By Sami Aboudi DUBAI, June 14 (Reuters) - A senior cleric in Islam's holy city Mecca exhorted followers on Friday to support Syrian re...
Funny how in life we are united with individuals who touch our hearts in unimaginable and meaningful ways. Our meeting was especially timely for me, since just earlier that day I was debating whether or not to venture to the Holy Land.
Insha Allah, we will do more intra-faith dialogue and learn to respect each other for what we believe, and not get hell bent on proving and denying each other's faith.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia's top religious cleric has criticized the social media website Twitter, calling it "a council for jokesters...
Millions of pilgrims are arriving in Mecca for Islam's annual Hajj pilgrimage that began on Wednesday, a journey all Muslims must perform at least onc...
I pray this spiritual mediation exercise will include us, in spirit, in the ranks of 2012 Muslim pilgrims -- it will include our prayers and supplications to theirs and these sincere cries will be received by the Almighty God as such.
One American's personal transformation through his Hajj experience changed the course of his personal history, and the history of his community, his country and beyond.
* Relations tense over Syria and other unrest * Saudi leaders say prepared to deal with troublemaking * "Message that Mu...
(RNS) Devout Muslims pray five times a day, facing the holy city of Mecca. But what if you don’t know what direction Mecca is? Try the new ill...
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- The aged king of Saudi Arabia led a burial ceremony Sunday for his brother, Crown Prince Nayef Abdul-Aziz, in the holy city of...
Every year millions of pilgrims travel to places with unique spiritual significance in hopes of experiencing elevation, transformation and attaining a...
Because of the unparalleled cultural phenomenon of the millions of pilgrims Mecca receives every year, the city's name turned into a popular synonym that often times describe places of importance and the with power to attract groups of often like-minded people.
JERUSALEM -- After decades of shying away from an ancient pilgrimage route, Muslims are visiting Jerusalem to pray at Islam's third-holiest site, the ...
The arts can push politics aside and allow the true spirit of a people to emerge and be viewed by the rest of the world.
In polarizing debates and campaign rhetoric, legitimate differences of opinion become the occasion for demonization of opponents. An undercurrent of fear stokes the accusations hurled back and forth.
There is not a city that I have visited in the entire world that is more tranquil than Medina. And there is not a city that I have visited that hosts a more diverse gathering of people than in Mecca.
Walking around the Kaaba, I was at a vantage point to know that the jams I would get caught in were temporary -- they would end, literally, around the corner. This helped me be patient even when the pressure was greatest.
Millions of Muslims are satisfied to celebrate at home, while waiting for Mecca, Medina and Hajj to be freed from the grip of the Wahhabis and to regain their past splendor -- a spiritual, not commercial, illumination.
MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia — Libyans long denied the opportunity to make the hajj usually reserved for Moammar Gadhafi's cronies were among the ...
MECCA, Saudi Arabia -- Muslims from across the world descended on this holy city ahead of the annual hajj pilgrimage, many of them with prayers for a ...
Hajj is a vital experience for all Muslims, irrespective of gender, nationality, or sect; however, it is evident that this message of unity and tolerance is yet to be internalized.
An old house sits near 91st Street in unincorporated DuPage County, just west of Highway 83 and about twenty miles southwest of downtown Chicago. A...
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee is considering making it a felony to follow some versions of the Islamic code known as Shariah, the most severe measure...
Egypt's revolution is humanity's. And as a revolution enhanced by social media before the state silenced them, the Cairo scenario begs a question.
JIDDA, Saudi Arabia -- It is an architectural absurdity. Just south of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Muslim world's holiest site, a kitsch rendition ...
