The Hadj: An American's Pilgrimage to Mecca: An American Pilgrimage to Mecca - Softcover

Wolfe, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802135862 ISBN 13: 9780802135865

Publisher: Grove Press, 1998

Synopsis

The Hadj, or sacred journey, is the pilgrimage to the house of God at Mecca that all Muslims are asked to make once in their lifetimes. One of the world’s longest-lived religious rites, having continued without break for fourteen hundred years, it is, like all things Islamic, shrouded in mystery for Westerners. In The Hadj, Michael Wolfe, an American who converted to Islam, recounts his own journey a pilgrim, and in doing so brings readers close to the heart of what the pilgrimage means to a member of the religion that claims one-sixth of the world’s population. Not since Sir Richard Burton’s account of the pilgrimage to Mecca over one hundred years ago has a Western writer described the Hadj in such fascinating detail.

About this title

Product Description:

The Hadj: an American's Pilgrimage to Mecca A convert to Islam describes his pilgrimage to Mecca, recounting his preparations for the trip, the significance of the pilgrimage, and his journey across Muslim North Africa. Full description

Review:

"Wolfe has perhaps provided the clearest statement of an American Muslim since Malcolm X." Journal of Near Eastern Studies

"The most engaging of travel books . . . his pilgrimage will move people of all faiths and of none at all, because it describes a universal journey for meaning, transcendence and peace." The Literary Review

"Wolfe lifts the veil on this ancient and sacred duty, simultaneously presenting a lively and sympathetic picture of Muslims." Publishers Weekly

"It requires a special sensitivity to write well about the Hadj. . . . Michael Wolfe’s tone is exactly right." The Times Literary Supplement

About this edition

• Publisher: Grove Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0802135862
• ISBN 13: 9780802135865
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352