inviolatable -- almost  surrounded with black hills of stone and sand.

   We  were dressed in what is called Ihram, which consists  of   two sheets of flesh towel-like material --   one  to cover the upper part of the body leaving the right arm exposed, and the other one  covered the lower  part of the body. We also wore a  pair of sandal-like slippers. These were the only clothes that we wore from Jeddah to Mecca.

•  Washed Hands And Faces

    On our arrival, we were taken to a hotel where we washed our  faces and hands again, and a guide  was brought to us. He was an old man --tall and very slender. He had been informed of me, and he took me by the hand like a father leading his child.

    As we began  walking from the hotel to that sacred mosque of Islam, he made us recite after him in Arabic, the prayers   and some verses from the Holy Qur'an every  step of the way. On entering that holy and  magnificent place, he  proceeded with us to the court where stands the Kaaba and that  prophetic sign, the Black   Stone, that the builders rejected, placed in one corner of that great black veiled monument that stands in a circle.

•    Seven Circles Around  Kaaba

    Our  guide made us remove our sandals  before circling it, and they were left  outside with an old Muslim sister. Then we began making the seven circles around the Kaaba repeating  prayers at every step of the way, and stopping at two of its corneeers on every trip around,  raising our hands toward it while repeating a prayer and then  saying, "Allah-u-Akbar", which means  "Allah is the greatest."

•    Thousands  of Muslims In Court

There were between five and ten thousand Muslims inside the court of the mosque. Such a prayer service I have never witnessed before -- being with these thousands of sincere worshippers of  God, His religion,  and Muhammad, His prophet.

   On encircling it for the last time, the pilgrim makers asked to kiss the Black stone. There before my eyes were many hands of pilgrims trying to reach for that stone.

•       This  I'll Never Forget

    After  circling the Kaaba seven times and saying  prayers, our  guide then made us go and make the seven runs between the hills of Safa and Marwah. He never  let my hand go, except to raise his hand in prayer. I cannot forget it. I will not ever forget Allah for blessing me to make the pilgrimage, and for my faithful followers in America. Some of them who may never be fortunate to make such a  pilgrimage, divided their  wealth to make it possible for me and those  whom I chose to make this never to be forgotten  pilgrimage. May Allah forever  bless them.