Some trips are destined to change your life. It changes the way you look at yourself, it tests your morals and beliefs, it changes your perception about life itself. These kinds of trips are mostly spiritual, related to one's religion and beliefs; for Muslims, it is the trip of Haj.
Ask anyone who has performed Haj and he will narrate the story of his once in a lifetime journey emotionally. He will recall every moment he spent at the holy sites; every tear dropped in supplication before God. Such memories become eternal when it is believed that it would be difficult to perform Haj again either because of distance, financial issues or physical inability.
As millions have gone through their spiritually charged trip of Haj last week, it is a good opportunity to recall the story of a person whose Haj trip drastically changed his life; the trip that took place in April of 1964 by Al-Haj Malik El-Shabazz, or most famously known as Malcolm X.
The story of Malcolm X and the heritage he left behind on the issue of racism and Islam in the United States is so rich and extensive that it is impossible to discuss it in these few lines. And so, I am confining this article on the impact his Haj trip and this country had on him.
Interestingly, not many Americans used to come to perform Haj at that time. Just bear in mind it was the 60s and the country was still in its early stages of becoming a modern state. America, with its racial issues and its Nation of Islam movement, was not known to the Saudis at that time. Malcolm X was called the "Muslim from America" when he arrived in Jeddah. The days he spent in Jeddah triggered a change in his understanding of Islam and its teachings away from the dogma of the Nation of Islam back in the United States. Imagine, being a Muslim minister, a leader in Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam, Malcolm X spent his days meeting with people, learning from them, preaching and explaining his thoughts in the most eloquent manner he was known for. "They were aware," Malcolm said in his autobiography, "of the yardstick that I was using to measure everything, that to me the earth's most explosive and pernicious evil is racism, the inability of God's creatures to live as one, especially in the Western world."
In no time, Malcolm X, who was known as the "Muslim from America" became a state guest who met many influential figures including Prince Faisal, who became king the same year. "Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races here in this ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad and all the other Prophets of the Holy Scriptures(peace be upon them all). For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colors," he wrote in one of his famous letters from Saudi Arabia.
"There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and non-white."
The trip of Malcolm X to Makkah was significant for him and for thousands others who were influenced by his teachings in the United States. The trip also provided a glimpse of Saudi Arabia and its preparations for Haj at that time. It is something that we may need to look closely at to document, build and maintain this rich history for the generations to come. I am sure there are thousands, if not millions of stories that are better be documented and turned into a vivid history to show how trips to the holy land have affected and change lives.
Ask anyone who has performed Haj and he will narrate the story of his once in a lifetime journey emotionally. He will recall every moment he spent at the holy sites; every tear dropped in supplication before God. Such memories become eternal when it is believed that it would be difficult to perform Haj again either because of distance, financial issues or physical inability.
As millions have gone through their spiritually charged trip of Haj last week, it is a good opportunity to recall the story of a person whose Haj trip drastically changed his life; the trip that took place in April of 1964 by Al-Haj Malik El-Shabazz, or most famously known as Malcolm X.
The story of Malcolm X and the heritage he left behind on the issue of racism and Islam in the United States is so rich and extensive that it is impossible to discuss it in these few lines. And so, I am confining this article on the impact his Haj trip and this country had on him.
Interestingly, not many Americans used to come to perform Haj at that time. Just bear in mind it was the 60s and the country was still in its early stages of becoming a modern state. America, with its racial issues and its Nation of Islam movement, was not known to the Saudis at that time. Malcolm X was called the "Muslim from America" when he arrived in Jeddah. The days he spent in Jeddah triggered a change in his understanding of Islam and its teachings away from the dogma of the Nation of Islam back in the United States. Imagine, being a Muslim minister, a leader in Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam, Malcolm X spent his days meeting with people, learning from them, preaching and explaining his thoughts in the most eloquent manner he was known for. "They were aware," Malcolm said in his autobiography, "of the yardstick that I was using to measure everything, that to me the earth's most explosive and pernicious evil is racism, the inability of God's creatures to live as one, especially in the Western world."
In no time, Malcolm X, who was known as the "Muslim from America" became a state guest who met many influential figures including Prince Faisal, who became king the same year. "Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races here in this ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad and all the other Prophets of the Holy Scriptures(peace be upon them all). For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colors," he wrote in one of his famous letters from Saudi Arabia.
"There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and non-white."
The trip of Malcolm X to Makkah was significant for him and for thousands others who were influenced by his teachings in the United States. The trip also provided a glimpse of Saudi Arabia and its preparations for Haj at that time. It is something that we may need to look closely at to document, build and maintain this rich history for the generations to come. I am sure there are thousands, if not millions of stories that are better be documented and turned into a vivid history to show how trips to the holy land have affected and change lives.
