6 Ways to Connect With the Hajj

Read a personal memoir of Hajj. There are a variety of personal travel memoirs describing individual Hajj experiences. Michael Wolfe’s autobiographical work, “The Hadj, an American’s Pilgrimage to Mecca,” describes in comprehensive detail his trip to Mecca via Morocco. Wolfe also edited the anthology “One Thousand Roads to Mecca,” which features 23 short memoirs by a wide variety of personalities from Ibn Batuta to Muhammad Asad. “Journey of Discovery,” a very intimate account by Shamima Shaikh and Na’eem Jeenah, follows the South African husband and wife on their Hajj and offers the unique perspective of a post-apartheid couple. Ali Shariati’s reflections on the meaning of Hajj in his book, “Hajj,” are also considered to be among the most uplifting of pilgrimage stories.