‘Arjana successfully negotiates among history, belief, practice, and the methodological agnosticism of religious studies to provide a fascinating guide to a vibrant and dynamic tradition. A clearlywritten work well worth reading.’
‘Arjana’s research adds new perspective to even the most prominent example of Muslim pilgrimages… The writing is lucid and engaging, and the research is thorough and sensitive to complexity, such as in outlining the challenge of defining Sufism.’
‘By focusing on living traditions, Arjana helps to combat the static and old-fashioned presentations of Islam typically available. Clearly and engagingly written, this work will be of great value to students in courses in comparative religion as well as to students and scholars of Islam.’
‘An important contribution… The scope of this book, which considers Islam from a global perspective, along with its emphasis on theories of ritual and space, makes it an invaluable resource.’
‘For those expecting another description of hajj rituals or histories, Arjana’s Pilgrimage in Islam delivers a welcome surprise. It is at once theoretically sophisticated and accessible, elegant and thoughtful, appreciative of the wide variety of pilgrimage practices and impressive in its detail. Arjana has stitched us a beautiful quilt of the many ways in which Muslims have and continue to travel and visit, pray and plead, at Muslim pilgrimage sites the world over.’
‘Supplementing recent scholarship on the annual hajj, Pilgrimage in Islam helps readers think more capaciously about the array of sacred journeys Muslims have made over fourteen centuries. Sophia Arjana attends to material, textual, and technological dimensions of pilgrimage, and broadens restrictive understandings of what it means to study Islam.’