Hijrah: In the Footsteps of the Prophet

Description

With the help of scholars, historians and artists, and through a range of diverse media, this book sets out to follow in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (*), retracing his movements during the famous Hijrah 'migration', from Makkah to the oasis town of Yathrib soon to become Madinat an-Nabi, the ''City of the Prophet". Situating the Hijrah firmly within the geography in which it unfolded, the book uses the sacred landscape of the Hijrah as a receptacle for its stories, memories and the events that took place along the route, thus providing tangible links between us and this momentous journey as never before experienced. For over fourteen hundred years, al-Hijrah, the famous story of the Prophet Muhammad's (*) 'migration' from Makkah to Madinah, has been told and retold by generations of Muslims throughout the world. This story, one of endurance overcoming adversity in pursuit of religious freedom to establish a nation united by bonds of brotherhood and faith, has continued to be an inspiration from which renewed meanings have been drawn. This book follows in the footsteps of the Prophet (*), retracing his movements during this crucial journey, and examining what occurred as he left his home in Makkah to the oasis town of Yathrib soon to become the "City of the Prophet". However, unlike anything seen before, this book anchors the Hijrah firmly within the geography in which it unfolded. Acting as a receptacle for its stories, memories and the events that took place along the route, the sacred landscape of the Hijrah provides tangible links between us and this momentous journey as never before, bringing a greater appreciation of the Hijrah story.

Abdullah Alkadi is professor for Urban and Regional Planning at the Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisla University in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Idries Trevathan is a curator of Islamic art at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran Saudi Arabia.

"Like the exhibition the book accompanies, Hijrah: In the Footsteps of the Prophet sets out to rectify a 1400-year-old lacuna in our knowledge of a world-changing event, of which details have remained tantalizingly out of reach. Kaleidoscopic, learned and exquisitely illustrated, the book represents a major step in rectifying this imbalance while shedding new light on an event that continues to be of inspiration and relevance, regardless of one's background or faith."-- "The National" "Hijrah: In the Footsteps of the Prophet is built on the exhaustive research and fieldwork of Abdullah Hussein Alkadi, one of the world's leading authorities on the Hijrah. Alkadi has spent decades studying and travelling the exact route the prophet and his companions took across the desert, as well as exploring the wider story, life and legacy of this journey."-- "The Art Newspaper"