Every year, millions of pilgrims flock to the birthplace of Islam—Mecca, Saudi Arabia— to fulfill one of the five pillars of Islam: Ḥajj. The word “Ḥajj” literally means “to intend a journey,” in reference to the sacred act of pilgrimage. On this pilgrimage, worshippers perform several rituals from five to six days to both please and maintain their remembrance of God. 

According to Islamic tradition, the tradition of Ḥajj was started by the prophets Abraham and Ishmael: father and son. They were sent to establish the Kaʿbah as the unified house of God. The Kaʿbah directly translates to cube, and it is the house of worship that Muslims have circled around as an act of worship to this day. The use of the Kaʿbah was reestablished by the Prophet of Islam (ﷺ) as the house of God and the unified direction that Muslims face when praying. Before that, Muslims would pray towards Jerusalem, known as the mizrah in Judaism. 

Ḥajj is expected to be carried out between 4th June to the 9th June 2025, depending on the sighting of the new crescent moon. This would mark the start of the month of Dhūʻl-Ḥijjah in the Islamic calendar. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has asked its citizens to report to the nearest court any sighting of the moon and get their testimony registered. 

According to Saudi Arabia’s Ḥajj and ʿUmrah Ministry, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is overseeing over one million pilgrims this year. With all of these pilgrims, numerous upgrades in technology and infrastructure have taken place to ensure a smooth experience and accommodation for all. These upgrades include an AI powered assistant to help pilgrims with questions, free Wi-Fi, an increase in 5G data sites, and brand new dispensers for the Islamic holy water, ZamZam. Additionally, several experts have overseen facilities such as hospitals to ensure safety and that the facilities are prepared to accommodate all the pilgrims.

More upgrades include new cooling units at Namirah Mosque in Arafat (an important landmark of Ḥajj), shoe bag dispensers for people to carry their shoes on them while inside the mosque (as it is expected to take off footwear before entering mosques to maintain cleanliness), 155,000 tons of cooling capacity to ensure a comfortable atmosphere within Islam’s holiest mosque, Masjid Al-Haram in Mecca, and even a mobile stroke unit. This mobile stroke unit is a vehicle with a mobile CT scanner and advanced medical equipment to provide medical attention to urgent cases during the Ḥajj season.

Many renowned figures and stories have come out of the journey of Ḥajj. Notably, Mansa Musa of the Mali Empire in the 14th century is one of them, the richest person to ever live. Then there was Malcolm X, a racial human rights activist, who was later named Al-Ḥajj Malik Al-Shabazz, translating to “The Pilgrim Malcolm the Patriarch.” Eight years after him, Muhammad Ali made the journey as well. 

Nowadays, influential figures perform the “lesser pilgrimage” called ʿUmrah, which can be done any time of the year. This word translates to “to visit a populated place.” For example, NBA Boston Celtics player Jaylen Brown performed ʿUmrah while accompanied by ex-Celtics player Tacko Fall, just after taking home a ring from winning the 2024 NBA Finals. Additionally, Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Khamzat Chimaev, three famed MMA fighters from Dagestan and Chechnya performed ʿUmrah this past Ramadan.

Celebrities aside, there are some who draw global attention due to how they make the journey. Back in 2023, when Pakistani pilgrim Usman Arshad walked over 4000 kilometers (about 2500 miles) from rural Okara, Pakistan to Mecca, Saudi Arabia to perform Ḥajj. Arshad had been saving money up for fifteen years to make this journey. 

This year, there are two groups of pilgrims that are taking the world by storm. The first group is called ḤajjSail, and they are sailing the seas all the way from the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia, to perform pilgrimage to Mecca. This project is in collaboration with the UK based charity Global Helping Hands, and the aim of this project is to raise money for orphans around the world. As of May 30th, 2025, the crew have reached Saudi Arabia, after 59 days at sea.

The other group of pilgrims that have been taking the world by storm are part of a project called Ḥajj on Horseback, and they are Spanish pilgrims that are travelling 8,000 kilometers all the way from Andalusia, in Southern Spain, to Mecca, Southern Saudi Arabia. Modern Andalusia is a large autonomous region of farmland, hills and rivers bordering Spain’s southern coast with the famous cities of Seville, Málaga, Córdoba, and Granada. 

