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Pilgrimage in Islam: Traditional and Modern Practices
It is not only the holy cities of Mecca and Karbala to which Muslim pilgrims travel, but a wide variety of sacred sites around the world. Journeys are undertaken to visit graves of important historical and religious individuals, the tombs of saints, and natural sites such as mountaintops and springs.
Exploring the richness and diversity of traditions practiced by the 1.5 billion Muslims across the world, Sophia Rose Arjana provides a rigorous theoretical discussion of pilgrimage, ritual practice and the nature of sacred space in Islam, both historically and in the present day. This all-encompassing survey covers issues such as time, space, tourism, virtual pilgrimages and the use of computers and smartphone apps. Lucidly written, informative and accessible, it is perfectly suited to students, scholars and the general reader seeking a comprehensive picture of the defining ritual of religious pilgrimage in Islam.
Exploring the richness and diversity of traditions practiced by the 1.5 billion Muslims across the world, Sophia Rose Arjana provides a rigorous theoretical discussion of pilgrimage, ritual practice and the nature of sacred space in Islam, both historically and in the present day. This all-encompassing survey covers issues such as time, space, tourism, virtual pilgrimages and the use of computers and smartphone apps. Lucidly written, informative and accessible, it is perfectly suited to students, scholars and the general reader seeking a comprehensive picture of the defining ritual of religious pilgrimage in Islam.
- GenresIslamReligionNonfiction
288 pages, Paperback
Published July 3, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 20, 2017
I picked up this book when i saw it sitting on the "New Arrivals" shelf at my local library. The fact that it discusses both traditional & modern practices is what really drew me to it. I was interested in finding out how pilgrimage could possibly change over time, and learning more about it in general.
Sophia Rose Arjana's writing is clear & succinct, which helps a lot in an educational text. From the start, she makes it clear that she will be discussing many other, lesser-known pilgrimages. This was, somehow, news to me. I was aware that there were many Christian pilgrimages, but i always thought Mecca was the Muslim pilgrimage. Arjana goes over Mecca-- & Jerusalem, & Medina-- briefly in the second chapter, and even Jerusalem & Medina were news to me. I thought Mecca, the hajj, the ka'bah, were the end-all be-all, which is silly in retrospect. Especially once Arjana begins discussing the Islamic diaspora, reaching all over the world.
I found it fascinating, for example, how Muslims living incredibly far from Mecca, have basically found substitutes for the hajj. Arjana frequently references Muslims living in Asia, & how certain landmarks, such as mountains, can almost stand in for Mecca-- if not override its potency. She also discusses the various different sects of Islam, and how that influences the pilgrimages people take. Basically, if you're like me, & thought "Mecca is it, & there's only Sunni & Shi'i, right?" you'll learn a lot. And i had even known somewhat about Karbala, but not that it was a focus of pilgrimage, & a huge focus in general for many Muslims.
Chapter four is subtitled "Contestations of Identity", & it's spot-on. Arjana goes to great pains to try & help us non-Muslims understand the different identities & branches of Islam. She almost works herself in circles trying to explain what "Sufi" really means, as opposed to the Westernized concept of the mystic. (In quite a few ways, i saw shots fired at The Mystic Heart, which i read earlier this year. Not just with labeling Sufis as "mystics," but at Westernized, Christian-centered mysticism as the paradigm for "mysticism" as well. It was surprisingly satisfying.) It was sometimes confusing to follow, which leads me to feel that at some point, Arjana should have maybe just made a final statement & left it at that.
That, & she didn't have to keep reminding us what baraka (/-t) meant. It felt like every other time the term was mentioned, it was defined again.
I was really interested in what Arjana had to say about things like items purchased at sites, as well as how pilgrimage has changed with the advent of technology. It's sad to learn that even pilgrimage isn't safe from a capitalist mindset, but i was grateful that Arjana didn't focus on just that. She delved into the spiritual concept of objects bought at a pilgrimage site, even if the items were made in China. The idea that the item itself carries the blessings & goodness from the pilgrimage site itself is something that makes a lot of sense to me, & it was interesting to learn. And i found the concept of items like turab really cool (which i hope doesn't sound demeaning in any way). A way to bring sacred earth with you wherever you are, to even be able to pray upon it? That is incredibly profound, to me, and innovative as well!
