The Hadj: An American's Pilgrimage to Mecca [Paperback]

Michael Wolfe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 1998

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In an engaging and instructive account of his experiences as a Muslim pilgrim to Mecca, California freelance writer, editor and publisher Wolfe lifts the veil for Western readers on this ancient and sacred duty of Islam, simultaneously presenting a lively and sympathetic picture of Muslims. Wolfe, a self-described "mongrel" son of a Christian mother and a Jewish father, says he wanted not to "trade in" his culture in his recent conversion to Islam, but to find "access to new meanings" and "an escape route from the isolating terms of a materialistic culture." He explores new meanings through readings in translation of Islamic literature, religion and history, but most of all in discussions with other men, especially the wise, folksy and enthusiastic Mostopha, with whom he spends Ramadan. (Not surprisingly, the only woman of note in the book is Mostopha's wife Qadisha who, it seems, is always cooking.) The pilgrimage itself is palpably detailed with its intense heat, ardor, bonding, visits to holy sites, multitude of prayers, rules, illnesses and kindnesses, all shared by the more than a million pilgrims who crowd this awesome holy ritual.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

A rare firsthand account, by an American writer and recent Muslim convert, of a journey to the geographical heart of ``the least understood of the world's great religions.'' Wolfe postpones his trip to Mecca until the second half of his narrative, preceding it with a colorful but meandering description of his sojourn in Morocco. There, he wanders through noisy bazaars, sleeps on sheepskins, chats with Moroccan friends about politics and faith, watches a Sufi group chant and sway, visits Paul Bowles, dons a djellaba for daily Islamic prayers, and gradually comes to feel more at home in that exotic culture. But all this is padding, if skillfully stitched together. Readers will sigh with relief when Wolfe's plane finally touches down in Jiddah and he emerges into the blistering heat of a Saudi summer. Here, again, Wolfe insists on detailing countless conversations with friends and companions, but he also describes--as vividly as any writer before him--the swelter and crush of millions of pilgrims jostling past the Kaaba (the great cubical stone in the center of Mecca's great mosque) or wending their way to the valley of Arafat. Everyone wears the pilgrim's white terry-cloth robes; personal identity is submerged; all eyes are on Allah. While in Mecca, not all is religion--Wolfe mediates an automobile deal, reads Lord Jim, meets pilgrims from around the world--but everything remains subordinate to the author's being at the core of ``the final, matured expression of an original religion reaching back to Adam.'' Brief forays into Islamic theology and history help explain things--with some cheerleading--for untutored readers. Notable, in these muted polemical digressions, is Wolfe's decision to ignore the most common criticisms of Islam, for its views on violence and on women. Too cluttered, and blemished by sly jibes at Judaism and Christianity, but still memorable as travelogue and Islamic apologetic. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (September 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802135862
• ISBN-13: 978-0802135865
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #894,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > Travel > Middle East > Saudi Arabia

More About the Author

Michael Wolfe was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, educated at Wesleyan University (Classics, 1968), and lives in Northern California. He is the author of ten books of poetry, fiction, and travel. He has been a fellow at Bread Loaf Writers Conference and a guest at the MacDowell Colony. He held the Amy Lowell Traveling Poets Scholarship for three years while living in North and West Africa. In the 1970s and 1980s he owned and ran a bookstore and a book bindery and edited and published Tombouctou Books, Bolinas, CA, including titles by Paul Bowles, Mohammed Mrabet, Jim Carroll, Dale Herd, Steve Emerson, Bobbie Louise Hawkins, Lucia Berlin, Bill Berkson, Duncan McNaughton, Clark Coolidge, and many others.

In 1990, he made the pilgrimage to Mecca and subsequently wrote two books on the subject.

He is currently Co-Executive Producer and President of Unity Productions Foundation, a nonprofit media company that produces documentary films.

For more information see Wikipedia and Who's Who in America, 60th Education.


Publication History


Paradise: Reading Notes. Verse. Blue Press, 2010.
Taking Back Islam: American Muslims Reclaim their Faith. Essays. 120 pages, Rodale Press, 2003.
One Thousand Roads to Mecca: Ten Centuries of Travelers Writing about the Muslim Pilgrimage. Travel. 620 pages, Grove Press, 1997.
The Hadj: An American's Pilgrimage to Mecca. Travel. 331 pages, Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, 1993.
Invisible Weapons. Stories. 177 pages, Creative Arts, 1986.
In Morocco. Travel writing, Sombre Reptiles, Berkeley Ca, 1980
No, You Wore Red. Verse, Tombouctou, Bolinas CA, 1980
How Love Gets Around. Verse, Soft Press, Vancouver, B.C., 1976
World Your Own. Verse, Calliope Press, Vermont, 1974

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kirkus Review Above Is Bigoted, June 17, 2005

By 

Mohja Kahf "Ph.D., Comparative Literature" (U.S.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hadj: An American's Pilgrimage to Mecca (Paperback)

Oh dear, for just one instant a Muslim writer forgot to key his writing to allaying Western concerns about Islam and addressing Western stereotypes, for their noble concerns must frame our every endeavor, so he rightly gets rapped on the hand by the Kirkus Review included above by Amazon:

"Notable, in these muted polemical digressions, is Wolfe's decision to ignore the most common criticisms of Islam, for its views on violence and on women."

'Noted?' Can you imagine a Catholic writer's account of a journey to Rome or a Jewish writer's journey to Jerusalem or a Protestant Christian writer's journey to Bethlehem being taken to task for not addressing their religion's 'views on violence and on women?' Yet each of these religions has problems with violence and women's rights as least as pressing as Islam's.

Wolfe does what he set out to do. Ably.

Up yours, Kirkus Reviews.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Describes Religious Pilgrimage, but Contains Little Religion, November 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Hadj: An American's Pilgrimage to Mecca (Paperback)

As a recent convert to Islam, I can only imagine what it would feel like to stand in the Great Mosque in Mecca with the hundreds of thousands of other pilgrims. Wolfe had this opportunity, but unfortunately, he did not sufficiently express his religious/spiritual impressions in the book. His writing style was a bit too objective and detached. It appeared that he carried the initial uneasyness he felt in Morocco (i.e. when he was afraid to enter the mosque) throughout the entire trip. However, I do applaud the honesty with which he described his religious upbringing and why he decided to become a Muslim.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A personal diary of a trip to Hadj, August 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Hadj: An American's Pilgrimage to Mecca (Paperback)

A very good account of one of the most important journeys in a Muslim's life. I picked up this hoping it would be a good guide for Muslim converts if not a guide for Hadj. It was neither. Although Wolfe does take a genuine interest in the Arab culture and the religion of Islam, he fails to take the opportunity to enlighten his readers on clearly, one of the world's most misunderstood religion. He does not talk about how to prepare, how to perform, why they do it and what to watch for at the Pilgrimage. Wolfe dwells instead on his personal observations of his tour of Morocco, Mecca and Medina; the book is a personal trip diary. The author has obviously started out by studying a lot into Islam, however, it seems he received his inspirations from unusual sources. He quotes liberally from Frost, Twain and Washington Irving throughout the book but rarely goes into the traditions of the Prophet of Islam. He even sumarizes the entire autobigraphy of the Prophet in 3 paragraphs. Wolfe's admiration for Mohammed (Peace be upon him) is very evident, however; scattered through the book amidst car deals and accounts of his shopping cart are revealing reasons on why he became a Muslim. A short list of the Prophet's words favorite sayings, towards the end, is as refreshing as the cool ZamZam waters of Mecca.