PILGRIMS AND PILGRIMAGES IN THE ISLAMIC TRADITION : A STUDY OF SACRED SITES AND SACRED EXPERIENCES

Abstract

Pilgrimage studies is a multidisciplinary area that has been explored by anthropologists, sociologists, students of religion, historians and geographers. However within geography itself, traditional pilgrimage studies have focused mainly on questions such as volume of pilgrims, mode of travel, and spatial consequences of pilgrimages, ignoring the experiential aspects. In this thesis, I have explored three interrelated dimensions of pilgrimage, using material from library research, a questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews. First, I have examined the existence of sacred pilgrim sites and their symbolic meanings from the theological Islamic perspective while there are many pilgrim sites in the Islamic tradition; I have focused specifically on the Ka'aba because it is considered the most sacred of sites. The second dimension involved exploring the pilgrims who carry out the pilgrimage. I have attempted to obtain a general profile of the Singaporean Muslim pilgrim, through conducting questionnaire surveys. I have explored various aspects of who they are, why they perform the Haj, the preparations made, how and with whom they went on the pilgrimage. This profile provided information that helped to better understand the pilgrims, the reasons behind performing the Haj and the motivations for wanting to repeat the pilgrimage. The third issue I examined in this thesis was what constituted a sacred experience, using concepts such as the "numinous", "flow" and "communitas" to frame my discussion. I argue that these experiences are important in maintaining and strengthening the pilgrims' faith.