I was glad that Arjana didn't just focus on materialism & commodification, which is what i think any non-Muslim scholar would have. They would have focused on it to the exclusion of the other points Arjana raises, about the meaning of those items to pilgrims. Arjana is aware of the power these items carry for people, and the various spiritual ways they function, and i feel she brought that to the forefront of the discussion: infinitely more interesting & nuanced than a tired old argument about commodification.
Arjana gives a broad overview of how technology has impacted doing pilgrimage, including, even, apps that function in the place of the usual guidebooks. I wasn't surprised by that, or by pilgrimage sites even having live feeds. But i'm still wondering, then, how does one do pilgrimage through their computer or smart phone? If your link is through something like a streamed live feed, how do you actually perform pilgrimage? I wonder this especially for North American Muslims-- who, i noticed, Arjana doesn't really mention. Muslims throughout the diaspora are brought up as creating their own pilgrimages, but what about Muslims on this continent? Do they visit any particular graves or mosques, or do they do their pilgrimage via the internet? How do they recite prayers, receive baraka, through the internet, if they can't move around the site & physically touch things? Or is this something that is personal & unique to the individual?
The book is incredibly informative & engaging. Like i mentioned, Arjana's writing style is clear & concise, which helps the reader learn as much as possible. There's also a glossary of words in the back of the book (along with the massive bibliography!), in case you need to look up a definition. Arjana discusses Islamic pilgrimage in detail, ranging from the past & bringing it into the present: something that, she rightfully points out, many scholars do not do. The Afterword, in fact, discusses some of these kinds of issues head-on, and Arjana is so engaging here that i want her to write an entire book focused on just these kinds of issues. (Am i hoping for too much?)
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who has a specific interest in pilgrimage, or even just those of us who want to learn new things, regardless!
Sophia Rose Arjana's writing is clear & succinct, which helps a lot in an educational text. From the start, she makes it clear that she will be discussing many other, lesser-known pilgrimages. This was, somehow, news to me. I was aware that there were many Christian pilgrimages, but i always thought Mecca was the Muslim pilgrimage. Arjana goes over Mecca-- & Jerusalem, & Medina-- briefly in the second chapter, and even Jerusalem & Medina were news to me. I thought Mecca, the hajj, the ka'bah, were the end-all be-all, which is silly in retrospect. Especially once Arjana begins discussing the Islamic diaspora, reaching all over the world.
I found it fascinating, for example, how Muslims living incredibly far from Mecca, have basically found substitutes for the hajj. Arjana frequently references Muslims living in Asia, & how certain landmarks, such as mountains, can almost stand in for Mecca-- if not override its potency. She also discusses the various different sects of Islam, and how that influences the pilgrimages people take. Basically, if you're like me, & thought "Mecca is it, & there's only Sunni & Shi'i, right?" you'll learn a lot. And i had even known somewhat about Karbala, but not that it was a focus of pilgrimage, & a huge focus in general for many Muslims.
Chapter four is subtitled "Contestations of Identity", & it's spot-on. Arjana goes to great pains to try & help us non-Muslims understand the different identities & branches of Islam. She almost works herself in circles trying to explain what "Sufi" really means, as opposed to the Westernized concept of the mystic. (In quite a few ways, i saw shots fired at The Mystic Heart, which i read earlier this year. Not just with labeling Sufis as "mystics," but at Westernized, Christian-centered mysticism as the paradigm for "mysticism" as well. It was surprisingly satisfying.) It was sometimes confusing to follow, which leads me to feel that at some point, Arjana should have maybe just made a final statement & left it at that.
That, & she didn't have to keep reminding us what baraka (/-t) meant. It felt like every other time the term was mentioned, it was defined again.
