This documentary made by National Geographic is interesting, true to life and informative. The plot is based on the stories of 3 people traveling to Mecca to perform hajj. Preparations, troubles and religious insights of the Muslim professor from the States, black journalist from South Africa, and the businessman from Indonesia are disclosed during their journey to Mecca and their actions in Mecca. It was interesting to find some facts about the city, religious rituals. Racial problem. In one episode the black man even in Mecca suffers because of his color in Mecca in the tent of his countrymen, therefore he decides to leave it. Also it was interesting to see satellite photos, religious Western paintings associated with famous religious figures associated with Mecca, also comments by the religious which were used in this movie.
104 Reviews
film worth watching
hveley17 April 2006
Before watching the documentary I had little education and experience with the Muslim culture. After having the chance to view the film i was amazed at the way you were immersed into the lives of the Muslims that were being followed. You are given the opportunity to see and travel the road just like you would if you were in fact participating. The film also does a good job at explaining the biblical theories behind the rituals that are being performed as well. Without this I think that many people would have a harder time relating to the experiences. Both people of no or different religious backgrounds can watch this film and just learn. The only thing that I saw wrong with the video was the fact that there was no Arib. I would have found it interesting to have seen the pilgrimage from their point of view as well. They did a good job at showing a woman's point of view as well as two men of different economical stages in their lives. On a side note the makers did not only just focus on the religious aspects of the hajj but also the racial and gender issues that come into play. All in all though I think that this film could be used to broaden the horizons of those with only the stereotypes to base fact on.
Inside Mecca - a great look into one of the most spiritual journeys in the world
swissfamily64 June 2012
When looking for a religious film to watch I knew that I wanted to watch one about Islam because I wanted to be more informed. After watching "Inside Mecca" I am extremely glad with my choice of film because it provided me with a much brighter and more knowledgeable outlook on Islamic beliefs and rituals. This movie explains and depicts Islam's hajj, which is a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia that is one of the five pillars of Islam. One of my favorite aspects of this movie was that it showed the journey of hajj from the perspectives of three people who broke the mold of Muslim stereotypes. There is a white Texan female, a black South African man and a Malaysian man. Before watching this documentary I ignorantly presumed the majority of Muslims to be Arab this movie taught me that only about 20% of Muslims are Arab. I thought that these three characters all had beautiful stories and reasons for being Muslim, especially the man from South Africa who adores how Islam accepts all genders, races and social statuses because he has seen so much racism throughout his country that he is now looking for peace through hajj. This movie does not only give the audience insight into who actually worships Islam but it also gives history to why they travel on hajj and it gives specific reasons for why Muslims partake in the numerous days of rituals. From this movie I have learned that Mecca is not simply going to visit the Kabba, but instead it is a spiritual journey that people choose to join in order to strengthen their relationship with Allah. This movie did get slightly boring at times but seeing how much emotion people feel when experiencing hajj and simply seeing the masses that attend was certainly incredible and gives perspective to those like myself who know very little about the Muslim faith.
Fascinating throughout.
planktonrules3 July 2013
As I watched this documentary, I was struck by how difficult it must have been to make this film. After all, the religious authorities in Mecca would not allow non-Muslims to film there and I am pretty sure there must have been TONS of logistical difficulties getting this thing made. So, I really appreciate all the hard work that went into making this one.
This film is about the Hajj--the Islamic pilgrimage that Muslims do in Mecca each year. However, before arriving in this Arabian city, the film begins in three different countries--and follows three different believers (from the US, South Africa and Malaysia) throughout their journey. As the journey progresses, the narrator does an excellent job of explaining each step and its significance. Overall, a one of a kind experience--one that is really well made and fascinating throughout. A must for anyone--not just if they are Muslim.
This film is about the Hajj--the Islamic pilgrimage that Muslims do in Mecca each year. However, before arriving in this Arabian city, the film begins in three different countries--and follows three different believers (from the US, South Africa and Malaysia) throughout their journey. As the journey progresses, the narrator does an excellent job of explaining each step and its significance. Overall, a one of a kind experience--one that is really well made and fascinating throughout. A must for anyone--not just if they are Muslim.
Inside Mecca review
damirazhapanova8 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
"Inside Mecca" is a documentary movie produced by National Geographic in the year 2003. It presents a holy city Mecca, located in Saudi Arabia, that is a place of destination for all Muslims around the globe. It is worth mentioning that only Muslims are allowed to visit this sacred place. The movie shows three pilgrims who travel to Mecca to perform annual Hajj. There are five pillars of Islam, one of which is the Hajj pilgrimage during the visit to Mecca. Hajj is performed in Kaaba, that is a sacred place (Lecture on Early Islam). In details, it shows how three people whose names are, Khalil Mandhlazi, Fidelma O'Leary and Ismail, from three different parts of the world are united in their desire to perform Hajj and a common goal to feel the connection with God. The movie shows their feelings, thoughts during the Hajj. In the same vein, it reveals the importance of Mecca for people with various faith. This movie is based on real stories of people, therefore, it effectively shows the real Hajj with the following issues. At the same time, it provides significant principles on which Islam is based. The review will analyze how the movie presented the traditions and foundations of Islam to viewers.
One of the major foundations of Islam claims that all people are equal (Rahman, Major Themes of Quran). There was a case in the movie when workers of the camp in the Mecca said that there are different conditions according to the social status. In other words, some people can afford a comfortable apartment during the journey and the rest are content with modest wards for several people. However, the fact that some people are VIP and others are not VIP does not mean that they are not equal before God. It can be seen from the clothes of pilgrims. They all have the same clothes. For men, it is white two pieces of cloth, they are forbidden to wear sewn clothes, while women should wear close clothes.
Each of the main actors of the movie had a different background, nationality and issues they faced during the spiritual journey. Firstly, the movie introduces Fidelma O'Leary from the United States. Travelling to Mecca started to her from providing a certificate that proves her faith is Islam. Next, she had to ask permission from close relative male to travel to Mecca. In her case, she asked permission from her son. It is interesting to note the attitude towards Fidelma due to her appearance raises some questions for the majority. Next is Khalil Mandhlazi from South Africa. His main principle was that every person is equal and should treat each other as sister and brother. He has several situations with discrimination due to his race. However, his faith was strong that he believed that everyone is equal before God. Last is a couple from Malaysia, Ismail and Asma. They are wealthy people and came to Mecca in order to reborn and feel the cleansing of the soul and solitude with God.
The movie explains many Islamic traditions with underlying stories. According to the movie, the centre of Mecca Kaaba was rebuilt by Abraham. For instance, one part of the Hajj is Jumerat, throwing stones to the pillars in order to get rid of the devil or Satan. The legend says that Abraham had a son Isaac. Then God tested him and commanded to sacrifice his only son. Abraham obeyed God and at the moment when he started sacrificing Satan stoped in order to misguide him. It is believed that Abraham throw stones to him three times. Therefore, pilgrims started conducting this ritual. In addition, it was mentioned that Abraham was the founder of pilgrimage.
This film shows that a person must be prepared physically and mentally since, in connection with large crowds of people, great dangerous conditions are created. As an obvious example, the situation of throwing stones and moments during circulation. Furthermore, people have true emotions during the traditions and rituals. There were situations when all of the three participants could not contain their feelings and break forth into tears.
By the way of conclusion, the review critically analyzed the documentation called Inside Mecca. It is highly recommended to watch this movie to gain a deeper knowledge about Islamic foundations and the way the Hajj is conducted through the eyes of three different people. It effectively shows the fascinating buildings, all rituals, people's beliefs and feelings, their life during Hajj. At the same time, it reveals the difficulties that appear during the journey. Despite all the problems, and crowds of people around, they try to stay alone with God. After this people are ready to find their way with a clean and new soul. This film allows you to plunge into the atmosphere of worship, but it does not replace a live visit for every Muslim, but how everyone should visit this religious place.
Great Experience
shuenshuentan4 October 2012
Mecca is the birthplace of Muhammad as well as the Quran, making it the holiest city in the religion of Islam. Inside Mecca takes us on the amazing journey of the Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca through the views of three different Muslims from very different backgrounds on the largest annual gathering of the Muslims in the world.
Because I didn't know much about the religion before watching the movie, it has definitely taught me a lot about Islam and I really liked how we were able to experience the pilgrimage through not just one person's point of view, but three. This showed me how many different people could bond through the gathering, not needing to have much commonality between each other. Even at times it wasn't very interesting, the overall movie was informative and I really enjoyed it.
Because I didn't know much about the religion before watching the movie, it has definitely taught me a lot about Islam and I really liked how we were able to experience the pilgrimage through not just one person's point of view, but three. This showed me how many different people could bond through the gathering, not needing to have much commonality between each other. Even at times it wasn't very interesting, the overall movie was informative and I really enjoyed it.
Film review
kamilaamirtayeva4 April 2021
The film "Inside Mecca" featured by National Geographic shows how muslims from around the world go on a pilgrimage to Mecca that is a lifetime dream of every muslim. It is informative for both muslims and non-muslims alike, as it explains how the hajj is performed, the history and processes surrounding it, and terms associated with the hajj quite well. The film also reports the story of pilgrimage, as a spiritual journey, from 3 different perspectives: a woman from the United states, a well-to-do Malaysian man and a radio commentator from South Africa. This review will argue that, apart from all that, the film also shows what it means to be a muslim and what is Islam as a religion.
One of the aspects that the film excels in is its historical setting and immersion into biblical events. It informs the viewers not only about the hajj in general, but also the history, the stories and reason behind each of the stages or rituals of hajj that makes the hajj itself even more meaningful for each muslim on a pilgrimage. For example, there was shown how people perform the ritual called "the jamarat", during which people throw stones at 3 pillars that might seem unavailing for an informed non-muslim viewer. However, as it was shown, the ritual is a reenactment of the stoning done by Abraham, one of the prophets, in order to resist temptation incited by the devil. By reenacting the ritual itself, pilgrims today engage in their individual mental battle with the evil and with temptation inherent in human nature. It is also important to note that this also resembles the Islamic notion of "jihad", one meaning of which is the fight of humans with oneself or with inclination to commit mistakes. Hence, the film shows how important it is, and has been historically, for muslims to overcome their urges for doing evil deeds. Thus, the film shows what is important to be a true muslim.
