Islam - Its Meaning for Modern Man — Page 206
206 of God. The journey ⎯ in many cases long and arduous, and full of hazards ⎯ across deserts and oceans is undertaken and completed in this frame of mind. It is easy to appreciate the whirl of exalted emotion which uplifts the pilgrim’s spirit, rising higher and higher as the goal approaches. At a certain point the pilgrim discards his usual clothing and puts on the ihram, which, in the case of males, consists of two pieces of white, unsewn cloth draped and fastened round the body in such manner that the head, the hands, the right shoulder and arm, and the feet and ankles are left uncovered. From all parts of the globe, men and women converge on Mecca, coming by sea, by land, and now also by air, clad in the pilgrim’s garb, which effaces all marks and insignia of wealth, rank, office, family, and places everyone on the same level. The simple garb signifies that the pilgrim has responded to the call of Allah as he will answer the last call when his time to depart this life arrives. All vanity is purged, and king and subject, master and servant, the white and the black, the yellow and the brown, hasten from all directions to the Sacred House, repeating: Here am I, O Allah, here am I; Here am I, there is no associate with Thee; All praise is Thine and all Bounty; There is no associate with Thee.