The Hajj: The Muslim Pilgrimage to Mecca and the Holy Places

A great review of Haj through the ages, from its pre-Islamic beginnings to the way it was in 1926. He ends the book in 1926, so the current (greatly enlarged and hugely transformed) Haj is not covered in this book.The most intetesting part is the first; the discussion of what pre-Islamic Haj looked like and how its rituals were modified (and combined with another pre-Islamic pilgrimage, the Umrah) to creat the Muslim Haj. This is also the most frustrating section of the book, but that is not FE Peter's fault. We just do not have a lot information about what happened before Islam. We can learn some things from the Islamic literature itself (from the Quran, and from the historical works written in the next 2-400 years by Muslim historians). For example, we know that the main Haj rituals took part in Arafat and Mina and the Quresh had little (possibly nothing) to do with the management of that Haj. The rituals within Mecca were more associated with Umrah (e.g. the tawaf around the kaba). How the running between Safa and Marwah was connected to all this is not completely clear (hence the verse in the Quran that tells Muslims that it is in fact OK to do this running.. clearly some question had been raised about it).In those days, the pre-Islamic Arab calendar included intercalation, so it maintained its connection with the seasons. Because of this, these were two separate seasonal festivals: Haj in the spring, Umrah in the fall. But Islam combined certain aspects of Haj with some from the Umrah and created one pilgrimage that lost its connection with seasons (because Islam abandoned the intercalation that "corrected" the lunar calendar to keep it in sync with the solar cycle). Muslims have introduced detailed myths that connect all aspects of Haj with Abraham and Ismail, but it is not clear what, if any, connection the pagan Haj used to associate with Abraham. The later doctors of Islam found (or invented) multiple Abrahamic explanations for the various rituals, but until we find some other corroborative evidence (unlikely at this point) this remains mostly a matter of faith. Anyway, Hubal (or rather, an idol of Hubal, imported from Babylon?) used to sit in the Kaaba with 7 divining arrows, while the statues of Asaf and Naila (supposedly two lovers who copulated in the Kaaba and were turned into stone for that reason) stood on the hills of Safa and Marwah. There were trade fairs in Arafat and in Mina and sacrifices were offered in Mina and very likely in (or in front of) the Kaaba itself.The kaaba, the focal point of it all, is frequently referred to as a cube (the word in fact means "cube") and it was apparently a part of pagan Arabian religious ritual, there being several other Kaabas in pre-Islamic Arabia, though this one may have been the most famous and even the original. Surprisingly, in its current incarnation, it is not really a cube. It is 40 by 35 by 50 feet, and it its corners, not its sides are oriented to the cardinal directions. It is clearly ancient (whether as ancient as Abraham is a matter more of faith than of history; historians and archaeologists have little to go on in this matter) but its association with the head god Allah seems to be ancient. When the pagan Arabs came for Haj, they chanted a talabiya (a chant we still use) that was similar to the current Muslim version, but it differed in accepting that other Gods may intercess with Allah, with his permission. The Islamic version removed that line and added firm and clear statements that there is only one God and he has no peers. It would be fascinating to learn more about the origins and development of the ritual before and during the time of Islam, but unfortunately we have little to go on except a few cryptic "answers without a question" in the Quran, and some legends and scattered facts recorded in post-Islamic histories.The Kaaba was damaged in the first siege of Mecca by the Ummayads and was then rebuilt by the alt-caliph Abdullah bin Zubayr. Relying on a hadith that stated that if it was up to him, Mohammed would have liked to restore the building to its original dimensions (it had apparently been shortened by the Quresh when THEY rebuilt it in around 600 AD) ibn Zubayr enlarged it to its original dimensions and created doors on both sides. According to eye-witnesses of this effort, when they dug down to the foundations, they discovered that the oldest foundation consisted of inter-twined green stones; and that the famous hajr-e-aswad (the black rock at the corner of the building that is still the most venerated stone in Islamdom) is white or rosy-white in the back, shaped somewhat like the roots of a molar tooth, while its exposed front surface is smooth and black (due to the constant kisses of sinful pilgrims). Since the first fire (started by Husayn ibn Numayr's shelling of the kaba during the first Ummayad siege) had damaged the black stone and cracked it into three parts, these were held together by silver nails (there was a further breaking up of the stone when the Qaramatyans raided Mecca and stole the black stone for a while).Anyway, Ibn Zubair's achievement was short lived as the Ummayads now sent the far more capable and ruthless Hajjaj Bin Yusuf against him, and this time the Kaba was almost completely knocked down by Hajjaj's use of a catapult against Ibn Zubair and his band of brave followers. After killing and beheading Ibn Zubayr (about whom Hajaj's own general said that "women have given birth to none braver than he"), Hajjaj rebuilt the kaba back to its Qureshi dimensions, which are the dimensions we have today. He also closed the second door and raised the one door about 7 feet above ground level so that riff-raff cannot get it, the interior being reserved for visits by special guests.The rest of the book deals with accounts of the Haj in medieval and then in Turkish times (the Ottomans controlled the Hijaz region with one or two short interregnums, for about 300 years). The accounts of various European travelers are mentioned in some detail along with the accounts of various famous Muslim pilgrims.All in all, well worth reading, but a bit dry and scholastic and thin on the pagan side of Haj and on the first 3-400 years after Islam. This is not the authors fault, since the sources are simply not there. There are also a few sets of old photos which are worth a look, especially when compared to the greatly expanded facilities of today.

I read this book back in 2003. By collecting the firsthand accounts of travellers and shaping their experiences into a richly detailed narrative, F. E. Peters have provided an unparalleled literary history of the central ritual of Islam from its remote pre-Islamic origins to the end of the Hashemite Kingdom of the Hijaz in 1926.By reading this book one gets a god idea of the cost of doing The Hajj and the logistics involved in. I highly recommend this book.

This is a fine academic study woven from the many writers who have recorded their experiences on hajj over its history. The only phrases which might be found objectionable to any Muslim come from the primary source readings, where a variety of viewpoints were deliberately sought. If some intruder like Richard Burton throws off a snide or irreverent comment, I think Muslims will know what to make of it. The author draws an interesting and informative history of one of humanity's greatest phenomena thru history up to the Saudi hajj of 1926. I would like to see this brought up to date.

A ruby of a work, The Hajj provides great background on the largest annual pilgrimage in the world. Peters traces the history from myth, religion, and recorded history (going back to Adam), and provides many interesting and flowing anecdotes using primary source material throughout the 1400 years of Hajj history. Here one will learn more about the steps of the pilgrimage and the layout of the Ka'ba (the building which Hajjis run around) than most Muslims know. Of particular interest is Peter's numerous stories of Hajj through Western eyes- Western Muslims, non-Muslims going to Mecca when it was still allowed, or non-Muslims sneaking into a city to make Hajj, though if they are found out it means death. The Westerner descriptions provide that etic, outsider perspective which is valuable for those of us who are not from the Middle East, as we grapple to understand religious events and customs and relate them to what we understand within ourselves and our culture.

This book has alot to give which other traditional haj books lacks. But the Author has included his own opinions on the Muhammaden Ideology without substantiating from any authentic traditional sources. Though the flow and the tone of the book captivates the reader, the book is a total disgrace to any Muslim reader.

excellent value for money: good price !! ........ & delivered promptly.