There were shown several other instances of what pilgrims consider as true muslim identity. For example, the film shows how pilgrims try their best to stay calm despite all the "physical" hardships of the pilgrimage, such as hot weather, since it is also important for them to remain in the state of "ihram" during hajj, which is a state of mind that can be achieved through forbearance. Another example was shown when one of the pilgrims from South Africa finds out that pilgrims do not engage much in charitable activities during the pilgrimage. He was shocked since helping the poor is considered a duty in Islam. One other example can be seen when the pilgrim from South Africa experiences racial discrimination from his South African fellows during the pilgrimage which made him join the other African group. He was overwhelmed and disappointed since he considers Islam to be an inclusive religion that emphasizes the equality of all people before God. Hence, for him, Islam symbolizes equality whereas muslim identity is one that does not disriminate. Thus, the film shows what is muslim identity and Islam regarded as by pilgrims.
The importance of equality in Islam can also be seen from other instances. For example, it can be seen from how one of the service workers talks about VIP people. He stated that VIP are called VIP just for service industry purposes since VIP people pay to have better services, such as more expensive food or less crowded tents. Thus, VIP people are just those who pay for better services and facilities during hajj, but are not treated much differently than others since during hajj, all people are "one and the same", as stated by the service worker. Moreover, despite having better conditions sometimes, wealthier people's experience of hajj is still not very much different from those of others since hajj requires to perform all rituals just the same way as the prophet Muhammad did, which is quite a tiring process since pilgrims need to walk on foot most of the time. Therefore, one's material well-being does not decrease the difficulty of the pilgrimage process much since equality of all is required during hajj. Thus, the film shows that equality is a fundamental part of Islam's requirements and muslim identity.
The pilgrims were also shown to have ideas of muslim identity depending on race. For example, a pilgrim from the United states reported that people doubted that she was a muslim most likely because she is a white American. According to her, despite having said that she is a muslim, people also tried to teach her on how to be a muslim. It is quite interesting that although it was reported in the film that four fifths of muslims are non-arabs, pilgrims still have the mistrust for a particular people's "muslimness" that stems from their own idea of "true" muslim identity.
To conclude, it can be seen from the film how the processes of hajj are closely interconnected with the idea of being a muslim. As was stated before, a true muslim is one who fights with oneself's urges for doing evil, who is calm and forbearing, who helps the poor and who does not discriminate. It also shows that equality lies at the core of Islam. Thus, the film splendidly shows what it means to be a muslim and what Islam represents as a religion.
One of the aspects that the film excels in is its historical setting and immersion into biblical events. It informs the viewers not only about the hajj in general, but also the history, the stories and reason behind each of the stages or rituals of hajj that makes the hajj itself even more meaningful for each muslim on a pilgrimage. For example, there was shown how people perform the ritual called "the jamarat", during which people throw stones at 3 pillars that might seem unavailing for an informed non-muslim viewer. However, as it was shown, the ritual is a reenactment of the stoning done by Abraham, one of the prophets, in order to resist temptation incited by the devil. By reenacting the ritual itself, pilgrims today engage in their individual mental battle with the evil and with temptation inherent in human nature. It is also important to note that this also resembles the Islamic notion of "jihad", one meaning of which is the fight of humans with oneself or with inclination to commit mistakes. Hence, the film shows how important it is, and has been historically, for muslims to overcome their urges for doing evil deeds. Thus, the film shows what is important to be a true muslim.
There were shown several other instances of what pilgrims consider as true muslim identity. For example, the film shows how pilgrims try their best to stay calm despite all the "physical" hardships of the pilgrimage, such as hot weather, since it is also important for them to remain in the state of "ihram" during hajj, which is a state of mind that can be achieved through forbearance. Another example was shown when one of the pilgrims from South Africa finds out that pilgrims do not engage much in charitable activities during the pilgrimage. He was shocked since helping the poor is considered a duty in Islam. One other example can be seen when the pilgrim from South Africa experiences racial discrimination from his South African fellows during the pilgrimage which made him join the other African group. He was overwhelmed and disappointed since he considers Islam to be an inclusive religion that emphasizes the equality of all people before God. Hence, for him, Islam symbolizes equality whereas muslim identity is one that does not disriminate. Thus, the film shows what is muslim identity and Islam regarded as by pilgrims.
The importance of equality in Islam can also be seen from other instances. For example, it can be seen from how one of the service workers talks about VIP people. He stated that VIP are called VIP just for service industry purposes since VIP people pay to have better services, such as more expensive food or less crowded tents. Thus, VIP people are just those who pay for better services and facilities during hajj, but are not treated much differently than others since during hajj, all people are "one and the same", as stated by the service worker. Moreover, despite having better conditions sometimes, wealthier people's experience of hajj is still not very much different from those of others since hajj requires to perform all rituals just the same way as the prophet Muhammad did, which is quite a tiring process since pilgrims need to walk on foot most of the time. Therefore, one's material well-being does not decrease the difficulty of the pilgrimage process much since equality of all is required during hajj. Thus, the film shows that equality is a fundamental part of Islam's requirements and muslim identity.
The pilgrims were also shown to have ideas of muslim identity depending on race. For example, a pilgrim from the United states reported that people doubted that she was a muslim most likely because she is a white American. According to her, despite having said that she is a muslim, people also tried to teach her on how to be a muslim. It is quite interesting that although it was reported in the film that four fifths of muslims are non-arabs, pilgrims still have the mistrust for a particular people's "muslimness" that stems from their own idea of "true" muslim identity.
To conclude, it can be seen from the film how the processes of hajj are closely interconnected with the idea of being a muslim. As was stated before, a true muslim is one who fights with oneself's urges for doing evil, who is calm and forbearing, who helps the poor and who does not discriminate. It also shows that equality lies at the core of Islam. Thus, the film splendidly shows what it means to be a muslim and what Islam represents as a religion.
Inside Mecca - goals
aigerimzholdas7 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Inside Mecca is the National Geographic documentary directed by Anisa Mehdi in 2003. It depicts the journey of different people around the world to Mecca. It introduces the intimate experience of pilgrimage that thousands of people do every year. The documentary is primarily focused on three people who intended to perform Hajj. This performance of Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam religion and as devoted Muslims, they spent several days imitating the journey of Prophet Muhammed. They follow the frustration, excitement, and struggle of a journalist from South Africa, a professor from the United States, and a businessman from Malaysia. The documentary successfully portrays the main goal of Hajj yet it perhaps intentionally distorts the rituals that Hajj consists of.
The documentary effectively depicted the main idea of Hajj - clearing sins and strengthening the faith. In Islam religion, the purpose of the pilgrimage is to connect with God and deepen the faith by tracing the footsteps of Ibrahim and Ismael and Prophet Muhammed. It also involves imitating Hagar's search for water. It requires a state of pureness (ihram) and abstains from bodily pleasures, anger, and arguments. In this way, these practices give Muslim connection to the divine, so that now they entered this state of profane, they cannot sin or get angry. This film depicted these practices very well because they managed to show the intimate experience of each person. They also feel connected to the divine through Kaaba. The film claimed that if you have a glimpse of Kaaba, you are already lucky enough. According to Islam religion, they do not worship Kaaba, they worship what it represents - the house of God. That is why it is quite understandable why those people in the film got overwhelmed. For example, there was a scene when the professor from the USA starts crying and saying that she waited for so long to be there. She was vulnerable because perhaps she felt the most connected to God, which is one of the ultimate goals of Hajj. This connection is very important because it helps to resist human nature who tends to sin and fail the tests of Satan (Rahman, 1994)
Moreover, the cloth they have to wear during Hajj is white. As the documentary states, it is done to show equality regardless of your social status, nationality, or ethnicity. This idea of Islam religion is depicted effectively by showing these people from different continents are in the end blended with other thousands of people who are also in white. Perhaps this white color also symbolizes that after Hajj people are reborn, and in Islam people are born pure, without any sins (Lecture materials).
Lastly, perhaps one of the most important aims of Hajj is to make people better. Thus, the final day is dedicated to coming from ihram, and distributing livestock to the poor. Even the idea to chase out the evil from their lives is a good representation to sin less and become a better person. For example, the businessman from Malaysia stated that he wants to be "a better father, a better worker, better leader, and better subordinate". As a result, these core Islamic ideas that inspire people to be better and strengthen their faith after pilgrimage are captured quite well in this film. This is ultimately what Rahman (1994) states in explanation of the Quran, that a person is the only one responsible for their acts of good and bad. By doing this Hajj, our characters in the film are showing their human agency since it is in human nature to know the difference between good and bad and to choose.
However, upon closer examination, I can notice some intentional choices that were made to perhaps hinder the perception of Islam. Even though I appreciate that the film chose three people with a completely different background, it also seems that they wanted to emphasize that conventional Muslims are not welcoming towards "outsiders". For example, the professor talked about her experience that sometimes "true" Muslims questioned the authenticity of her faith. During the Hajj, we can see the way the radio host is discriminated against because of his skin color. This forms the perception that traditional Muslims even in the Hajj have these biases and judgemental prejudice as if these rituals are done superficially instead of fully committing to the experience with the whole heart. Also, the tents that were built by the government completely contradict the idea of equality. People wear ihram to erase any differences among people, but the tents offer VIP surfaces for those who are willing to pay more. This highlights the social inequality by offering the rich more comfortable conditions during Hajj. Lastly, In the documentary, the ritual of casting stones in Mina to throw them at Satan, who comes to seduce people to do bad actions is ridiculized. They depict how some people throw away their belongings as well hinting that perhaps the Muslims take the ritual in a literal meaning. Thus, instead of working on themselves, they are willing to complete these rituals in an extreme way hoping that it might help.
Overall, I think the documentary is a good insight into the Islamic world of performing Hajj. It successfully depicts the motivations, expectations of Muslims who decided to go to Mecca. I would recommend this film to those who have prior knowledge about Islam to notice some details that were distorted. It is important to mention that this was filmed in 2003. Maybe the experience of Hajj completely changed in 2020.
Inside the plurality of Muslim identity...
danelakhmetova2 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The director of "Inside Mecca", Anisa Mehdi, is of half-Iraqi and half-Canadian descent. It is perhaps not surprising that someone like Mehdi would wish to explore issues of identity, which are at the core of this movie, in more depth in their own professional work. In this review, I will argue that this documentary film's main purpose was to expand the borders of what being a Muslim means in the understanding of people both inside and outside the religion, although perhaps for the latter group to a greater extent. This was done through the choice of main participants and the demonstration of historical facts behind the rituals of the hajj amidst a number of cinematographic techniques to support it.
