An introduction to religious and spiritual experience

part of people’s response. There are pilgrimage sites all over the world, 
from the Island of Shikodo in Japan, with its eighty-eight temples to 
Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Religious traditions all have principal 
places of pilgrimage as well as lesser shrines. Hindus head for the holy 
river, the Ganges at Banaras or Varanasi, where Shiva is believed to have 
lived; Buddhists go to Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha attained Enlighten-
ment; Sikhs to Amritsar, to the Golden Temple; Jews to the Wailing Wall, 
all that remains of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. Christians go to 
Bethlehem and Jerusalem in the Holy Land of Israel, where Jesus was 
born, lived and died. In France, Lourdes is a destination for those who are 
ill, usually accompanied by helpers, the patients hope for a miracle cure 
at the grotto where Bernadette saw her visions of the Virgin Mary.
The best-known of all pilgrimages is the annual Hajj to Mecca. This 
is required of all Muslims who are able to manage it physically and 
financially as it is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Undertaken in the 
twelfth lunar month, the pilgrimage has a set pattern. On each day a 
particular ritual is performed, linked to the faith. Initially there is purifi-
cation and all the men dress in white, symbolizing their equality before 
Allah. One may then perform the 
umra 
or ‘lesser Hajj’ and then proceed 
to the main Hajj. Seven circumambulations of the Ka’aba, the holiest 
shrine in Islam is the main event for the pilgrims. The great black marble 
structure is said to date back to Abraham, where he showed his obedience 
to God by being prepared to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Other rituals such 
as a standing in prayer on Mount Arafat from noon to sundown and 
stoning three pillars which represent the devil follow on subsequent days. 
Return home is joyful and is marked by the pilgrim taking the title Hajji 
or Hajjah.
The BBC has set up a website for people to share their Hajj experi-
ences, from which these are taken,
I performed Hajj in 2001 (when I was 70 years of age) along with 
my wife. Before my Hajj I was lucky to perform Umrah a few times 
when I was younger and fit. When I went I was very unwell and it was 

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difficult for me to properly walk. Before boarding the plane I fell very 
sick with high fever and vomiting. At a point I was even thinking 
whether I should cancel the flight. I became very, very depressed and 
prayed to Allah that He in His mercy would allow me to perform the 
greatest of the pillars of my faith. By the grace of Allah from some-
where I got the confidence that Allah would answer my inner prayer. 
My son, daughter-in-law and daughter all encouraged me to under 
take the journey and by the grace of Allah We boarded the plane late 
in the evening. Throughout the flight I was in a sort of stupor. Early in 
the morning we arrived at Jeddah, drove to Mecca. I was amazed that 
after arrival at Mecca I started getting my strength back and I could 
perform Hajj without help.
As a new Muslim and as an American the Hajj was the greatest 
thing I have ever experienced. I know Islam is getting all this bad 
coverage in the media but I saw the true peaceful Islam in Hajj. There 
was over three million people there and I did not see one fight. I did 
not see one person being rude to the other even though they were from 
so many different countries and cultural backgrounds. It was truly 
beautiful, a life-changing experience. 
Truly the most amazing experience. A place where race, colour or 
cast play no role. Where everyone is as one, all there for the same rea-
son – to praise their God. Approaching the mosque raises every hair, 
brings tears to your eyes and warmth to your heart. The beautiful voice 
of the Imam reciting the Holy Quran is sure to move you. The atmo-
sphere is incredible, and there is always a feeling of safety and belong-
ing. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. May we all be 
granted the opportunity to experience this spiritual journey.
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In 
The Road to Canterbury, A Modern Pilgrimage
Shirley du Boulay 
describes her walk of 130 miles along the Pilgrim’s Way from Winchester, 
the ancient capital of Wessex to Canterbury Cathedral and its shrine to 
the martyr St Thomas Becket. She reflects on medieval times and the 
changes evident in the route today, as well as on the concept of pilgrimage 
itself. This is how she ends her book,
. . . it was the journey itself that was the point. . . .
I had been changed by this pilgrimage, but I do not expect to know 
how for a long time. Though on this Sunday morning I knew the 
pilgrimage had reached some sort of completion, it had not ended. This 

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Religious Triggers
73
symbolic microcosm of the inner journey had to find its resonances 
with the longer, day-to-day, pilgrimage. Perhaps my inability to know 
when it ended was a precise reflection of its inner parallel. We were 
resuming our day-to-day lives, our journeys of perpetual pilgrimage. 
This pilgrimage from Winchester to Canterbury had not ended on 
arrival any more than life ends with death. But I did feel that I under-
stood a little better where the sacred place is to be found.
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The central tenet of all pilgrimage is that it is the inner transformation 
which is most important. Without that, the physical journey is pointless. 
The Sikh Guru Nanak denounced pilgrimage as devoid of religious mean-
ing unless that journey to truth was stressed. 
Fasting
The practice of abstaining from eating for a period of time has long 
been part of religious practice, as purification of the body is thought 
to lead to clarity of mind and spirit. Frequently the practice involves 
sexual abstinence too. In shamanistic practice, fasting is often part of 
the preparation for rituals and the Gospels too recount that Jesus 
fasted. Lent, the period leading up to Easter, was traditionally a period of 
fasting and reflection, although nowadays it is more usually just a time 
when people give up something, like chocolate or alcohol perhaps. The 
underlying purpose is to concentrate on the spiritual rather than the 
material.
Muslims fast for a month each year, during Ramadan, eating and 
drinking only after sundown, a practice known as 
sawm
in Arabic. This 
takes place in the ninth month of the year, when the Qur’an was given to 
Muhammad, celebrated on the 27
th
day, which commemorates the ‘Night 
of Power’. It is a time for increased focus on faith, with more frequent 
attendance at the mosque, a special prayer added to the normal routine, 
and some Muslims praying throughout the night. The end of the fast is 
marked by the celebrations of Eid-al-Fitr.
This extract of a blog of an Egyptian Muslim gives an indication of the 
experience,