I've been having some thoughts lately on my man Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El Shabazz) (r.a.). See, I've been thinking about his famous hajj (pilgrimage) and some difficulties he had during it (for those who aren't familiar with Malcolm's 1964 hajj, go check out "The Autobiography of Malcolm X").
See, what I've been thinking about are the early troubles Malcolm (r.a.) had on his trip. Apparently, the Saudi officials were skeptical about letting Malcolm into the precincts of Mecca. See, non-Muslims aren't allowed into the area, and they doubted that Malcolm X was a Muslim. And there's the rub. See, at that time, Malcom X had been a member of the Nation of Islam (although he had a severing of ties with Elijah Muhammad and was then trying to do his own thing). He was not actually a muslim yet, at least not a member of the 1400 year old tradition, the Islam of Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam). He should not have, by the letter of the law, been allowed on the hajj, but he was.
Why was he? Because there were Muslims in high places there to put in a good word for him. Malcolm (r.a.) constantly refers to the warm way he was treated, even by men who, if they lived in America, would be considered white. They were, by that definition, white, but they did not have the white outlook in them. He began to see race as not the color of our skin, but the color of your outlook. The "White Man" isn't someone with pale skin, it's someone who looks down on other races. Had Malcolm X not been able to go on this hajj and meet these people, his outlook on race very well might not have changed.
Ok, so what? Who cares? To fully appreciate this, one must understand El-Hajj Malik El Shabazz (r.a.) holds for Muslims, especially American-Muslims, and especially African-American Muslims. Malcolm X has been a role model for countless young (and old) blacks and has led (posthumously) thousands of youths to Islam. On the DVD, "The Pilgrimage of Malcolm X", Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Imam Zaid Shakir analyze the life of Malcolm X (r.a.), showing the different stages in his life, demonstrating how he was tempered almost specifically to be set up as a role model for future generations (Imam Zaid himself was one of the youths affected by Malcolm's life).
If you were to talk to many of the great convert scholars in the U.S. today, many of them would tell you of the impact Malcolm X (r.a.) had on their lives, and how he factored into their conversion to Islam--not to mention the countless "lay" Muslims out there, especially those in the African-American community.
So, who was it that guided Malcolm X (r.a.), this, for all intents and purposes, non-Muslim, into the sacred precints of Mecca against the laws of the land to perform a hajj that was not even incumbent on him to perform, and thus have his whole outlook on race relations changed, and thus affecting the lives of thousands, if not millions of people coming after him? Perhaps it was a coincidence, perhaps the judge in charge of hearing his case wasn't a "by the book" kind of guy, perhaps it was a fluke of events. Or perhaps it was God working to create a positive role model for young Muslims in America. Perhaps.
For more info on Malcolm X's hajj, read his famous Letter From Mecca.
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