Each year, over a million pilgrims divorce themselves from the material world, throw on a white garb and blend into a sea of human beings, regardless of race, skin-tone or social status. It's not just an assertion of piety, but an experience that requires you to dig deep into the essence of your humanity.
So what does it feel like to perform Hajj, really?
"Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races here in this Ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad and all the other Prophets of the Holy Scriptures," says Malcolm X in his Letter from Mecca .
"For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colors."
The greater Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca of 2016 has come to an end. And in the age of social media, Hajj is still an experience to write home about, except the way we do it is different. And our heartfelt letters are mostly in the form of tweets and Facebook posts:
They remind us about the basic facts of Hajj and still manage to amaze us
"I can't stop crying."--American rapper Kevin Gates and recent convert.
American rapper Kevin Gates, his wife Dreka and British ambassador to Saudi Arabia Simon Collis are three of many converts who performed Hajj this year. The rapper shared his experience on social media .
"One of the most beautiful places that I've ever been... It's unbelievable, I can't stop crying. I've cried so many times I can't even count them," he said. Gates noted the kindness he was shown by strangers.