I was really interested in what Arjana had to say about things like items purchased at sites, as well as how pilgrimage has changed with the advent of technology. It's sad to learn that even pilgrimage isn't safe from a capitalist mindset, but i was grateful that Arjana didn't focus on just that. She delved into the spiritual concept of objects bought at a pilgrimage site, even if the items were made in China. The idea that the item itself carries the blessings & goodness from the pilgrimage site itself is something that makes a lot of sense to me, & it was interesting to learn. And i found the concept of items like turab really cool (which i hope doesn't sound demeaning in any way). A way to bring sacred earth with you wherever you are, to even be able to pray upon it? That is incredibly profound, to me, and innovative as well!
I was glad that Arjana didn't just focus on materialism & commodification, which is what i think any non-Muslim scholar would have. They would have focused on it to the exclusion of the other points Arjana raises, about the meaning of those items to pilgrims. Arjana is aware of the power these items carry for people, and the various spiritual ways they function, and i feel she brought that to the forefront of the discussion: infinitely more interesting & nuanced than a tired old argument about commodification.
Arjana gives a broad overview of how technology has impacted doing pilgrimage, including, even, apps that function in the place of the usual guidebooks. I wasn't surprised by that, or by pilgrimage sites even having live feeds. But i'm still wondering, then, how does one do pilgrimage through their computer or smart phone? If your link is through something like a streamed live feed, how do you actually perform pilgrimage? I wonder this especially for North American Muslims-- who, i noticed, Arjana doesn't really mention. Muslims throughout the diaspora are brought up as creating their own pilgrimages, but what about Muslims on this continent? Do they visit any particular graves or mosques, or do they do their pilgrimage via the internet? How do they recite prayers, receive baraka, through the internet, if they can't move around the site & physically touch things? Or is this something that is personal & unique to the individual?
The book is incredibly informative & engaging. Like i mentioned, Arjana's writing style is clear & concise, which helps the reader learn as much as possible. There's also a glossary of words in the back of the book (along with the massive bibliography!), in case you need to look up a definition. Arjana discusses Islamic pilgrimage in detail, ranging from the past & bringing it into the present: something that, she rightfully points out, many scholars do not do. The Afterword, in fact, discusses some of these kinds of issues head-on, and Arjana is so engaging here that i want her to write an entire book focused on just these kinds of issues. (Am i hoping for too much?)
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who has a specific interest in pilgrimage, or even just those of us who want to learn new things, regardless!
July 24, 2022
The book was quite interesting as it focused on alternative pilgrimages in Islam vs Hajj. The author wrote in an engaging way and although it was quite academic the book in itself was easy to read.
My only critique is that she is overly focused on shi'i pilgrimages (which there seem to be a lot of) to the detriment of other places. For example she did not even mention the pilgrimage to Harar Ethiopia which many Muslims in Africa refer to as the 4th holiest place after Islam( I'm not sure if this has any backing). I was quite disappointed as being East African myself this pilgrimage is very well known and millions go there every year. I thought this was a jarring absence as it seems that non-Arab pilgrimages were not given as much attention with the exception of Indonesia perhaps. However the book was short which is why I can't fault her for this to much.
My only critique is that she is overly focused on shi'i pilgrimages (which there seem to be a lot of) to the detriment of other places. For example she did not even mention the pilgrimage to Harar Ethiopia which many Muslims in Africa refer to as the 4th holiest place after Islam( I'm not sure if this has any backing). I was quite disappointed as being East African myself this pilgrimage is very well known and millions go there every year. I thought this was a jarring absence as it seems that non-Arab pilgrimages were not given as much attention with the exception of Indonesia perhaps. However the book was short which is why I can't fault her for this to much.
July 18, 2018
This is a good introduction to the range of pilgrimage practices within Islam, many of which I wasn't aware of. It can't have been easy fitting so much into one book but Arjana manages to provide a comprehensive overview which is accessible and informative.
August 1, 2020
Fascinating work on the meaning of this famous pilgrimage tradition. As a Christian who has made a journey to Israel, I found the traditions of Hajj to be amazing.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews