Hajj is one of the five foundational institutions of Islam. Right from the time of its proclamation to mankind through Prophet Abraham (Quran 22:27) this spiritual phenomenon continues to capture the imagination of Muslims across the globe. The immensity of this enchantment can be gauged from the fact that today Mecca hosts on an average 10 million pilgrims every year for the Hajj and Umrah (smaller Hajj). To recount this prodigious progress over the last 14 centuries the British Museum, in collaboration with the Riyadh-based King Abdulaziz Public Library, organised an exhibition titled ‘Hajj: Journey to the heart of Islam' in London from January 26 till April 15 this year.
An eponymous book was simultaneously launched by the museum as “a companion to the exhibition” and perhaps also to encapsulate the historic expo for posterity's sake. And it won't be an exaggeration to say that this amazing “companion” is a mini exhibition in itself given its tableau of 230 colour images which include historical paintings, maps, pictures of objects such as an 8th century milestone from the Iraq-Mecca pilgrimage route Darb Zubayda, 14th century key for the Ka'ba, Ali ibn Ibrahim's astrolabe with rete for 60 stars of the same period, a 16th century Qibla indicator and compass made by Bayram ibn Ilyas, an 1886 Mecca pilgrimage ticket issued by Thomas Cook & Son (government of India's official travel agent for Hajj from 1886-93), the first photographs of Mecca and Medina taken by Sadiq Bey in 1880, and many more.
Forming a cornucopian synthesis with these captivating pictures are five expatiating essays by Karen Armstrong, Ziauddin Sardar, Robert Irwin, Hugh Kennedy and Abdel Haleem. And the entire visual cum informational treat is edited by Venetia Porter, the curator of Islamic and Modern Middle Eastern Art at the British Museum, whose own articles, “The Modern Art of Hajj and Textiles of Mecca and Medina”, are no less educative.
But the “journey to the heart of Islam” itself begins with Karen Armstrong's brilliant introduction wherein she exhorts the “scientifically oriented society” not to see symbols as separate from their referent for they give people access to reality although it could not be demonstrated rationally. Giving the examples of Glastonbury in Britain where people congregate annually for a music festival, and “the shrines of the great presidents” in Washington DC, including the Washington Monument, Armstrong argues that pilgrimage is the ceremonial way to leave our ordinary lives behind and symbolically return to the beginning. “Perhaps” she writes, “in studying the Hajj … we can learn not only about Islam but also to explore untravelled regions within ourselves.”
Ritualistic aspects
Surprisingly, the next write-up by Abdel Haleem glorifies only the ritualistic aspects of the Hajj ignoring its spiritual and mundane significance which goes beyond the mere performance of rites. But the other three articles more than make up for Haleem's simplistic approach. The essays of Hugh Kennedy and Robert Irwin trace the history of the Hajj from the seventh till the 12th century while Ziauddin Sardar's “The Hajj after 1950” describes the mind-boggling Hajj logistics and the systematic manner in which the pilgrimage of millions of Hajjis is facilitated by the Saudi authorities using modern technology.
In their articles, extracting from authentic sources, Kennedy and Irwin bring out some interesting, little known historical facts. For instance, Kennedy narrates how the Abbasid rule from 750 A.D. to 809 A.D. particularly the period of Harun al-Rashid, was a golden age for the Hajj during which considerable efforts were made to ease the pilgrims' journey. One such undertaking was the amazing engineering project called Darb Zubayda which provided water supplies, food and camping places along the entire route between Iraq and Mecca. He also chronicles two interesting Hajj journeys. One, of the mid-11th century Persian traveller Nasir-i Khusraw and the other of the Spanish adventurer Ibn Jubayr who made the Hajj in 1183 both of whom were amazed by the variety of fruits and vegetables available perennially in the barren land of Mecca. But modern day pilgrims have a different story to tell like for example, Basharat Peer. His article “Modern Mecca” published in the April 2012 issue of The New Yorker , gives an eye-witness account of the destruction of the classical Islamic architecture of Mecca and its replacement with drab high-rises and shopping malls. Citing Peer's “jaw-dropping” disclosure Will Heaven of the Telegraph Blogs accuses the British Museum of hiding these facts in its "blockbuster" exhibition.
Nevertheless, one of the more significant facts that comes out of Kennedy's research is the importance of Hajj in political terms and also as a forum for the dissemination of information. Kennedy establishes that patronage of the Hajj became an indication of leadership soon after the re-capture of Mecca by the Prophet who made sure that the Hajj was always led by the imam of the Muslims. He appointed Hazrat Abu Bakr to lead the Hajj in 630 as he himself had to return to Medina. However, in 632 the Prophet returned to lead what is famously known as the ‘Farewell Hajj' in history. That the Hajj also served as a centre where major political decisions were taken is proved by the first few verses of chapter 9 of the Quran. Indeed, the Prophet's historic Last Sermon was delivered during the Hajj. This is in perfect consonance with the Quranic statement (22:28) that one of the reasons why people will come to Hajj is “to witness the benefits provided for them” (liyash'hadu manafiha lahum), the “benefits” being both spiritual and temporal.
In other words, the Quran is hinting that in the Hajj the Muslims have a unique international forum (where Islamic people from across the globe congregate every year) which, after the Hajj has been performed, may be put to effective use to address the problems facing the Muslim world. This distinctive quality of the Muslim pilgrimage to lend itself to both spiritual and mundane interpretations has been superbly brought out by Hajj which makes it a major contribution to the understanding of one of Islam's most humanitarian institutions.
