LOS ANGELES – For the 1428th straight lunar year, Muslims made the yearly pilgrimage to Makkah — the Hajj, which is compulsory on all physically, mentally and financially able Muslims – from Dec. 17-21.

More than 2.5 million Muslim pilgrims from all over the world, including 12,000 Americans, visited the holiest Islamic cites of Mecca and Medina. They did so in hopes of fulfilling a religious requirement while achieving the forgiveness promised in the Qur’an to the pious travelers whose pilgrimage is accepted.

Amongst American Muslims, a new trend has seen a large wave of young Muslims choosing to perform the pilgrimage early on in life. Hajj is seen as a purifying experience, and people usually perform it later in life after a certain level of financial independence and maturity is attained but after physical prowess has reached its peak.

But as youth achieve a greater understanding of their faiths, many times during their college years, the urge to fulfill one of the five pillars of Islam rises.

Aisha Shaikh, a 23-year-old psychology major at UC Irvine, made the trip before graduation.

"I thought the timing in my life was perfect for Hajj," she said. "I noticed myself being a lot more interested in learning about Islam. There were a lot of things about Islamic history that I did not know. I started learning about it partially through the (Muslim Student Union) and also by attending conferences and so on. So, I thought that this is a good time in my life since I was bringing so much change into my life. It was a perfect timing for my hajj mentally and physically."

Younger Muslims say they have found that changes in their lifestyles as well as the maturing elements of independence and college life have led them to feel a stronger reliance and necessity for the spirituality.

Many young couples also make it a priority to perform Hajj soon after their marriage, before it becomes harder to do so with young children.

Newlywed Dania Amaira, 20, from Chino Hills, performed Hajj this year with her husband. Hajj not only instilled a feeling of "brotherhood and sisterhood" in her, but she also felt it was "a great way to start a relationship as a husband and wife."

Amaira, who is a nutrition major at Cal Poly Pomona, added, "Right now I’m young and healthy, you never know when death knocks its door. The hadith says to go when you can go, and we had the means and opportunity to go, so why procrastinate?"

She said the experience of attending the largest Muslim gathering on earth was moving and overwhelming. "There were Muslims from all over the world. I wasn’t able to understand most of their languages, but we all felt the connection and bond that brought us together – worshipping the one Creator – and were able to communicate a message across to each other through gestures and smiles."

Anas Amla, 22, felt the same sense of unity, which was also displayed through the "ihram", or uniform for Hajj. The ihram consists of two unstitched pieces of cloth for men and any modest clothing for women.

"It was a beautiful sight where you see all the (pilgrims) in white," said the business and economics major at Irvine Valley College. "Everyone looked the same, you couldn’t tell the difference between a rich or poor person."

Mohammed Attar, 29, from Placentia, Calif. felt obliged to perform the pilgrimage due to his financial success and the independence of being a bachelor. "Allah has blessed me with a good career and the financial ability to go," said Attar, who is a senior product manager at IBM, "There was no reason not to go now."

Like most Americans, Attar embarked with a professional Hajj travel group named Dar al Huda. The crowds, public busses and long lines at the restrooms were just some of the hardships they faced. Fortunately, Attar expected such adversity, and being young, he had the stamina and health to cope with the hardships.

Attar said he spent most of his time in the remembrance of God, repenting and "praying for friends and family. He resolved to "spend more time memorizing Qur’an."

This year also marked the unveiling of the new one-way pedestrian passageway system at the "jamarat," the area where pilgrims do the symbolic stoning, which was infamous for deadly stampedes and disorganized traffic. The new system proved to be safer, but Ammar Siddiqi, 21, complained of delays. "It was a big line with a slow flow," he said. "People were stopping to make du’a, and people were pushing and shoving, but if you found a crease, you’d be alright."

The UC Irvine pre-med student still found the time to make du’a for his family, and he especially appreciated his experience on Mount Arafat, the day which is the essence of the Hajj. He explained: "It was really spiritual, I could feel God’s presence."