MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA — In what experts are calling “the most online religious pilgrimage in human history,” 22-year-old college student Zayd Rahman announced this week that he had successfully completed the Hajj entirely through Google Street View.
“Honestly, it was super meaningful,” said Rahman, scrolling around the Grand Mosque on his laptop trackpad. “I really felt like I was there, except there was better Wi-Fi, fewer crowds, and I could pause midway through to DoorDash a burrito.”
Rahman reportedly began the pilgrimage after realizing airfare, lodging, physical exertion, and “being away from his gaming setup” would present serious obstacles. After consulting several YouTube explainers, a travel influencer’s “Hajj But Make It Aesthetic” vlog, and one Reddit thread titled “Can I Do This Remotely Or Nah,” he concluded that a fully digital version was “basically the same, spiritually speaking, if you squint.”
Family members were initially skeptical.
“My son told me he was going to perform Hajj from his room,” said his father, Kareem Rahman. “I assumed he meant he was researching it. Then I found him walking in circles around his MacBook saying the loading wheel was part of the experience.”
According to witnesses, Rahman completed the major rituals by dragging the tiny yellow Street View figure around sacred sites, occasionally whispering, “SubhanAllah, these pixels are incredible.” He marked each stage of the pilgrimage by updating his Instagram story with captions such as “Blessed,” “No filter, except satellite compression,” and “Day 3: spiritually exhausted from clicking.”
At one point, Rahman briefly panicked when Google Maps routed him through a closed service road, forcing him to retrace his steps and declare that “the algorithm was testing his patience.”
Religious scholars were reportedly divided on the development, with most agreeing that Rahman had definitely completed “something,” though not necessarily the Hajj.
“We commend this young man’s interest in his faith,” said one imam. “However, we would encourage him to understand that sacred obligations are not typically fulfilled by refreshing a browser window and saying ‘lag is my hardship.’”
At publishing time, Rahman had reportedly begun planning next year’s “Umrah VR experience,” provided his headset finished charging.
