Question for Muslims (Mecca) (hell, prophet, experience, faith, religions)

[Jistyr]

I don't know much about Islam except its very basics, and I'm trying to expand my knowledge of the subject so that I can better understand it along with a number of other religions.

While studying Malcomb X, an extremely interesting character, I took note of how his pilgrimage to Mecca deeply changed him. And such a thing really sparked my interest in Mecca. I now have a strong desire to know what it's all about.
So if you are among those that believe in Islam, I have a simple question or two for you.

1. Have you travelled to Mecca yet?
2. If so, how has it changed you, and what was your experience like?

[Cordoba]

Hello Jistyr

Being in Makkah and Madinah is a tremendous experience

The calmness and serenity of Makkah and Madinah (where Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him is burrried) has no equivalent anywhere else in the world

Going there on pilgrimage makes one closer to God, increases the level of faith and brings inner peace and tranquility

For Malcolm back in the 1960s, it was also a wake-up call that there is no difference between black and white people, and that we are all brothers and sisters

It was that experience which made him move away from some of the NOI extreme ideas and adopt mainstream Islam