MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: In the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca, at least 2 million faithful Muslims are gathering for the annual pilgrimage known as the Haaj. CNN's Rula Amin is there.</s>RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): About 2 million pilgrims flooded the town of Mecca. Now that they're here, the believers say they are overwhelmed.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feeling of humbleness, tranquility, peace. Fantastic. This feels great. There's no word to describe it.</s>AMIN: Men and women, different races, different colors, culture, and nationality, the men in two pieces of white seamless cloth, the women dressed modestly. And as thousands and thousands glide barefoot around the Ka'bah (ph), they're all the same in the eyes of God.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm really glad these are my brothers and sisters. You know, this is like my family. We are all one.</s>AMIN: For Muslims, this is the journey of their lifetime, and at any cost. This worker from Gaza says he's been saving for the last four years to be able to afford the $1,000 it takes to travel here. This man has brought his sick mother on the pilgrimage of Haaj, fulfilling her lifetime wish. "God will bless us for withstanding the grueling conditions," he says. "The more the trouble, the bigger the reward." Muslims strive to make the pilgrimage once in their lifetime. Some keep coming back.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You feel like you left something behind, you got to come back for it.</s>AMIN: The reward for each prayer in this mosque is 100,000 times more than any other place. The pilgrims' sins are forgiven, and the devout believe here the chances are high their prayers will be answered. (on camera): So many prayers from so many people. For Muslims here, the diversity of the pilgrims is a proof to the reach of their faith, Islam, its followers, and its future. Rula Amin, CNN, Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Muslims Make Annual Pilgrimage to Mecca