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The Hadj: An American's Pilgrimage to Mecca
The Hadj, or sacred journey, is the pilgrimage to the house of God at Mecca that all Muslims are asked to make once in their lifetimes. One of the world’s longest-lived religious rites, having continued without break for fourteen hundred years, it is, like all things Islamic, shrouded in mystery for Westerners. In The Hadj , Michael Wolfe, an American who converted to Islam, recounts his own journey a pilgrim, and in doing so brings readers close to the heart of what the pilgrimage means to a member of the religion that claims one-sixth of the world’s population. Not since Sir Richard Burton’s account of the pilgrimage to Mecca over one hundred years ago has a Western writer described the Hadj in such fascinating detail.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 1994
21 people are currently reading
407 people want to read
About the author
Michael Wolfe
7 books22 followersMichael Wolfe (born 3 April 1945) is a Muslim American poet, author, and the President and Executive Producer of Unity Productions Foundation. He is a frequent lecturer on Islamic issues at universities across the United States including Harvard, Georgetown, Stanford, SUNY Buffalo, and Princeton. He holds a degree in Classics from Wesleyan University.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 27, 2010
An interesting account of an American convert to Islam's pilgrimage to Mecca. He talks a bit in the beginning about what drew him from Judaism to Islam but it's not really a spiritual memoir. He describes his trip, pausing in places to talk about the hadj in its historical context, and to describe the people he spends time with along the way. He's traveled a lot in the Mideast and starts his journey in Morocco, staying with old friends. Once he goes to Saudi Arabia, he's part of an American delegation sponsored by a Saudi prince. The Hadj is physically demanding partly because of the extreme temperatures, the distances involved, and the usual illnesses and strains of travel, but also because of the huge crowds that converge on Mecca for a week to perform this required rite. One of the things he talks about is how cars have changed things. Once, everybody rode camels; now, with cars and buses, it takes hours to go a few miles. But one of the principles of Islam is hospitality to guests and the Saudis see taking care of the pilgrims as their personal responsibility. Nearly everything goes smoothly, although there's a stampede in one of the tunnels in which pilgrims are killed. That's an anomaly, though.
One of the things that strikes him, over and over, is how international the Hadj is. The year he went was notable because for the first time Russian and Chinese Muslims are able to participate. Another thing I liked was his awareness of practicing his adopted faith among fellow believers. He describes the rhythms of the city during Ramadan, when everyone is fasting, and the sense that they're all helping each other get through it. It's very different from Ramadan at home in California.
One of the things that strikes him, over and over, is how international the Hadj is. The year he went was notable because for the first time Russian and Chinese Muslims are able to participate. Another thing I liked was his awareness of practicing his adopted faith among fellow believers. He describes the rhythms of the city during Ramadan, when everyone is fasting, and the sense that they're all helping each other get through it. It's very different from Ramadan at home in California.
April 2, 2012
Readers expecting insights into Islamic spirituality will find this a different kind of book. Its first half describes a long visit to Marrakesh during which the author is the house guest of an old friend who is a shop owner in the Old City's bazaar. A recent convert to Islam in California, Wolfe discovers how the teachings of Muhammad infuse the daily life and culture of this Moroccan city.
The second half of the book describes his own hadj (pilgrimage) to Mecca, where millions of the faithful gather once each year from around the world for a week and more of religious ritual and visits to sacred sites as guests of the Saudi government. Rather than the recounting of a spiritual experience, however, Wolfe's narrative is a detailed report of things seen, heard, and felt, much like a travelogue. The decision may have been to reserve comment on the impact of hadj on his own faith, but it's an unexpected choice.
More curious is Wolfe's uncritical acceptance of the male-dominated culture he describes. Men and men only go together to mosque for prayers, and the pilgrims he travels with are all male. Except for his friend Mostopha's wife, who seems always to be cooking and keeping house, women hardly figure in his book, even his own wife back home, who gets scarcely a mention. Meanwhile, he praises the classless and color-blind egalitarianism of hadj as it's observed, while failing to make note of his privilege as an American, able to afford rooms in the comfort of air-conditioned hotels while the poor sleep rough at night, sometimes in tunnels only inches from passing traffic. The shortcomings of other religions notwithstanding, these are odd oversights, even for the 1990s, when it was first published.
Still, for non-Muslims, this is as close as one can get to an experience of pilgrimage to Mecca. And Wolfe does readers a service by observing so closely and sharing so much. For an account of hadj from a woman's point of view, read Asra Nomani's "Standing Alone in Mecca."
