# Pilgrimage for Muslims born in and residing in Mecca and Medina

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilgrimage-for-muslims-born-in-and-residing-in-mecca-and-medina/765595>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 10, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilgrimage-for-muslims-born-in-and-residing-in-mecca-and-medina/765595 "2016-09-10T23:58:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 39

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilgrimage-for-muslims-born-in-and-residing-in-mecca-and-medina/765595/39 "2016-09-21T21:02:45Z")

</div>

Here, for instance, Ramira chides us for thinking that Muslim clergymen need qualifications as do Christian clergymen.

> [@Muslims Who Are Too Or Infirm To Bow Down In Prayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslims-who-are-too-or-infirm-to-bow-down-in-prayer/740345/25):
>
> It is useful to repeat, in Islam there is no idea of the cleric or the priest. Is it hard for many to understand this, but it simply is not existing.
> 
> AK84 correctly highlights
> 
> > [@Muslims Who Are Too Or Infirm To Bow Down In Prayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslims-who-are-too-or-infirm-to-bow-down-in-prayer/740345/2):
> >
> > The decision to do so is yours alone.
> 
> It is true in fact about all things in Islam.  
> Some people of course like to get the fatwa (an opinion) of a scholar because that is how they are, and it seems to me that converts in the west can never quite shake their orientation to the idea of religious priesthoods, but it is not necessary.

---

_[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilgrimage-for-muslims-born-in-and-residing-in-mecca-and-medina/765595)._