In Road to Makkah, the reader is initially confronted with a protagonist who is on a journey through the deserts of Saudi Arabia. However, as one continues to read the book, the reader is aware that there are actually two parallel journeys going on: the journey through the deserts of Saudi Arabia, and also the journey through the life of Muhammad Asad on his way to Islam. At first I found the book rather hard to follow because of the constant cutting from desert scenes to the description of the life he left behind in Europe, but once I got past this initial hurdle, the two plots no longer posed a problem to my understanding of Muhammad Asad’s life. Following the author’s journey from Europe to the Middle East, and his longer life journey to Islam, I was struck by the conviction with which the author believed in the message of Islam and the way that he immersed himself in the culture. This I feel is truly admirable seeing as prior to converting to Islam, Muhammad Asad did not have a very high opinion of religion. As he writes early on in the book, his family was not particularly religious, and like most of the youth of Europe at that time, he was fairly nonchalant about religion.
Although his grandfather was a rabbi, Muhammad Asad did not really practice Judaism. That is why I am particularly amazed by just how quickly he adopts Islam, especially in light of his upbringing and negative societal views about Islam. I am also impressed by the manner in which the author immersed himself in the culture of the people. I have often wondered how non-Muslims view the way that Muslims practice their religion, and was interested in Muhammad Asad’s interpretation. At first glance, it must seem rather odd the way that Muslims pray to God. After all, how could repeated prostrations bring an individual closer to God, but as the hajji in the novel says, God created the soul and body together, so it would only make sense that both would be incorporated in prayer. After the hajji’s explanation, the reason for the manner in which Muslims pray became quite clear to Muhammad Asad, and opened the first door to Islam for Muhammad Asad.
The Essay on Understanding Islam 2
Islam now consists of over an estimated 1 billion followers. About a quarter of the religion live in the Middle East, and currently This religion follows the teachings of a sacred text known as the Quran which is the holy scripture that was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet Muhammad is an important figure in this religion because Allah who is known as the one true God to Muslims ...
I found that throughout the book there were many explanations of the laws of Islam, which provided the reader with a great deal of insight into the inner workings of the religion, just not the superficial practices. In my sociology class we discussed the issue of fatalism in the Arab world, but we did not come to any definite conclusions. However, after having read Road to Makkah, I feel that I better understand the notion of fatalism, and the role that it plays in Islam. Often Western scholars say that the reason the Arab world does not develop is because the members of society are fatalistic, meaning that they believe that whatever happens to them in their life is because of God’s will. However, as Muhammad Asad asserts in his book, the Qur’an does not in fact promote fatalism. If anything, it encourages man to take hold of his destiny to some extent, such as by trying to find cures for diseases. What interested me more was how he related fatalism back to the Europeans, the very people who claimed that it was the Muslim world that was fatalistic.
After all, it was Christian Europe at that time that regarded the plague as a scourge from God. Having been brought up as a Muslim, the only religion that I have ever practiced has been Islam, but in spite of my inexperience of other religions, I agree with what the author thinks about Islam being the true religion. I was brought up in a fairly liberal family, and although I have been to Makkah before, I was impressed by the emotions that the author felt while he was on his journey there. I am really proud to be a Muslim, and in Makkah, just like the author, I was overwhelmed by emotions. There were thousands of Muslims all praying together, and there was no bad feeling among us. However, this is not to say that Muslims are like this in all situations. As Muhammad Asad writes, when he married an eleven-year-old girl, some of the Muslim men did not have any problem remaining with her, but he could not justify it to himself. I think that the author’s impression of Islam is a little romanticized, as is his impression of Arab life. It is true that the Arabs are known for their hospitality, but it seemed rather incredulous that the King of Saudi Arabia would in effect adopt a new convert to Islam in the manner that Abd al-Aziz adopted Muhammad Asad.
The Essay on Middle East Islam Muslim Ali
Leaps of faith The Clash of Fundamentalism: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity Tariq Ali 352 pp, Verso What Went Wrong Bernard Lewis 192 pp, Weidenfeld Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam John Esposito 192 pp, Oxford On September 11 last year, 19 young hijackers changed the world and its relations with their faith, Islam. Their terrible act created one of the greatest paradoxes of the 21 st ...
Often the image of Muslims portrayed in the media of the West is one of ridiculing them. Reporters often just see Muslims as fundamentalists who blindly follow the Qur’an, but in fact the group referred to as the “fundamentalists” is just a minority of Muslims. I was struck by how much of an open mind Muhammad Asad kept about Islam. In fact, I was surprised that he took the side of the Arab Muslims rather than the Zionists when it came to establishing a state for the Jews. I feel that the conflict that arises between the West and Islam is tidily summed up by the argument that Muhammad Asad makes when he writes: “If Muslims keep their heads cool and accept progress as a means and not as an end in itself, they may not only retain their own inner freedom but also, perhaps, pass on the Western man the last secret of live’s sweetness … ” (349) However, having said that he can see things from the point of view of Muslims is not to say that he exclusively sees through this pair of glasses.
There were instances when Muhammad Asad looked at Islam from the point of view of a Westerner, for example when he mocks his friend for believing in Jinns. Although he appears to be completely arabianized, he still cannot perceive something that he cannot see. I think that for me, Muhammad Asad presented an impression of converts, which is somewhat different from what I thought a recent convert to Islam would be. From my experience, both in the US and in Saudi Arabia, I have found converts to be people who are very passionate about Islam, but often to an extent bordering on fundamentalism. I would not call these people fundamentalist, but I find them not to be understanding of Muslims who do not practice with as much enthusiasm and vehemence as they do. In some instances they do not understand why people are not as passionate as them, and try and force them to be religious by ramming it down their throats. However, after reading Road to Makkah I have a considerably different picture of converts to Islam.
The Term Paper on Muslim, Islam and American culture
The main purpose of this paper is to explore the current experience of Muslims in America and the quest for clues as to the future interaction between Islam and American culture. In particular, I will concentrate on three areas: Islamic influence on the culture of Americans with emphasis on how it has affected political and social development; the interaction between Islamic traditions and ...
I am not saying that Muhammad Asad is not passionate, because the book it quite clearly demonstrates his devotion to Islam. Unlike my experience with other converts though, he seems a lot more levelheaded and not as pushy. I genuinely got the feeling from reading the book that Muhammad Asad is not as judgmental as the people that I have come into contact with. He is very accepting of the little Arab idiosyncrasies, showing that his open-minded attitude to things foreign to him. In conclusion, I think that The Road to Makkah is a wonderful book about the journey that one man goes through on his way across the deserts of Saudi Arabia, and the path that he takes to reach his ultimate conversion to Islam. The author presents a very balanced view of Muslims and their beliefs, rather than perpetuating the myths that are often portrayed in traditional western texts about the Arab world and Islam.
At the same time as being accurate the author effectively informs the reader about Islam and Arabian culture. For me it was also an eye-opener because being Muslim I have always been told that one should pray, but I never really understood the connection between the body and the soul. Also, I did not have a clear understanding of some of the other laws in Islam such as why Muslim women may not marry non-Muslim men, and what little understanding I did have was tainted my Western literature criticizing Islamic laws. Therefore, this book provided a lot of insight for me. Asad, Muhammad. The Road to Makkah. Delhi: Adam Publishers and
Bibliography:
WORKS CITED Asad, Muhammad.
The Road to Makkah. Delhi: Adam Publishers and Distributors..