The second half of the book describes his own hadj (pilgrimage) to Mecca, where millions of the faithful gather once each year from around the world for a week and more of religious ritual and visits to sacred sites as guests of the Saudi government. Rather than the recounting of a spiritual experience, however, Wolfe's narrative is a detailed report of things seen, heard, and felt, much like a travelogue. The decision may have been to reserve comment on the impact of hadj on his own faith, but it's an unexpected choice.
More curious is Wolfe's uncritical acceptance of the male-dominated culture he describes. Men and men only go together to mosque for prayers, and the pilgrims he travels with are all male. Except for his friend Mostopha's wife, who seems always to be cooking and keeping house, women hardly figure in his book, even his own wife back home, who gets scarcely a mention. Meanwhile, he praises the classless and color-blind egalitarianism of hadj as it's observed, while failing to make note of his privilege as an American, able to afford rooms in the comfort of air-conditioned hotels while the poor sleep rough at night, sometimes in tunnels only inches from passing traffic. The shortcomings of other religions notwithstanding, these are odd oversights, even for the 1990s, when it was first published.
Still, for non-Muslims, this is as close as one can get to an experience of pilgrimage to Mecca. And Wolfe does readers a service by observing so closely and sharing so much. For an account of hadj from a woman's point of view, read Asra Nomani's "Standing Alone in Mecca."
June 11, 2013
An interesting, and not altogether positive, travelogue of the Hadj (or Hajj) in Mecca by a recent convert to Islam. The descriptions include more about the heat, crushing crowds, periods of boredom (sitting on a bus in traffic) than other accounts I've read - making me believe it's more realistic than some of the more "oh it was such a wonderful, spiritual experience" accounts. But, I enjoyed the first half of the book - when he was in Morocco - better. Having spent time in Morocco before his conversion, he finds a different side of the culture and more acceptance from the people now that he's back as a Muslim. It was interesting reading about him becoming more comfortable in his own Muslim skin.
May 25, 2009
Liked it very much. One of the better 20th century travelogues about the Hadj written by a (then) recent revert to Islam.
February 8, 2015
I translated the second part of it into Malayalam, a South Indian vernacular. Read it again on 08.02.2015
August 9, 2011
For those who think to pick up this book as a guide on how to perform the Hadj, don't. This is a travelogue. For the minutiae, there are countless other resources for reference.
Is it fair to call this book The Hadj, when the actual description of his pilgrimage only takes place in the latter half of the book? I tried to justify his title, that by starting out in Morocco, Wolfe is on the path of his pilgrimage.
But somehow that doesn't seem to cut it. The intention to perform the hadj is a sobering act, and not to be undertaken lightly as the author seemed to have. He dawdles in Morocco, waiting for other people to make his hadj a reality instead of actually doing something about it. It looked like he made it to Makkah through the skin of his teeth instead of what appears to be divine intervention. I'd like to think that divine intervention happens when one has exhausted all avenues! Still it's God's will that it happened for him, but not a lot of effort on his side. He actually resisted heading back to Washington to get his visa when it appeared that he had to. Makes one wonder whether he truly wanted to be on the Hadj.
His experience of the Hadj seemed far more laid-back than what I imagined. Instead of being completely immersed in religious activities or constant spiritual contemplation the entire time there as one might expect to be on a pilgrimage, he spends quite a bit of time reading non-religious books. It's like he was on holiday on a guided tour.
Nevertheless, I find it an engaging read. The various steps to performing the Hadj, did not seem so difficult as I thought. At least, I know not to do it during the summer season.
Is it fair to call this book The Hadj, when the actual description of his pilgrimage only takes place in the latter half of the book? I tried to justify his title, that by starting out in Morocco, Wolfe is on the path of his pilgrimage.
But somehow that doesn't seem to cut it. The intention to perform the hadj is a sobering act, and not to be undertaken lightly as the author seemed to have. He dawdles in Morocco, waiting for other people to make his hadj a reality instead of actually doing something about it. It looked like he made it to Makkah through the skin of his teeth instead of what appears to be divine intervention. I'd like to think that divine intervention happens when one has exhausted all avenues! Still it's God's will that it happened for him, but not a lot of effort on his side. He actually resisted heading back to Washington to get his visa when it appeared that he had to. Makes one wonder whether he truly wanted to be on the Hadj.
His experience of the Hadj seemed far more laid-back than what I imagined. Instead of being completely immersed in religious activities or constant spiritual contemplation the entire time there as one might expect to be on a pilgrimage, he spends quite a bit of time reading non-religious books. It's like he was on holiday on a guided tour.
