If the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran

by Carla Power

In Arabic, umra, or “the visit,” is the smaller of the two Meccan pilgrimages. Unlike the hajj, which occurs on five days in the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar, umra can be undertaken any time of the year. One of the five pillars of Islam, the hajj is required for all Muslims at least once in their lives, if they are physically and financially able to perform it. Hajj requires stamina of the body as well as of the soul: pilgrims walk seven times around the sacred black stone, the Kaaba, run between two sacred hills, and pray on Mount Arafat. As part of the symbolic renunciation of evil, “Stoning the Devil,” pilgrims hurl pebbles at three pillars, on the spots where Satan was said to have tempted Ibrahim, telling him to ignore God’s command that he sacrifice his son. Hajjis perform these rituals in a state of purity, avoiding sex, quarrels, or unpleasantness, since both hajj and umra are meant to purify the soul and to bring pilgrims close to their God.