The 2003 National Geographic documentary follows three individuals on their way to the journey that every Muslim dreams upon doing at least once in a lifetime - the hajj to Mecca. It gives us an insight into the participants' different backgrounds, preparations for the road, and eventually the struggles and the bliss that they have to go through to be able to call themselves Hajji or Hajja. Another exploration that this film pursues is the historic significance of Mecca to both Islam and non-Islamic religions.
First, the participants of this documentary had been chosen to represent various racial, national, and even religious past and backgrounds. This was to show, for both Muslim and non-Muslim populations, the diversity of those individuals that might be committed to Islam, especially since completing the hajj is considered the most valid proof of one's dedication to this religion. These individuals come from Malaysia, South Africa, and the United States and all of them speak English, bringing them closer to an English-speaking audience watching the documentary. As the documentary rightly pointed out, there are currently more than a billion Muslims (with the majority of non-Arab background) in the world growing their numbers each year around all continents and nations, including the United States and Europe, where Muslims have been for long undoubtedly marginalized and discriminated. The shots from afar of Kaaba and other places around Mecca help people to see the uncountable number of people that practice and dedicate themselves to Islam before we even take into account that people at Mecca replace each other all the time with new people coming and leaving throughout the whole year and also that many Muslims would never be able to accomplish such journey.
Even for some members of Islamic faith, as was shown in the documentary, and more definitely so for non-Muslims, it might be strange to stumble upon someone from a different background than what is generally assumed to represent a Muslim person. For example, Khalil Mandhlazi, a black South African male pilgrim to Mecca, was not so much accepted allegedly due to the color of his skin, even in the circles representing his own country. Similarly, Fidelma O'Leary, a white American having a while ago converted from Catholicism, also voiced problems of needing secondary confirmation of her being an actual Muslim from the mosque that she attends in order to be able to obtain a visa, along with the fact that she has surprised many individuals she met in Mecca who inquired where she was from and if she was, indeed, Muslim. However, eventually, Khalil managed to find a group of Malawi pilgrims to pray with, with whom he felt more accepted, and Fidelma felt that she was "welcome" after a brief encounter with a man who greeted her nicely. This was to show for the non-Muslims (and probably to encourage those within the Muslim faith to do the same) that Muslims can be accepting of each other despite the differences and are not as exclusivist or nationally/ethnically/racially isolated as one might think.
Second, the rituals were, in my view, successfully explained to the general non-Muslim audience of other Abrahamic religions, for instance Christians or Jews of the United States, who might be to various degrees struggling to understand what the significance of them was. The specific explanation of the hajj and the rituals accompanying it in the film helped overall to connect Islam with the other Abrahamic religions, the connection that tends to be forgotten in the wake of rivalries between believers of these faiths, again for both Muslims and non-Muslims. Even though Mecca had now become the most sacred of all places for the Muslims most dominantly, according to the historic background presented in the film through a couple of expert opinions, this place had had a profound connection to all Abrahamic religions even before they emerged as world religions. In fact, as a scholar of Islam claims in the documentary, it was Abraham, "the father of Jews, Christians, and Muslims", who besides advocating a submission to one deity, created the concept of pilgrimage to Mecca, that is the hajj as we know it today (14 min). The use of European paintings portraying Abraham, Ismail, angel Gabriel and the like, which are closer to the audiences coming from the Western countries, was an effective technique to describe those stories to an otherwise skeptical community that might not identify with Muslim faith. Many things described in this documentary are seen as important to other non-Islamic religions, thus it makes audiences coming from those backgrounds understand the significance behind what most Muslims seek to achieve once in their life - the hajj.
Other things were, in my perspective, aimed not only at the non-Muslim religious and non-religious audiences, but also specifically at those within the Islamic community of believers itself. For example, a woman does not need to wear hijab on the daily basis or have a husband, for that matter, to call herself a Muslim and attempt to do the hajj. Fidelma, who is also a professor of neuroscience, does not wear head garments every day and has been divorced. The importance of charity in Islam is shown and more importantly how Muslim members of non-dominant ethnicities within the religious community can give as much or even more attention to upholding some values, such as the significance of giving to those in need, that are integral to Islam and life of a Muslim believer. Upon arriving to Mecca, Khalil is shown as being not at ease with "hungry and poor" kids and later decides to buy and take a patch of food to those communities in need that tend to live above the city, thus bringing some difficulty to those like Khalil wishing to engage in charitable activities.
In conclusion, "Inside Mecca" showed the extent of what kinds of people can identify with Muslims despite the stereotypes that both people of Muslim and non-Muslim identities might have. One of the film's main arguments is that believers of Islam can be of all ethnic and racial backgrounds coming from a wide range of countries geographically distant from each other, such as Malaysia, South Africa, and the United States, as was shown through the three cases depicted in this documentary. Furthermore, the movie establishes that what Muslim individuals believe in and practice, of which the most vivid example is the hajj, is not completely separated from the origins of other dominant world religions, most importantly Christianity (as per the majority of the assumed Western or American audience of this film). For the audience coming from the Muslim community itself also, "Inside Mecca" gives some questions and limitations to think about, such as the importance of charity, the presence of female headwear, or the existence of racial prejudices within the community.
Great doc for anyone who is interested in Islam
acetaltynbek4 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The documentary film, Inside Mecca by Anisa Mehdi unveils the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the Hajj through the intimate and insightful stories and experiences of the three pilgrims from the United States of America, South Africa and Malaysia, starting from the process of preparation to the end of the journey itself. Following their journey, a viewer has a great opportunity to get familiarized with the fundamental principles of Islam and the history of the city of Mecca and its spiritual, emotional and cultural significance for believers from all around the world. Apart from the historical and spiritual narrative, the documentary unveils the physical aspect of the Hajj, its logistics and infrastructure from the both personal and state-wide perspectives which express its scale and grandeur.
The narrative revolves around the holy city of Mecca which situates the Kaaba, the most important mosque in Islam. Mecca is the must-visit destination for every Muslim. It represents one of the five pillars of Islam which requires every Muslim to visit Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime. This attracts millions of pilgrims from all around the world every year. To manage the immense flow of pilgrims, the government of Saudi Arabia is constantly engaged in the maintenance of the infrastructure and facilities of the city which is shown in the film with the great detail and insight. The maintenance of the Kaaba poses the great spiritual value as well and associated with many rituals and traditions on its own. Kiswah could be considered as one of them, it is the ritual of replacement of the cover of the Kaaba. Another ritual is the ceremonial washing of the Kaaba which significance could be expressed by the participation of the King of Saudi Arabia himself. According to the Muslim tradition, the mosque of Kaaba was initially built by Adam, and after the World Flood it was rebuilt by Abraham. The figure of Abraham appears to be essential for understanding the origins the Hajj. According to Muslim tradition, it is believed that the ritual of the Hajj follows the steps of Abraham who was commanded by God. In the east corner of the mosque, there is the black stone engrailed in it. It is called Hajar Aswad and is believed to have fallen from heaven. Mecca and the Kaaba in particular, represent the concept of sacred space defined by the influential historian of religion, Mircea Eliade. I highly recommend to get acquainted with his works as a supplementary reading for the documentary in order to further get a better understanding of spiritual significance of Mecca in Islam.
The documentary follows the experience of the Hajj through the three different yet very personal stories of pilgrims from the United States of America, South Africa and Malaysia. Dr. Dilma O'Leary is born to a catholic Christian family of the Irish origin in Texas, USA. Although she finds catholic faith to be doubtful and eventually converts to Islam. With the help of the US Muslim community and the very responsible and thoughtful process of preparation which includes buying clothes, gathering information and praying. The last day of the Hajj is followed by the feelings of joy and excitement for her. She feels blessed to finally visit Mecca. The journey further reinforces her religious identity and makes her proud to be Muslim. Khalil from South Africa dedicates his life to the popularization of Islam. He works on the radio and spreads the knowledge about Islam with his audience. He feels very lucky to have the opportunity to embrace the golden door of the Kaaba. The journey make him greatly inspired to further spread and glorify Islam and share his experience with his audience when he gets back to South Africa. Ismail and his wife, Asmah are the Muslims from Malaysia. For Ismail, the Hajj is the great opportunity to throw away the bustle of the world and eventually get closer to God. In Malaysia, the start of the journey to Mecca is represented by the tradition of conducting the morning prayer with one of the family members of the pilgrim. Khalil's attitude towards the journey is very exciting and enthusiastic which vividly shows us the emotional aspect of the Hajj. At the end of his journey, he feels sadness because he has to leave Mecca, the place which represents the brotherhood, compassion, love and mutual respect between the people of the Muslim community. At the end of the journey, the Hajj grants the feelings of catharsis and renewal for all of the three pilgrims.
I highly recommend to watch Inside Mecca to anyone who is interested in Islam whether they just being curious about it or even belong to Muslim community and considering or already preparing for the ritual of the Hajj because it shares many insights and knowledge about it.
The narrative revolves around the holy city of Mecca which situates the Kaaba, the most important mosque in Islam. Mecca is the must-visit destination for every Muslim. It represents one of the five pillars of Islam which requires every Muslim to visit Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime. This attracts millions of pilgrims from all around the world every year. To manage the immense flow of pilgrims, the government of Saudi Arabia is constantly engaged in the maintenance of the infrastructure and facilities of the city which is shown in the film with the great detail and insight. The maintenance of the Kaaba poses the great spiritual value as well and associated with many rituals and traditions on its own. Kiswah could be considered as one of them, it is the ritual of replacement of the cover of the Kaaba. Another ritual is the ceremonial washing of the Kaaba which significance could be expressed by the participation of the King of Saudi Arabia himself. According to the Muslim tradition, the mosque of Kaaba was initially built by Adam, and after the World Flood it was rebuilt by Abraham. The figure of Abraham appears to be essential for understanding the origins the Hajj. According to Muslim tradition, it is believed that the ritual of the Hajj follows the steps of Abraham who was commanded by God. In the east corner of the mosque, there is the black stone engrailed in it. It is called Hajar Aswad and is believed to have fallen from heaven. Mecca and the Kaaba in particular, represent the concept of sacred space defined by the influential historian of religion, Mircea Eliade. I highly recommend to get acquainted with his works as a supplementary reading for the documentary in order to further get a better understanding of spiritual significance of Mecca in Islam.
