uch a trip and the physical ability to do so. Borrowing money is not proper for the trip; in fact one must have all debts settled before they leave on hajj. Travel to the center of religious worship represents the distance one is willing to travel as well as the costs one is willing to endure in order to display their devotion to Allah. The hajj consists of four days of constant practice and ritual. The talbiya, a prayer of announcement is recited constantly while on hajj. The rituals of the pilgrimage begin once the pilgrims enter the gates of Mecca, reciting the talbiya; these serve as checkpoints to guarantee that only Muslims enter the holy site. One of the core ceremonies of the trip is the circumambulation of the Ka’ba (tawaf) seven times counterclockwise by those on hajj. Tradition states that Abraham and Ishmael practiced the same ritual during their lifetimes. On one corner of the Ka’ba rests the “black stone…a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and Ishmael. The Prophet used to touch it when he passed, and pilgrims follow his example, also kissing and meditating near it (1).” Comparing Islam once again to a religion considered an example of orthodoxy-Christianity-the difference appears in the separate religious texts. Christian text, the New Testament, explains the lifestyle that is important concerning the rules of thought, faith, and the doctrine within Christianity. Christianity itself encounters strange practices in the ceremony of Mass, or Sunday worship. During traditional Catholic Mass the priest circles the worshipers with incense, and sprinkles holy water on them. The rituals embedded in Christianity are however, creations of later Christian followers, addition to the foundation of the religion. The ritual of the Eucharist represents another type of practice established in Christian ceremony, one based on direct teachings of Jesus Christ. Mohammed himself set forth...
