After reading the brief autobiographical excerpt from Jalal Al-e Ahmad, I want you to think about and answer ONE (you can address more, but don't feel obligated to do so) of the following questions:
1. In general, what was your reaction to Al-e Ahmad's description of the Hajj?
Does it seem like an attractive event? Do you think that your
reaction would be different if this text had been written by a fervent
believer?
2. From pp. 364-366, Al-e Ahmad discusses
two rituals: the running back and forth between Safa and Marveh and
the circumambulation of the Kaaba. In both of these rituals, Al-e
Ahmad says that one loses the sense of "self." Explain why and if you
think this is a positive or negative thing.
3. Al-e Ahmad also talks about pilgrims finding real meaning in the Hajj.
"A meaning higher than this dealing, marketing, tourism, discharge
of obligation, and ritual enactment economy, government, and a
thousand other inevitable things"(367). Having studied the infancy of
Islam, of what does this remind you? It seems that Al-e Ahmad is
indirectly comparing the Saudi administration of the the Hajj to what?
4.
What is Al-e Ahmad's view of the West's influence on and relationship
with Islam (or Islamic peoples and cultures)?[hint: look at pp.
368-72]
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1. In general, the hajj does not seem like a highly attractive event. I am surprised that as a religious event, it is characterized by people elbowing each other and gruesome animal sacrfices, whose descriptions have certainly scarred me for life. However, I think that the sense of unity embraced in the hajj is truly unique and special. It is quite amazing that millions of people can unite under the same faith and perform the same rituals together. Furthermore, it is incredible that Al-e Ahmad could walk away from his experience and say that, "Every ordinary man at the hajj could be the Imam of the Age, lest you show disrespect to others" (372). This shows that each person is equal to each other at the hajj and there are no prejudices or preconceived notions against one another.
ReplyDeleteIf this text had been written by a fervent believer, I do think I would have had a slightly more positive reaction, however, I feel as though I would not have been exposed to the reality of what the hajj is really like.
Al-e Ahmad’s description of the hajj did not make it seem like an event I would want to attend. I was surprised by the animal sacrifices and the rowdiness of the masses of Muslims impatient to see the Ka’ba. Al-e Ahmad even mentions that while performing the ritual of running back and forth between Safa and Marveh, he said that being surrounded by the infinite number of people made him “crazy” and gave him the “urge to break [his] head open against the first concrete pillar” (365). The majority of his description of the hajj was written from the realistic point of view of an observer, not through the spiritual eyes of a Muslim. I was almost disgusted by the animal sacrifices and would not have wanted to feel insignificant and vulnerable in such a large, rowdy crowd of worshippers; however, if I had read a description of the hajj from a fervent believer and member of the umma, I feel that I would have been able to recognize the importance of the hajj. To the Muslim community, the hajj has great religious significance, as it is the fifth pillar of Islam and Allah forgives the sins of those who make the journey with reverence. I am amazed by the unity created by the members of the umma on the hajj. Muslims from all around the world with diverse backgrounds and differences come together in Mecca to celebrate their common religion. Since the hajj is so meaningful to devout Muslims, I think that they would be focusing on the spiritual significance of the hajj and their relationship with Allah rather than how uncomfortable or claustrophobic they felt while surrounding the Ka’ba and performing rituals. I think that after Al-e Ahmad’s experience, he realized the significance of the hajj—that it is a “tradition that calls a million people to a single place every year and prevails upon them to engage in a single ritual.”
ReplyDelete2. Personally, I think that losing the sense of "self" a negative thing because he mentions that everyone seems to be in something like a trance. You lose yourself in these rituals and activities. I feel that by not putting your emotions and self into the activities, you do it more to just be able to say that you went to the Hajj. Jalal feels like nothing amongst this crowd. That is in no way positive, No one is even thinking clearly, they are just focused on running, not even paying attention to their surroundings.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, perhaps for Muslims losing the "self" would be positive because there is such an emphasis on community. Having this equality in this place reinforces their beliefs. This unity among them is one of the core values of Islam. At that moment, they are all doing the same things, and their thought process is the same. Their only focus is praising Allah.
