Hajj To The Heart

Against the sweeping backdrop of South Asian history, this is a story of journeys taken by sixteenth-century reformist Muslim scholars and Sufi mystics from India to Arabia. At the center is the influential Sufi scholar Shaykh Ali Muttaqi and his little-known network of disciples. Scott Kugle relates how Ali Muttaqi, an expert in Arabic, scriptural hermeneutics, and hadith, left his native South Asia and traversed treacherous seas to make the Hajj to Mecca. Settling in Mecca, he continued to influence his homeland from overseas. Kugle draws on his original translations of Arabic and Persian manuscripts, never before available in English, to trace Ali Muttaqi's devotional writings, revealing how the Hajj transformed his spiritual life and political loyalties. The story expands across three generations of peripatetic Sufi masters in the Mutaqqi lineage as they travel for purposes of pilgrimage, scholarship, and sometimes simply for survival along Indian Ocean maritime routes linking global Muslim communities. Exploring the political intrigue, scholarly debates, and diverse social milieus that shaped the colorful personalities of his Sufi subjects, Kugle argues for the importance of Indian Sufi thought in the study of hadith and of ethics in Islam. We are proud to announce that this book is freely available in an open-access enhanced edition thanks to TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem)—a collaboration of the Association of American Universities, the Association of University Presses, and the Association of Research Libraries—and the generous support of Emory University and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Learn more at the TOME website: openmonographs.org. The open-access enhanced edition of Hajj to the Heart can be found here: https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/projects/hajj-to-the-heart

The Hajj is the largest pilgrimage in the world today and a sacred duty for all Muslims. With contributions from renowned experts, this book opens out onto the full sweep of the Hajj: as a sacred path walked by early Islamic devotees, as a sumptuous site of worship under the care of sultans, and as an expression of faith in the modern world.

Th e authors have drawn on their own experience of living in Saudi Arabia for 23 years to write A Guide for Hajj and 'Umrah. It is an enlightening spiritual and practical guide for the sacred journeys of Hajj and Umrah. Its a guided tour through a number of very meaningful emotional and religious experiences. But its also so much more... It is a journey of self-discovery as well as the discovery of Islam. Its a primer on Islamic practices that will undoubtedly intrigue and captivate both Muslim and Non Muslim audiences through engaging story-telling. Th e text itself is well written and simple, getting straight to the heart of the matter of proper religious observance and practice on what may rightly be called the pilgrimage of a lifetime... Th e photographs displayed near the end of the book are astounding and original, especially for readers from Non Muslim countries, who have in all probability never before seen such sights as the spellbinding, pure-as-snow brightness of Masjid-Nabawi at night, or the sober splendor of the Prophet's Mosque. Interspersed with the practical maps, tips and guides that all pilgrims will appreciate are the most beautiful and heartfelt invocations and prayers to Allah, the Most Powerful and Compassionate, as well as a thrilling narration of Islam's early history and lore. Particularly moving and evocative is the beautifully retold beginning of sa'ee, "the struggle" as an act of absolute trust in Allah, as displayed by a desperate and lonely Hajar. Especially touching and profound is the authors recommendation to work hard on understanding the du'as recited as a pilgrim, instead of "simply carrying pamphlets and reciting them in blind fashion without understanding their meaning." Such a warning is a necessity, as casualness might well impair the sincerity of the appeal, which should come straight from the pilgrim's heart. In short, this book is truly the perfect companion for a deeply spiritual and personal pilgrimage to the heart of Islam."

Specifications: Matte cover design, Dimensions: 6" x 9", Interior: white lined pages, Number of Pages: 152 Pages