Videos and pictures of Shah Rukh Khan taking the special journey to Mecca and offering prayers at the holy city for Muslims has gone viral. The holy act is known as Umrah.

The ritual involves taking a round of the Kaaba, which is at at the center of Islam's most important mosque, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is the most sacred site in Islam.

Compared to Haj, Umrah is sometimes considered the "lesser pilgrimage".

There is a lot of difference between Haj and Umrah. One being that Umrah is necessary. But it's a crucial practice.

Haj and Umrah are Islamic pilgrimages. The difference though is  Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is compulsory while Umrah is not

Umrah can be completed in a few hours. Haj is more ardous. At the same time is is time bound. While Umrah can be done any time. Aamir Khan had earlier undertaken the Haj pilgrimage.

SRK was in Saudi Arabia for the shooting of his film Dunki. He will also be seen in Pathan, co-starring Deepika Padukone