Ḥajj on Horseback revives a centuries-old Andalusian Muslim tradition by retracing the historic pilgrimage route from Southern Spain to Makkah—a route that has not been used in over 500 years. This project was initiated by Dr. Abdullah Hernandez, who embraced Islam in 1990. After embracing Islam, Dr. Hernandez made a promise to God that he would perform a pilgrimage to Mecca on horseback, and revive the pilgrimage route used by his ancient Andalusian ancestors. Three decades later, his promise has come to fruition.

The journey involves a group of Spanish Muslims traveling with eight specially trained, pure Arabian endurance mares from La Cañada del Robledo Stud Farm in Cádiz, Spain. These mares have been precisely selected for their strength, agility, and stamina, essential for the demanding 8,000 kilomter expedition. All of them are descendants of the endurance champion “Abu Khamseh,” from La Cañada del Robledo Stud Farm.

Despite the intensive training of both the mares and the riders, safety still remains a significant consideration for the team. So at all times throughout the journey, they have kept a team of experts and vehicles around them in the event of an emergency.

“Travelling overland, you start to feel attached to the countryside, to the animals, to the plants, to the weather…You start to have a kind of intuition, to understand the movement of the clouds, or even to sense where the qibla (the direction towards the Kaaba in Mecca) might be without looking at the phone,” Abdelkader Harkassi, one of the horsemen, said in an interview with The New Arab. 

Throughout the journey, the pilgrims have come into contact with numerous countries and cultures, whose people warmly greet them. They have been given tours and made stops at historic sites, such as Ḥajji Mosque in Bosnia’s Sarajevo. This mosque is where Bosniaks traditionally stopped before departing for Ḥajj.

Additionally, a few weeks before reaching Saudi Arabia, the pilgrims reached the newly liberated Syria—freed from the oppressive, tyrannical Assad regime. 

When the pilgrims had initially left Spain for pilgrimage, they had thought that passing through Syria would have been “totally impossible” due to the Assad regime. However, as the pilgrims said, thanks to God, Syria is a different place than what it was only a few months ago. The current interim president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, along with other Syrian officials and citizens welcomed the pilgrims with open arms. They toured them around the new Syria, after months of rebuilding. 

One notable site the team visited was The Great Umayyad Mosque, located in the heart of Syria’s capital, Damascus. It was built during the rule of the second caliphate of Islam, the Umayyad Caliphate. The Umayyads ruled over the Muslim world from 661 to 750. Interestingly, in Islamic tradition, there is a prophecy that Jesus (may peace be upon him), son of Mary (may peace be upon her) will descend from heaven towards the white minaret east of Damascus, which is believed to be one of the minarets of the Umayyad Mosque.

“They kept chanting that they were our ancestors, since Syrians are the sons of the Umayyads, those who settled in Al-Andalus. To most people, we reminded them of the stories of their grandparents, the stories that were left in the families, or the history books,” Abdelkader said in the same interview with The New Arab. 

The journey itself is a cultural revival of the historical route that Andalusian Muslims used to perform pilgrimage. This leaves one to wonder, who were the Andalusians, and how did Islam reach Spain?

The History of the Andalusians

This region of Southern Spain has a long, complicated history. The Romans had once conquered the lands in 210 and 206 B.C.E., until the 5th century C.E. when the land was conquered again by the Vandals followed by the Visigoths. Two centuries later, Islam was born in the year 610 C.E. 

By the mid seventh century, Islam had reached North Africa under the Umayyad caliphate and, most importantly, it had reached the region of North Western Africa. This region is known as the Maghreb, meaning sunset. The name Maghreb is a descriptive toponym, meaning its name is related to its geographical location. The sun sets in the west, and this region is in the west of North Africa. Today, the countries in this region are Libya, Mauritania, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.

When the Arab Muslims came to Morocco in around 681 C.E.;, the Muslim population in the Maghreb were known as the Moors. The Moors made their way to the city of Tangier, the northernmost city of Morocco. Tangier is the city closest to the North of the coast, so it’s the closest to the Iberian Peninsula. 

Naturally, the Moors travelled North to Spain, driven by the natural inclination to explore. From there, the Moors ruled over Spain—more specifically the Iberian Peninsula— and even some parts of Southern Italy, such as the cities of Sicily and Bari. During this time, the Iberian Peninsula was known as Al-Andalus.

Crops, irrigation networks, Islamic water management techniques (maintaining water hygiene and conserving water), agricultural techniques, and more were among Moorish imports from the East to Spain that helped Spain thrive under Moorish rule. 

Al-Andalus, or Andalusia, became part of the independent Umayyad caliphate of Córdoba founded by ʿAbd al-Raḥmān III in 929 C.E. His predecessor, Abd al-Raḥmān I commissioned the construction of the famous Great Mosque of Córdoba. 

Eventually, Al-Andalus broke up into a small number of taifas, which are small kingdoms. The most known of which are Sevilla, Málaga, and Córdoba. Then, in 1492 C.E., when Columbus sailed the seas, the last Muslim kingdom in Spain known as the Emirate of Granada (ruled by Muhammad XII of Granada, known as King Boabdil), fell to the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella at the end of the Spanish Reconquista. 

This led to the mass expulsion and persecution of Muslims and Jews alike. Jews were exiled under The Alhambra Decree by a certain deadline, and Muslims were pressured to convert to Christianity or face exile. Eventually, despite having converted to Christianity, the descendants of the Moors, called Moriscos, were exiled from Spain in the 17th century under suspicion of them secretly practicing Islam. The majority of Muslims and Jews resettled in North Africa and the Ottoman Empire, while some Jews resettled in Italy. This is why the Great Mosque of Córdoba is now known as the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, due to the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella having it converted to a cathedral.

The Heartwarming Experiences of the Ḥajj on Horseback Team

It’s no wonder that the last recorded pilgrimage from Andalusia is from 500 years ago. In fact it’s a shock that it hasn’t been longer, considering the Muslim persecution that was present at the time. 

Understanding the history of this region, its culture, and its people helps us understand why this journey is so important to Dr. Abdullah Hernandez, his crew, and others with Andalusian heritage. To further grasp the importance and significance of this journey to Dr. Abdullah Hernandez, I reached out to conduct an interview with their social media manager, Youssef. Everything enclosed in parentheses has been added to define words and references.

How did Dr. Abdullah Hernandez’s personal journey to Islam influence this decision, and what does this pilgrimage mean to your group as Spanish Muslims reconnecting with your Andalusian heritage?

“Dr. Abdullah Hernandez embraced Islam 35 years ago and, out of immense gratitude to Allah (God) for the guidance, he made a promise to perform Ḥajj in the same way as his ancestors—on horseback. This journey is the fulfillment of that vow, as he now travels toward Makkah, following the path of his forefathers.

The journey is also one of unity, inspiring both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It has provided an opportunity for da’wah (inviting others to Islam, i.e. preaching) as we showcased the beauty of Islam to our non-Muslim hosts. Similarly, as we travel, we have documented the warm welcomes and solidarity we’ve received in every Muslim country we’ve passed through, highlighting the strong bonds that unite us all.

Lastly, Ḥajj is the journey of a lifetime, testing us physically, mentally, and spiritually. Traveling on horseback allows us to experience the struggles our ancestors endured to fulfill this sacred pillar of our Deen (faith), deepening our appreciation for the honor of being invited to the House of Allah (God) and understanding the profound magnitude of this blessing.

The warm welcomes that the team has received from people along the way is certainly not unique to just them. I personally faced these warm welcomes on my trip to Mecca this past August. On my stop at Jordan, all the security, staff, and civilians greeted me with warm welcomes upon learning that I was performing ʿUmrah. They were also taken aback by how young I was, despite my looks.

In Mecca, I was shown the utmost kindness, greetings, and congratulated on an event that had occurred recently at the time. Last July, college students in Bangladesh began protesting for government quota reforms, to make the government more of a meritocracy. This was met with violence by the government run by the prime minister and dictator Sheikh Hasina. The protesting and police violence eventually reached the general public, sparking Bangladesh’s July Revolution, leading to Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country. 

So in my time in Mecca, I was congratulated by Saudis and other nationalities for the liberation of Bangladesh. It was truly an honor to connect with these people whom I had never met before. To add on, a similar interaction has happened with the Ḥajj on Horseback team too, as they have travelled through the newly liberated Syria—a state previously dominated by the brutal dictatorship under the Assad regime.”

What has been the most memorable, shocking, surprising, or heartwarming moment on the road so far, and have you experienced any moments along the way that felt like signs or blessings from Allah (God)?

“Alhamdulillah [meaning “praise be to Allah (God),” used conversationally to say “Thank God”], there have been many moments along this journey that have felt like clear signs and blessings from Allah. One that stands out happened while the team was in Italy. It was a particularly rainy day, and they set off in the morning without knowing where they would spend the night—especially challenging since they also needed space for the horses.

As they travelled, they began reciting the du‘a (supplication; prayer):

حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ

ḤasbunAllahu wa ni’mal wakeel

‘Allah (God) is sufficient for me, and He is the best disposer of affairs.’

Not long after, a woman driving by stopped and asked where they were headed. When they told her they were on their way to Ḥajj, she asked if they had a place to stay. Upon learning they didn’t, she took it upon herself to find them suitable accommodation—one that could also house the horses. Alhamdulilah, she succeeded.

SubhanAllah [meaning “glory be to Allah (God),” used conversationally at a beautiful sight or moment], this was a powerful reminder that Allah provides in the most unexpected ways, always at the perfect time.

This was captured in this video [recorded] in Arabic and Spanish.”

This moment demonstrates the warm hospitality shown towards the pilgrims and other pilgrims alike. It also serves as a reminder of life’s beauty, and how one should not overstress in contemplation over one’s future. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. We don’t know what will happen the following day, week, month, year, and so on. We simply do not know what the future holds for us. Despite this uncertainty, the one who stresses thinking about the future is eventually met with a satisfactory and soothing solution that eases their worries. So long as one is doing what they can, they should not worry about the future, as their provision will find its way to them eventually. This experience from the Ḥajj on Horseback team beautifully encapsulates this lesson.

What do you hope others take away from your pilgrimage?

“We aim to inspire young people by highlighting the examples of the Sahaba and those who followed in their footsteps—figures such as Khalid Ibn al-Walid, Tariq Ibn Ziyad, and many others. In a time when positive masculine role models are increasingly rare, their stories offer powerful examples of strength, faith, and leadership.

We also hope to showcase the unity of our Ummah (Muslims of the world), despite the many challenges it has faced over the past century (such as colonialism), and to affirm that Islam remains vibrant and deeply rooted in our communities across the world, Alhamdulillah.”

The group that Youssef refers to, the Sahaba, is the group of Muslims (companions) who met the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ; peace and blessings be upon him) while he was still alive. Muslim or not, this group of people serve as excellent examples of good character due to their strong piety. These figures held strong morals, faith, resilience, and so on. They demonstrated both their strength and even their gentleness. 

One of the companions, named Abu Huraira, is a great example of that. His full name is actually Abd Al-Rahman ibn Sakhr Al-Azdi. However, he was given the nickname ‘Abu Hurair’a because of his strong fondness of cats and because he found a stray kitten, so he took it into his sleeve, taking it wherever he went. So it’s not a surprise that the name “Abu Huraira” literally means “Father of a kitten.” This is a great demonstration of the mercy that the Sahaba showed towards all of creation, both people and animals.

Where are the pilgrims currently staying?

As of May 5th, 2025, the pilgrims had reached Saudi Arabia and have been met with a kind reception by the people of Medina as well as Saudi government officials. Ḥajj is expected to begin on the evening of Wednesday, June 4th, so in the meantime, they have spent their time relaxing, unwinding, and showcasing the wonders of Islamic history in Saudi Arabia to their Instagram followers. Two sites are the various parts of Islam’s second holiest mosque called Al Masjid an Nabawi, which translates to “The Prophet’s Mosque,” and an ancient city of ruins called Dumah al-Jandal, in the province of Al-Jawf, with the first ever minaret in Islam. They will soon be performing Ḥajj with a million other pilgrims after a long, but worthwhile journey—a journey that has finally fulfilled Dr. Abdallah Hernandez’s 35 year vow made to God. 

Every year, millions of pilgrims flock to the birthplace of Islam—Mecca, Saudi Arabia— to fulfill one of the five pillars of Islam: Ḥajj. The word “Ḥajj” literally means “to intend a journey,” in reference to the sacred act of pilgrimage. On this pilgrimage, worshippers perform several rituals from five to six days to both please and maintain their remembrance of God.