2. The fact that in these two rituals - the running back and forth between Safa and Marveh and the circumambulation of the Kaaba - one loses their sense of "self" is a positive thing. Muslims go to Mecca to worship Allah and they take part in the Hajj because it is one of the five pillars. It is positive because they wont have a chance to think that it is only about them. There are millions of Muslims participating in these rituals, not just one person. Sometimes they might have to work together to make sure that no harm comes to people.
ReplyDelete1. Al-e Ahmad’s description of the Hajj was very vivid and revealing. From his perspective as a wayward Muslim, Ahmad did not make the Hajj seem like an attractive event. He described activities that could easily be viewed as violent. For example, in the sa’y, many people are bruised by the unintentional elbows they receive from other participants. Some are even trampled by the mass of people running with them, unable to keep up with the set pace around them. Ahmed describes the sa’y as being “caught in the midst of a terrified crowd fleeing from something” (364-365), suggesting an event of mass chaos. The animal sacrifices are yet another unappealing part of the Hajj. I found it sickening when Ahmed said that it looked as if people enjoyed sacrificing the animal, putting a knife to it unnecessarily. I agree with Ahmed on his point about the waste of meat during the animal sacrifices. When looking at the sacrifice from a nonreligious standpoint, as Ahmed does, there are so many people who are starving, yet thousands of pounds of meat are wasted.
ReplyDeleteAlthough through the lens of someone who is not a fervent Muslim the Hajj seems unattractive, I probably would have felt differently about the Hajj if a fervent believer were to have described it. There probably would have been a more religious and personal insight to the events of the Hajj. I think that Ahmed’s negative views on the Hajj mask its positive attributes.
I agree with Sonia. I think that a person losing his/her sense of "self" is a positive thing. Millions of Muslims embark on the Hajj each year. This losing of "self" allows everyone to come together and experience the true meaning of the Hajj. It also gives a greater meaning to these two rituals - the running back and forth between Safa and Marveh and the circumambulation of the Kaaba. If you lose your sense of "self" you are no longer completing these actions to fulfill personal needs or obligations, you are completing these actions to become spiritually enlightened.
ReplyDelete3. While reading Al-e Ahmad’s accounts, it is clear that he is not pleased by how the hajj is run. It was too commercialized, like Mecca was before the arrival of Islam. The government spent too much time on gaining profit from the religious site rather than to properly facilitate a spiritual experience. He notes during the animal slaughter that all the meat was not used to help others, just bought and thrown away. He said early on: “There’s no alternative but to internationalize these shrines, Mecca, Medina, Arafat, and Mina, to place them under the management of a joint council of Muslim nations, and to remove them from Saudi Arab control. The revenues must come from income from the hajj. Instead of Saudi Arabian police there must be guides from every nation” (361). His view is that the Saudi Arabian government does not control the hajj fairly, and that it should be handled by an international group.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in the case of religious experience it is very important to maintain the balance of retaining one’s self and losing one’s self. A major part of a religious experience such as the ones described by Al-e Ahmad, is to recognize that you are not the only one. You are part of large group of people, all doing the same thing, and through that, you are connected to one another. However, if one does not maintain a sense of self, it would defeat the point of partaking in such an experience at all. Each person has their own personal reasons for involving themselves in such religious rituals, and without these individual purposes, no one would have any reason to attend.
ReplyDelete1. Personally, I didn't find the description of the hajj very attractive. I think that the description might have been different if it had been written by a fervent believer, but this description is perhaps more objective. The description of the animal sacrifices surprised and shocked me, I personally found it disgusting, and I share his view that it is a terrible waste. I also don't think that loosing the sense of one's self is a good thing, because I think that a person's connection with God is something personal, and so I don't see how just becoming part of a crowd can help. However, it is amazing how many different people attend the event, and how the fact that they all speak different languages and have different cultures and backgrounds doesn't stop them.
