It is a marvel that so many people gather every year without the brawls and rampages so common in rock festivals and other types of gatherings. The reward for performing H ajj properly and refraining from arguments, fights and lewd behavior is that the pilgrim will return home as free of sin as the day his mother gave birth to him. Muslims do not believe in original sin or inherited sin, so that means all his sins will be forgiven. Another difference between H ajj and other pilgrimages is that no other gathering is so universal. Virtually all of the world's races, ethnic groups and languages are represented.
People literally come from every continent on earth, except, perhaps, Antarctica.
They come together in a spiritual environment that emphasizes their common humanity. The men all wear two unsewn pieces of white cloth that erase the distinctions of wealth, education and status. The huge assembly of people on the plain of Arafah reminds the pilgrims that all humanity will be assembled on a featureless plain on the Day of Judgment. The white garments of the men are reminiscent of the funeral shroud. It was the experience of H ajj that caused Malcolm X to reconsider the racist teachings he had embraced and propagated as the leading spokesman of the so-called Nation of Islam.