It is one of the five pillars of Islam: the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim must complete once in life, if possible.
But in Saddam Hussein's Iraq, millions never got the chance.
The regime that added the phrase "God is great" to the nation's flag barred vast numbers of its citizens from participating in one of their most sacred duties with rules that some Iraqis now refer to as criminal. Men in the military - Iraq's army alone included half a million - could not go to Mecca. Neither could men under 54. Nor unaccompanied women.
And those few who were not excluded were often bumped aside by those close to Hussein's family or his ruling Baath party, ordinary Iraqis and imams complain.
"Saddam did it for political reasons," snapped Mohammad Musil as he came from his evening prayers on Saturday. "He wanted people to focus only on Baath ideology."
But Hussein's rules were extinguished along with his government, and word came down earlier this month through Iraq's network of mosques that any adult could now apply to make the hajj.
The results have been explosive, said Thaer Ibrahim, the director of pilgrim affairs for the Ministry of Religious Affairs: Where in the past no more than 80,000 Iraqis had ever registered for the hajj, this year 197,000 applied in less than a month.
"It's hard to describe the excitement and joy of the Iraqi people when they heard the restrictions were canceled," said Ibrahim, who wears the robes of an imam. "It's been many long years for Iraqis, who kept their feelings inside, (along with) the pain and the desire to go to Mecca and fulfill their religious duties."
The demand was so large that a delegation of Iraqi officials traveled to Saudi Arabia to ask that the pent-up demand be met. Using a formula based on population, the Saudis determine how many pilgrims will be admitted to Mecca from each Islamic nation during the hajj season, which in 2004 runs from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2.
After the meeting, the Saudis raised Iraq's quota from 25,000 to 30,000, and officials said they were hoping that could inch even higher. Due to Hussein's strictures, Iraq sometimes did not even meet its quotas -- only 15, 000 pilgrims made the hajj last year.
"This is the first time that the door has been opened to all on an equal basis," said Iraq's interim trade minister, Ali Abdul-Amir Allawi. "(The Saudis) recognized there had been a sea change in Iraq."
Over the weekend, Iraq's imams began receiving thick stacks of computer- generated paper with the list of the lucky 30,000. Hajj officials said the names were randomly selected by computer, although some family members of people killed by Hussein's regime were reportedly given priority.
On Sunday, Iraqis flocked to their mosques to look for their names on long lists posted among the columns and arches. Some walked away celebrating, others in mourning. The unlucky said that inshallah - God willing - they will be chosen in 2005.
"My husband wasn't old enough to register for the hajj last year. We believed we could go this year," said Wahida Baki, her face a disappointed mask beneath a white head scarf as she walked away from Baghdad's Abu Hanifa mosque. "I can't be sure he will be alive next year. But, inshallah, he will be, and we can go."
Beside her, Bada Rahman, 30, who had just won a spot in the hajj lottery, nodded in sympathy. "I feel supportive of the old people," he said. "I'm young, I can go to hajj later. Maybe they should get priority."
He added, however, with a grin, that he was not prepared to give up his coveted privilege.
Across the city, in the Al Shoaf mosque, the same discrepancy caused one elderly man to bellow in frustration as he searched for his name in vain.
"All the names are of young people! I'm 63, I have to go on hajj!" he cried over the babble of the crowd. "What are the young people going to do on hajj? Are they going to dance?"
Similar scenes were replayed all over Baghdad, as mosques, already the centers of many Iraqis' social lives, vibrated with unusual energy. Ibrahim explained that the hajj is not just a religious event, it is also a chance to experience the camaraderie of the Islamic world, sharing celebrations and woes.
For Iraqis, who have endured much for a very long time, that can be a salve for the soul, he said. "At least 90 percent of their pain will be relieved in the hajj," he said. "The remaining 10 percent will be relieved when the Americans go home."
But Haider Foad Ali, 36, who as a member of Iraq's infantry was barred from the hajj in the past, said he does not plan to discuss politics with Allah or anyone else while in Mecca. He was just happy to learn he will go on a trip he hopes will ease the psychological trauma he suffered in war.
"The first thing I said was, 'Thank god we got rid of Saddam Hussein,'" he said. "I will ask God to give blessings to all Muslims, in Iraq and all other countries, so we can live in peace with the rest of the world."