ReplyDeleteI think the two rituals, specifically the running back and forth between Safa and Marveh is a negative thing because Jalal starts off with how easily someone can be trampled, how he saw an old man who was close to being trampled by everyone. That sounds quite terrifying, along with the fact that everyone seems to be in a trance like state, in a haze. Not really seeing whats going on. There are people crying and when they bump into other people, each just keep going as if nothing happened. All the people participating in the ritual dont have their "self", they are just focused on running. No one is an individual during this, they are following one another trying not to get trampled, and perhaps their minds are elsewhere. From what Jalal described, it seems that people are not in their right minds, because they are so focused and taken over by the ritual and the significance of it.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are both positive and negative outcomes to the running back and forth between Safa and Marveh and the circumambulation of the Kaaba. Some of the negative experiences are during the running between the Safa and the Maryeh. Many people are scared, crying, and people can even dye from being trampled; I do not think that people should have to be endangering their life by participating in this event. Another negative outcome of these two rituals are how much of the original structures built during the beginning of Islam have been destroyed and rebuilt. Although there are some negative connotations about this event there are also some positive ones. For example, Jalal Al-e Ahmad talks about losing a sense of self. Community is a major part of Islam, so being with some many people throughout these two rituals, helps the pilgrims realize that they are connected to a huge community of Muslims.
ReplyDeleteWhen instituting Islam, Muhammed put an emphasis on the community because of his childhood—being an orphan, he knew the importance of having people around you and being submerged into a community with people of the same views and goals. When Al-e Ahmad describes the running back and forth between Safa and Marveh, and the circumambulation of the Ka’ba, I think loosing one’s sense of “self” is a positive thing, and it greatly ties into the Muslim emphasis of community. To lose your sense of self means to become part of a whole community, but it also means to loose any arrogance or hubris that you may have. Not being aware of one’s “self” in these rituals then transfers the focus from an individual to Allah; Allah is more important than any individual, and one must loose their sense of “self” to realize this.
ReplyDelete2. While I certainly understand that losing one’s self is a necessary part of a religious experience, I also think there is a difference between losing one’s self and losing control. During the ceremonies of the sa’y and the circumambulation of the Ka’aba, it seems as if the hajji sacrifice their reason and individuality in the name of connecting with Allah to such a point that it becomes negative. For example, when describing the running back and forth between the two pillars, Al-e Ahmad describes an old man who is unable to continue running, but cannot stop because the force of the moving crowd is too powerful. In this example with the old man, it seems as though he is ignoring his limitations as someone who is not physically able to sprint from one point to another. Instead of letting go of his individuality in order to genuinely enhance his personal relationship with Allah, he sacrifices his individuality to just become another part of the crowd. This is certainly a negative way of sacrificing one’s individuality. Personally, I think of religion as a concept in which one must be aware of her self and limitations in order to free herself from ego and truly try to understand God. However, this cannot be achieved if we ignore the fact that we are individuals with distinct limitations that we must overcome in order to be closer to God.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, when describing the sa’y, Al-e Ahmad says that it’s a process of “stupefication” (364). He says that when participating, people’s eyes seem to go blank, as if all they are is “naked consciousness” (365). I think this is an example of letting go of one’s individuality negatively. While I fully support letting go of one’s ego in order to form a closer bond with God, I think simply releasing the self in order to become nothing is not the same. Personally, I think one must make a conscious effort to leave behind one’s ego in order to strive towards God. Otherwise, it is meaningless.
Although perhaps this is the point: to realize that you really are nothing compared to the greatness of Allah. However, I personally find it hard to feel like my duty as a human being is to be nothing. I feel like there is more of a purpose to my life granted from God than just to be nothing by unknowingly giving myself up. I can understand the merit in consciously letting go of my ego in order to be closer to God, but I cannot relate with the concept of giving myself up to God by simply not feeling anything.
