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Books

Books on Hajj

Sanyat Sattar

Staying Healthy On Hajj and Umrah
Abdul Hakim Luqman & Aletha Luqman
Medsurg Associates; April 2001
ISBN: 0971095809

Staying Healthy On Hajj and Umrah is the definitive Hajj Health Guide that gives Pilgrims medical advice for avoiding illness and aggravation of chronic medical problems while on the Pilgrimage to Mecca and Madinah. Written by a travel medicine physician and family nurse practitioner hajjis, this portable book contains medically related Iyats from the Qur'an, Hadith, and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). A photographic tour of the Holy Precincts of Mecca, Medina, Mina, Arafat, Kabah, Jamarat, Uhud, lists on what to bring, and prevention strategies included. Designed to carry with you and use on your Pilgrimage.

Hajj: Reflections on its Rituals
Ali Shariati
Lahel Bakhtiar (Translator)
Abjad Book Designers & Builders; February 1992
ISBN: 1871031036

This is the first complete translation of the masterpiece of Ali Shariati, it is not a treatise on the hajj, but a reflection by the astute haji on what the hajj means as it is performed and includes the meaning behind each and every ritual of the hajj based on the Arabic language and traditional sources.

Journey of Discovery: A South African Hajj
Na'eem Jeenah & Shamima Shaikh
Thorold's Africana Books; December 2000
ISBN: 0620264055

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 Mecca (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. This book is easy to read, yet highly charged intellectually and emotionally.