Nevertheless, I find it an engaging read. The various steps to performing the Hadj, did not seem so difficult as I thought. At least, I know not to do it during the summer season.
May 27, 2008
Too many qotes, so little time
"Everything that counts goes on in the darkness. We can never know another's inside story" (102).
"Most Americans don't know Islam from a tomato" (142).
Michael: Most of my people [Americans] believe the TV.
Hamza: The Muslims have not faired well on your television.
Michael: No one has faired well. The average American student can't find Georgia on a map.
(142)
"Mardini was scathing about Makkan roadmanship. He called it the insha' Allah school of driving . . . Dropouts from the insha' Allah school [wrecked cars] sat demolished at the every few blocks, but nobody noticed" (200).
"Nietzsche said that everyone brings to the desert what he finds there. Thinking of Nietzsche in Arafat [Saudi Arabia] amused me" (249).
"Most Americans were wrong about the Arabs, just as they were wrong about Islam. The only Arabs they seemedd to know were the mug shots of men employed by shabby tyrants. As for Islam, they knew nothing about it and did not want to" (251).
"If it was not hard, it would not be the hadj" (276).
The trappings of power cut me off . . . and the hadj was a chance to dispense with class division" (276).
"Everything that counts goes on in the darkness. We can never know another's inside story" (102).
"Most Americans don't know Islam from a tomato" (142).
Michael: Most of my people [Americans] believe the TV.
Hamza: The Muslims have not faired well on your television.
Michael: No one has faired well. The average American student can't find Georgia on a map.
(142)
"Mardini was scathing about Makkan roadmanship. He called it the insha' Allah school of driving . . . Dropouts from the insha' Allah school [wrecked cars] sat demolished at the every few blocks, but nobody noticed" (200).
"Nietzsche said that everyone brings to the desert what he finds there. Thinking of Nietzsche in Arafat [Saudi Arabia] amused me" (249).
"Most Americans were wrong about the Arabs, just as they were wrong about Islam. The only Arabs they seemedd to know were the mug shots of men employed by shabby tyrants. As for Islam, they knew nothing about it and did not want to" (251).
"If it was not hard, it would not be the hadj" (276).
The trappings of power cut me off . . . and the hadj was a chance to dispense with class division" (276).
July 9, 2012
Terribly written travelogue! Have not seen such a boring read for a long time. Author trying to describe it's path to islam and exactly his travel to Mecca. Almost half of the book is the time author spent in Morocco. He is trying to describe a little bit of anthropological facts with big part of islam culture and islam religion doctrines. But most of the islamic postulates are given with very little details. I'd better read religious dictionary for that purpose. I gave 2 for this book just because some parts are still written good.
September 22, 2016
It's always interesting to see Islam from westerner point of view especially if he wasn't born as Moslem. In fact, this book is only a bit about it. It's more a narrative descriptive travelog / travel diary of Michael Wolfe before and during Hadj. It talks about landscape, buildings, some history and people. It talks about Marrakesh, Tangier, Makkah & Madinah, in beautiful way but not spiritual or romantic.
July 10, 2008
buku ini bisa dibilang jendela pertama untuk perjalanan impian ke mekkah. gaya cerita orang pertama membuat buku ini jadi enak dibaca, sangat deskriptif n sarat informasi terutama buat calon-calon haji yang ingin perjalanannya kelak tidak sekedar ritual tetapi jadi perjalanan spiritual yang rasional. GREAT!!!
(aq sih baca edisi indonesianya ... maklum...)
(aq sih baca edisi indonesianya ... maklum...)
August 20, 2014
Wolfe’s very descriptive and insightful and personal narrative of the hajj to Mecca. Inspired much good conversation, and even more wonderful stories by one Muslim sister of her own experiences. Everyone felt they learned a lot. Some discussion of pilgrimage in each of our traditions. Highly recommended. No issues of controversy around this book. (Review by Wellesly)
August 5, 2009
As an American (and Jewish!) convert to Islam, Wolfe's account of the hajj (trip to Mecca) was absolutely fascinating, and paints a portrait of Islam as a religion that emphasizes purity of heart over social class.
October 30, 2012
I read this after reading Asra Nomani's "Standing Alone in Mecca" and was disappointed with this one; more like a day-to-day documentary than a soul-finding journey.
April 1, 2013
3.5 stars.
I am much more informed on the Hajj/Hadj than I was before this book. I enjoyed the perspective from an American not born into the religion.
I am much more informed on the Hajj/Hadj than I was before this book. I enjoyed the perspective from an American not born into the religion.
