Lonely Wayfarer's Guide to Pilgrimage (Studies in Late Antiquity and Early Islam) [Hardcover]

Josef W. Meri (Author), Ali Ibn Abi Bakr Harawi (Author)

Book Description

Series: Studies in Late Antiquity and Early Islam | Publication Date: April 2005

More than 800 years ago, an Iraqi scholar, teacher, preacher, ascetic, pilgrim, ambassador, and counsellor to the 'Abbâsid caliph left his native Iraq and settled in Syria. 'Alî ibn Abî Bakr al-Harawî (d. 611/1215) came to serve Saladin (r. 564/1169–589/1193) and his sons as an advisor and an emissary to Christian rulers. Al-Harawî lived in an age in which the Jews and Christians of the Islamic world lived in relative peace and prosperity, even while Muslims were at war with the Crusaders. This period witnessed the spread of Sûfî orders, the construction of domed shrines, and the growth of pilgrimage activities throughout the Islamic world and Mediterranean. Al-Harawî's Kitâb al-ishârât ilâ ma'rifat al-ziyârât is the only known medieval pilgrimage guide for the Islamic world, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. This unique account is presented by Josef Meri in a meticulously annotated English translation along with the parallel Arabic text, and an accessible introduction that explores al-Harawî's life and times. Among the pilgrimage sites included are the Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the tombs of the Companions of the Prophet Muh'ammad in Medina, the shrine of the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law 'Alî at Najaf in Iraq and that of the Prophet Ezekiel outside Baghdad. Also mentioned are Jewish and Christian sites and the antiquities of ancient Egypt and Byzantium. A Lonely Wayfarer's Guide affords the reader a rare glimpse into the popular pietistic practices, rituals, and beliefs of the inhabitants of the medieval Mediterranean basin and the Islamic world in general. This guide testifies to the author's reverence for the holy places not just of Sunnî and Shî'î Muslims, but also those of Jews and Christians.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Clearly presented and deftly translated, Meri's thorough annotations and deft introduction...make this work useful for both scholars and students. -- Religious Studies Review, January 2006

From the Author

"It gives me great pleasure to be able to make available one of the most significant works of medieval pilgrimaage to the non-specialist reader in English translation. This guide illustrates well the intersection of practice and belief among the Muslims as well as Jews and Christians of the Medieval Islamic world. It is an excellent illustration of the common beliefs of the adherents of the three monotheistic faiths and of the holy persons and places which they venerate."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 351 pages
• Publisher: Princeton, Darwin Press; Bilingual edition (April 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087850169X
• ISBN-13: 978-0878501694
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #503,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)