In this state of Ihram all
distinctions of wealth and position, of colour and nationality, disappear. A
king and a peasant are alike and one cannot be distinguished from the other.
The whole humanity assumes one uniform aspect before its Maker and the
universal brotherhood of man is materialized.
The holy city of Mecca which is the scene of this unique gathering is known
in the Islamic literature as Ummul Qura i.e. the mother of cities. It is
curious how the very name of the city suggests its chief feature. Just as a
child has a yearning for his mother, similarly the people of different
countries long for a visit to Mecca and hundreds and thousands of Muslims from the
distant corners of the world gather to gather every year in the sacred city of Mecca. It is simply wonderful how this vast ocean of
humanity behaves. There is neither a policeman nor a military guard and yet the
whole affair is going on without any riot and disturbance. The people become
quite harmless and docile, in the sacred precincts of Mecca. They leave off their evil propensities for the time
being and the Kingdom of Heaven is actually established on the earth. The Hajjis /
Pilgrims become childlike in the loving arms of the ‘mother of cities’ and do
no harm to their brothers and sisters. This is the ideal state of civil life:
this is the “Kingdom of Heaven” for which Jesus prayed. The dream of the master has
been realized in Islam.
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