The documentary follows the experience of the Hajj through the three different yet very personal stories of pilgrims from the United States of America, South Africa and Malaysia. Dr. Dilma O'Leary is born to a catholic Christian family of the Irish origin in Texas, USA. Although she finds catholic faith to be doubtful and eventually converts to Islam. With the help of the US Muslim community and the very responsible and thoughtful process of preparation which includes buying clothes, gathering information and praying. The last day of the Hajj is followed by the feelings of joy and excitement for her. She feels blessed to finally visit Mecca. The journey further reinforces her religious identity and makes her proud to be Muslim. Khalil from South Africa dedicates his life to the popularization of Islam. He works on the radio and spreads the knowledge about Islam with his audience. He feels very lucky to have the opportunity to embrace the golden door of the Kaaba. The journey make him greatly inspired to further spread and glorify Islam and share his experience with his audience when he gets back to South Africa. Ismail and his wife, Asmah are the Muslims from Malaysia. For Ismail, the Hajj is the great opportunity to throw away the bustle of the world and eventually get closer to God. In Malaysia, the start of the journey to Mecca is represented by the tradition of conducting the morning prayer with one of the family members of the pilgrim. Khalil's attitude towards the journey is very exciting and enthusiastic which vividly shows us the emotional aspect of the Hajj. At the end of his journey, he feels sadness because he has to leave Mecca, the place which represents the brotherhood, compassion, love and mutual respect between the people of the Muslim community. At the end of the journey, the Hajj grants the feelings of catharsis and renewal for all of the three pilgrims.
I highly recommend to watch Inside Mecca to anyone who is interested in Islam whether they just being curious about it or even belong to Muslim community and considering or already preparing for the ritual of the Hajj because it shares many insights and knowledge about it.
immature !!!
darweech23 January 2014
Very disappointing by National Geographic, very low quality from all perspectives as a movie. can't you at least choose a music that is more related to the context? why in such a crowded context we hear only the voice of 3 people? can't you reflect and give more time to the event as a total? you are calling the movie "Inside Mecca", so reflect it all and not only the personal story of 3 people.
it's also obvious you brought all the negative connotations in Mecca and emphasized them. did you make the movie to criticize the whole thing? then why not telling it clearly and name the movie something like "errors of hajj"?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7q_LcqbvKI This short film in the link, made by a normal person using a home video camera reflect it to me better that National Geographic, congratulations!!!
it's also obvious you brought all the negative connotations in Mecca and emphasized them. did you make the movie to criticize the whole thing? then why not telling it clearly and name the movie something like "errors of hajj"?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7q_LcqbvKI This short film in the link, made by a normal person using a home video camera reflect it to me better that National Geographic, congratulations!!!
The pilgrimages of three Muslims to Mecca on the Hajj.
nikki-kwan8 December 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Watching this movie was originally a class assignment, so I hadn't been expecting to be very interested or inspired. However, as the film concluded, I found myself really appreciating what I'd just watched. I think the greatest value of this film was the way in which it was structured. The film is shown through the perspectives of three different people from vastly different backgrounds, and whose only uniting factor was that they were undertaking the Hajj. They each have their own personal reasons for going, but the ultimate goal of the Hajj - the honoring of the covenant with God, and the declaration of God's glory - is shared by all three travellers. There were two things I thought the film did very excellently through these three characters. The first, was that it showed how the Hajj is a physical and spiritual journey. Each traveller, on top of the physical challenges (walking long distances in the desert heat, etc.), was met with mental/spiritual struggles. For example, both Fidelma and Khalil faced discrimination because of their ethnicity and gender even though everyone is meant to be equal before God. It showed the power of faith when both were able to overcome this discrimination to preserve their state of Ihram to complete their Hajj. There were other signs of inequality. One of my favorite quotes was what the manager at Minah said about customers, accommodations. Even though they are called VIPs, they are not necessarily special. It is only to describe the services they require that they are labeled VIP, deluxe, or premium. The second thing I thought was very interesting, was the message the movie leaves you with. The last quote in the movie is from Fidelma and she says that the people of Mecca should expect to see more and more people with different looks making the Hajj, because the faith is spreading in this globalized world. The way I see it, the documentary itself is a testimony to the growing awareness of world religions, of opportunities to learn and understand.
Inside Mecca (2003) Review
w-51936-515591 June 2015
Inside Mecca, directed by Anisa Mehdi, is a very interesting documentary about 3 people taking a pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the 5 pillars of Islam called the Hajj. The documentary is well presented and easy to follow. It clearly explains all the aspects of the Hajj. The movie depicts how difficult it is to set out on a pilgrimage to Mecca as there is a lot of planning for the people going on the pilgrimage . The Hajj is something that Muslim people prepare for all year. The documentary covered three people's journeys, Ismail Mahbob: a Malaysian Muslim, Khalil Mandhlazi: an African Muslim and Fidelma O'Leary: an American convert to Islam. O'Leary was originally Catholic but she believed that Catholicism did not reflect all her beliefs so she converted and is now a practicing Muslim. The documentary shows both the positive and negative sides of the Hajj which makes it more interesting because it is not biased. The movie also shows the different views of the three people during the Hajj and the experiences they each go through. Anisa Mehdi did well to include three very different types of people in the documentary as it shows the different views of each person, from different backgrounds and originating from different places in the world and how each one of them is affected from their experience differently. I would highly recommend this documentary to anyone who likes to learn about culture and is open to new ideas. The documentary will make a whole new view on Muslim culture.
Inside Mecca is a delightful representation of the Islamic traditions being kept and performed by an individual and by the society of faithful Muslims.
asselsadvakassova8 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Inside Mecca is a delightful representation of the Islamic traditions being kept and performed by an individual and by the society of faithful Muslims. The film focuses on Hajj and three basic characters with totally different backgrounds coming to Mecca to perform Hajj for worshiping the God. Documentary shows the way these characters understand Hajj and what they are going through during it. It also shows how other people act during the Hajj as a community. In this review I will discuss the view of the Hajj, its meaning and importance in the Islamic traditions for and individual and for a society using the film material and other sources. Also, I will focus on the topic of the equality that this film is showing.
One important concept that film brings up, which is also a very fundamental in Islam is monotheism. Basically is the idea that there is only one God. Fidelma O'leary is one of the basic characters and one of the pilgrims. She chose Islam in her path of searching God. Quran states the idea of monotheism as follows:
In the very nature of the case, there can be only one God, for whenever one tries to conceive of more than one, only one will be found to emerge as the First: "And God has said, "Do not take two gods (for) He is only One" (Major themes of the Quran, page 12.)
Being raised Catholic and keep questioning her faith once she hears a person on the radio saying "If Jesus was God how could he worship God?" (Inside Mecca 7:15). For her it was a moment when all peace finally came together and a moment when she started her way as a Muslim. Since, all Muslims worship only one God and the name for him is Allah. The other fundamental concept of Islam is equality among all living man, what is also arose in the film while pilgrims came to Mecca for Hajj. Dr. Fidelma O'leary is American white woman, Khalil who works as a businessman is a back man, and the married couple Ismail and Asma are Malaisian people. According to Islam no matter of race and wealth people are equal to each other. For that reason Quran assumed, affirmed, and confirmed the idea that the essence of all human rights is the equality of the entire human race. This is the reason behind the special attire called Ihram that people have to wear during Hajj. Ihram is closing that Muslims wear before the pilgrimage. In the film they also state that wearing this outfit rich man and poor, educated an illiterate all look alike". However, both Fidelma and Khalil faced unpleasant questions and mistreat when people questioned their religion. This attitude disappointed them. However, they decided to stay calm during the Hajj not letting bad emotions and feelings to came out as anger or backbite. Khalil says that "when we are here, indeed we need to respect all human being" (Inside Mecca 34:08). The reason for them being disappointed about this situation, is a little more that the feeling of disrespect. It violates taqwa, which is a fear of God, or being conscious of God in order of performing good attitude and avoid bad. Violating Taqwa happens when they suspect people who look different of not being Muslims, even if it is clear that only Muslims can participate in Hajj. It was noted in Quran. "O you who believe! avoid most suspicion, for some suspicion is sinful, and do not pry into others' affairs and do not backbite each other" (Major themes of the Quran, page 39)
According to this taqwa other Muslims should not have been question the believe of their sisters and brothers, because as was noted they are all equal no matter of the nation. They let themselves questioning and suspecting them, this was more serious than just a simple act of disrespect. Amazing thing that film shows is that it shows the importance of the equality not only within the Muslim community but also within the all people of different believes. Traditions of Muslim people in performing Hujj that film showed was spinning around the Kaaba, performing Jumerat, running in the dessert imitating the desperate mother searching for water for her son. These traditions come from the Judaism. Where Abraham was said to sacrifice his own son, according to the most Muslims it was Ishmail, but according to the Bible it was Isaac. This was done to Abraham so he could prove his devotion to the God. At the same time the devil comes and wants him to disobey the God, making Abraham having doubts about killing his son. We know that early traditions develop every religion, giving context in which the religion will emerge. The one example of transmission of the traditions from on religion to another, is that in Mekka, the holy place people performing Hajj have to take off the shoes. In this case the film unites the three main religions that we are having nowadays Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Showing that they have the same roots and should be treated equally important, and their followers equally respected.
Being raised Catholic and keep questioning her faith once she hears a person on the radio saying "If Jesus was God how could he worship God?" (Inside Mecca 7:15). For her it was a moment when all peace finally came together and a moment when she started her way as a Muslim. Since, all Muslims worship only one God and the name for him is Allah. The other fundamental concept of Islam is equality among all living man, what is also arose in the film while pilgrims came to Mecca for Hajj. Dr. Fidelma O'leary is American white woman, Khalil who works as a businessman is a back man, and the married couple Ismail and Asma are Malaisian people. According to Islam no matter of race and wealth people are equal to each other. For that reason Quran assumed, affirmed, and confirmed the idea that the essence of all human rights is the equality of the entire human race. This is the reason behind the special attire called Ihram that people have to wear during Hajj. Ihram is closing that Muslims wear before the pilgrimage. In the film they also state that wearing this outfit rich man and poor, educated an illiterate all look alike". However, both Fidelma and Khalil faced unpleasant questions and mistreat when people questioned their religion. This attitude disappointed them. However, they decided to stay calm during the Hajj not letting bad emotions and feelings to came out as anger or backbite. Khalil says that "when we are here, indeed we need to respect all human being" (Inside Mecca 34:08). The reason for them being disappointed about this situation, is a little more that the feeling of disrespect. It violates taqwa, which is a fear of God, or being conscious of God in order of performing good attitude and avoid bad. Violating Taqwa happens when they suspect people who look different of not being Muslims, even if it is clear that only Muslims can participate in Hajj. It was noted in Quran. "O you who believe! avoid most suspicion, for some suspicion is sinful, and do not pry into others' affairs and do not backbite each other" (Major themes of the Quran, page 39)
According to this taqwa other Muslims should not have been question the believe of their sisters and brothers, because as was noted they are all equal no matter of the nation. They let themselves questioning and suspecting them, this was more serious than just a simple act of disrespect. Amazing thing that film shows is that it shows the importance of the equality not only within the Muslim community but also within the all people of different believes. Traditions of Muslim people in performing Hujj that film showed was spinning around the Kaaba, performing Jumerat, running in the dessert imitating the desperate mother searching for water for her son. These traditions come from the Judaism. Where Abraham was said to sacrifice his own son, according to the most Muslims it was Ishmail, but according to the Bible it was Isaac. This was done to Abraham so he could prove his devotion to the God. At the same time the devil comes and wants him to disobey the God, making Abraham having doubts about killing his son. We know that early traditions develop every religion, giving context in which the religion will emerge. The one example of transmission of the traditions from on religion to another, is that in Mekka, the holy place people performing Hajj have to take off the shoes. In this case the film unites the three main religions that we are having nowadays Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Showing that they have the same roots and should be treated equally important, and their followers equally respected.
