Mystic Mantra: A spiritual voyage

The pilgrimage of Haj, performed in the Islamic month of Zil-Haj, is a spiritual voyage that the pilgrims undertake to enrich their souls. It acquaints them with the true spirit of devotion to God that is attained through selfless service to humanity. It instils in them the feelings of universal brotherhood, social affinity and religious harmony.
Performing the Haj, which is one the five pillars of Islam, is obligatory for every Muslim at least once in a lifetime, provided s/he is physically and financially capable to travel to the holy city of Mecca.   
The pilgrimage helps imbibe the spirit of universal brotherhood reminding the hajis of the unity of God’s creations — an essential message of Islam that is deeply embedded in the Haj rituals. Haj exhorts Muslims to create the unity of a single human family based on the recognition of God as the creator of all mankind.
Inculcating deep love and devotion to the one and only God, Haj helps Muslims remove the inhuman barriers of caste, creed, race, ethnicity, language and colour.
Every year, more than two million Muslims, both men and women, from over the world gather in Mecca, diminishing lines of ethnicity, nationality, sect and gender.
Thus Haj inspires them to live in a common spiritual symbiosis professing the same faith, belief in one God, performing the same rituals and following the same dress code.
There are three sacred Islamic months in which war and bloodshed are forbidden, the month of Haj is one of them. Peacemaking is the core essence of Haj.
Haj is not just an in-flight physical trip. It is rather a journey of the soul and heart — a continued spiritual journey in divine light. During the Haj pilgrimage, a pilgrim feels the evolution of his/her soul.
It creates a deep spiritual impact in the hearts of the pilgrims which remains much after their return. Hajis find a new meaning in their life. They might be prone to sins before undertaking the pilgrimage, but after they become Hajis, they make a resolution to forgo misdeeds.
This is the highest culmination of the Haj pilgrimage that the Prophet Mohammad referred to in his saying:  “Whoever performs the rituals of Haj, while having refrained from acts of lewdness, obscenity and wrangling, will return home like a new born human being (i.e. free from all sins).”
Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an alim (classical Islamic scholar) and a Delhi-based writer. He can be contacted at: grdehlavi@gmail.com