Pilgrimage Journey Research Articles

Social Media and the Spiritual Journey: The Place of Digital Technology in Enriching the Experience

This qualitative study explores the utilization of social media among Pakistani pilgrims during spiritual journeys and investigates its impact on their pilgrimage experiences. Thirty Pakistani pilgrims who had embarked on spiritual journeys to various religious sites were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the interview transcripts, revealing five main stages of social media usage: pre-trip preparation, real-time updates and guidance, community building and support, sharing experiences and insights, and post-trip reflection and engagement. At each stage, social media played diverse roles, including providing information and support, fostering connections with fellow pilgrims, sharing personal experiences, and facilitating spiritual dialogue. This explorative study underscores the significance of social media in enhancing the pilgrimage experience for Pakistani pilgrims, serving as a valuable tool for information dissemination, community building, spiritual support, and personal reflection throughout the pilgrimage journey. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how social media shapes pilgrims’ experiences and fosters their spiritual growth, emphasizing the need for further research to explore the nuanced dynamics of social media usage in the context of pilgrimage. Overall, this study sheds light on the unique role of social media in the spiritual journeys of Pakistani pilgrims and highlights its implications for pilgrimage practices and the broader discourse on religious tourism.

Modern Salafism in Bint al-Shāṭiʾ’s Journey to the Ḥijāz

In 1972, the Egyptian literary scholar and Islamic thinker, ʿᾹʾisha ʿAbd al-Raḥmān (known by the epithet Bint al-Shāṭiʾ), published a highly informative account of her pilgrimage journeys, ʿUmra and Ḥajj, respectively, under the title, Arḍ al-muʿjizāt: riḥla fī jazīrat al- ʿArab (Land of Miracles: Journey in the Arabian Peninsula, 1951 and 1972). The article argues that Bint al-Shāṭiʾ’s pilgrimage account should be read in light of the political and economic changes that the Arab and Islamic world was undergoing at that time. Western Imperialism, and the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and its aftermath, gave more impetus to Islamic revivalism, and Bint al-Shāṭiʾ was one of its proponents. Her oeuvre on Islam and anti-Zionism attests to her revivalist project. As a Salafist thinker well versed in history, Bint al-Shāṭiʾ advocates a return to the original Islam. Only through that return to the Qur’ān and Sunna and strong devotion to the umma can Muslims regain their strength and defeat the State of Israel. Bint al-Shāṭiʾ uses the communal aspect of pilgrimage to readdress the concept of Jihᾱd that should not only be confined to Ḥajj and ʿUmra, but equally performed against social and political injustices, such as the marginalization of women and the Israeli aggression against Palestinians. The article thus contends that Bint al-Shāṭiʾ’s pilgrimage narrative is a key component of her commitment literature.

Journey or Destination? Rethinking Pilgrimage in the Western Tradition

Pilgrimage is undergoing a revival in western Europe, mainly as newly established or revitalised pilgrim routes, such as the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. These trails have helped to foster the widespread idea that pilgrimage is essentially a journey: a spiritual or “meaningful” journey undertaken slowly, and preferably on foot, in the medieval tradition. The purpose of this article is to problematise this journey-oriented understanding of pilgrimage in Christian and post-Christian societies and to suggest that the importance given to the pilgrimage journey by many scholars, and by wider society, is more a product of modern Western values and post-Reformation culture than a reflection of historical and current-day religious practices. Drawing on evidence from a range of contemporary sources, it shows that many medieval pilgrims understood pilgrimage as a destination-based activity as is still the case at numerous Roman Catholic shrines today.

Implementation of Consumer Legal Protection Against Pillages of Hajj/Umrah

Consumer protection is crucial in ensuring the fulfillment of consumer rights, especially as the modern economy expands, leading to increased needs in daily life. Intense competition among businesses can result in some consumers falling victim to fraudulent practices. A notable example is the growing number of travel agencies organizing Umrah pilgrimages, some of which engage in unlawful activities, causing significant losses for prospective pilgrims. The introduction of Regulation No. 8 of 2018 by the Minister of Religion has established a solid foundation for safeguarding Umrah pilgrims' interests. This regulation covers essential aspects such as health protection, life insurance guarantees, incident management, and the handling of missing pilgrim documents during the pilgrimage journey. It has significantly improved the protection offered to Umrah pilgrims. To further enhance consumer protection, it is advisable for the government to reevaluate its policies regarding the organization of the Hajj/Umrah pilgrimage. Specifically, there should be a thorough examination of the separation of roles between regulators and operators in this sector. Such separation would help ensure transparency, fair practices, and a higher level of accountability, thereby enhancing the overall protection of consumers' rights and interests.