Review
dastansultanov11 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Inside Mecca is a documentary film directed by Anisa Mehdi, who tried to show one of the five pillars of Islam, the spiritual process of a lifetime and sacred pilgrimage of the Muslim people to Mecca known as a hajj. In general, the documentary film has focused on showing the process of pilgrimage of 3 different people from 3 different countries, the difficulties they faced during that time, the way of how the Islam brings the people from different geographical and even social positions together. Of course the main idea probably was to introduce and allow the viewer to look at the process of pilgrimage and the fundamental principles of Islam from different point of views. However, it could be argued that any documentary film or speech regarding the hajj could not fully show the sacred pilgrimage unless someone will not do it by themselves. So this essay will try to show that despite the fact that the film could not fully convey the feeling of doing the sacred pilgrimage, it could give the viewer the idea about the universal principles of Islam, show and be prepared to the difficulties which could be faced during the pilgrimage and help the viewer to look at the hajj from different perspectives.
First of all, everything starts from planning, especially if it is one of the most important things in the life of Muslim people - hajj. From the documentary film it can be clearly seen that difficulties could appear even in this stage. For example, one of the main characters was Fidelma O'Leary from Texas, who had to ask written permission from her son or husband in order to be able to go to the Mecca and do the hajj. This could be explained by the fact that women in the Islam are usually considered as a weak segment of a community. It was clearly illustrated in the Major Themes of Quran (p 46), where it was written that "Quran aimed at strengthening the weaker segments of the community: the poor, the orphans, women, slaves, those chronically in debt" or ""Men are in charge of women because God has given some humans excellence over others and because men have the liability of expenditure (on women)." (p 49). However, by considering Fidelma's situation it could be seen that she has divorced, although she has a son, it was not clarified if he was working and consequently it could be assumed that she is the only breadwinner of the family. Moreover, as it was stated in the Major Themes of Quran as long as women becomes economically sufficient and starts contributing to the household expenses, the male's excellence over the females will be reduced to that extent. As a result, Fidelma has divorced, it was assumed that she is the only person in the family who works and earns the money, so it could be concluded that she has 100 percent contribution to the household expenses. Logically she should be completely independent from male's in her family and be able to travel alone. Hence, it was not clear to the Fidelma to what Islamic rule was based this request from the Saudi government.
Another thing that could be seen from the documentary film is the equality of people in the Islam. In the film it could be seen that all Muslims who go to the hajj, should enter the sacred state called ihram. In order to do so, they wear a special clothing, while male's clothing consists of two parts and could leave some parts of the body naked, female's body have to be completely hidden, except their faces and arms. This clothing has to be wore by everyone, it does not matter if he or she is wealthy or poor, is in the high position or just a laborer. Hence it helps people to look identical during the hajj and serves as an equalizer. The idea about the equality is also supported by Rahman in the Major Themes of Quran where it was written that Quran's goal is "egalitarian social order", which is generally the idea of equality of all human beings , and that it criticizes "the gross socioeconomic disparities that equally rested on and perpetuated a pernicious divisiveness of mankind"(p. 38). As a result, despite the fact that in the documentary film there could be found some minor differences in the attitude of the Saudi government to the main characters, it could be concluded that they were equally considered by the Saudi government and more important by other Muslims.
To sum up, it could be said that "Inside Mecca" documentary film have successfully illustrated the universal principles of Islam, the importance of hajj and city of Mecca to the Muslims, the relationship between Muslims from different races/social positions/regions and three different viewpoints from the main characters to the hajj.
Main concepts of Islam
rauanamangeldiyev8 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The film describes the main concepts of the Islam religion. The video achieves this goal by showing the "Hajj" (Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca) from the inside and taking as main characters of the plot three different people from various parts of the world with their own nation, wellbeing, skin color, race. The plot of the film describes the concepts of Islam like monotheism; the importance of taking care of the less fortunate people than you; the existence of evil and good; equality of everyone before Allah.
Firstly, the core concept of Islam, monotheism, is explained in the movie. It is explicitly shown that people do not worship Kabba, they worship what it represents - one God. All rituals of "Hajj" such as Tarwiyah day, the path to Mecca and Mina, Arafat, Feast of Sacrifice, haircutting, and Tawaf are mainly purposed to worship only one creature along the journey. However, according to lecture materials, Five Pillars of Islam states there is no God but Allah. Thus, we can understand the first main concept in Islam, that Muslims have only one Allah and no other divines.
Secondly, in Islam, there is not any priority, and all are equal before Allah. In the film, the equality of people was significantly highlighted by showing three different Muslim pilgrims from different countries and who have no similarity except the faith. According to the film, no matter who you are: woman, man or child; what is your nation; what is your skin color, no matter, there are Islamic brotherhood and sisterhood, which brings all Muslims together. Thus, by delving into the daily life of each character, the viewer can see how they are different in terms of well-being, profession, lifestyle and etc., however, when we see them with other millions of people in Mecca, who pray without any distinction (in two pieces of the towel), the viewer can grasp that in Islam all people are equal in front of Allah. On the other hand, there were some critics, which was mentioned in the video, about racism and discrimination. For example, Khalil from South Africa was disappointed when he was not treated well with other South Africans because of his skin color. Also, we can see some class discrimination in Mine's tent city where they rely on the rule that there is not any prohibition on comfort as long as pilgrim may pay for it. These incidents provide information about some de facto exceptions of rules in certain real-life situations and it was clearly shown in the film.
Moreover, the movie emphasizes the next concept of Islam implicitly, which is the "Sharia", the unique set of rules. According to lectures, the Quran is not taken from third-party narration about prophet Muhammad, instead, the Quran and Sharia are direct instructions of Allah to people. Therefore, in the video, all rituals of "Hajj" were shown explicitly, sequentially, and in details, because it was said that "pilgrims actually have to be within the clearly marked boundaries of Arafat or their Hajj may not be counted". Hence, we can understand that in Islam, rituals must be followed strictly, because there exist Allah's direct will and directions as a set of rules (Sharia).
Furthermore, the film highlights the concept of good and evil. It was clearly discussed in the part about "jamarat", where believers did stone Satan. It could give a clear understanding that for Muslims there exists the concept of "good and evil; justice and injustice; righteousness and sinfulness". By the "jamarat" ritual pilgrims seek forgiveness and reject evil. The concept of good and evil can be considered as one of the cores in Islam because everyone must distinguish them without any gained knowledge: avoid the action, which brings suffering for others and approach to good.
As a next point, the helping of poor and less successful people than you is described in "the feast of sacrifice" part of the film. The plot of the film revealed that with the largest ritual sacrifice, pilgrims help poor people all over the world by supplying them with food, because each pilgrim must sacrifice one sheep, or seven pilgrims must give one camel at the end of the Hajj. It can be clear that the film plot is bounded with the topic of Hajj and Kaaba, thus the plot does not describe the concept of "help" fully, for example: by showing the ritual of Sadaqah or by showing the content of Surah, where Allah says about his/her/it love to gentleness and love.
To sum up, the film could clearly highlight the main aspects of Islam such as monotheism or worshipping one God, social equality, the concept of good and evil, and supporting vulnerable parts of the society by showing the main rituals of Hajj and experiences of main heroes. Also, the film could convey all core concepts of Islam in giving a framework of Hajj.
Muslim dream
anelkairbekova12 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
"Inside Mecca" is a documentary produced by National Geographic in 2003 by
Anisa Mehdi, which shows us the annual event of pilgrimage to Mecca. As Mecca is a birthplace of prophet Muhammad and a place where the House of Lord Kaaba is located it is considered as the center of Islam religion and sacred place. Every Muslim who truly believe in God want to visit Mecca to make a pilgrimage, which is in Arabic Hajj. This is because Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, which is five duties expected from Muslims. If a Muslim has a good health and financial opportunity to make Hajj, then he is obligated to do so at least for one time during his or her life. The prophet Muhammad had done the
pilgrimage to Mecca, but it is believed that it was practiced by many people before the origin of Islam. The documentary illustrates step by step procedure of Hajj so that viewers could get an appropriate vision and understanding of the pilgrimage and idea of Islam itself. Although it is believed that during Hajj people should all be treated in the same way and not discriminate against each other, this review will argue that sometimes people can feel uncomfortable during Hajj because their nationalities and ethnicities are rare (unusual) among Muslims. However, despite this people try to be tolerant of each other and help their "brothers" and "sisters." To make viewers feel the whole importance of the Hajj the documentary narrates us the stories of three people with absolutely different backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities and social status but with a similar vision of life and the same faith. These are Fidelma O'Leary from Texas, Khalil from South Africa and Ishmael from Malaysia. The documentary shows us how Hajj of these people was different from each other and similar at the same time. The DIfference in their journey starts from the moment they left their homes, as a police escort gets Ishmael and his wife straight to the plain, while Khalil does
not have such a safe journey and he has to take a public bus. In addition, the vivid difference in acceptance by other Muslims can be noticed before the stoning of the satan ritual when all pilgrims stopped to rest in Minna. Here we
see that Khalil was not treated the same as other South African pilgrims for the reason his skin color is black and this was quite painful for him to see this condition happening during the Hajj. He says: "We are here always in one community not looking to the color and not looking to the rest or whether you are rich or you're poor". This situation slightly had shaken his vision of brotherhood among Muslims. So, Halil then joined up with another group from Malawi.
