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It’s a classic example of a scaling problem — a religion that requires its adherents to travel to a specific place at least once in their lives runs into problems when it grows to the point of including a billion people.

The religion was a clever marketing ploy by Muhammed. The Ka'aba contains a black meteorite which the Muslims say was given by Allah and where Abraham came to worship (though that's not mentioned in the OT and that story was unheard of for over 2600 years until Muhammed). Anyway, this Ka'aba temple to the moon god Sin (aka Allah) and his daughters was a pilgramage centre to pre-Islamic South-Westerna Arabs.

And, the caretakers of the Ka'aba were, surprise, surprise, Muhammed's family, the Qurayshis. By getting so many pilgrims the Qurayshies got so much more money. And now they're considered the Holy family (according to Allah, the most perfect race are the Arabs, the most perfect among those arabs are Qurayshis and the most perfect among those are Muhammed's descendents)

Islam's two major sects Sunnis and Shia'ahs arose because the Shia'as thought that Mo's son-in-law Ali should be Caliph, but the Sunnis went with Omar Bakri. Then later sects in islam are because one group wanted a certain Fatimid or Abbasid Caliph and the others said no.

Completely political

It’s kinda like being a Green Bay Packers fan.

At least once in your life you’re expected to make a pilgrimage to Lambeau Field. Even if you don’t have tickets, it’s still OK if you walk around the stadium and then maybe visit the Stadium View Bar or Reggie White’s Pro Shop.

At no point are you obligated to slaughter a sheep or perform ablutions. But it is required that you drink at least one beer in the parking lot or if you can’t drink, you’re supposed to buy a souvenir at the Packer Pro Shop.

If I die tomorrow, I’m going to heaven because I have made a pilgrimage to Lambeau Field.