pilgrims metaphorically uphold the life that Adam and Eve went through when they were excluded from Heaven. For instance, they strolled everywhere in the universe until they re-assemble in Mecca where they went to seek pardon from God. The event can be considered a way through which people remember the pain that Allah’s fore-servants went through after transgressing the set laws. Therefore, the gathering in Mecca holds a central position among Muslim faithful since it is viewed as vital in reinforcing one’s faith and confidence in his or her creator.
Works Cited
Al-Olaqi, Fahd. “The Prophet Muhammad’s Leadership: An Islamic View.” Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal 2.10(2015): 59-70. Print.
Fattah, Hassan. Islamic Pilgrims Bring Cosmopolitan Air to Unlikely City, 2005. Web.
Glubb, John. The life and times of Muhammad, New York, NY: Cooper Square Publishers, 2002. Print.
Inamdar, Subhash. Muhammad and the rise of Islam: The Creation of Group Identity, Connecticut, England: International Universities Press Inc., 2001. Print.
Ja’fari, Sayyid. The Origins and Early Development of Shia Islam, New Jersey, NJ: Lulu Press, 2014. Print.
Lewis, Bernard. Arabs in History, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2002. Print.
Meysamie, Alipasha, and Hosein Arkadani. “Comparison of Mortality and Morbidity Rates among Iranian Pilgrims in Hajj.” Saudi Medical Journal 27.7(2006): 1049-1053. Print.