Every year, around two million Muslims travel to the Grand Mosque of Mecca, the Masjid al-Haram, to visit the holiest site of the planet, the Kaaba. . The pilgrimage to Mecca is known as Hajj. It is the fifth of the five pillars of Islam, the simple and solemn rules of Islam. Every Muslim who is physically and financially capable is expected to participate in the Hajj at least once in their life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay The five pillars of Islam, revealed by Muhammad, prophet of God and founder of the Islamic faith, explicitly detail to Muslims what what they must do to live a life of religious righteousness. The first pillar is a confession of faith, all a person needs to do to become a Muslim is to regularly proclaim the Shahada, to confess that "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet." A true Muslim must also participate in Salat, the second pillar, and pray facing the Kaaba in Mecca five times a day. The third pillar, Zakat, is an annual charity intended to purify wealth by giving 2.5% of a person's total "assets" each year to distribute to the poor. The fourth pillar, and second annual activity, is the fast of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, which took place this year between September 9 and 14. It is a unique journey for many Muslims, a pilgrimage to honor religious duty and tradition, although it is also described as an obligation, a necessary act of faith. During the Hajj, pilgrims to Mecca participate in many different religious activities. Pilgrims must wear simple, white clothing to promote equality among themselves and participate in ceremonies at the Grand Mosque surrounding the Kaaba. One of these ceremonies involves walking around the Kaaba seven times and running between two hills seven times. Many Muslims also visit Muhammad's burial place in Medina. On the eighth day of the Hajj, pilgrims are expected to gather at Mount Arafat, outside Mecca, for the pinnacle of the Hajj: seeking divine forgiveness from Allah. On the ninth day, Muslims go to Mina to throw stones at three pillars which represent the devil as a symbol of resistance to temptation. After that, to perform the Hajj, there are three days of celebration as part of the Feast of Sacrifice, in which Muslims around the world participate. These are just a few of the many rituals of the Hajj. But in this pilgrimage there are many risks, people often worry. of jostling. In this new technological era, even though traveling has never been easier, many pilgrims are falling victim to Hajj-related scams. Cheap flights can be purchased in minutes online and through phone apps, and hotels have become just one option in a long list of alternative accommodations available on helpful new websites. However, with so many people looking for deals and 1.4 million Muslims traveling to Saudi Arabia from foreign countries for Hajj, there is ample opportunity for internet fraudsters and fake tourism agencies to take advantage of travelers. . Many Muslims purchase Hajj travel packages that are found to be grossly exaggerated in quality or, in some cases, partially or entirely counterfeit. These scams have left Muslims stranded at Jeddah airport with falsified documents and travel itineraries. However, many families and..