The influence of Umrah service operation on customer value, trust, and commitment

Umrah is one of the Muslim pilgrimage journeys to the holy city of Makkah. Many Umrah agents provide good services to attract customers. One of the crucial aspects for Umrah agents is service operation quality. The study aims to investigate the influence of service operations on the value, trust, and commitment of Umrah pilgrims in Jakarta, Indonesia. This paper uses a quantitative approach and employs SEM-PLS to analyze the data. Data were collected through an online questionnaire from 425 respondents. The respondents are Umrah pilgrims who performed their pilgrimage before 2019 through agents registered in Jakarta. However, only 370 responses qualified. The results show a strong relationship between service operations and customer value, trust, and commitment. There is also a relationship between customer value and customer commitment and between customer trust and customer commitment. Service operations also have an influence on commitment with trust as a mediator. However, service operations do not influence commitment when mediated by customer value. The practical implication of this study is that Umrah agents should increase their service operation, particularly information technology-based services, add Islamic and social values, and increase the cognitive commitment among customers.

Broadcasting Umrah through the Hadith of Hajj Badal in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era.

This article delves into an extensive project concerning the development of the umrah industry in Indonesia and its relationship with the interpretation of Hadith. Specifically, it examines the impact of the pandemic on this brief pilgrimage practice in Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim society. Despite the economic setbacks, the pandemic has significantly influenced the widespread use of social media globally. Indonesian Muslims, being active netizens, have shown a strong desire to reconnect with the sacred sites in Mecca and Medina. This article employs a multifaceted approach to investigate the utilization of social media by Indonesian muṭawwifs-vloggers, employing intersecting methodologies. Firstly, it conducts a textual study focusing on thematic badal Umrah. Secondly, it involves (online) observations and participation in the activities of various muṭawwifs vloggers based in Saudi Arabia. The result of this research is that cyber-mediated Umrah experiences cannot fully substitute the physical pilgrimage journey. Badal Umrah, primarily rooted in the badal Hajj Hadiths. It emerges as a crucial practice during times of crises and being used as legitimacy inoffering assistance to those who are physically unable to undertake the journey. Consequently, there has been an increased acceptance of Hadiths related to Hajj and Umrah during the pandemic, ." In addition, Muṭawwifs play a pivotal role in facilitating communication between i forced mobility of aspiring pilgrims during the pandemic, thereby emphasizing the importance of ethical considerations. Lastly, the activities in the cyber-space realm align with three essential dimensions: providing an imaginative travel experience for dispersed audiences, engaging muṭawwifs as navigators in the cyber-space, and addressing ethical considerations concerning badal Umrah amidst health and financial challenges.

Pilgrimage and Return: A Preliminary Study on the Prototype of James Gunn’s Transcendental Novels

Archetype is the path to the unconscious, myth is one of the forms of archetype in ancient times, and science fiction is a modern myth. What science fiction and myth have in common is the reflection on the current order and the imagination of the unknown world (the dream about the unknown). James Gunn’s “Transcendent”, science fiction series is a contemporary re-writing of Campbell’s heroic model, as well as a re-creation of the pilgrimage narrative model in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, with Jung’s immutable archetype lurking behind it. This paper attempts to explore the prototype and mechanism created by James Gunn through the analysis of the hero mode and pilgrimage journey in this series of science fiction. The driving force behind the pilgrimage mode and hero mode is the process of subverting people’s spirit of having no support and longing for direction based on the development of science and technology and trying to find the right answer. It is a manifestation of the human panic at the loss of direction and the growing sense of impending doom.

Haj Travelbooks in Tatar Literature and Musa Jarullah’s Haj Travelbook

The notes kept during the pilgrimage journeys and the observations, impressions and determinations of the authors provided the formation of the type called pilgrimage travelnames. Many examples of this species have been written both in and outside the Anatolian area. Tatar Turks are one of the societies in which writing works with pilgrimage content outside Anatolia has turned into a literary tradition. In this study, the Haj Seyâhatnâma of Musa Jarullah, a Tatar thinker, will be discussed. The manuscript is registered at 06 Mil Yz A 5924 in the National Library Manuscripts Collection. Seyâhatnâma is located on the sheets 1a-28a of a notebook, all of which are 66 sheets. The countries and events on the route are presented with careful observation in the sea route. In the work, many countries such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, England, Russia, India, China, especially Turkey; important figures such as Ataturk, Ibn Saud, Muhammed Asadullah, Karim Khakimov, Ferdinand de Lesseps; important observations about the Suez Canal, the Istanbul Strait, the Maghrib Strait and the Cenup Strait and the holy lands are included.