August 15, 2021
I really enjoy reading his experience :)
November 22, 2015
reminded me of a quote heard long back--'There exists no nonecstatic religious experience' Albert Hofmann notes in -- LSD: My Problem Child
June 19, 2025
Every year when Hajj season rolls around, I have a goal to read a pilgrimage memoir. But I always fall short of my goal. This year I started and was able to finish this Hajj memoir of Michael Wolfe.
Wolfe is a convert to Islam from a Jewish father and Christian mother, who grew up not really practicing either religion. This book was published in 1993, and concerns the Hajj of 1990, and Wolfe had become Muslim a few years before that. He was a travel writer and journalist, and that makes this book an enjoyable read because he writes well. My friend tells me Wolfe was also instrumental in making Inside Hajj for National Geographic, which is my favorite Hajj documentary.
The Hadj doesn't just document Wolfe's journey to Hajj, but starts in Ramadan when he first travels to Morocco. It seems that he has spent a lot of time in Morocco in the past (he references this a lot, and I'm not sure if there are other books or writings out there about this time), but now he is returning as a Muslim and reconnecting with friends he hasn't seen for 20 years. He documents some of the Ramadan practices, and some of the differences between the various metropolitan areas of Morocco. I have never been, so this was all new and interesting. Especially because of the infusion of French into their Arabic, I wasn't aware some of the Moroccan words refer to Arabic terms (ex: djema - jamaa').
I became Muslim in 2003 and have traveled to Muslim countries. It was interesting to see a similar experience that Wolfe shares. Especially being afraid to visit the mosque and that he will be thrown out, or being challenged for being a non-Muslim (neither of this comes to happen) or being thought of as a spy (this does happen).
Wolfe also documents his spiritual journey as well as his physical one. In fact one of the points he makes over and over is that hajj itself is not so much a destination but a continuous striving. Wolfe documents how he changes as a Muslim, and changes how he sees himself. I liked that. All memoirs should talk about one's spiritual aspects just as much as they include details of physicality, mentality etc.
Since the events of this book take place in 1990, it was also nostalgic to remember how certain things used to be. However this also is leading up to the Iran-Iraq war, so there is that. Additionally Hajj used to be very dangerous in some ways (still is in other ways), so to hear him describe those things which lead to deaths by crushing in 1990 was sad. Hearing him describe his state of the art technology of the time (and have the Saudis try to steal it at the airport), funny but also frustrating.
Wolfe has also edited a collection of Hajj writings and I he quotes from some of them here. I only wish we still keep up this tradition of pilgrimage travel writing. It's as much of a sunnah of the Muslims as Hajj itself.
Wolfe is a convert to Islam from a Jewish father and Christian mother, who grew up not really practicing either religion. This book was published in 1993, and concerns the Hajj of 1990, and Wolfe had become Muslim a few years before that. He was a travel writer and journalist, and that makes this book an enjoyable read because he writes well. My friend tells me Wolfe was also instrumental in making Inside Hajj for National Geographic, which is my favorite Hajj documentary.
The Hadj doesn't just document Wolfe's journey to Hajj, but starts in Ramadan when he first travels to Morocco. It seems that he has spent a lot of time in Morocco in the past (he references this a lot, and I'm not sure if there are other books or writings out there about this time), but now he is returning as a Muslim and reconnecting with friends he hasn't seen for 20 years. He documents some of the Ramadan practices, and some of the differences between the various metropolitan areas of Morocco. I have never been, so this was all new and interesting. Especially because of the infusion of French into their Arabic, I wasn't aware some of the Moroccan words refer to Arabic terms (ex: djema - jamaa').
I became Muslim in 2003 and have traveled to Muslim countries. It was interesting to see a similar experience that Wolfe shares. Especially being afraid to visit the mosque and that he will be thrown out, or being challenged for being a non-Muslim (neither of this comes to happen) or being thought of as a spy (this does happen).
Wolfe also documents his spiritual journey as well as his physical one. In fact one of the points he makes over and over is that hajj itself is not so much a destination but a continuous striving. Wolfe documents how he changes as a Muslim, and changes how he sees himself. I liked that. All memoirs should talk about one's spiritual aspects just as much as they include details of physicality, mentality etc.
Since the events of this book take place in 1990, it was also nostalgic to remember how certain things used to be. However this also is leading up to the Iran-Iraq war, so there is that. Additionally Hajj used to be very dangerous in some ways (still is in other ways), so to hear him describe those things which lead to deaths by crushing in 1990 was sad. Hearing him describe his state of the art technology of the time (and have the Saudis try to steal it at the airport), funny but also frustrating.