2. I believe that both the ritual of running back and forth between Safa and Marveh and the ritual of the circumambulation of the Kaaba is negative. In running back and forth between Safa and Marveh, you lose your individuality and your connection to your personal voice, conscience and humanity. This mass of moving humanity creates dehumanization, a person becomes a thing, a “what,” rather than a “who.” Al-e Ahmad explains: “Whatever they are, they don’t seem to be human beings to whom one may turn to help,” (365). Al-e Ahmad tries to resist this inhuman condition or state, he does not want to be “like a fool in a frenzied bazaar” (365). Instead, he wants to keep his mind and heart, so he helps an old man from getting trampled. He acts as an individual and helps an individual. The circumambulation is also dehumanizing in the eyes of Al-e Ahmad. Even though it is a more organized form of movement, as it involves a circling around a center, it is also impossible for Ale-Ahmad to participate in it because it is just as impersonal and dehumanizing. Al-e Ahmad explains that the eyes of the participants have no individuality or self: “two eyes without a ‘self,’ or been released from it. These eyes are aren’t really eyes, but naked consciousnesses, or consciousnesses sitting at the edge of the eye sockets…” (365). Al-e Ahmad cannot stand “continual eye contact” (365) with these people because it means connecting to “nothingness” (365). He feels like a piece of trash, worthless because he is deprived of his humanity, and so we understand why he calls this description of these rituals “stupefication.”
ReplyDeleteWhat I think Al-e Ahmad means is that during these rituals, you longer are aware of yourself. You become no different than the person next to you, and your specific characteristics, problems, passions, and opinions are no longer important. During the sa'y and the circumambulation, you are merely a thread in a sheet of cloth. All people are performing the same action simultaneously, this being something he also points out. Based on his description, I think I can conclude that this can be a positive thing, especially in the sense that without a self, one is no different from their neighbor. This is beneficial for the circumambulation in particular, and communicates the same meaning as the white, seamless garments they wear are meant to convey: all are the same under the eyes of God. Therefore, this loss of sense of self seems in fact to be a goal, acknowledging your inferiority before Allah. As this ritual is performed calmly, it works.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this may be only beneficial to the circumambulation, for loss of self does not seem to be helpful in the frenzied ritual of sa'y. No sense of self can lead to a madness of some sort, so completely absorbed in the activity that you cannot tell the different between your panicked arms and those of the man next to you. People are vulnerable to the frenzy. This can be dangerous. If you are not aware of yourself, and neither is anyone around you, people can get hurt. And people often do get hurt during the sa'y. It is a frightening image, thousands of people all not feeling them selves running back and forth animatedly. Overall, I think loss of sense of self is something that comes with the hajj as a whole. A Muslim is one of thousands making the same journey for the same reason. It is impossible to see yourself as different than those around you.
#2. Islam is a religion that focuses on the community, which is also known as the umma. The umma is looked at as one group of people with the same beliefs and goal, which is to devotes one’s “self” to Allah. Al-e Ahmad presents to us the idea that through one body we can achieve great things. He also describes two rituals in which Muslims run back and forth between the Safa and Marveh, and he mentions the circumambulation of the Ka’ba. Muslims aspire to be apart of the umma. If they loose one’s “self” by participating in these rituals, then they will become apart of the community, and give their “self” to Allah. Isn’t that the objective of a Muslim? I think that since Islam’s focus on the wholeness of the umma is so important, that loosing one’s “self” is a positive thing, so they can dedicate ones’s “self “ to Allah.