In the same manner, Fidelma was an object of attention for other pilgrims in Minna,because it was unusual for people to see a woman with a European appearance to be Muslim. We can notice that she catches the eye of many people. Fidelma says that most of the women in her group and even those who were strangers to her were trying to tell her what it is like to be a Muslim and asked her whether she is a Muslim or not. She says: "I think they forgot for a moment that you can only be here if you are Mulsim." So this was not pleasant for Fidelma as people had a prejudice regarding just because she had
another ethnicity. Also, going back to Ishamel it can be seen that his Hajj was different in a way that he has better services. Even though Hajj emphasizes the importance of being equal before God there is no prohibition on comfort as long as a pilgrim can pay for it. Accommodation varies from tent to tent so that all-inclusive economy packages start from around 2500 dollars.
As the movie goes on it can be seen that eventually, Muslim people are tolerant
and quite friendly. For example, one North African man found a tent for Fidelma and other men helped her with the collection of stones so that she could collect the right quantity of stones for stoning ritual. Similarly, when Khalil felt uncomfortable in his tent among South Africans, Malawi pilgrims were friendly with him and accepted him. Moving to the quality of the movie, I particularly liked the way different sounds and music were used for each scene. For example, when Muslims were praying, hearing the prayer was bewitching, or when pilgrims were doing shopping, cheerful music in the background made viewers feel that Hajj could also be fascinating. Also, I noticed that particularly the most significant moments of Hajj were filmed. By showing the scene when all the pilgrims were praying on the plane Arafat and asking God to forgive them I even started to cry because I could feel all the pain and other emotions of people. So, I believe
the fact that the movie could touch the hearts of viewers means that it succeeded.
Revelation Movie
arnayeleuova17 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Inside Mecca filmed by National Geographic reveals the hajj stories of three Muslims coming from different backgrounds with each experience being very unique, but united under one faith of Islam.
The documentary introduces us to the hajj journeys of Muslims coming from South Africa, Asia and America. Hajj is a way for them and for every other Muslim to express their religious solidarity and faith in one God. This pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam and it is an obligation for every Muslim to perform it at least once in their lives. It takes from five to six days to perform the hajj in the city of Mecca and its surroundings. All the Muslims from different backgrounds endeavor to visit the holy city of Mecca and replicate the sacred rituals performed by and associated with the holy prophets Ibrahim, Ismail and Muhammad. Performing hajj needs a vast preparation and dedication from the pilgrims due to the spiritual prominence of the event. For many pilgrims it takes a great effort to prove their commitment to Islam and be able to actually enter the Saudi Arabia. Once in Mecca, the pilgrims enter a state of "ihram", which symbolizes the spiritual purity and makes Muslims abstain from materialistic pleasures and focus on their faith and inner selves. In the state of "ihram" pilgrims ought to dress in white cloth, which would equalize everyone under one faith of Islam, because before God everyone is equal and no one could be either differentiated or discriminated. However, the movie sheds the light on manifestations of discrimination faced by the pilgrims that represent the minorities in Mecca. Racial and gender discrimination are often present even in the holy city and some of the pilgrims face physical hardships due to their appearance. Nevertheless, the challenges are incomparable to the spiritual and emotional changes that occur during the holy journey of hajj.
The movie clearly illustrates how religion and faith are meaningful to every pilgrim, but at the same time it reveals unforseen discrimination faced by the minority groups. The pilgrim from South Africa represents the Muslim minority at his homeland, and he is very eager to be united with the vast Muslim community united under one faith and one aim of fulfilling their religious duty. He has been assured that he will finally acquire both inner peace and spiritual unity with the outer world of like-minded people. For him, nothing matters more than his affiliation to Islam when he is in Mecca. However, because dark-skinned Africans represent minority in the Muslim world, the hero happens to face racial discrimination in Mecca, his spiritual capital. The pilgrim from USA had a very similar experience, because she was raised in a Catholic family in a very conservative environment of Texas. Her experience of conversion to Islam was to an extent unprecedented for her community, hence she failed to gain support even from her closest ones. Taking into account all the hardships she faced on her religious path, she always remained very purposeful in visiting Mecca and performing the hajj. She understood that white American, not accompanied by a men, would be a very rare case even among the three millions of pilgrims. However, she is hurt every time someone asks if she is Muslim, even though non-Muslims are not even allowed to visit Mecca.
For both of the pilgrims who faced discrimination it was very upsetting not to connect with the outer world during their hajj experience. However, those obstacles were clearly negligible in comparison with the spiritual enrichment they gained. They try to step back from all the challenges and keep their temper, because everyone has to remain in the state of "ihram" while in holy city of Mecca. As they focus on their inner selves and the prayers, the pilgrims connect to the religious rituals, events and locations on every step of their journey. Ultimately, hajj becomes spiritually enriching for each individual despite all the challenges faced.
The movie provides us with a great perspective on the hajj. The event is often seen by non-Muslims as a mere pilgrimage, so it makes a great deal in revealing all the challenges and importance of the event for a Muslim. It gives an insight into the preparation processes, because Mecca welcomes several million people in duration of a week. Henceforth, it takes government to be very inventive in accommodating all the pilgrims and maintaining the order. The perspective on the hajj chosen by the screenwriter and the director, Anisa Mehdi, opened up many important angles of Islam's central event. The movie image illustrated the density of the crowd and the dedication of the people to the rituals very clearly. All the concepts and deeds were well-explained for a broad audience, providing just enough details and insights to get an understanding. However, there is definitely a room to work on the sound and musical accompaniment, as it often distracted rather than complimented the image. Nevertheless, Inside Mecca is a great movie to get acquainted with some of the central concepts of Islam and get historical insights into the holy hajj pilgrimage.
Review
zhangirnuriyev10 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
As we know, Mecca has been possessing exceptional historical significance for the whole world, not only for the Muslims, as from ancient times it played a substantial role within all the Arabian states. The informative movie "Inside Mecca" tells us the three pilgrims' personal stories regarding their experience of the holy city's visit in order to do the Hajj, the rituals' series taking place in and around Mecca executed between the eighth and thirteenth days of the Islamic calendar's last month, which must end up with the most important act of the circling around the religion's essential center or as Eliade says, axis mundi, universal pillar connecting and supporting heaven and earth, named Kaaba, which is supposed to be initially built by Adam and then reconstructed by Ibrahim and Ismail. The film introduces us to the various aspects of Islam through such a five-day-long quest testing the pilgrims' body and soul for redemption. In this essay, we are going to analyze what religious tradition the above-mentioned cinema highlights, criticizes, and explains as well as whether it does do effectively or rather not.
First of all, the movie shows us the interviewers' lives with different social classes, jobs, interests, and overall mentality, originating from the distinct countries that nevertheless realized the religion's truth to such a degree that they decided to perform the fifth of the main Islamic pillars along with the creed Shahada, fasting Siyam, alms Zakah and mandatory prayers Namaz. The divorced mother of two and at the same time neuroscience's professor Fidelma O'Leary from America, diligent and successful Malaysian businessman Ismail Mahbob, South African preacher and radio host Khalil Mandhlazi will trace the Prophet's footsteps in the place called the celestial house of God Himself revealing the faith's depths and facing other convinced believers as they are. Moreover, it reveals to the watchers the history of both the Hajj and the location where it is always carried out, including even the pre-Islamic period. Besides that, the emphasis is made on the difficulties with logistics part for the foreigners, comprising of the specifics of the flight, bus travel and eventual long walking under uneasy circumstances of heat, constant prayers, sleep's deprivation so that the extreme patience, solid moral principles, and persistence are needed to accomplish the rite.
Kaaba itself is represented as a large building with a cube's shape and where all the Muslim prayers should be directed to. Obviously, its value for the worshippers is inexpressible, because it symbolizes the region where Islam emerged. Furthermore, since attending Mecca and Kaaba, in particular, to pray thoroughly is the third best thing after the strong belief in Allah and His Prophet and constant fight on His way a believer could do as a Fard, referring to the obligations sent by God, it is not a surprise that a lot of Muslims tend to get to there at least once in their lifetime to perform a pilgrimage of either Hajj, characterized by the visit at a certain date during the holy period of Ramadan according to the Islamic lunar calendar Hijri, or Umrah, which in turn means the journey there undertaken anytime, thus, of course, the former is more valuable than the latter due to both the greater requirement's amount and the general conditions' distinction. Nonetheless, Tawaf, the rounding about Kaaba in a counterclockwise direction seven times in a row thereby showing the Muslim supporters' oneness must be made in both cases. Additionally, this stone's cleaning ceremony is also quite considerable, as even the high-ranking individuals participate and look at the large-scale process.
Talking of the ritual, it starts with Tawaf, followed by the walk between the Safa and Marwah hills and drinking from the holy Zamzam Well, proceeding to the mountain of the utmost significance, Arafat, which Prophet Muhammed described as the Hajj's embodiment, believed to be the place where Adam and Eva met each other and where the so-called Judgement Day's rehearsal or reminder takes place. After spending a night in Muzdalifa, the symbolical devil's stoning at the columns, designed to serve as a demonstration of the evil Shaitans' exile, occurs. Throughout the pilgrimage's final stage, the animals' sacrifice, mostly including sheep, cows, or camels, accompanied by the heads' shave of the pilgrims for their sins to be forgiven before the sacred space's final leave.
To sum up, the film involves almost all Islamic aspects, although some of them implicitly, owing to Kaaba and Mecca being the whole faith's crucial part, since the region is deeply connected to the two primary Prophets Muhammed and Ibrahim who experienced God's hierophany. Due to the movie's shortness, it was impossible for it to tell us every ritual's technique and meaning, but I think that the task of letting the world know what exactly happens inside the Arabian center has been done very well. After watching, the audience should understand that despite being surrounded by the tens of thousands of people in there, everyone stays face to face with God, as a result of becoming more emotional than usually via seeking for forgiveness or asking for something private.
the raw and personal behind the Hajj
adiyaaldebekova13 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The National Geographic documentary "Inside Mecca" does a great job of introudcing its viewers to Islam, and to the sacred tradition of the pilgrimage - or the Hajj. The movie is very well structured, as it begins with the very basics - it explains what Hajj is, thus acquainting the viewer with the concept that may have been foreign to them previously. Then, it dives "inside Mecca," and follows three different people who are on their pilgrimage, in order to tell their stories, and help the viewer understand what the Hajj means not only on a social, but also on a personal level.
