Spirituality is both personal and communal. An integration of the personal and communal will bring forth an authentic sense of the struggle to understand ones relationship with the Divine. It is only when a person is aware of the love relationship that exists between the Divine and themselves that they will then struggle to deepen their connection with that Source. The effort to come to terms with what the relationship and the process of trying to live out the expression of this relationship is spirituality. Spirituality is that action of becoming a person who is living out their fullest potential, it is an experience and reflection of what their faith has taught them. The Islamic tradition is rich with communal and personal ways of expressing one's spirituality and growing deeper in it. Two very distinctive features of Islamic spirituality that I found most meaningful are the pilgrimage and prayer. While other traditions have similar practices, Islam is rich in tradition in regards to these practices.
             Searching and traveling are an important part of the spiritual life. Believers yearn to trace the steps and see the sites of those who have gone before them in hopes of encounter the Divine. The pilgrimage to Mecca is not just a journey to a historical place but rather a journey that leads ones heart to God, it is a pillar of Islam, "the worship of a lifetime . . . the perfection of religion (al-Ghazali 83). The pilgrimage to Mecca is interesting in the fact that though people come from many distant places leaving their homes and families they feel as though they are returning home. The Muslim who has prayed their whole life facing Mecca finally gets to pray face to face. This encounter while personal has a large community dynamic. The action of pilgrimage is done within a group, the prayers, the washing, the walking they are all done together and in so doing one loses ones own identity and becomes part of the larger co...