Translation and annotation of the travel notes of a33mi21 Cave written by He Xiudong Dongba

a33mi21 Cave 阿明洞 as the holy land of the Dongba religion is located in Baidi 白地, Sanba 三坝, Shangri-la, Yunnan province. Li Lincan, a grandmaster in the study of Dongba characters and the deputy director of the Taipei Palace Museum, paid homage to the a33mi21 Cave in 1942 and wrote an inscription. In 2005, his son Li Zaizhong, following in his father’s footsteps, paid a formal visit there again, and He Xiudong Dongba from Tacheng 塔城, traveling with him, recorded the pilgrimage journey in Dongba characters and translated it into Chinese, which is the first travelogue published in the Naxi language and has considerable research value. This paper has a verbatim translation and annotation of the travelogue and conducts preliminary research from the perspectives of the author and the age, the paper and the line, the frequency and number of words and text structure, the word relationships, the variants and transformation of the words, lexical features, and so forth.

Insulin Knowledge, Handling, and Storage among Diabetic Pilgrims during the Hajj Mass Gathering.

Background Diabetes is one of the most common underlying health conditions among Hajj pilgrims. Many diabetics manage their condition using insulin, which requires appropriate storage conditions to maintain its stability and effectiveness. We aimed to investigate insulin knowledge, storage, and handling among diabetic pilgrims during Hajj to identify specific areas for improvement. Method Adult diabetic pilgrims from 22 countries were interviewed using a structured questionnaire during the 2019 Hajj. Results The study enrolled 277 diabetic pilgrims with a mean age of 58.4 years (SD = 10.4, range: 20-83) and male : female ratio of 1.6 : 1. Most participants (86.4%) were literate and reported using insulin for a mean of 7.1 years (SD = 5.3, range: 1-23). Over 95% of pilgrims brought their insulin with them from their country of origin, where they also received most of their insulin storage information, mainly from physicians (77.8%) and pharmacists (59.6%). Pilgrims' knowledge regarding insulin storage was just above average (mean knowledge score = 0.51; SD = 0.23). Pilgrims who were literate and previously received education on insulin storage, those with a higher level of education, and those with a longer duration of insulin therapy, had significantly higher knowledge scores. Pilgrims' storage and handling of their insulin during Hajj also varied depending on the stages of their pilgrimage journey. Conclusion Inadequate knowledge and inappropriate practices regarding insulin handling and storage were identified among diabetic Hajj pilgrims, which could compromise the quality of insulin and lead to health hazards. Improving diabetic pilgrims' knowledge of diabetes management, including insulin storage, will be beneficial during the pilgrimage and beyond.

Medication Handling and Storage among Pilgrims during the Hajj Mass Gathering.

We aimed to investigate the knowledge and practices of Hajj pilgrims regarding medication storage and handling during the Hajj mass gathering. In this cross-sectional study, adult pilgrims from 30 countries were interviewed using a structured questionnaire during the 2019 Hajj. The study enrolled 1221 participants with a mean age of 50.8 years (SD = 12.5, range = 18–98) and male:female ratio of 1.7:1. Most pilgrims were literate, 50.4% had a university or higher education, and 38% reported at least one underlying health condition. Most pilgrims reported receiving education regarding the proper way to store their medication during Hajj, mainly from physicians (73.7%) and pharmacists (39.4%). Although 68.2% of pilgrims had good knowledge regarding medication storage and the potential effect of inappropriate storage conditions on medications and health, inadequate knowledge and poor practice were identified among some. Level of education, having an underlying health condition and receiving health education on mediation storage were independently associated with good knowledge. Most pilgrims took their medications with them during Hajj, although storage and handling of their medication also varied depending on the stages of their Hajj pilgrimage journey. Improving Hajj pilgrims’ awareness and knowledge about appropriate storage and handling of their medications are beneficial in reducing the risk of associated adverse health outcomes, both during Hajj and beyond the mass gathering.

Gendered pilgrimage: hajj and umrah from women’s perspectives

ABSTRACT Muslim women experience the pilgrimage to Mecca differently from their fellow males. This is not surprising when one considers the many feminist and gender-sensitive studies that have been dealing with social, political, historical, cultural, and economic issues from women’s and gendered perspectives. The surprising fact is the silence on the gendered experiences of Muslim pilgrimage—of hajj and umrah. This article examines fundamental differences in the experiences of female and male pilgrims related to their social relations, embodied experiences of the rituals, and socio-political positioning. The goal is to narrow the research gap regarding the Muslim pilgrimage–gender nexus on a descriptive level and to investigate contradictions between the normative approach of equality before God during pilgrimage and the lived, often oppressive, experiences of Muslim women on their pilgrimage journeys on a theoretical level.

