Pilgrimage Christian Muslim Essay
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A Study of the Christian Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
And the Muslim Pilgrimage to Mecca
Submitted by:
Prepared for:
SSC 231 Cultural Conflict and Human Solidarity
University College Utrecht
May 2001
Introduction
A French folklorist and ethnographer, Arnold Van Gennep (1908-1960) gave us the first clues about how ancient and tribal societies conceptualized and symbolized the transitions men have to make between states a statuses . He demonstrated that all rites of passage are marked by three phases: separation, limen or margin, and aggregation. By identifying liminality Van Gennep discovered a major innovative, transformative dimension of the social. He is credited for paving the way for future studies of all processes of spatiotemporal social or individual change. Various researchers have studied the study focus of this paper, the pilgrimage, yet Van Gennep led us to recognizing the significance in such cultural, religious behavior. The two religious pilgrimages to be discussed in this paper are both the Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land and the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Although these religions differ, they are none the less the two largest religions in the world and both take part in pilgrimages which demonstrate how close the two religions may be in their general beliefs and actions. Moreover, the pilgrimage ultimately serves as a channel for ‘communitas’ and brings people to an end goal after a journey, which highly represents life. The end goal for both religions is salvation from their almighty God. Because Christianity is very familiar in the West, I will use it as a starting block for comparisons.
To begin with, we should grasp an underlying image and idea of the pilgrimage. Firstly, there is an undoubtedly initiatory quality in the pilgrimage. A pilgrim enters into a new, deeper level of existence than he has previously known. Furthermore, the pilgrims’ goal is salvation or release from the sins and evils of the structural world and he prepares himself for participation in afterlife bliss. Through the power of ritual, sacrifice and use of symbols in pilgrimages, a likeness and common intention is converted into commonness of feeling, into “communitas”. Therefore, the pilgrimage has attributes of liminality in passage rites: release from mundane structure; homogenization of status; simplicity of dress or behavior; communitas; ordeal and reflection on religious and cultural values. Because pilgrimage is not necessarily mandatory (can be argued for Muslims), it is best described as quasi-liminal, rather than liminal in Van Gennep’s full sense. The pilgrimage is indeed an amazing phenomenon, which brings people together at a common goal, which is believed to be the essence or starting point of life and the ‘door’ to the afterlife. As we will discover, pilgrimages require great sacrifice, both financially and physically. Pilgrimages may give the impression of an act that is traditional and not ‘fit’ for our modern world. However, one who has not walked the pilgrimage may never see the insight that the pilgrims themselves see. One fact is certain and striking. The numbers of pilgrims at the world’s major shrines are still increasing.
Journey and Sacrifice
The actual journey of the pilgrim to his destination has proven to be a vital part in the transformation and transition of the pilgrim. It is in this journey where most of the sacrifice takes place in a goal to follow the footsteps of either Jesus or Muhammad and the other prophets. In both Christianity and Islam, the pilgrimage entails both physical and financial sacrifice. In John Bunyan’s classic protestant allegory, The Pilgrim’s Process’ the story is told of a Christian who left home with a burden and a book. The burden is a symbol for original sin, while the book represents the Bible. The pilgrimage to the Holy Land is meant to serve as following Christ in every way possible, through both morals and geography in order to free the self of original sin. In the Bible, Jesus is recorded to have called his apostles to ‘follow me’ (Matthew 4:19) and in his journey with the travelers to Emmaus after the resurrection (Luke 24:13-35). These stories came to be associated with the pilgrimage in God’s call for his people to follow him to the Holy Land. The Muslim journey will be dealt with following the Christian journey, however, in both Islam and Christianity there is a ‘pull’ that came to be associated with the sacred places. St. Jerome’s account of the travels of Paula, a noblewoman from Rome, captures the powerful pull pilgrims describe.
With a zeal and courage unbelievable in a woman she forgot her sex and her physical weakness, and longed to make there, amongst those thousands of monks, a dwelling for herself…And she might have done so, if she had not been summoned away by a still greater longing for the holy places…
(letter 108,14,3)
The main motive for pilgrims, both Christian and Muslim is a desire to see and touch the places where Christ or Mohammed were present in body. Moreover, it serves as a reassurance of their God’s existence and presence. The Bordeaux pilgrimage in Christianity traveled about 20 miles a day, making his return trip a total of one year while only spending three months of that year in the Holy Land. Muslim pilgrims do the same, often by camel or foot, with entire families making the journey, requiring financial funds, courage and very hard physical work. The West African Muslims are often in permanent pilgrimage. They devote their entire lives to the pilgrimage and often the opportunity never arises for them to complete their journey. They are known as ‘a society on the move’ and often live in permanent transition, halfway between Mecca (Saudi Arabia) and their homes. Pilgrims traveled in groups, primarily for the reasons of safe travel, however over time this group travel became a vital factor in the pilgrimage. Therefore, both Christianity and Islam bred an ideology of solidarity with other pilgrims. There is an equality created on the pilgrimage, where class or social status is erased.
