Customer Reviews

The Hadj: An American's Pilgrimage to Mecca

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

In this book Michael Wolfe, an American convert to Islam has described his personal Hadj to Makkah beautifully. The pilgrimage to Makkah, Saudi Arabia, that is a principal religious obligation of adult Muslims. He has described the Hadj in steps, ritual by ritual and by giving their meanings, as well as his own thoughts, ideas, emotions..etc at that point in time.

His journey starts from Morocco, where he went before Hadj, to gain some knowledge and to live in the Islamic environment. He has given a lot of information about Moroccon people, their life, culture and relationship with each other. He gives a lot of information about Muslim people and their culture in general, such as Brotherhood in Islam for example. Where ever he went he was accepted as one of the family member - a brother. This he says was one of the beautiful things that Islam has gives to people and which is specific to Muslims only, which Malcolm X has noticed too when he made his own Hadj.

I bought this book because I wanted to know, a Westerner's opinion on Islamic topics such as Hadj, from Western perspective.

I must say this book was a wonderful read for me, and I am sure it will be the same for you.

Micheal Wolfe is indeed a storyteller. This book is interesting yet educational. This is good for everyone interested in travel and Islam. This is simply excellent!

Michael Wolfe has outdone himself in the writing of "The Hadj".

He takes you to the streets of Marrakech, Mecca and Medina. The writing style is exquisite. He really gives you insight on what to expect while on the Hadj.

I actually felt like I was there, on his journey; so descriptive and such a detailed accounting of his surroundings.

I finsihed the book in less than a week and each time I put it down, I could not wait to pick it up and start reading again.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to everyone!! A real treat!

If you are slightly curious about the mystical spiritual side of the world-famous pilgrimage you should seriously read this book. It is really interesting and may become one of your favorites.

Readers expecting insights into Islamic spirituality will find this a different kind of book. Its first half describes a long visit to Marrakesh during which the author is the house guest of an old friend who is a shop owner in the Old City's bazaar. A recent convert to Islam in California, Wolfe discovers how the teachings of Muhammad infuse the daily life and culture of this Moroccan city.

The second half of the book describes his own hadj (pilgrimage) to Mecca, where millions of the faithful gather once each year from around the world for a week and more of religious ritual and visits to sacred sites as guests of the Saudi government. Rather than the recounting of a spiritual experience, however, Wolfe's narrative is a detailed report of things seen, heard, and felt, much like a travelogue. The decision may have been to reserve comment on the impact of hadj on his own faith, but it's an unexpected choice.

More curious is Wolfe's uncritical acceptance of the male-dominated culture he describes. Men and men only go together to mosque for prayers, and the pilgrims he travels with are all male. Except for his friend Mostopha's wife, who seems always to be cooking and keeping house, women hardly figure in his book, even his own wife back home, who gets scarcely a mention. Meanwhile, he praises the classless and color-blind egalitarianism of hadj as it's observed, while failing to make note of his privilege as an American, able to afford rooms in the comfort of air-conditioned hotels while the poor sleep rough at night, sometimes in tunnels only inches from passing traffic. The shortcomings of other religions notwithstanding, these are odd oversights, even for the 1990s, when it was first published.

Still, for non-Muslims, this is as close as one can get to an experience of pilgrimage to Mecca. And Wolfe does readers a service by observing so closely and sharing so much. For an account of hadj from a woman's point of view, read Asra Nomani's "Standing Alone in Mecca."

On the strength of a travelogue alone, I would give Wolfe's book a 4 star. It has all the ingredients of a piece written by a well-read traveler: historical contexts, quotations from predecessors who have traveled the same path, descriptive passages concerning both landscape and human figures, and most importantly, a show of restraint by withholding ethnocentric judgments that fly all too easily when cultures collide.

The Hadj is a good primer for stateside readers whose only education about Islam consists of shouting pundits on fair and balanced news stations. It shows that there is a majority of Muslims who are not concerned with violence and are not preoccupied throughout the day with terrorist thoughts.

The problem begins when readers approach the book expecting either a political angle or a spiritual angle. We don't expect a travel journal about London to delve into a detailed commentary about imperialistic regimes achieved through naval superiority, so why should the author of the Hadj need to impose Western concepts of egalitarian societies onto his observations? I found that as long as I read the Hadj as nothing but a travelogue, it was quite satisfying.

Every person has their reasons for embarking on a spiritual journey, so I won't question Wolfe's true reasons. I will confess that at the opening of the book, when I read these lines "I was looking for a framework I could live with, a vocabulary of spiritual concepts applicable to the life I was living now. I did not want to 'trade in' my culture. I wanted access to new meanings," and later on, "The more I learned about Islam, the more it appeared to conform to what I was looking for"; I almost put down the book and stopped right there.

An Assyrian friend of mine once said: "Many Americans have an odd way of treating religion: They pick and choose as if they were at a spiritual buffet. They pluck what they need from each culture to meet their conveniences." It's true. We drop Zen when we're too lazy to provide an explanation; we pull out the Kaballah when we have lost our mystery; we get a bit of relaxation from the Hindu yogis after a hard week at work, and confess to being a Christian when there's a sale on red wine.

Islam is not on the menu. Islam means "obedience, submission to god, surrender of the self."

So when Wolfe prefaces his book about a spiritual journey by announcing that Islam appeals to his personal needs, it pretty much sets the stage for one's expectations from the book in terms of spirituality. I felt that there were moments when the author was more intent on observing his surroundings, seeking comfort and relief from the heat and exhaustion, and completing a business deal involving the sale of used cars, then embarking on a spiritual journey. At the height of the Hadj for example (at Mount Mercy) when colleagues of the author busied themselves with reading the Qu'ran, he goes off to look for drinks, friends, shelter, and a better view. I was continually befuddled at why a novice wouldn't try his hardest to seek enlightenment when standing on the spiritual center of his new religion. It's these moments I felt the book should really be read as a travelogue about the Hadj, and not as one man's personal spiritual journey. I won't rule out the fact that as a novice convert at that time, Wolfe may still have some time before coming into his own. So there's no judgment made here. Just sharing an observation for those who expect to gain insight on the spiritual angle.

A bibliography of further reading and a helpful glossary completes this book. A breezy read for us Kafirs who need a bit of education about our Muslim brothers and sisters.

This is in response to the Kirkus review of Wolfe's book. The reviewer indicates that Wolfe fails to discuss "problem areas" in Islam such as women and violence. First of all, a reading of the Quran would clear up all of the reviewer's misconceptions. Umlike the Judeo-Christian scripture, the Quran and Hadith emphasize the absolute equality of men and women. Why are so many Western women converting to Islam? It is important to base judgements on the religion's scripture, not media images and the so-called Muslim behavior of patriarchal Arab societies. As for violence, Islam only permits violence in retialitory circumstances. Once again, a study of the Islamic scripture would clear up that "problem area." Also, I did not find Wolfe's critiques of Christianity and Judaism to be unfair. He makes honest assessments of the Judeo-Christian tradition in the light of modern science, religious hierarchy, and elitism. There's a difference between unsubstaniated claims (like the Kirkus reviewer's) and Wolfe's. This was an enlightening book that emphasizes the universality and truth of Islam.