ARSLAN Chekib (1869-1946)

ARSLAN Chekib (1869-1946)

Voyage au Hedjaz de l'émir Chakib Arslan, corrected and commented by Muhammad Rachid Rida, first edition, 1350h (=1931), ed. Matba'atu Al-Manar in Cairo.

In-8 paperback, 14-286-iv pp. Account of Chakib Arslan's pilgrimage to Mecca, dedicated to King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud. A reference work for researchers, this is a rare account of the Hedjaz by a Muslim scholar in the 1930s. The story begins in Jeddah on May 12, 1929 and ends on September 13, 1929. Beyond the descriptive and narrative aspects common to pilgrimage narratives, this one has the particularity of being the account of a political pilgrimage, treading the sacred ground. He felt a new sense of "his Arabness, his condition as a free Arab man on an independent Arab soil untouched by colonialism". Written in refined literary Arabic. Having lived in colonized nations, like the majority of Arab countries at the time, Chakib championed the nationalist cause. In Taif, the author was amazed by the beauty of the landscape and the kindness of its inhabitants. A man of letters, he became interested in the study of literature and linguistics of the Hedjaz. As a politician, he met a number of leading figures, including King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, to whom he confided his surprise and satisfaction at the country's achievements, and advised him to make haste to explore and exploit the country's abundant natural resources before they fell into the hands of colonialism. Chakib Arslan (1869-1946), Druze emir, known as "the prince of eloquence", an important Arab intellectual. One of the fathers of Arab nationalism, he was a role model for many nationalists whose countries were under the yoke of colonialism. He traveled tirelessly to unite these voices and attempt to unite Muslim nations (the umma) against colonial empires. The publication of his journey to the Hedjaz had a great impact on the world.