The Ninth-Century Sufism Approach to Hajj (A Case Study of Jami’s Pilgrimage to Hajj)

The activities of the movements with Shia and Sufi tendencies are of great importance in history. One of the areas of mystics’ social presence is their attention to the rituals of Hajj because this rite provides a platform for mystics and Sufis to show their spiritual relations with the rulers and masses of people besides pursuing their spiritual desires. Jami’s Hajj pilgrimage is an example of the pilgrimage of mystics and Sufis, and the only existing Hajj travelogue from the Timurid period. Since Jami was at the center of official and court power, advising the rulers and emirs, he influenced the statesmen and helped to solve the people’s problems while he continued his monastic life and led the disciples. This position caused Sultan Hussein Buyqura to exempt him from paying any taxes during his hajj and pilgrimage of ʿAtabāt-i ʿAlīyāt. The Sultan sent letters to the centers of power in the Muslim world and ordered them to welcome him and his companions. This article is a chronological study of the Hajj pilgrimage and Sufis’ approach in the 9th century in this regard. It also analyzes Jami’s Hajj pilgrimage.