And so it happened in the course of time that the Word of God was born among the descendants of Ishmael, Muhammed, who glorified the name of the Lord of Abraham aloud, which was heard from the depths of the earth to the summit of heaven, and re-echoed from the north to the south pole; which shook the nations and stirred up races, and so pierced through the hearts of men that the desert, which bore no fruit, no treasure of any kind -- no beauty of scenery, no charm of climate -- became a center of attraction for numberless souls, who came from all parts of the world and assembled in that land of bliss, king and pauper standing shoulder to shoulder, both recognizing the equality of men in the Presence of God. The strong and weak, rich and poor, high and low, civilized and uncivilized, all come year by year on pilgrimage to Mecca in this land, clad in one piece of cloth, for all to look alike, and to show to God and humanity the equality of the human brotherhood. This is called Hajj in Islam.