By Karen Vance
Enquirer contributor

COLERAIN TOWNSHIP - Dr. Usman Siddiqui of Colerain Township knows he has an open invitation to visit God's house.

Usman and Shamsa Siddiqui, of Colerain Township, will be participating in the Hajj. (Gary Landers photo)

And this year, the 61-year-old neurologist, his wife, Shamsa, 56, and his two sisters will join more than 2 million other Muslims from 70 countries in visiting it on a hajj - or pilgrimage to Mecca.

The rest of the world's Muslims, including 15,000 in Greater Cincinnati, will mark the end of the hajj with the second of two major holidays in Islam - Eid ul-Adha, the Festival of the Sacrifice that commemorates the end of the pilgrimage.

Area mosques will mark the day - on Feb. 1 or 2 (depending on the sighting of the new moon) with communal prayers - and some will have community meals and social gatherings.

Performing the hajj once in a lifetime is an obligation for all Muslims who are able - one of the five pillars of Islam. But for Siddiqui, preparing for his third journey doesn't make it any less special.

"Every place has its own sanctity, and there, you are in the house of God," he said.

On this trip, he'll take his two sisters from Piscataway, N.J., along - one for her first hajj.

"It's really a strange experience to see the house of God for the first time. It's a tremendous feeling to see all of the people in the house built by Abraham, circling the Kaaba," Siddiqui said.

According to Islamic beliefs, the hajj commemorates rituals observed by Abraham and his son Ishmael on their journey as the first pilgrims to the first house of God - the Kaaba at Mecca, the same shrine Muslims turn to for their five daily prayers.

"It gives you a wonderful feeling when you see the house of Kaaba, the house of God. It gives you a peaceful feeling," Mrs. Siddiqui said. "It's wonderful to see all the Muslims together, all of them have gone there for the same purpose."

The Siddiquis, who will be on their journey for two weeks, said they expect to encounter tighter security as they pass through airports than they did on their hajj in 1995, but the pilgrimage is still easier than it was for their ancestors centuries ago.

"These days, it has become very routine and very easy. You have all the modern amenities, buses and air conditioning," Siddiqui said.

Muslims from all over the world, including the Siddiquis, now take advantage of tour packages that include hotels, airfare, buses and guides to the rituals.

But the most essential ritual of the hajj remains the Arafat day - time spent asking for forgiveness.

"We pray and ask for forgiveness for the sins we have been doing our entire lives, and we pray for a better life and the strength to do better," Mrs. Siddiqui said.

"Afterwards, you feel purified, and when you come back you try to live piously again and do your best to follow God's law."

About the hajj

The hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, is one of the five pillars of Islam along with the declaration of one God, daily prayers, charity and fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

The hajj begins on the eighth day of Dhul-Hijjah, the 12th Islamic lunar month, and lasts for up to six days. The end of the pilgrimage period is observed by non-pilgrim Muslims as Eid ul-Adha, the Festival of the Sacrifice.

The hajj includes a visit to the Kaaba, the shrine Muslims believe Abraham and Ishmael built and face for their five daily prayers. Muslims circle the shrine seven times. They will also visit the Plain of Arafat to pray for forgiveness.

For many, hajj also includes visits to Mina and Muzdalifa, where they will throw stones at three pillars symbolic of the devil.