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It is not only the holy cities of Mecca and Karbala to which Muslim pilgrims travel, but a wide variety of sacred sites around the world. Journeys are undertaken to visit graves of important historical and religious individuals, the tombs of saints, and natural sites such as mountaintops and springs.Exploring the richness and diversity of traditions practiced by the 1.5 billion Muslims across the world, Sophia Rose Arjana provides a rigorous theoretical discussion of pilgrimage, ritual practice and the nature of sacred space in Islam, both historically and in the present day. This all-encompassing survey covers issues such as time, space, tourism, virtual pilgrimages and the use of computers and smartphone apps. Lucidly written, informative and accessible, it is perfectly suited to students, scholars and the general reader seeking a comprehensive picture of the defining ritual of religious pilgrimage in Islam.
List of contents
List of IllustrationsForeword by Omid SafiIntroduction: Beyond Hajj 1 Reconsidering Islamic Pilgrimage: Theoretical and Sectarian Debates
2 Nascent Pilgrimage Centers: Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina
3 Shi'i Pilgrimage: The Prophet's Household
4 Sufi and Shared Pilgrimages: Contestations of Identity
5 Modern Muslim Pilgrims: Tourism, Space, and Technology
Afterword: Presuppositions and Possibilities in the Study of Islamic PilgrimageAcknowledgmentsGlossaryBibliographyNotesIndex
About the author
Sophia Rose Arjana is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Western Kentucky University. Her previous books include Pilgrimage in Islam and Muslims in the Western Imagination, which was a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title of the Year. She lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