Wolfe has also edited a collection of Hajj writings and I he quotes from some of them here. I only wish we still keep up this tradition of pilgrimage travel writing. It's as much of a sunnah of the Muslims as Hajj itself.
May 23, 2017
Nine parts travelogue, one part religious studies - very readable, especially if you have any interest in travel in Morocco and the closed (to non-Muslim) city of Mekka. Realizing that if I were Muslim, I'd be "called" to go to Mekka at least once in my lifetime, I also read this book thinking how miserable it would be! The heat, the swarms of people, barely any room to do your prayers, the litter, the sheer "stink" of others ... gah, my introverted be-by-myself-person would be in total upheaval. There is a potential bomb threat during this particular Hadj. Three million people in one place, being peaceful, doing their religion stuff, and someone throws a bomb threat in the middle of it. *le sigh* People die every year here. As the author puts it, you can't have that number of people together in one place and not have some people die - statistics just dictate it, not necessarily violence. I can remember watching the hadj on television at my family's house when I lived in Morocco (it was just always on... that's what you watch during that time.) I understand better what I was seeing after reading this - my family actually did a great job trying to tell me, but of course the significance of the rituals was lost on me until I read this. Great read.
February 28, 2018
I enjoyed the book. I hesitated to give it a higher rating because I am immediately cautious of an author who praises one religion or philosophy by debasing others. Islam’s golden age during the caliphates immediately following the Prophet’s death and then later when centered in Baghdad are unrivaled in terms of cultural achievement. But to repeatedly claim that other religions are less valid because they aren’t based so acutely on a historical figure missed the point. If you require absolute facts to believe, how is that faith? I think Islam is valuable and I think the Qu’ran is really rather beautiful but is there something wrong with just keeping the focus on that? I’ve seen this with some other religious/spiritual authors who debase other ways of thinking in order to make their way of thinking seem better. I just don’t like it.
December 17, 2025
The Hadj is a rare, intimate window into one of the world’s most sacred and least understood journeys. Through Michael Wolfe’s clear eyed, deeply personal account, readers are guided step by step through the pilgrimage to Mecca not as observers, but as fellow travelers.
Written with humility, insight, and reverence, this memoir demystifies the Hadj while capturing its profound spiritual power, making the experience accessible to Muslim and non Muslim readers alike. Thoughtful, enlightening, and quietly moving, The Hadj stands as one of the most compelling Western accounts of Islam’s holiest rite.
Written with humility, insight, and reverence, this memoir demystifies the Hadj while capturing its profound spiritual power, making the experience accessible to Muslim and non Muslim readers alike. Thoughtful, enlightening, and quietly moving, The Hadj stands as one of the most compelling Western accounts of Islam’s holiest rite.
September 8, 2024
It's an interesting book from a Reverted Muslim on Hadj. Mr. Wolfe saw the hadj from a white American Muslims angle and an angle from an invitee of the king. So missed many points, including racism faced by the Muslims of developing countries from the Saudis and the Arabs. But the book is well written, well-intentioned, and identifies the spirit of Hadj, the brotherhood among the hadjees and all. A must-read for every person who is planning to perform hadj. The physical features may change in Makkah and Medina, but the spirit remains the same.
April 30, 2025
I didn’t know what to expect when I began this book. I wanted to get a sense of the Hajj as a religious pilgrimage - its sacred rites and maybe some history. However, this book instead presented a much more informal and refreshing account of the author’s personal experience on the Hadj. This was a wholesome read.
Also, it is my first time I believe, reading a travelogue - which turned out to be quite pleasant. Alhamdulillah.
Also, it is my first time I believe, reading a travelogue - which turned out to be quite pleasant. Alhamdulillah.
February 5, 2024
A personal journey into Islam
Starts off as a literate travelogue in the Paul Theroux vein, ends up as a story of a soul, in a Joseph Conrad sort of way. This was an ideal Hajj account for me to read: I’m a recent revert to Islam and a US citizen like the author and I’m praying to make Hajj this year. But I don’t think you have to be Muslim to benefit from reading this book.
Starts off as a literate travelogue in the Paul Theroux vein, ends up as a story of a soul, in a Joseph Conrad sort of way. This was an ideal Hajj account for me to read: I’m a recent revert to Islam and a US citizen like the author and I’m praying to make Hajj this year. But I don’t think you have to be Muslim to benefit from reading this book.
June 26, 2023
Interesting at times boring at other times
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