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and it is mandatory for anyone who is in the right health to do it. However, what goes beyond this is often left unknown - and for many people outside of Islam, the Hajj is simply this - a pilgrimage. What often goes unnoticed is all of the work and preparation, all of the individual stories and experiences that go into the Hajj journey; and this movie does a great job at portraying the realities of the Hajj, rather than keeping it an abstract idea. Another important aspect of the movie, is that it shows all of the preparations that happen not only on a personal level for each individual pilgrim, but also on the societal level - it shows how people that live in Mecca work as a community to provide for the Hajj.
Furthermore, the movie does a great job of showing the diversity of Muslims, and shows how three completely different people can be connected with one another. How three people from different backgrounds can share something so sacred to them; thus hinting that perhaps, we, as people, are not so different after all.
The movie, however, is not limited to just the Hajj - it also shows how and why the three pilgrims came to Islam; and what the religion means for them. In today's world, we often dismiss religion, and ignore its followers. However, this film does a wonderful job of reminding us how sacred faith can be to a person. It introduces the viewer to the concept of equality, and that in Islam - in front of Allah, everyone is equal, not matter their cultural, racial or economical background.
However, the movie also shows the other side of the coin. It shows all of the difficulties that go into the Hajj. It shows how the pilgrims struggle, and how the journey can be physically exhausting. Furthermore, it sheds light on all of the discrimination that happens on the Hajj; and this shows that even religious people are still people, and not all follow the right moral principles, even on a sacred journey like such. It was heartbreaking to see how something that is supposed to be so holy and so sacred can be so full with hate and discrimination. Fidelma and Khalil were the pilgrims that had to face racial discirmination, and were mistreated simply for the way that they look; even though in faith, everyone is supposed to be equal. The Hajj is supposed to be the journey that unites muslims, because they all gather there for the same reason, for the same end goal - even if each and every single one of their journeys is personal and, therefore, different. But, just like anything in life, it is not perfect, and does put its pilgrims through many (sometimes unnecessary) challenges. The movie does highlight, however, the importance of the pilgrimage, and the effect that it has on everyone who follows through with it. People on the pilgrimage go there with an open heart; they all are at their most vulnerable, and this emotional state unites them all.
Furthermore, the film also introduced us to the practical part of the pilgrimage - the rituals and the procedures that need to be carried out when one enters the holy city. The pilgrims have to be cleansed and have to declare that they are spiritually ready; they have to be dressed modestly and all have similar clothes. All this is done in order to appear equal before God, and even this ritual highlights the theme of equality, that is supposed to be present in Islam.
However, despite being very profound contentually, it is not as advanced technologically. One of the things that have stood out to me was the quality of sound. Whenever there was a soundtrack, it was overpowering and it was very hard to focus on the words of the people in the movie. Furthermore, the quality of the movie is very poor - the lighting and the shots not only do not flatter the people and the settings, but they are also very awkward to the eye and not aesthetically pleasing. Many may argue that small details like such do not matter. However, if a person feels negative emotions towards the technical aspects of the film, they may subconsciously translate this dislike and direct it at the content. Therefore, the technical moment is very important, and I think it struggled in this movie.
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and it is mandatory for anyone who is in the right health to do it. However, what goes beyond this is often left unknown - and for many people outside of Islam, the Hajj is simply this - a pilgrimage. What often goes unnoticed is all of the work and preparation, all of the individual stories and experiences that go into the Hajj journey; and this movie does a great job at portraying the realities of the Hajj, rather than keeping it an abstract idea. Another important aspect of the movie, is that it shows all of the preparations that happen not only on a personal level for each individual pilgrim, but also on the societal level - it shows how people that live in Mecca work as a community to provide for the Hajj.
Furthermore, the movie does a great job of showing the diversity of Muslims, and shows how three completely different people can be connected with one another. How three people from different backgrounds can share something so sacred to them; thus hinting that perhaps, we, as people, are not so different after all.
The movie, however, is not limited to just the Hajj - it also shows how and why the three pilgrims came to Islam; and what the religion means for them. In today's world, we often dismiss religion, and ignore its followers. However, this film does a wonderful job of reminding us how sacred faith can be to a person. It introduces the viewer to the concept of equality, and that in Islam - in front of Allah, everyone is equal, not matter their cultural, racial or economical background.
However, the movie also shows the other side of the coin. It shows all of the difficulties that go into the Hajj. It shows how the pilgrims struggle, and how the journey can be physically exhausting. Furthermore, it sheds light on all of the discrimination that happens on the Hajj; and this shows that even religious people are still people, and not all follow the right moral principles, even on a sacred journey like such. It was heartbreaking to see how something that is supposed to be so holy and so sacred can be so full with hate and discrimination. Fidelma and Khalil were the pilgrims that had to face racial discirmination, and were mistreated simply for the way that they look; even though in faith, everyone is supposed to be equal. The Hajj is supposed to be the journey that unites muslims, because they all gather there for the same reason, for the same end goal - even if each and every single one of their journeys is personal and, therefore, different. But, just like anything in life, it is not perfect, and does put its pilgrims through many (sometimes unnecessary) challenges. The movie does highlight, however, the importance of the pilgrimage, and the effect that it has on everyone who follows through with it. People on the pilgrimage go there with an open heart; they all are at their most vulnerable, and this emotional state unites them all.
Furthermore, the film also introduced us to the practical part of the pilgrimage - the rituals and the procedures that need to be carried out when one enters the holy city. The pilgrims have to be cleansed and have to declare that they are spiritually ready; they have to be dressed modestly and all have similar clothes. All this is done in order to appear equal before God, and even this ritual highlights the theme of equality, that is supposed to be present in Islam.
However, despite being very profound contentually, it is not as advanced technologically. One of the things that have stood out to me was the quality of sound. Whenever there was a soundtrack, it was overpowering and it was very hard to focus on the words of the people in the movie. Furthermore, the quality of the movie is very poor - the lighting and the shots not only do not flatter the people and the settings, but they are also very awkward to the eye and not aesthetically pleasing. Many may argue that small details like such do not matter. However, if a person feels negative emotions towards the technical aspects of the film, they may subconsciously translate this dislike and direct it at the content. Therefore, the technical moment is very important, and I think it struggled in this movie.
amateur jerky hand held camera distracting
filmalamosa19 April 2012
This film shows what a hajj entails to Mecca and its surroundings. If only the hand held camera had not been so jumpy, I found this distracting as I tried to focus on what was going on. Surely there are ways to reduce this!
The story such as it is follows 3 Moslems on their hajj. A white female Texan, a Black South African and a Malaysian businessman.
I learned a few things I didn't know but kept thinking how much more beautifully the movie could have been shot...it is amateurish with the jerky motions mentioned above, no unique camera angles, and no cinematography input of any note.
I guess in the spirit of the Hajj one should not criticize however... The topic gets a 10 this movie a 2...
The story such as it is follows 3 Moslems on their hajj. A white female Texan, a Black South African and a Malaysian businessman.
I learned a few things I didn't know but kept thinking how much more beautifully the movie could have been shot...it is amateurish with the jerky motions mentioned above, no unique camera angles, and no cinematography input of any note.
I guess in the spirit of the Hajj one should not criticize however... The topic gets a 10 this movie a 2...
All Muslims who can afford it should have a hajj for the rest of their lives in order to purify their souls
zhanelsuleimenova4 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Probably many Muslim believers in their life needs to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. It is a symbol of truth and understanding of it differs from people to people. In order to accomplish this, I claim that it is not necessary to be a Muslim and/or cross half of the world to travel to Mecca. I am confident that everyone should found his own Mecca through the way of finding one's faith. To find the faith in universal context, perhaps it could be belief in yourself or someone above this world. Nobody is able to set the criteria and determine the faith in this context. However, one clear thing is that by exposure to the religious knowledge should be a primary source or secondary one, the book or the movie, you may be able to find your own faith. The National Geographic film directed by Anisa Mehdi: Inside Mecca (2003) provides a very intimate shoot of the Muslims pilgrimage to Mecca, as well as approved my initial believes. Moreover, the movie spotlighted the historical importance of holy city Mecca to both the Muslim and non-Muslim people, Arab and non-Arabic population all around the world.
Inside Mecca (2003) documented three Muslims from different regions and background path to Hadj as they followed a five-day quest salvation. One of them is Ismail, a rich executive director from Malasiya. The second one is a radio commentator Hail from South Africa. The third is Fidelma O'leary, a female professor of neuroscience originated from USA. Hadj is one of the five pillars of Muslim. As long as there are over 2 million of Muslims all around the world every year intended to pilgrimage, there are a lots of planing required in making the trip happen both for pilgrims and Saudi Arabia officials.
Hajj and the effets of changes in the modern Muslim society
abekmuhambetova8 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Inside Mecca, a National Geographic documentary film, provides a detailed overview of Hajj or the annual pilgrimage of Muslims from all around the world to the center of Islam, Mecca. While highlighting the historical background and reasoning behind this extremely important spiritual practice, the film succeeds to emphasize the unique nature of Islam as one of the world's largest religions and changes happening within the Muslim community. More precisely, the film underlines the body of law, which is central to Islam as it can be seen from many verses and passages represented in Qur'an.
To begin with, the idea of Hajj is, in fact, one of the five main pillars of Islam, which every faithful Muslim is ought to practice throughout his life. However, as the film progresses, it can be seen that despite pilgrimage to Mecca being considered as one of the mandatory rules, millions of believers strive to the heart of Islam to celebrate their faith and worship the God as Prophet Muhammad did. Nevertheless, there is a set of obligatory rules, which are aimed at guiding Muslims before, during and after their pilgrimage. As it was mentioned in the film, Mecca has been a centre of pilgrimage of Muslims for more than 1400 years. Moreover, as some scholars suggest, it has attracted people of other faiths a well. However, nowadays not only Mecca does not allow arrival of non-Muslims but also controls the number of Muslims coming every year for the quest for salvation. Moreover, one must prove his or her being a faithful Muslim by providing a confirmation from a mosque he or she regularly attends. This rather a newly implemented rule is not typically associated with Prophet Muhammad himself as, for example, practice of women travelling in groups or of mahram, when women receive a permission from their husband or other male relatives to travel, are. Rather this rule is established and managed by the state authority of Saudi Arabia within which borders sacred city happens to be located. Thus, this is the example of intertwined connection between religious authority and local state authority existing in the modern era. This highlights a significant question of authority in Islam, which appeared after the death of Prophet Muhammad in 632 CE. According to Fazlur Rahman, however, "Muslims are asked to "obey God, the Messenger, and those who are in authority from among yourselves (duly elected or appointed authority) " (Rahman, 1994, p.44). Therefore, these restrictions and rules implemented by the state of Saudi Arabia are not generally challenged or undermined by Muslim community.
