Islam - Its Meaning for Modern Man — Page 210
210 named after the Prophet himself. The places associated with him in any way are known, but they are not named after him, nor are they marked in any special way. He was anxious to attribute everything to God and to preserve the memories of certain spots and of their association with certain events because they were God’s Signs. He himself was only a servant of God who had been chosen by God’s favour and bounty to be the recipient of revelation, which contained guidance for the whole of mankind. In his eyes God was all; he himself was nothing. The Ka’aba and its precincts stand as signs and witnesses of many things, but also proclaim forever the single- mindedness and self-effacing love and devotion of Muhammad, the Prophet, for Allah, his Lord. The Ka’aba is situated in the center of Mecca, and though its enclosure is big enough to permit large groups of men to perform the circuit and to take part in the Prayer services, the services connected with the pilgrimage are held in a valley a few miles outside Mecca at Mina and Muzdalifa, and on the Plain of Arafat. It is at the latter place ⎯ where the Prophet delivered his Farewell Address ⎯ that all pilgrims gather on the actual day of the pilgrimage (the “day” to be distinguished from the “ceremonies,” which include the entire period from the time the pilgrim leaves home until his return). At the end of the pilgrimage every pilgrim who can afford it sacrifices