Definition of Mecca

Mecca is a city located west of the Arabian peninsula, specifically in Saudi Arabia. It is the main holy place in Islam because the Prophet Muhammad was born there.

The pilgrimage or Hajj to Mecca is one of the pillars of Islam

In the tradition Muslim all the faithful have the obligation, at least once in his life, to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, a circumstance that is known by the word hajj. This precept is included in the Koran, where it is specified when the pilgrimage should take place according to the calendar Muslim.

The pilgrim who visits the city of Mecca has to go to the Kaaba, the sacred cube that symbolizes the house of God and around which it is necessary to make seven laps.

In Islam there are a total of five basic principles of obligatory compliance:

1) faith in a unique God and in the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad,

2) the five prayers that must be performed daily,

3) helping those in need through almsgiving, which has to be made from the wealth of each person,

4) the practice of fasting during the month of Ramadan and

5) the pilgrimage to Mecca.

The conquest of Mecca

Muhammad disclosed the message of Islam for years in his city, but he had to abandon it because his inhabitants did not share his beliefs and this led him to the city of Medina with a small number of followers. This flight is known as the Hegira and the year in which it happened, 622 of the Christian era, is the one that marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.

During his exile in Medina the Prophet Muhammad had a dream in which he received God's order to definitively conquer the city of Mecca. Thus, in the year 630 he decided to peacefully return to his place of origin and in this way the town of his birth became from then on a sacred place for the followers of Islam.

The Kaaba

Inside the Kaaba there are hanging gold and silver lamps, but the most important element is a black stone that is surrounded by pilgrims on seven occasions.

The origins of this black stone are shrouded in legends.

Geologists maintain that it is a meteor, but according to Islam it fell from the sky into the Garden of Eden and was handed over to Adam after being expelled from Paradise. According to another legend, it is said that in beginning The Kaaba was white in color, but due to the sins of the humanity he was taking on a dark coloration. In another version of its origin, the stone was given to Abraham by the angel Gabriel. In any case, the Kaaba symbolizes the house of God in which the divine and the earthly come together.

Photos: Fotolia - ETC / t0m15

Themes in Mecca