An American Writer born of a Christian

Mother and a Jewish father embraces Islam

Michael Wolfe : “I spent some time in Marrakesh so as

to learn Hajj Ritual ; the Muslims there were generous to me”

The faith journey which led the American writer Michael Wolfe Sector to embrace Islam is completely different from the other faith journeys we have dealt with, for the three monotheistic religions are represented in him, his mother is Christian, his father is Jewish while he is a Muslim. We are going to accompany him on his faith journey so as to contemplate its manifold ways.

The American writer, Wolfe Sector knew that in spite of all the power he might have, he would not be able to reach the Holy Ka`ba in Makkah if he did not embrace Islam, as the non-Muslims are not allowed to enter it. After converting to Islam, he decided to go on pilgrimage to Makkah so as to perform one of the five pillars of Islam. He also wanted to see the Holy Ka`ba toward which more than a billion Muslims pray five times a day, and at the same time perform the revealed duty. Since Wolfe knew that it was impossible for him to visit the Ka`ba before his conversion, embracing Islam gave him the opportunity of fulfilling his old dream. Wolfe wrote a book in English about his faith journey to Hajj entitled “The Hajj to Mecca” in which he describes his journey in detail and deals with the main aspects of all the Hajj rites.

In this book, Wolfe describes the beguiling entry of the Ka`ba by Richard Burton under the guise of a Muslim as a daring, heroic act, since the latter endangered his life. Had the Muslims discovered his imposture, they would have killed him. However, Michael Wolfe was not in need of disguising himself when entering the Holy Mosque in that he was a sincere Muslim, like all Muslims in the holy city.

Wolfe forsook the Christian religion of his mother and the Jewish religion of his father in order to embrace Islam. What repelled him in Christianity was the mystery with which priests surround the life of Christ and what repelled him in Judaism was its consideration as a religion restricted to the Jews only. This is the reason why he found that Islam was a clearer and more open religion : for it is Allah’s religion which is meant for all people. Thus, Michael Wolfe chose a religion which has specified sources : the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of his Messenger (PBUH). Moreover, the Qur’an is not in contradiction with the scientific approach to elucidating the Creation and the Universe.

Michael Wolfe recalls that when he informed his Arab friends about his spiritual heritage-namely that his mother was Christian and his father Jewish while he was a Muslim, his friends said in surprise : “You have combined everything”, meaning that Wolfe had combined the three monotheistic religions in his person, which made the latter display shyness and modesty.

 Wolfe went on to say : “I have been explaining that I am an ordinary person, and that I am a person who had inherited from his mother and father two revealed religions, and who found out that the problem was not with Moses or with Christ (PBUH). Actually, my life has reached the limit with these two religions, and a true voice has kept calling me to change my religion and has striven to guide me to the right path.”

Wolfe said that after embracing Islam, he started to seriously think about performing the fifth pillar of Islam, namely the pilgrimage to the Ka`ba for those who can afford it. This pillar comes after declaring one’s faith, the Shahadatain, by saying : “I declare that there is no God but Allah and that Mohammad is His Messenger” ; then there is prayer, almsgiving and fasting Ramadan. Next, he decided to go on pilgrimage to Makkah and started to prepare for his journey there and leave his house in California.

Wolfe did not go directly from California to Saudi Arabia ; the first part of his book : A Journey to the Hajj describes his joy among Moroccans before joining the Moroccan Pilgrims group. In Marrakesh, he started preparing for the Hajj in conformity with the instructions of his new religion. Wolfe said : “I spent in Marrakesh a period of time during which I was learning the Hajj rites, and the Muslims treated me very kindly, they were generous to me.”

When Wolfe entered the Holy Mosque for the first time simultaneously with about 300.000 Muslim pilgrims so as to perform Twaf Al-qudum, he did not feel anything but the awe-inspiring situation. He said : “Despite the presence of this large number of pilgrims, an atmosphere of peace prevailed in the place, and I did not feel the pushing nor the over crowdedness.” Wolfe described this wonderful scene and was exulted by this high spiritual atmosphere pervading the Hajj.

In his book, Wolfe describes the extension and development that the Holy Mosque has witnessed so as to receive these growing numbers of Allah’s guests. He mentions the modernisation and extension operations the Saudi government has carried out in the two Holy Shrines - Makkah and Madinah, such as the introduction of modern technology in the means of communication, the paving of the streets, the building of tunnels, bridges and crossroads, and the improvement of the means of transport, especially in the holy places, and all of this, for the sake of Allah’s guests and their comfort. He recalls that the Saudi government had been striving for reducing overcrowding in an attempt to prevent accidents and injuries during the performance of the holy rites, particularly when throwing the “Jamarat” (small stones) at Satan.

Michael Wolfe strove to give a detailed description of the Holy Ka`ba, of the Holy Mosque and of the Pilgrimage rites so as to offer a complete picture of the noble room to non-Muslims. He proliferated in description and drawings, in order to give a detailed description of the Sacred House, insisting on the Holy Ka’ba and the seven circumambulations around it. He wished he had been given the opportunity of seeing the interior of the Ka’ba.

This faith journey to the Holy Places had been a compelling goal for Wolfe, who had been looking forward to it long before achieving it after his conversion to Islam. This conversion came after an in-depth study of this religion; especially that he had not been suffering from a spiritual vacuum. On the contrary, he had been beset by a huge s piritual heritage which led him to a serious reflection. Thus, his embrace of Islam resulted from his comparative study of Islam and other religions. As a result, his heart was serene with faith, and his hope for visiting Makkah was fulfilled.