Explore the Hajj, the traditional pilgrimage to Mecca, through the experience of present-day American Muslims and learn about the origins of Islam in its birthplace of Medina in this media gallery from Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler. According to Muslim tradition, all of the world’s able-bodied believers must make the Hajj at least once in their lives. They strip themselves of worldly possessions and ask God’s forgiveness for their human failings. Pilgrims enter a sacred state of spiritual purity and wear plain garments. Then, inside the city’s Great Mosque, they walk in a circle seven times around the Ka’bah shrine. This resource is part of the Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler Collection.