순례자들의 목소리

Catholic shrines in Korea have been recognized as not only religious pilgrimage destinations but also cultural heritage sites related to a century-long persecution that produced thousands of martyrs. In order to play the multiple roles of the shrines, it is needed to understand how to manage sustainable development and preserve the tangible cultural assets. However, there has been limited effort to conduct empirical study to articulate experiences of pilgrims who are the actual visitors of the shrines. Therefore, the objective of this study is to explore various motivations for pilgrimage and experiences perceived by pilgrims in Korean Catholic shrines. By adopting exploratory research design, in-depth interviews with 16 pilgrims were conducted and content analysis was adopted to analyze the dataset. The findings showcase that psychological factors, religious and spiritual factors, historical factors through enlightenment of martyrdom and leisure related factors are identified to be vital motivators. Especially, it is noted that achievement and knowledge sharing intention are supplementary motives. In addition, pilgrims’ experiences during their pilgrimage journey are structured into four sequential stages: preparation, on the way, activities at shrine and routinization of pilgrimage in everyday life. Based on the lived experiences structured according to the psychological process and their consciousness, it is discovered that pilgrims have obtained symbolic, experiential, functional and other aspects of pilgrimage experiences. The study results suggest empirical implications of future direction for sustainable development and management of religious shrines. As a result, it is hoped that this study will eventually contribute to knowledge base on growing phenomenon of domestic pilgrimage and the essence of pilgrimage experience in the field of tourism studies.

Fashioning the Materiality of the Pilgrimage: The ḥajj Travelogue of Muḥammad Labīb al-Batanūnī

Abstract In 1911, the Egyptian travel writer Muḥammad Labīb al-Batanūnī published a highly informative account of his pilgrimage journey, al-Riḥla al-Ḥijāziyya. This article is interested in al-Batanūnī’s representation (or fashioning) of the ḥajj and its materiality, as it reflects the conventions of his time and with which the author simultaneously hopes to shape the interpretations and practices of his contemporaries. Specifically, the article focuses on the way al-Batanūnī represents the objects and matters of the ḥajj (for example, Zemzem water) in opposition to interpretations and practices of his contemporaries within, as well as beyond, Islam.

Translation and annotation of the travel notes of a33mi21 Cave written by He Xiudong Dongba

a33mi21 Cave 阿明洞 as the holy land of the Dongba religion is located in Baidi 白地, Sanba 三坝, Shangri-la, Yunnan province. Li Lincan, a grandmaster in the study of Dongba characters and the deputy director of the Taipei Palace Museum, paid homage to the a33mi21 Cave in 1942 and wrote an inscription. In 2005, his son Li Zaizhong, following in his father’s footsteps, paid a formal visit there again, and He Xiudong Dongba from Tacheng 塔城, traveling with him, recorded the pilgrimage journey in Dongba characters and translated it into Chinese, which is the first travelogue published in the Naxi language and has considerable research value. This paper has a verbatim translation and annotation of the travelogue and conducts preliminary research from the perspectives of the author and the age, the paper and the line, the frequency and number of words and text structure, the word relationships, the variants and transformation of the words, lexical features, and so forth.

Indonesian Tourist’ Perceived Sacredness on Pilgrimage Journey

This study explores and identifies the precise measurement of perceived sacredness of Indonesian tourist’s perceived sacredness on their pilgrimage journey. Indonesia is a unique country which is having more than five major religions adopted by its population, thus we suggested they have a different perception of sacredness on spiritual destination. The methodology used in this study are using culture-based construct design to identify the items and indicators that could measure the Indonesian tourist’s perceived sacredness. Thirteen items were identified, but only eight items were accepted as a valid and reliable measurement of the Indonesian tourist’s perceived sacredness. Three indicators could be built from the items, they are (1) Spiritual Attractiveness, (2) Historic Spiritual Value, and (3) Spiritual Activities. The finding(s) on this research could be used for future research, especially to examining the relationship between perceived sacredness toward the Indonesian tourist’s behavior.