Apart from the rules that Muslims are faced with before the annual Hajj, there are several major rules that are depicted in the film. Most of them are centuries years old and are based on the replication of action and practices that were performed by Prophet Abraham, his wife Hagar and later by Prophet Muhammad. Thus, the legitimacy of the rules associated with them are not challenged by people arriving every year to Mecca. However, as the film has shown the modern days' Hajj evidently has some striking differences. Despite the fact that all Muslims are declared to be "brothers" and are expected "to be together as impregnable as a building reinforced with lead" (Rahman, 1994, p.42), the film has clearly highlighted the existing differentiation among Muslims coming from different financial backgrounds, races, and nationalities. As for example, one of the Muslims coming from South Africa stated, racial distinctions are in place even in the heart city of Islam. This was highly reinforced by the implementing of thousands of tents for people coming to Mecca for Hajj by the government of Saudi Arabia due to the fact that people were separated in these tents based on the regions they were coming from. Similar example is seen from the experience of the female Muslim coming from the United States to Mecca as she was constantly asked and tested on her belonging to Islam based on her appearance not only by the authority of Saudi Arabia prior to her arrival but also by fellow Muslims after. Although both of these cases can be explained by the fact that nowadays almost 80% of Muslims are not of the Arabic descend, it is still a relevant example of how Islamic teachings and practice are reflective of Another example of a newly implemented feature of nowadays' Hajj is its controversial service system, which highlights the differences between the poor and rich. As it was shown in the film, nowadays despite the fact that all Muslims coming to worship the God to Mecca are expected to appear before God in the same clothes representing that all of them are equal, in fact, they are still divided based on their financial status. For example, some people were enjoying more benefits and more comfortable stay during Hajj, while others were not. Therefore, this system of service that was implemented and sponsored by the government of Saudi Arabia to help people coming for the quest of salvation to Mecca, in fact, contradicts the very nature of Hajj, in the first place. Moreover, as it was mentioned in the film, despite the fact that charity or zakat is also one of the obligatory practices of every Muslim, and also the fact that Muslims are obligated to "to give priority to needy Muslims over themselves even if they themselves are in need, and "whosoever is saved from the pettiness of his own self, they are the successful ones" (Rahman, 1994, p.42), charity is rarely performed during Hajj nowadays.
To conclude, there are some clear features of Hajj nowadays, which in some way contradict to Islam itself and are dictated by the changes in the Muslim community, which the film Inside Mecca succeeded to emphasize.
Hajj and the modern Muslim community
abekmuhambetova8 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Inside Mecca, a National Geographic documentary film, provides a detailed overview of Hajj or the annual pilgrimage of Muslims from all around the world to the center of Islam, Mecca. While highlighting the historical background and reasoning behind this extremely important spiritual practice, the film succeeds to emphasize the unique nature of Islam as one of the world's largest religions and changes happening within the Muslim community. More precisely, the film underlines the body of law, which is central to Islam as it can be seen from many verses and passages represented in Qur'an.
To begin with, the idea of Hajj is, in fact, one of the five main pillars of Islam, which every faithful Muslim is ought to practice throughout his life. However, as the film progresses, it can be seen that despite pilgrimage to Mecca being considered as one of the mandatory rules, millions of believers strive to the heart of Islam to celebrate their faith and worship the God as Prophet Muhammad did. Nevertheless, there is a set of obligatory rules, which are aimed at guiding Muslims before, during and after their pilgrimage. As it was mentioned in the film, Mecca has been a centre of pilgrimage of Muslims for more than 1400 years. Moreover, as some scholars suggest, it has attracted people of other faiths a well. However, nowadays not only Mecca does not allow arrival of non-Muslims but also controls the number of Muslims coming every year for the quest for salvation. Moreover, one must prove his or her being a faithful Muslim by providing a confirmation from a mosque he or she regularly attends. This rather a newly implemented rule is not typically associated with Prophet Muhammad himself as, for example, practice of women travelling in groups or of mahram, when women receive a permission from their husband or other male relatives to travel, are. Rather this rule is established and managed by the state authority of Saudi Arabia within which borders sacred city happens to be located. Thus, this is the example of intertwined connection between religious authority and local state authority existing in the modern era. This highlights a significant question of authority in Islam, which appeared after the death of Prophet Muhammad in 632 CE. According to Fazlur Rahman, however, "Muslims are asked to "obey God, the Messenger, and those who are in authority from among yourselves duly elected or appointed authority " (Rahman, 1994, p.44). Therefore, these restrictions and rules implemented by the state of Saudi Arabia are not generally challenged or undermined by Muslim community.
Apart from the rules that Muslims are faced with before the annual Hajj, there are several major rules that are depicted in the film. Most of them are centuries years old and are based on the replication of action and practices that were performed by Prophet Abraham, his wife Hagar and later by Prophet Muhammad. Thus, the legitimacy of the rules associated with them are not challenged by people arriving every year to Mecca. However, as the film has shown the modern days' Hajj evidently has some striking differences. Despite the fact that all Muslims are declared to be "brothers" and are expected "to be together as impregnable as a building reinforced with lead" (Rahman, 1994, p.42), the film has clearly highlighted the existing differentiation among Muslims coming from different financial backgrounds, races, and nationalities. As for example, one of the Muslims coming from South Africa stated, racial distinctions are in place even in the heart city of Islam. This was highly reinforced by the implementing of thousands of tents for people coming to Mecca for Hajj by the government of Saudi Arabia due to the fact that people were separated in these tents based on the regions they were coming from. Similar example is seen from the experience of the female Muslim coming from the United States to Mecca as she was constantly asked and tested on her belonging to Islam based on her appearance not only by the authority of Saudi Arabia prior to her arrival but also by fellow Muslims after. Although both of these cases can be explained by the fact that nowadays almost 80% of Muslims are not of the Arabic descend, it is still a relevant example of how Islamic teachings and practice are reflective of Another example of a newly implemented feature of nowadays' Hajj is its controversial service system, which highlights the differences between the poor and rich. As it was shown in the film, nowadays despite the fact that all Muslims coming to worship the God to Mecca are expected to appear before God in the same clothes representing that all of them are equal, in fact, they are still divided based on their financial status. For example, some people were enjoying more benefits and more comfortable stay during Hajj, while others were not. Therefore, this system of service that was implemented and sponsored by the government of Saudi Arabia to help people coming for the quest of salvation to Mecca, in fact, contradicts the very nature of Hajj, in the first place. Moreover, as it was mentioned in the film, despite the fact that charity or zakat is also one of the obligatory practices of every Muslim, and also the fact that Muslims are obligated to "to give priority to needy Muslims over themselves even if they themselves are in need, and "whosoever is saved from the pettiness of his own self, they are the successful ones" (Rahman, 1994, p.42), charity is rarely performed during Hajj nowadays.
To conclude, there are some clear features of Hajj nowadays, which in some way contradict to Islam itself and are dictated by the changes in the Muslim community, which the film Inside Mecca succeeded to emphasize.
Inside Mecca
kamilla_t19 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Inside Mecca 2003 is a National Geographic documentary film, which is about a spiritual journey to pilgrimage to Mecca for the Hajj. The film manages to illustrate how Islam brings people from everywhere to this place, and it shows that while people are directed to the heart of Islam, they believe that God is looking through each of their hearts. As it was said in the movie each religious faith has a center, and for Islam, such place is located in Mecca, the large mosque Al-Masjid Al-Haram with the most sacred site for Muslims- the Kaaba. It is not only that faith requires people to go there, but also it is actually a dream for most people to visit this place. However, although the sacred place gathers millions of people, it is only Muslims who are allowed to be there. The film shows not only a positive view of this journey, but it also demonstrates the possible paradoxes that are usually not seen for people, it shows how even Muslim people are struggling to get there and which issues they could face.
The film tells story of three different pilgrims from the USA, South Africa and Malaysia. Three of them had embraced Islam, and now they are trying to the ideal world of Islam embrace them, and each of them is willing to discover what are they really made of, to gain brotherhood and sisterhood, and to spiritually heal themselves. The journey starts for them with finding the special clothing that they will be wearing during the travel. It is also important to mention that the learning is required too. So, for example, it can be seen in the movie how the pilgrim from the USA was studying with a big interest in a small group before the journey. However, it is not all, before the travel the female Muslim also had to prove that she is a Muslim. Because she has not a very Muslim name and appearance, and as a female she was also required to provide a legitimate permission from a male close family member to travel to the holy site, which could be problematic for some people, in this case the woman was divorced, but she has a son, so it was not that complicated for her, however such demands could affect woman's and even man's feelings. In the film pilgrims are facing discrimination towards their race, appearance, and even there they could observe the difference of social classes, between rich and poor. That is what paradoxical, because as Muslims all of them are supposed to be equal and still inequality, discrimination exists. So, the pilgrims had to stay strong despite the weather conditions on their long travel, had to not lose their control and temper when they were facing discrimination, they had to show and prove their patience and respect because in the end, the goal of the journey is also to improve one's self.
In the film besides the storyline of three pilgrims inside mecca, there are some excerpts from old records, images of Abraham's portrait, and construction of the Kaaba. During the film it is possible to hear some traditional music, and also surah and prayers. There are some scenes that were taken from above in which that 2 million people or more could be seen, the chaos in which a person could die without a notice of others. And even though the people death accidents were not depicted in the film, there is a scene of animal sacrifice. It can be seen in the film that the trading is also taking a place there, however, during prayers the shops stop working and they become places for worship too. Also, in the film it is shown that people who are able to pay money can be treated and welcomed, with food and a comfortable place to stop provided. At the same time, the living condition of poor people is depicted in the film, and the act of charity took place. One of the pilgrims distributed some food, and that just showed the need for simple goods like food, and what the pilgrim was upset about is that not all of the pilgrims do charity.
In the film, the preparation for the journey is well depicted. How pilgrims' visions of the journey were changing, vision of brotherhood, justice, rightness, and simpleness. In the film it is demonstrated that pilgrims are possible to face different struggles, doubts, judgments, inequality and discrimination. How it is important no matter what to still stand for forgiveness, as the Hajj is a host of redemption. How emotional it could be to be surrounded by thousands of people, but still find yourself alone with God. In the end for pilgrims it was hard to say goodbye to this sacred place, because they had gained a lot, it was a great opportunity for them to rebirth.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
