Every person needs support that will give him hope, faith, strength, as well as an explanation of some of the things that he does not understand. People find this strength and support in religion, and this is the main thing that helps to develop a person's worldview. The same characteristics of religion, in particular Islam, can be seen in the National Geographic documentary "Inside Mecca," directed by Anisa Mehdi in 2003. The film tells the story of three pilgrims: Khalil from South Africa, Fidelma from the United States and Ismail from Malaysia. They joined two million of their fellow Muslims during the great Hajj in Mecca, spending several days following the journey of the Prophet Muhammad. The documentary effectively presents the main idea of the Hajj - the cleaning from sins and the establishment of faith. Besides, there are unique images which provide a rare opportunity to get familiarized with important structural landmarks of Mecca, the center of pilgrimage, which cannot be observed by representatives of other faiths because the law of Saudi Arabia prohibits those who do not profess Islam from entering the Holy City. In this review, I want to highlight different conceptions of Islam, such as the notion of equality and peace, reverence of the Prophet Muhammad, the significance of dark power that I have noticed while watching this movie.
First of all, Islam is the direction of humanity on the right path leading to peace and holiness, indicating what the meaning of life is. By making a pilgrimage to Holy places, Muslims express their love, obedience and humility to God. It emphasizes the concept of human equality as the participation in the Hajj is collective worship. During the trip, people tend to temporarily abandon the everyday hustle and bustle, worries, privileges of civilization, social status, race and entirely devote themselves to praying (namaz) and worship of Allah. In Islam, the most important is the strong belief in one God and the morals of the Quran in a person's heart. As we could see, men were dressed in white attire, ihram, which makes all of them look the same and be equal, despite various economic and educational accomplishments. For example, before his trip, Ismail took only a few clothes to Mecca as his pilgrimage was not about material merits but more spiritual salvation. Despite the considerable difference in the origin and social status of pilgrims, there will be almost no quarrels and misunderstandings among them, because in the Quran, it is written that "Whoever intends to perform the Hajj during these months should not engage in sexual intercourse, commit sins, or engage in disputes during the Hajj" (Surah al-Baqarah, verse 197).
Also, in the reading "Major Themes of the Quran" by Rahman, it is written that "concerning distributive justice, the Qur'an laid down the principle that wealth should not circulate only among the rich ... these words were spoken in the context of the distribution of booty among the poor Meccan immigrants" (p.41) which states that it is crucial to help low classes so they will not feel disadvantaged. It is essential to do this not only for the sake of God but also from honest intentions. In the movie, Khalil was bringing the food for those in need. He says that charity is one of the tenets of Islam and Allah asks people to take care of others as much as possible. Therefore, in the end, it was shown that after the rite of throwing the stones, it is advisable to make a sacrifice. The sacrifice is performed in Mecca and is distributed to the poor around the world, showing Islam as giving hope for the forgiveness and mercy of Allah through the right intentions and actions of people.
Secondly, with respect for Prophet Muhammad, the follower spiritually reborn and wants to be closer to him during the Hajj because Prophet is considered as a "messenger of Allah". As it was shown in the movie, according to traditions, each pilgrim must perform the tawaf during the Hajj, which is the going round the Kaaba counterclockwise seven times as did Prophet Muhammad. This rite symbolizes a unity, monotheism and harmony of the world. Also, people should go to Medina where Prophet Muhammad is buried to feel closer to the Prophet and pray beside him.
Moreover, in order to forgive their sins, they go to Jabal ar Rahman which is a small mountain in the Arafat Valley. The mountain was known because the Prophet prayed there and said that the best prayers were offered on Arafat and that "Arafat is Hajj". According to the "Cambridge Companion of the Quran," by enhancing himself with the knowledge of the Prophet's good deeds, a Muslim becomes able to carry the ideas of his religion to others in order to establish goodness, harmony, integration and justice, by not paying attention to those who ridiculed or insulted him. It was shown when African pilgrim said in the end that "God is great. I thank him for bringing me this place, to see where all these events happened. When I return home, I must give away what I learned with others."
The next function of Islam is giving protection, guidance, hope and support for people in their lives. It is no accident that people, as a rule, in difficult moments of life turn to religion, which helps to drive away anxiety, sorrow and other dark forces. For example, the film showed how pilgrims in Mash'ar al-Haram collect stones and prepare for the rite of "Stoning Satan." In "Major themes of Quran" is written that "Satan works as an anti-man force trying to seduce a man from 'straight' (right) path instructed by God" (p.18). That is why by throwing stones at the idols of Satan, at this stage of the Hajj, the pilgrims clean themselves of any deception, debauchery, and satanic forces. Although their weapons are insignificant, the grandiose wave unity defeats the enemy, no matter how strong he may be. The pilgrims thus reproduce the struggle of Ibrahim with Satan. According to the lectures, Ibrahim underwent the most difficult trials from God as he had to sacrifice for the sake of God his beloved son Ismail. Satan tempted Ibrahim three times to abandon the Lord's decree. However, he, in order to drive away satanic temptations, seven times threw stones in his direction. Therefore, a pilgrim should get to know his inner and outer devils, and with all his might remove from himself that which prevents him from clearness and approaching the God.
To sum up, this movie impressed me in an immeasurable way and gave a better understanding of Islamic beliefs. It supremely transmits the emotions and concerns of characters that help to understand the significance of Hajj in the life of Muslims by describing the standard Hajj practices and traditions interestingly through the prism of specific stories of Fidelma, Khalil, and Ismail. The movie shows that religion represents self-control, faith, and spiritual satisfaction for a person. I recommend this movie because it has such power which illustrates the religion in the way of the purpose of life and a tool of a person's attitude toward the world. It demonstrates that religion is essential for people in terms of spiritual development because by creating religious ideals for themselves, people begin to help others gratuitously, selflessly, and become kinder and fairer, despite the sneers from the outside.
Review of Inside Mecca