Analisis C3 Framework Kitab Parukunan Melayu Besar Bab Haji Karya Haji Abdurrasyid Banjar

The Book of Parukunan is a book that is very popular among Malay people. The study is aimed to find out the writing setting of the jurisprudence book of Parukunan Melayu Besar, Hajj chapter by Haji Abdurrasyud Banjar. The author will discuss the Historical setting using the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework with a qualitative descriptive approach. The results showed that in the year of writing the Book, the Industrial Revolution was taking place where there were massive changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology and had a profound impact on social, economic, and cultural conditions. The existence of agrarian reforms that resulted in private investment flowing into the Dutch East Indies making trade easier. Furthermore, there are developments in the export-import market so that many ships come to Banjarmasin making it easier for pilgrimage journeys. Other than that, the number of office and warehouse developments indicate an improved economic condition so that people who are economically capable can make the pilgrimage easily

Re-searching spirituality and culture: Transformative pilgrimage learning and living answers into Big Questions

ABSTRACTThis article explores the notion of transformative pilgrimage learning and what it might mean to deal with the Big Questions of life – such as who we are and what we are doing on the planet – in light of experiences of Love and Death. It examines the question at the heart of transformative learning theory – ‘What form transforms?’ – particularly in relation to spiritual experience. It summarizes the findings of a longitudinal research study on how spirituality and culture informed the learning of a multicultural group of North American adult educators teaching for social justice. It also discusses what the researcher learned from research participants, particularly about pilgrimage and the notion of wisdom, as well as from her own experiences of two pilgrimage journeys. It concludes by examining what the research findings and the learning from pilgrimage experiences might suggest for living life as pilgrimage.

Revealing The Meaning of Pilgrim’s Journey for Searching Salvation in Hermann Hesse’s "Siddhartha"

This study is the analysis of the character Siddhartha’s pilgrimage journey in the novel entitled Siddhartha. There are three objectives of this study. The first is to describe the conflict between human’s worldly desires and his spiritual quest in Hermann Hesse’s novel, Siddhartha. The second is to explain how Siddhartha’s conflict between his worldly affairs and spiritual journey in view of Gadamer’s hermeneutics. And, the third is to explain how Siddhartha’s worldly and spiritual duality as a revelation of human’s conflict in general. The analysis and the description of the data are provided to find the conclusion. The analysis of this study is using Gadamer’s Hermeneutics theory. The study shows that the main character Siddhartha is searching for salvation through the ordeal life. He learned many teachings from Hinduism, being ascetic Samana, learned Buddha’s teachings, being worldly slave as the courtesan adherent, and finally he finds salvation from the river. In his journey to find salvation, Siddhartha is difficult to find teachings can satisfy him. He got the internal conflict between his worldly and spiritual quest when he became courtesan’s adherent. However, all the inner conflicts that Siddhartha felt have big roles and led him to make the next decision in his life. In the end of Siddhartha’s journey, finally he found salvation. The river has succeeded to change Siddhartha by its voice and “listen” became the key why he gets salvation in his life. Besides, there is the fact that Siddhartha’s story modelled itself on the journey of Siddhartha Gautama the Buddha. Hesse’s Siddhartha was written based on the author’s travel experience in India. The conflict that Hesse portrayed in that story mostly faced by people. In the novel, Hesse characterized Siddhartha as an individual who later found his life wisdom in an act of listening to the voices of nature. Listening means everything for Siddhartha.
 Keywords: Gadamer’s hermeneutics, internal conflict, pilgrim’s journey

Encounters with the Other: Orientalism and Religious Feeling of a Madeiran Pilgrim, Maria Celina Câmara (1899)

Abstract This paper analyzes the travel journal of Madeiran author Maria Celina de Sauvayre da Câmara, De Nápoles a Jerusalém [From Naples to Jerusalem],3 dated 1899, from a Cultural Studies perspective. The present study focuses on pilgrimage, a physical and spiritual journey, as a ritualistic and mystical performance which, by means of staging and writing, composes a practice that allows physical and spiritual deterritorialization and reterritorialisation and the negotiation, through the sacred and through religion, of tolerances, concessions and availabilities of the subject regarding the acceptance of the Other’s religious difference, giving rise to new senses. The treatment of pilgrimage as a means of promoting contact with the Other(s), leading to deep processes of self and hetero-knowledge linked to rituals that contemplate sacred and profane space(s) and time(s) and binomial or culturally constructed representations, wherein discourses of power emerge, is inextricable in this discussion. The travel journal is a testimony to the articulations between sacred and profane and a mechanism perpetuating hegemonic and orientalist discourses derived from intrinsic relations and practices of power in the sociocultural context of individuals. We envisage pilgrimage as a transforming practice and a means of (re-)cognition and (re)construction of the Self/Other, through a personal and sacred/profane cartography promoted by writing and exalting the feeling of religious community.