In this film review, I will be writing a review of the awe-inspiring film called Inside Mecca. This film is about the Hadj which is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all Muslims wish to do that in their life. The film represents what happens during Hajj including its seven stages. Importantly, the film tries to show not only physical actions that people do during Hajj, but it represents the reasons for every stage, the feelings of people, and their motivation to do those actions. The review will be about the importance of Hajj for the characters in the movie.
Inside Mecca displays the story of three Muslims making their Hajj by emphasizing their feelings from the time of preparation to Hajj at their home till the end of their pilgrimage. Those three Muslims are Ismail Mahbob, Khalil Mandhlazi, and Fidelma O'Leary who are from Malaysia, South Africa, and America. Even though those people are from different parts of the world, their aim and reasons for performing Hajj were the same. All three of them like all Muslims decided to perform Hajj that tests both the body and soul because of their true belief in Islam. As Fidelma said during the movie: "I don't know why anyone would wanna go spend a week with three million sweaty people in the heat of the desert unless they really were doing this for the love of God", Muslims perform Hajj to revive their relationship with God which plays a crucial role in their life.
In the beginning, all three people were very happy and motivated during the preparation for Hajj. At that moment, the film shows various backgrounds of those people which clearly emphasizes that the Muslim population is very widespread all over the world. Even though they live in very different places with different cultures, their love and belief to only one God are the same. It shows the powerful side of Islam which is equality. Every person who wants it can become a Muslim, and I think it is a true representation that Islam is a religion for all mankind.
The film talks about the background and everyday lifestyle of those three Muslims separately. The story of Fidelma O'Leary is very unique and it is not possible to watch it without feeling her sincerity. Although she was not from a Muslim family and did not have any Muslim friends, she could find spiritual peace in Islam and "just embraced it and loved it". One of the reasons for her conversion to Islam was that she does not understand why Jesus worship God if he is God in terms of Christianity. As it is given in the film, Muslims don't worship the Kaaba, but they believe in one powerful God. Additionally, in the book called Cambridge Companion to the Quran, it is written that Jesus is God's servant and His Prophet while for Christians Jesus is God. It seems to me that the abidance of the idea of one God and the actions that confirm Muslims' belief in this idea was the big reasons why she decided to convert to Islam. God is one, but people may recognize Him and come to Him in different ways. The story of this brave woman who did not refuse the religion even though her relationship with her family was almost breaking down shows unbelievable support from God that Muslims are able to feel.
In addition, the film tells the story of Khalil Mandhlazi who is from South Africa. He was talking about equality and the primary importance of the pure heart in his religion all over the film. It is very important to mention that the concept of racial equality in Islam is fascinating. However, the film has the fragment where Khalil was upset about the situation in which some people were served differently because they had more money. He said: "it is very painful to see this condition happening during the Hajj since we are here always in one community not looking to the color and not looking to the rest or whether you are rich or poor". Importantly, he showed true patience that every Muslim should have in spite of that situation.
Another character was Ismail Mahbob. His personal story was about motivation to live better. After finishing his Hajj, he said: "I want to be a better father, a better worker, better leader, better subordinate I want to play a better role". This is a clear representation of that the Hajj and the religion itself motivate people to live better, and it is very good. Finally, I believe every person deserves to live an ideal life for him. The film represents the Hajj as "an ideal world of Islam in action", and it is amazing to see true happiness in the face of people having their ideal world during performing the Hajj.
Review of Inside Mecca
