Before moving on to the next section of this dissertation dealing with slightly negative views of pilgrimage, it is important to note the significance of the return of the pilgrim in Muslim religion. On their return, pilgrims act as channels for the blessings of Mecca and are therefore treated somewhat differently. Men usually enter a new stage of life upon return from a pilgrimage and they grow a beard (meaning that they did not repeat the cleansing ritual of cutting upon return). The beard is used as a symbol for age, wisdom and devotion to Mecca, as they remain in the unshaven state required in Mecca.
Pilgrimage and the Economy: Status and Tourism
Throughout history there have been many attacks against the pilgrim. While many of the negative views of pilgrimage were derived from the tourism, material aspect of the pilgrimage. However, in the Catholic Church, pilgrimage was attacked for other reasons, arguing that a Christian?s status does not depend on the partaking of the pilgrimage. Gregory of Nyssa (the brother of St.Basil) points out that ?When the Lord invites the blest to their inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven, He does not include a pilgrimage to Jerusalem amongst their good deeds?. Moreover, St. Augustine states that ?God is everywhere, it is true, and that He made all things is not contained or confined to dwell in any place?. Their cases, theologically were that what mattered in spiritual terms was in the individual?s heart, not the places he or she has visited. None the less, pilgrimages have proved to serve many purposes in respect to one?s faith.
The real problem arises when pilgrimage is paradoxically related to the structure, humanly, material world in which the pilgrims are trying to escape. Christians spend large sums of money on holy water, images of the Madonna and Jesus, crucifixes and candles, while tours are offered in the Holy Land for tourists. With the multiplication of shrines in Europe, in time, they became subject to abuse, namely with the competition among shrines for pilgrims and relics, and the multiplication of relics to the point of absurdity, are the objects of the growth of an indifferent attitude toward holy doctrines. Jan Hus is also remembered for his attacks against the church. He held that church officials ought to abstain from being earthly governors and that the church should not be linked the material profit as he would also denounce the use religious souvenirs and the like . Comparable to the Muslims, Christian authorities also fear that through travel, people will be subjected to temptation. The Doctrines of the Wahhabis have been compared with those of Calvinist puritanism in Christianity because of their ascetism and suspicion of all forms of idolatry. Throughout history there have been attempts to restore the piety of pilgrimage by banning musicians and prostitutes from caravans. From the earliest days of Islam, local political leaders were eager to exploit the profitable pilgrim trade and claim descent from the prophet to encourage their authority. There is a Meccan saying which demonstrates the wealth and materialism associated with pilgrimage: ?We do not need agriculture ? God has given us the pilgrims as our annual crop?.
Conclusion
After this rather brief dissertation highlighting the journey, rituals and material aspects of the pilgrimage one can conclude that the solidarity felt by pilgrims throughout the journey is a result of shared interests, feelings, actions and sympathies. They all share a common purpose and goal. The pilgrimage does indeed serve as a function, it forms a community, a collective consciousness and a foundation for morality and belief. Both pilgrimages provide a strong sense of solidarity for their people. Pilgrimage also seems to be strangely intertwined with the economy and material growth. However, because people do indeed demand for such items at the pilgrimage, symbols to take home and sacred pieces for friends and family who could not make the pilgrimage, the ?market? of pilgrimage can be justified. Because we are growing to become a much more secular world, pilgrimage and religion are not so easily abused by attempts to gain social or political status. The main conclusion to be derived from the foregoing pages is that the pilgrimage, whether Christian or Muslim offers as an incredible source for a feeling of unity and solidarity. It forms ?communitas?, a collective consciousness and a foundation for morality and belief. Both pilgrims? experience rites of passage, in that they are in a process of transition. Furthermore, liminality is proven through the initial separation form their homelands, then the transition and finally aggregation. It can be hypothesized from the above-mentioned quotes from pilgrims, that the journey they undertake is one, which is of utmost significant importance in their lives. In fact it is that journey which should indeed represent their life. As far as the importance of pilgrimage in being granted access to the after-life I have not made any firm conclusions or theological debates. Belief in the after life is something I shall leave to the reader. However, even if a pilgrimage to Mecca or the Holy Land does not ensure admittance to ?heaven? through the pilgrimage it is still essential for the spiritual life of a person who immerses himself in a religion. The most striking characteristics of the two pilgrimages, and admittedly, what I hoped to find, was that despite the fact that they are different religions, blooming from different regions of the world, despite the fact that conflict may even arise between Muslims and Christians (strictly because of their differences in beliefs), this essay has proven that they are incredibly similar. The Christian and the Muslim pilgrim are searching for the same thing, they go through similar processes, transitions and rites all to attain an incredible sense of solidarity and a feeling of euphoria, which is believed to have brought them closer to God.