A brand new book that will be printed in December summarizes a Saudi traveling exhibition that debuted in August to commemorate the Islamic new year. “Hijrah: In the Footsteps of the Prophet” is a 240-page book that recounts the Prophet Muhammad’s historic trip from Makkah to Madinah 1,400 years ago.
The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran will host the exhibition, the contents of which served as the basis for the book, until the spring of 2019. The book’s editing and curation were significantly influenced by Dr. Idries Trevathan, an expert in Islamic studies and curator of the Ithra exhibition.
Trevathan enlisted the help of renowned academics Abdullah Alkadi, Kumail Almusaly, Daoud Stephen Casewit, Hamza Yusuf, Ovidio Salazar, and Thalia Kennedy for the book, which was divided into seven chapters—a number frequently connected with spirituality.
Experts helped him piece the story together using geography, storytelling, and scenery, as well as high-resolution photos of the actual journey.
“We sincerely feel that this collection and this exhibition represent actual advances in knowledge, study, and understanding among all peoples and faiths,” wrote Abdullah Al-Rashid, director of Ithra, in the book’s forward.
“Additionally, we were interested in how many generations have artistically told the Hijrah story. Therefore, we examined the literary and aesthetic traditions of the Islamic world and included many of these works in this book and the exhibition. However, we also wanted to comprehend how the younger generations communicated their recollections or thoughts toward the narrative. Some of the new artworks we commissioned for the exhibition are also featured in this book,” he continued.
One of the exhibition’s identical pieces has become popular on social media. “As part of the exhibition, we had a replica of the Prophet’s sandals built because we wanted to display the shoes he wore on his voyage,” said Trevathan. These sandals are based on several early written texts that go into great detail about what they looked like.
“The response to the sandals has been amazing. People’s good responses, in my opinion, are a result of their ability to establish a very special connection with the Prophet through his belongings.” he continued, “so they can relate to the story even more – in a closer way.”
The book is now on sale for $70 and is available for pre-order in English and Arabic.
