Muslim facts

Idolatry. In Islam, shirk is the sin of practicing idolatry or polytheism, i.e., the deification or worship of anyone or anything besides the singular God, i.e., Allah. Literally, it means ascribing or the establishment of "partners" placed beside God. Those who practice shirk are termed mushrikun. Within Islam, shirk is an unforgivable crime if it remains unpardoned before death: Allah may forgive any sin if one dies in that state except for committing shirk.

Āyah. In the Islamic Quran, an Āyah is a "verse," one of the statements of varying length that make up the chapters (surah) of the Quran and are marked by a number. The word means "evidence," "sign" or "miracle," and in Islam may refer to things other than Quranic verses, such as religious obligations (ayat taklifiyyah) or cosmic phenomena (ayat takwiniyyah).

Seven. During the Hajj, about 6 million pilgrims gather to circle the building on the same day.