The Journey

As he finished the Maghrib, the sunset prayer, he felt grateful that the heat was letting up. It was unusually hot for May in New York and working at a kitchen didn’t help too much. But although his body felt that as a blessing, his soul still felt tormented by some recent news: he would not be travelling to Mecca, like he always dreamed.

The Hajj, a sacred yearly pilgrimage for every Muslim, would be very atypical this year. The pandemic, which…