Muslims gather at Mecca, for Ramadan.

[anotheoldgit]

http://tinyurl.com/2cdqkb2

These scenes are awesome, can one imagine the organisation that must go into this event?

How do they cope for toilet facilities, transportation, catering etc, etc, and who tidies up afterwards?

[society]

http://islamnewsroom....eed/1053-what-is-hajj

[society]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwk0zl7Y9Yc

[tamborine]

All those prayers.....hope its for peace and co-existance with infidels

[Gromit]

Ramadan is the daytime fast and is unconnected with the Hajj, which is a pilgrimage a muslim should take once in his/her life to Mecca. The hajj can be done in any moth, nit does not have to coincide with Ramadan.

The end of Ramadan (later this week) is marked with Eid (or Bayrami) a 'festival'.

[modeller]

Aog, Gromit The Hajj is not another name for Pilgrimage which can be done anytime . The Hajj is a specific variable annual event which takes place at a different date each year and it follows the Islamic calender. # While a visit to Mecca is beneficial any time of the year, it must take place during the month of Dhu al-Hijja (the last month of the Islamic year) to fulfill the requirements of the hajj.#

[boxtops]

The last two posts have beat me to it. Hajj is undertaken at a very specific time each year and wearing special clothing, walking a predestined route, not just visiting the mosque in Mecca. It cannot fall during Ramadan as it's in a completely different month of the Islamic year. Those photos - sorry - are deceiving, I have seen them before, they show the mosque overflowing during the important prayer times when the Hajj brings the pilgrims back to Mecca.
Lots of Muslims do indeed go to Mecca during Ramadam as they feel there is extra benefit in fasting, praying and breaking fast in that holiest of places - something like Christians going to Canterbury Cathedral at Easter - but that article is, I am sure, mixing its story and its photos to give a more packed impression.

[modeller]

The Hajj is a major pilgrimage but there is also a minor pilgrimage called the Umrar which can take place at any time of the year and it has some rituals which differ from the Hajj. Some pilgrims combine the two at the time of the Hajj. # The Umrah or (Arabic: عمرة‎) is a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, performed by Muslims that can be undertaken at any time of the year.#
Each year over a million Muslims do the Hajj but at other times many Muslims go on an Umrah holiday tour when there are aren't any crowds. Those pictures were almost certainly not taken at Ramadan .

[keyplus90]

A good number of Islamic Scholars are present here today.

[society]

Just for the experience I'd like to go to Mecca for Hajj.

[naomi24]

Birdie, I can add nothing to that. It is highly disturbing and I totally agree with everything you've said.

[ummmm]

Same here Naomi....and I'm not sure I like it :-/

[naomi24]

Ummmm, it's a vision of mass madness! Scary stuff!!

[ummmm]

Pretty picture though....lol

[jake-the-peg]

Incredulity isn't an argument

I mean does anybody here believe things can vanish and reappear, that things can be in two places at the same time, that things can spontaneously come into existance and vanish again?

Because that's exactly what things like electrons do.

It is not the unbelieveable nature of people's beliefs that is disturbing - quantum mechanics is disturbing.

It's the willingness of people to believing things without questioning why the believe them that is disturbing - and that is something that is not limited to the religious community

[naomi24]

Jake, however they behave, we can prove that electrons exist, and therefore, unlike religion, they have a demonstrable basis in reality. No contest.

[tamborine]

It proves muslims love devotion to allah more than their fellow man; who are dyeing/starving in Pakistan due to floods and destitution.

Muslims should throw money instead of stones at their haj for the suffering in Pakistan.

[keyplus90]

////I almost forget – if you don't believe in Him, you'll burn in Hell for all eternity. How nice.////

You do not believe in “Him” nor you believe in “Hell” and “eternity” too. Why you are so concern then or perhaps worried. Are you? You should not be as for you nothing from your sentence above exists. Or are you not sure, just in case. But never mind as it is good sign.

No one can see electric current, air, X rays but you still believe they exist whereas you can see dreams with eyes wide shut and you do believe it to be true until someone gives you a nudge or your alarm goes off. Do dreams exist?

When did it become possible to know that electrons exist? 100 years, perhaps more, may be someone can give me a clue here. Did they not exist before that or simply we were not aware? Common sense it is. But then again no University in the world provide a degree in common sense so you can’t prove that either.

41:53. Soon will We show them our Signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all things?

Few need only one sign to believe, few do with two and for few all the signs will go past and they will never think about it.

[naomi24]

Keyplus, your argument doesn't work. Unlike the claims the faithful of all religions make for their imaginary friend, until it was positively identified no one claimed that the electron definitely existed.

Yes, dreams exist - until you wake up. Oops! Just think, the people in those pictures could just as well be worshipping Baal, or Odin, or Zeus, or Osiris, or Quetzalcoatl - or the sun - and if they were, you'd be an atheist just like me. :o)

[keyplus90]

Naomi – once again you have shown your extremely limited knowledge about Islam. No Muslim believes and worship all those you named as they are either human or creations of the creator. And Muslims know it very well and it is quite clear in Quran that God we worship does not look like any of his creations. But you people just can’t think beyond tooth fairy, Santa etc. Muslims do not tell their kids about these characters to start with. But as I said, you would not understand because IN YOUR MIND YOU ALREADY KNOW ALL.