Malcom X was an African American Muslim male who converted to the Muslim faith later in life. He was steadfast in his beliefs and relished in sharing them with others. He enjoyed passing his knowledge on to the young and old, the dark and the fair. However, earlier in his days as a Muslim, he had yet to make the traditional pilgrimage known as Hajj. As he grew to know more about it, he began wanting to make the pilgrimage. Though it became evidently clear that he was unfamiliar with any of requirements to make this pilgrimage, including how to obtain a visa and how to speak to the local population, it was precisely this reason that he needed to make the trip.
According to “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” X was aware that the Hajj is a religious obligation one should fulfill if humanly possible. In fact, the Quran simply states that if humanly possible, one should make the pilgrimage within his or her lifetime according to “The Hajj,” by Nathalie Collins and Jamie Murphy. By these standards, it would not matter if X understood the requirements to make the trip or not, only that he was of Muslim faith, and humanly capable of making the trip. He took these words to heart and decided to do so at the urging of Wallace Muhammad, who encouraged him to learn more about his faith . Malcolm X had always respected Muhammad’s words. It is assumed that X thought there was no better way to learn more about his faith than to make the Hajj pilgrimage blindly, as a child may have done . His willingness to partake in Hajj without knowing anything about it may strike some with inconsistency, but to others it shows devotion.
It is apparent early in his autobiography that X had no knowledge whatsoever of how to make this pilgrimage. He requires help from several individuals. Firstly, he cannot afford to make the pilgrimage by himself, and requires to funds from Ella. She believes it is more important that X make the pilgrimage than herself. Secondly, Malcolm X is also ignorant about how to obtain a Visa for the Hajj pilgrimage. He is ignorant to many things about the pilgrimage; we learn this as we read, and he needs help from many other people in order to complete the journey. The pilgrimage visa must be signed by an official consulate member or appointed official, according to A.H Al-Hashedi and associates’ article, “RFID Applications and Hajj Management System . Luckily for X, though he knew nothing about this, Dr. Mahmoud Shawarbi was the appointed official of that time, and he had the visa ready before X even called him. Malcolm X took this as a sign that Allah was watching over him, encouraging him to progress forward with his pilgrimage.
Unrelated specifically to the Hajj pilgrimage is the topic of language. According to Ahmed M. Abdel-Khalek’s “Religiosity and Well-Being in a Muslim Context,” many Muslims during X’s time did not speak English . Many still do not today. X was apparently fearless to the boundaries language barriers can set up, because he set out on this trip without a second thought about possibly being unable to communicate with anybody once he left America. During his trip, X decided to tour Cairo for a few days and is excited upon phoning his Muslim brother to discover that many of them speak English very well . This incident was another stroke of ignorance on Malcolm X’s behalf, but also another stroke of luck. English speaking Muslims during that time were difficult to locate during the pilgrimage, yet X managed find several in a group of eight. Not only would he be allotted with individuals to translate what was going on in his own native tongue, but also he would have trusted colleagues around him to translate to those who could not understand English. Again, he proved to be entirely ignorant to the process of the pilgrimage; it is strongly suggested that one knows the basic Muslim terms when making such a voyage. However, it is further proof within the Muslim tradition that even if one is entirely ignorant to the process, one should make the Hajj pilgrimage if they are humanly able, as the Quran states.
Malcom X goes on to be completely ignorant of the traditional garb after entering Ihram. He states that he feels nervous, admitting that for the rest of the pilgrimage he will be relying on copying the motions and words of those around them because he is not quite sure what he is doing . He dresses himself as everybody else does: in the Izar, Rida, and simple sandals, pretending to know that these clothes are the norm for this part of the pilgrimage. Akasha Lonsdale’s “The Simple Guide to Attending Muslim Ceremonies,” gives brief, but thorough rundowns of how each garment is supposed to be worn and why, which may have been helpful to X at this time . She also reveals that many who make the Hajj pilgrimage do not do the proper research prior to attending and some authorities within the Muslim nation take it as a sign of disrespect, which leads to the increased border patrol . While X was making the pilgrimage with innocent intentions, his lack of knowledge is what led to the next misunderstanding.
Upon attempting to begin his voyage to Mecca with his brothers, a judge became dissatisfied with X’s papers, stating he must go before a Mahgama Sharia. In other words, X’s papers must be examined by a Muslim high court in the event he was a non-authentic convert to the Islamic religion; all persons as such are outlawed from entering Mecca . True though his intentions were, if Malcolm X had known more about his religion, or about the process of the Hajj pilgrimage, he could have circumvented this issue entirely. However, he simply followed the Quran, stating that because he was able-bodied, he should go. Arguably, man’s insufficiency and distrust threatened his pilgrimage. It does not stop his pilgrimage, luckily. He is eventually able to complete his journey, though later he scolds himself for never learning the prayers, and being forced to copy those around him based on what he hears. He did make the pilgrimage, though some substance may have been lost due to this particular deficit in knowledge .
In sum, it is true Malcolm X knew little about the visa and pilgrimage process when he set out to visit Mecca. The Hajj pilgrimage is a time-honored tradition that the Islamic people do not take lightly. Many may take Malcolm X’s near-sighted candor about the process to be a fleeting fancy about the Muslim brotherhood. However, others would view it for X’s true actions: he was simply following the Quran’s word. He was able bodied, and willing to make the pilgrimage. Therefore, as a practicing Muslim, it was his duty to try, and so he did. He knew nothing about collecting a visa, becoming an authentic convert, the prayers, or the language. While these are all important elements, he paid attention to the most important element of all. The Quran did not say learn about visas, the language, and get your paperwork in order, then be able-bodied enough to make the pilgrimage. The Quran simply stated if you could, do it. Malcolm X read these words, wanted to learn more about his religion, and managed to accomplish both of these goals.
References
Abdel-Khalek, Ahmed, M. "Religiosity and Well-Being in a Muslim Context." Abdel-Khalek, Ahmed M. Religion and Spirituality Across Cultures. Springer Netherlands, 2014. 71-85. Book.
Al-Hashedi, A.H., et al. "RFID applications in Hajj management system ." RFID Technologies and Applications (2013): 1-6. Article.
Collins, Nathalie and Jamie Murphy. "The Hajj." Jafari, Jafar and Liping A. Cai. Bridging Tourism Theory and Practice. Boston: Emerald Group Publishers Limited, 2010. 321-330. Book.
Lonsdale, Akasha. The Simple Guide to Attending Muslim Ceremonies. Chicago: Bravo Limited, 2011. Book.
Nikpour, Golnar. "Revolutionary Journeys, Revolutionary Practice: The Hajj Writings of Jalal Al-e Ahmad and Malcolm X." Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East (2014): 67-85. Article.
X, Malcom and Alex Haley. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York City: Ballantine Books, 1987. Book.
