Shamima Shaikh

Tag: hajj

  • Journey of Discovery: A South African Hajj

    By Na’eem Jeenah and Shamima Shaikh

    Published by Full Moon Press (2000), Cape Town, South Africa

    ISBN 0-620-26405-5

    Some comments about the book:

    Michael Wolfe

    Author of: The Hadj: An American’s Pilgrimage to Mecca and

    One Thousand Roads to Mecca: An Anthology of Pilgrim Travel Writing

    This is the sort of Hajj account we need many more of: an honest assessment of an experience shared by millions world-wide, which does not leave out the personal, but rather successfully reminds us that every pilgrim comes from somewhere, from a specific place, a particular family, a politics and a social point of view informed by Islam: in this case, South Africa. And how few books of any kind are written by a husband and wife who enjoy, respect and understand each other! This book breaks new ground in many ways. May other pilgrims follow its fine lead.

    Shamil Jeppie

    University of Cape Town

    I very much liked the whole thing. It is well written, clear, and captivating. The hajj came alive for me like no other description I’ve read before… I still wanted more when I closed the manuscript. Indeed, after each chapter I felt I wanted it to continue. I’m certain many other readers will respond in the same fashion… I thoroughly enjoyed it.

    Tamara Sonn

    College of William and Mary

    This is a unique book, actually groundbreaking in the field of Islamic studies. It is, on its surface, a personal story of a South African couple making their first pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj) together. The authors are highly intelligent, well educated, slightly sarcastic, but very devout in a way that resonates with the faith of other young people throughout the world. But this book is more than the musings of young professionals on the meaning of a traditional ritual. The authors are South African activists struggling against apartheid and its aftermath. At the same time, Shamima and Na’eem grapple with gender and authority issues within Islam, especially as these issues question their social activism. Their book is therefore a focused story of Muslims committed to social reform and seeking to reconcile their activism with their deeply traditional faith. The story is made all the more poignant knowing that the trip is both the vehicle of spiritual discovery and the couple’s last trip together. Shamima died a few months later, leaving Na’eem to bring up their two young sons and make sense of their journey(s) together. There have been several books published recently on the Islamic pilgrimage: F.E. Peters, The Hajj: The Muslims’ Pilgrimage to Mecca and the Holy Places (Princeton, 1994); I.R. Netton, Seek Knowledge: Thought and Travel in the House of Islam (Curzon, 1966); and most recently, Michael Wolfe, ed., One Thousand Roads to Mecca (Grove, 1997). None of these, however, has the accessibility and personal appeal that Na’eem and Shamima have achieved in their Journey of Discovery. More importantly, none has incorporated the meaning of the pilgrimage into the spiritual and social landscape of Muslim life in the contemporary world, as theirs has. This book is easy to read, yet highly charged intellectually and emotionally, making it a good choice for undergraduate classroom discussion. It is also attractive to a non-specialist readership.

    Laila Al-Marayati

    Chairperson, Muslim Women’s League, USA

    The style is open and inviting and made me feel as if I had accompanied [the] group on its journey. [The] discussion of the significance of the rituals from a spiritual and meaningful Islamic point of view was very enriching. I felt I was seeing things that I already knew in a different and more compelling light. The humor was apparent throughout and is something that is sadly lacking in other books as it seems that we Muslims are unable to laugh at ourselves in general. Several (South African) references were extremely relevant and eye-opening for those of us who were not present during the resistance to apartheid.

    from the ‘Foreword’ by Amina Wadud

    Virginia Commonwealth University

    In sharing their Hajj experience Shamima and Na’eem allow us to witness how Islam as engaged surrender is put into action. For one thing, we are reminded that the struggle goes on at multiple levels. At times we are witnesses to their joy and at other times to their frustrations. We witness small victories and defeats. The Hajj for Na’eem and Shamima is full of the ups and downs of the life journey. In this context Islam as engaged surrender reminds us that we must make our path as we walk it.

    from the biographical chapter by Abdulkader Tayob

    University of Cape Town

    [Shamima] and Na’eem seemed to have discovered different levels of their relationship with God, community and nation. This profundity certainly oozes through the pages of this text as the Hajj brings together their spirituality and their social conscience.

    Read the following reviews of Journey of Discovery:

  • A fine example of “Living Islam”

    By Aslam Fataar & Najwa Nordien

    Published in Al-Qalam, December 2000

     

    “Have yourself a ‘storied’ Ramadan.” This wish by an American friend to us only became meaningful after we read Na’eem Jeenah and Shamima Shaikh’s book Journey of discovery: A South African Hajj.

    The book is an example of a couple’s active mediation of their Hajj journey’s travails, filtered through their identity as young progressive, somewhat irreverent, and always passionate South African Muslims.

    The book fills an important gap in the religious market. It consists of a number of short stories, written with a compelling flow, and each containing a concise, yet deep message.

    We marvel at this couple’s love of life, of each other and of Allah (SWT), which shine through the pages of the book. They are an example of lives lived differently, and pushed to the limits of their consciences and beyond.

    As committed anti-racists and gender activists, the couple engage with those they meet on hajj, the places they visit, and their acts of worship, in search of greater meaning and inspiration. Hajar is creatively portrayed as “Imamah Hajar” in reference to Muslims following in her footsteps in one of the main rituals of hajj.

    Women praying among men in the precincts of the holy mosque in Makkah are a vindication of the authors’ struggle for absolute equality between men and women. The book succeeds in one fundamental respect: it is neither a text about normative Islam, nor a rule book about how to perform the hajj rituals. It is unambiguously a book about “living Islam”, Islam as an unfinished product, of experiencing and experimenting. The journey towards Islam is as important as the fulfilment of the hajj ritual obligations. Their stories suggest a closer relationship between the ideal and the actual, where the two are brought into conversation with each other, leading to a creative and tasteful exercise of faith. Shamima and Na’eem can proclaim their hajj as truly their very own.

    We encourage a quick and thorough reading of the book. Become inspired, and then write your own stories about your “living Islam”.