ReplyDelete1. I think that Al-e Ahmad’s description of the Hajj was very realistic. To me, however, the event does not seem so attractive. The idea of squishing oneself between strangers in order to see a large rock, and getting bruised by elbows in the process, is not so pleasant. Al-e Ahmad also adds that there is a likelihood of being trampled under the feet of other strangers; this makes the Hajj seem, as Alex said before, violent. Not only is the claustrophobic violent aspect of the Hajj unappealing, but the violent, and COMPLETELY UNECESSARY, animal sacrifices are revolting. Al-e Ahmad evens adds that he finds the waste of meat unecessary, but that isn’t even what I found horrible. Instead, I think even the idea of killing an animal for no reason whatsoever is sickening. I would even say that this is unholy because if Allah created the animals, shouldn’t the animals be treated with respect? Those who are sacrificing the animals have no respect at all for their lives, and this is what most repells me from the Hajj. It is not as if Allah will shun those who do not sacrifice animals, and I personally find this type of sacrifice the most nauseating practice mentioned, so I know I will ever make the trip to the Hajj. If this experience had been written from the eyes of someone more pious, I believe I would have disliked it even more, which is nearly impossible. I think that a fervent believer would have justified the murders of the animals, and I probably would not have been able to finish reading as nothing can justify the slaughter of the innocents.
ReplyDeleteThe two rituals described by Al-e Ahmad’s -the running back and forth between Safa and Marveh, and the circumambulation of the Kaaba- are very interesting. He says that one looses the sense of self when doing these rituals because you are doing the same thing as tens or thousands of other people. In this situation there really is no way to stand out when you are dressed and acting like everyone else. In some ways, I believe this is a positive thing because it helps further one’s feeling of belongingness to the umma. From the beginnings of Islam, the community of believers has always played a major role. The community won at the Battle of Badr, supported Muhammad in his preachings, and helped to restore his revelations. For this purpose Muslims should take pride in being able to follow in their footsteps. In day to day life I believe that it is important to have a feeling of self and individualism, but for these rituals, I believe that the closer you are to the umma, the closer you are to Allah.
ReplyDeleteI think there are positive and negative affects for these actions. I personally find that the unity of the circumambulation of the Kaaba is a much more pleasing concept in contrast with the mayhem of running back in and for between Safa and Marveh. Al-e Ahmad states that there is system, a purpose, and an objective that everyone has when circling the Kaaba. I think that is very interesting. How such an amerce group of people are able to join together as one uniting for to celebrate a religious ritual. In this sense loosing one’s “self” is perfectly acceptable. You begin to blend into the larger force that is guiding this massive group of people. That must be a once in a lifetime experience to become part of something so large and so powerful. I however do not find the loosing your sense of self in terms of running between Safa and Marveh. I find this ritual actually very dangerous, because people loose themselves in the sense that they become savage and manic. People forget who they are and forget their values and get taken up in the moment and forget what they are doing. I find it very frightening that people can get trampled during this ritual. That means that people loose themselves to the extent that they loose their respect and concern for human life.
ReplyDelete1. From Jalal Al-e Ahmad's description, I was able to vividly imagine what a Hajj is like. Unfortunately, his realistic description made the Hajj sound unattractive, in my opinion. The fact that one has to push through hordes of strangers in order to maybe get a glimpse of, as Elizabeth put it, a large rock, is really not my idea of a nice religious retreat. Add that to the fact that one might have their body battered by strangers' elbows and be trampled by hundreds of unknown feet in a large, unknown space and you basically have a recipe for a bad religious experience, if it could be called that from the sound of it. I found the animal sacrifices to be unnecessary, cruel, and absolutely revolting, not to mention the scarring details of it all. The fact that people seemed to be actually ENJOYING killing an innocent animal is sickening. Yes, it is a waste of meat, but more importantly, it's a waste of a life. Animals have no voice, really no defenses against humans. Wouldn't killing one of them technically be counted as murder? Wasn't Allah trying to teach peace? Had this text been written by a more fervent believer, I think my reaction would still be one of shock, disgust, and skepticism as to how this classifies as a religious RETREAT. I'm unsure if my upbringing plays a role in my reaction, but I've always thought of retreats as quiet, peaceful, and meditative. Not rushed, loud, and violent. I'm sure a more pious believer would have found ways to make the whole experience sound nicer, possibly appealing, and that makes me upset. The fact that someone could potentially describe an affair like this, especially with the unnecessary sacrifices, as appealing and good for the soul unsettles me, and that is not a feeling I want to have when thinking about a religious tradition that has been upheld for centuries.
