Narrative of a Pilgrimage By Abdellah Hammoudi - Book Report/Review Example

In his book, Abdellah Hammoudi became a pilgrim. His journey to Mecca and Medina to complete the pilgrimage - a sacred mission of Islam - was his personal and professional, and "A Season in Mecca" tells both stories. He paid special attention to the possessions of Saudi bureaucratic rule over the Pilgrimage, to the ways that faith itself becomes a "money-spinning source" of business for the Arabian Realm, and to the Wahhabi intonations of the critical Muslim messages. Hajj consists in putting on the pilgrim's garb at the proper place, in standing on Arafat, in circumambulating the Ka'ba, and in running between Safa and Marwa (pg. 49). He entered the territory wearing a clad as a pilgrim (be 'ihram') (pg. 49). The sacred territory is so called because it contains the Station of Abraham (MaMaqam-I Ibrahim) - Abraham had two stations: the station of a body, namely Mecca, and the station of his soul, namely, friendship (khullat).

The author seeks his bodily stations renounced all lusts and pleasures and put on the pilgrim's garb and clothe himself in a winding-sheet (kafan) and refrain from haunting lawful game, and kept all his senses under strict control, and present at Arafat and go thence to Muzdalifa and Mash'ar al-Haram (pg. 44), and picked up stones and circumambulated the Ka'ba and visited Mina and stayed there three days and throw stones at in the prescribed manner and cut his hair and perform the sacrifice and put on his (ordinary) clothes (pg. 49). Then he drank Zamzam (pg. 49). But his spiritual station renounced familiar associations and bid farewell to pleasures and took no thought other than God (for his looking towards the phenomenal world in interdicted); then he stood on the 'Arafat of gnosis (Ma'rifat) and from there set out for the Muzdalifa of amity and from there sent his heart to circumambulate the temple of Divine purification (tanzih), and thrown away the stones of passion and corrupt thoughts in the Mina and faith, and sacrificed his lower soul on the altar of mortification and arrived at the station of friendship (khullat).

As the author described:"At Arafat you are before God, and Ihram is your shroud. Between the hands of the All-Powerful, the Eternal, nothing can you, not riches, not prestige!" Voices rose, chanting, "Allah! Allah! Allah!" and drowning out the preacher. Then the voices faded into the silence and the crowd's murmus ceased as he concluded: there, there are no classes, no distinctions, the world of vanity fades away in the presence of God. There worship him, and call upon him for your salvation, for the salvation of those who are dear to you, of the community and don't forget to pray for His Majesty the King; pray for His Majesty!

Peace be with you! (pg. 43) "The darkest thing in the world is the Beloved's house without the Beloved".According to him, Hajj is of three types: tamattu, ifrad1, and qiran (pg. 49). Accordingly, what is truly valuable - in the eyes of author - is not the Ka'ba, but contemplation and annihilation in the adobe of friendship, of which things the sight of the Ka'ba is indirectly a cause. But he recognized that every cause depends on the author of causes (musabbib), from where hidden place the providence of God may appear and whencesoever the desire of the seeker may be fulfilled.

The object of mystics (mardan) in traversing wilderness and