On the way toward Saudi Arabia for Hajj, some American Muslims say they are balancing a sense of spiritual urgency with practical concerns about a region roiled by the Iran war and subsequent negotiations. Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage that fulfills one of the Five Pillars of Islam for Muslims who are physically and financially able, is officially set to begin Monday as pilgrims from around the world converge on the holy sites.
For Faisal Rashid, a doctorally pursuing student and a Los Angeles Police Department reserve officer, the journey has been years in the making. He said he and his wife jumped out of bed at 3 a.m. in February to secure spots after trying to navigate a digital booking platform. Rashid described the moment they learned they had been selected as “a very, very joyful experience,” adding that his wife was already crying, praying, and that they felt “very grateful that this happened.”
Rashid said he and his wife did not treat the decision as a purely logistical challenge, but as something shaped by faith and the expectation of endurance. He said his father asked how the war affected their plans, and that an aunt wondered whether they could get a refund if the situation worsened. He said he responded by thinking about others who “had previously endured far worse” and by framing Hajj as “a very physically and emotionally enduring expedition.”
As the conflict expanded before a ceasefire was reached in April, Rashid said his approach shifted toward leaning on religious teachings about effort and control. He said he began monitoring travel-related updates, including through a program that provides alerts from U.S. embassies and consulates abroad, but he emphasized that he has been trying not to fixate on uncontrollable developments. Rashid said in Islam “you’re supposed to do your very best effort but then let go of the things that … you don’t have control over,” and he added, “God is the best of planners.”
Travel worries heightened this year after the United States issued cautionary guidance. In April, the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh advised Americans to reconsider participating in this year’s Hajj, citing the then “security situation and intermittent travel disruptions.” Days later, officials continued discussing the broader conflict, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling reporters Friday that there was “slight progress” during talks with Iran over a potential peace deal.
Ahmed Sufyan, a surgeon in Michigan, said he has been concerned about potential flight disruptions on his return. His travel plan includes stops in Gulf countries that had been embroiled in the war that began on Feb. 28 with joint U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and included retaliatory strikes by Iran. Sufyan said, “There is some uncertainty with the war,” and that it “does add a level of concern,” even as he said, “the faith is what drives us.”
Other travelers described how the uncertainty has complicated family planning and timelines rather than undermining their resolve to go. Noor-e-ain Shahid, a Texas neurologist, said she initially arranged for her children to stay with family in Dubai, but that after the war erupted those plans became harder to trust. She said that by late April she decided there was too much unpredictability—citing concerns about what would happen if things flared in the region or if flight delays stranded her children in Dubai—and that her in-laws instead offered to care for the children in the United States.
Shahid said she is not worried about her own safety on the trip and framed her decision in religious terms. She said, “If Allah has invited me, then Allah will take care of me,” and added, “And if Allah has decided my end is there in this situation, then, I mean, I accept that.” She said she has been overwhelmed with emotion and described Hajj as “considered as rebirth,” saying, “You go there and you have an opportunity to become new when you come back and start over.”
In California, Rashid said preparations have also taken on both physical and spiritual dimensions. Ahead of Hajj, he said he and his wife worked on endurance by going to the gym and taking walks, and he said he advised that “new shoes … must be broken in.” He also described collecting prayer requests from others and said, “You want to go in spiritually with a clean slate, not with any kind of ill hearts or bitterness,” while trying to avoid anxiety about “worldly things.”