At the same time from all over the world an innumerable crowd began to flock to the Sepulchre of the Saviour in Jerusalem – in greater numbers than anyone before had thought possible. Not only were there some of the common people and of the middle class, but there were also several very great kings, counts and noblemen…many noble ladies et out with the poor people.”
For Christians, the journey itself became an act of worship as reported by Gregory of Nyssa: “Our carriage was, in fact, as good as a church or monastery to us, for all of us were singing psalms and fasting during the whole journey” In order to guard against bodily temptations, the Christian pilgrims stayed in monastic accommodations on route. There were official rest houses provided for Christian pilgrims.
We shall now take a closer look at the journey and sacrifice of the Muslim pilgrims, although some vital information has been mentioned above. It is best to begin with a quote from the Koran: “Surely, the first House established for the benefit of all mankind is the one at Mecca, abounding in blessings and a means of guidance for all peoples” (3:97) . Already, the importance of Mecca, and the visitation of Mecca becomes clear to the reader. Even in the West, Mecca is used as a metaphor for the fulfillment of aspirations. However, in Muslim religion it is a sacred space reserved purely for the umma (people of Islam). Unlike Christianity, the Islam faith actually requires its followers to go on the pilgrimage, provided that health and funds permit them to do so. The Koran states that “Pilgrimage to the House is a duty laid upon the people which they owe to Allah, those of them that can afford the journey thither” (3:98). The house the Koran referred to here is the Ka’ba, which is the house of Allah. The hajj is the actual pilgrimage, which literally means ‘the effort’. Ten percent of 600-700 million Muslims make the journey to Mecca each year. However, thoughts of the entire umma are likely to be with the one or two million who go each year. Like the Christians attain to follow the steps of Christ in every sense, the Muslims perform the hajj to follow the footsteps of their prophets, Adam, Abraham and Mohammed. Again, the arrival at Mecca is only the center point of a process that can take weeks or years. The ezzan (call to prayer) is said to beckon Muslims not only to pray but also to turn to the Holy City as Mecca as the center object.
…
the call is inescapable…that sound, repeated five times a day every day, every year, all of one’s life, makes inroads on the brain. One begins to adjust one’s own rhythm to the call and not the clock, adjusting also to the intervals between calls…that point on the horizon that speaks so eloquently of things unseen and organized orientation in space as well as time….
The hajj is usually performed by older villagers (prevalent in hac Turkish Muslims) as the journey is interpreted as a ‘conclusion’ to the villagers life-cycle. For Malcolm X who made the journey to Mecca in 1964, the journey essentially began for him as an individual travelling alone. However, he too was overwhelmed by the strong sense of solidarity and was forced to perceive the journey as something different.
“I have just visited the Holy City of Mecca and witnessed pilgrims of all colors, from every part of this earth, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood like I’ve never witnessed during my entire life in America. It is truly a wonderful gift to behold.”
Reaching the Sacred Space: Symbols and Rituals
We have established the importance of the journey, and we now must take a closer look at the central goal and aim of the journey; the time spent in Jerusalem in the Christian Holy Land or in Saudi Arabia, where Mecca is found. Both sacred places are flooded with rituals and symbols reflecting the pilgrims’ faith. First let us take a look at the Christian pilgrimage in the Holy Land and subsequently we will examine the hajj. The biblical story of Jesus is told through topography, by walking through the cities which where once occupied by Jesus and his followers and recorded in the Bible. The Holy Land has been transformed and changed in accordance with the interpretations of Bible text. For example, the Site of Transfiguration was first on the Mount of Olives (AD 333) and was later moved to Mount Tabor (AD 348), while the tombs of Joshua and Jonah were duplicated and existed in competition with each other! The Bible served as a landscape and relic for ‘visible proofs’ of the existence of Jesus. Of course, there were also many objects and relics, which are used as living proofs of Christ for pilgrims, strengthening their beliefs and bringing them closer to God. The plate, which carried the head of John the Baptist can be found in the Holy Land along with the horn with which David was anointed king and Jesus’ crown of thorns can be found in the Sion Basilica. Miracles are often associated with the objects and relics found in the Holy Land. There is an account taken of an anonymous Italian pilgrim who writes about his confrontation with the True Cross:
In the courtyard of the basilica is a small room where they keep the Wood of the Cross. We venerated it with a kiss….At the moment when the Cross is brought out of this small room for veneration, and arrives in the court to be venerated, a star appears in the sky, and comes over the place where they lay the Cross. It stops overhead whilst they are venerating the Cross, and they offer oil to be blessed in little flasks. When the mouth of one of the little flasks touches the Wood of the Cross, the oil instantly bubbles over, and unless it is closed very quickly it all spills out. When the cross is put back into its place, the star also vanishes, and appears no more once the Cross has been put away.
From the miraculous events recorded from the relics, small blessings or souvenirs are available to purchase. For example, little flasks of oil, lead or clay ampulae filled with water from the Jordan and boxes with earth from a sacred tomb. These all became Talismans for warding off evil and they were used as articles for medieval healing and medicine. Pilgrims are also known to leave gifts at sacred spots as a sign of appreciation or sacrifice...
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