ReplyDeleteAl-e-Ahmad explains the two rituals in an intriguing way. He explains how one looses the sense of self when doing these rituals due to the fact that you are in the middle of tens of thousands of other people doing the same practices. I believe that this is a positive thing because it helps a Muslim person to have that feeling of belongingness to the umma. Muslims dream to become a part of the umma; if they lose their “self” by doing these practices they can achieve the objective of a Muslim. This objective is by losing their “self” they become a part of the community and offer that lost “self” to the almighty Allah. So this losing one’s “self” Al-e-Ahmad speaks of is very positive because it can help them achieve their goal.
ReplyDelete2. I do not believe that it is a positive thing when one loses their sense of "self". I think that in certain situations when people are so driven, as they are on the hajj, the enter a sort of animalistic state of frenzy and use poor judgement. This poor judgment could result, and often does result, in injuries or fatalities. On the other hand, in a more figurative way, losing one's sense of self can be a good thing. People think of each other as equals and pride or vanity are non-existant. Since people on the hajj all dress alike there are no comparisons to be made or judgments and that creates a sense of inner peace or a loss of the usual everyday "self".
ReplyDelete1. In general, my reaction to Al-e Ahmad's description of the hajj is that it does not sound like a fun journey to go on. Because of the thousands of people that also go on the hajj, it would be a mad house. I can only imagine what it would be like. Really hot, overcrowded, painful from being elbowed or stepped on, and the gruesome animal sacrifices that are made are not something I would want to watch. But, the fact that so many people bare all of these negative aspects of the hajj just to be there and just to be able to go on this trip for their religion is amazing to me. I love the fact that everyone is considered equal to each other no matter what. No matter how much money they have, or how much more they pray than everyone else, or anything. Everyone is the same in the eyes of Allah and no one is any better than anyone else, and people all have respect for one another on the hajj.
ReplyDelete3. In this segment on page 367, Jalal Al-e Ahmad has a revelation about the positive aspect of the hajj. Although he is generally critical of how the hajj is run now, in this moment he sees the beauty of it: "The greatest number of human beings anywhere who are gathered in one place in response to a command." For me, that sounded that at that moment there was a large sense of community. There was another moment when he saw the beauty of the hajj when "the ranks nearest the Kaaba arose and began circling, then those behind them followed in a stately rippling motion moving away from the center." Then he also mentions that the hajj must have some meaning higher than this touristic journey. Ironically, the hajj right now is what Muhammad was trying to break away from at the infancy of Islam. As al-e Ahmad says, the hajj is this "dealing, marketing, tourism... economy, government" etc. This is how the pilgrimages to Mecca were when Muhammad founded Islam, and this is what Muhammad criticized.
ReplyDelete3. Like Johanna, and a couple of others, have mentioned I feel that the constant repetition, as Ahmad says, helps you loose your 'self'. In a certain aspect, this is very important for a religious experience, like the hajj, because in order to experience the religious importance one must forget about all other things in life, like material things, so you are able to concentrate on the holy aspect. Your mind has to be cleared of all other worries to be able to fully focus on the religious journey you are about to embark on. However, as many others have stated, it is quite unfortunate that the hajj has become so commercial. Ahmad portrayed the mass of pilgrims, which I find takes away from the unique experience and makes it more of a stressful rush to complete everything.
ReplyDelete1. Before reading the excerpt, I had imagined the hajj as an awe-inspiring event where millions of people united peacefully in prayer. However, Jalal Al-e Ahmad's vivid descriptions of the heat, the violence, and the crowdedness of the journey diminished the image I once had and made it seem more like a mob scene. Additionally, I agree with Elizabeth that the animal sacrifices practiced are utterly repulsive and unnecessary. As a skeptic Muslim, he provides a point of view that many of us may have towards the hajj; however, for the same reason, I feel that he does not focus enough on the positive aspects, such as the holiness, and, in turn repels most readers.
ReplyDelete