100-mosque adventure: Young German Muslim's path to embrace Ummah's colours

At the height of the global pandemic in December 2020, Billal Higo was aboard a plane from Munich to Istanbul when he was struck with inspiration.

Billal's urge to nurture his personal and spiritual growth became even stronger. His decision to embark on this mosque-visiting journey became a significant turning point in his life, representing a deliberate shift in focus from his successful career in aviation towards his personal and spiritual development.

Sitting on his flight to Istanbul, Billal asked himself, “How many mosques can I pray in on this trip?”

“I thought that if I pray each daily prayer in a congregation in one mosque in 21 days, I would pray in 105 different mosques in total,” Billal tells TRT World.

Inspired by the words of Prophet Muhammed, “Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveller,” Billal set out on a discovery of his faith by exploring the diversity of Muslim identities through his travels around the world.

Billal's story serves as an inspiration and point of reflection for others as the annual season of Hajj begins - a time when millions of Muslims gather in the sacred city of Mecca to seek forgiveness and witness a profound sense of unity with their fellow Muslim brothers and sisters.

Officials from Saudi Arabia estimate that some two million Muslims are joining this year’s pilgrimage that begins on Monday. One of the world’s largest religious gatherings is returning to full capacity this year after three years of Covid-19 restrictions.

Journey to Istanbul

Outlining the ambitious goal he set for himself, Billal immediately texted this idea to his travel companion, Karim, who was on another plane from Berlin to Istanbul.

The temporary closure of the mosques during the pandemic had a profound impact on many Muslims, including Billal. Prior to Covid lockdowns, he spent a significant amount of time socialising, praying, and studying at mosques.

He has studied Cultural and Social Psychology at the London School of Economics and completed his research in 2021 on the 'cultural and religious identity crises among Muslims in Germany'. He spent a considerable amount of time in mosques while researching the subject.

‘Filling up the spiritual tank’

On this three-week trip to Türkiye, Billal described his intention as wanting to get his “spiritual tank filled up again.”

“It was the first time I specifically set my intention to pray all or most of my prayers in mosques during my trip,” he said, recognising the importance of sacred spaces in understanding and embracing the diversity of the global Muslim community.

The experience was a significant turning point in his life, said Billal, who is now working as a counselling therapist, cultural psychology researcher and an upcoming clinical psychologist.

Over the past two years, Billal visited 19 countries - from Türkiye to South Africa. Along the way, he also visited Bosnia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan and reached Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Through his travels, Billal wanted "to get to know and understand the diversity of Muslims in different parts of the world through visiting mosques and gaining invaluable insights from their cultures."

First stop: Istanbul’s Blue Mosque

On his journey from Istanbul, Billal and his friend, Karim, set out on an unusual route, starting from the historic Blue Mosque, an Ottoman-era house of worship with six minarets built by Sultan Ahmed I and completed in 1616.

From there, their road trip took them to the less touristy Turkish provinces such as Bilecik, Afyon, Aksaray, and Zonguldak, visiting as many mosques at each stop. They completed their challenge by praying at the Omer Ibn el-Hattab Mosque, the 100th and last mosque of their challenge, in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

Asked which mosque in Türkiye was his favourite, he gave a quite surprising answer: It was neither Ayasofya nor Suleymaniye. Not an Ottoman-style domed mosque with gorgeous blue tiles, nor a classical Anatolian Seljuk mosque with wooden columns.

Billal said it was a humble mosque in the small Anatolian town of Aksaray that took his breath away. Kaya Camii was carved into a cave and built on rubble stone and rough cut stone.

In a national park, rushing to find a mosque for noon prayer and struggling to locate a nearby mosque on Google Maps, he suddenly spotted a sign among the rocks guiding him to a modest mosque.

“It was so simple, authentic, and humble,” Billal recalled. “It reminded me of Suratul Rahman, which encourages believers to be aware of the beauty of nature.”

With no one available to make the call to prayer, Billal’s friend Karim stepped up to make the call. The two friends performed their prayers together, this time with trees, rocks, and mountains as part of their congregation.

“I will never forget this mosque,” he said.

Beginning of a new challenge

Billal’s adventure and spiritual journey through Türkiye and Bosnia was just the beginning. Soon, he found himself on a new challenge, and visiting mosques became an indispensable part of each trip he plans.

On his visit to South Africa, Billal found himself praying inside a mosque in Robben Island, off Capetown, where Nelson Mandela spent the last 18 years of his 27-year imprisonment until apartheid was disbanded following his election as president in 1994.

During each trip, Billal navigates the different tapestries of Islamic cultures, praying each one of his daily prayers in congregations in different mosques, meeting local people and experiencing their unique ways of practising Islam.

“I realised that when I tried to focus on the mosques and their communities. I get to know the country and its culture in another way,” Billal said.

Tajik hospitality

In every country he explores, Billal is greeted with warmth and hospitality by the communities, who embrace him as a fellow Muslim in their mosques.

“When I am in the mosque, when people see me praying, especially because I’m very tall and dark-skinned, people usually see me directly. In the mosque, people don’t see me as a guy with dollars or as a tourist. They’re like he’s one of us, somebody praying with us.”

He also recalled how he received countless invitations from different people, and there was one invitation that stood out and left an unforgettable impression on him.

While in Tajikistan, he met a man named Jakha at a mosque who invited him to his home. Little did Billal know that the invitation would take him to a village located 40 minutes away from the mosque.

Describing the unique encounter, Billal recounted, “When I arrived in the village, I realised it was a completely different life in a small town. The whole family of Jakha lives on the same street.”

“I went to Jakha's house, and his neighbours joined us. We ate together, got to know each other and even slept at their house. I am still in touch with him and his family.”

‘100-mosque challenge’

Billal’s 100-mosque challenge stands as a testament to the enduring bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood that transcend nationalities, cultures, and languages.

Asked about the most important lesson he learned from his transformative journeys, Billal replied, "You will always find differences if you look for them. But once you start focusing on the similarities, you can create trust, and once you create trust, people will be more open to inviting you into their private spaces, and that's the real place where you will learn about cultures. I think this is what opened the doors.”

Throughout the experience, it was not his nationality or the colour of his skin that mattered, but his Muslim identity, he added.

The insights and experiences drawn from his travels are a reflection of what he learned from the Quran (49:13): "O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another".

He understands that connecting with people of diverse backgrounds strengthens his bond with his Creator and fulfils the Quranic command to know and appreciate one another.

“In 2024, I’m aiming for the ultimate peak of my mosque challenges and will be sharing the details of this upcoming trip soon on my Instagram account”, concludes Billal with excitement, eagerly looking forward to the culmination of his efforts and the discovery of unforgettable moments that lie ahead.