The First Non-Muslim in Makkah and Madinah (Orang Bukan Islam Pertama di Makkah dan Madinah)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31436/jia.v19i1.1057Abstract
This article is about Ludovico di Varthema who was the first European non-Muslim to visit Makkah and Madinah and to record his journeys as well as impressions. He became famous for three reasons. First, he joined the exclusive club of avant-garde European explorers and discoverers. Second, he was a history-maker, in that he accomplished things no other non-Muslim had ever done before. And third, he furnished the craving 16th-century European audience with an additional and priceless reference on Islam, Muslims and Islamic culture, due to which it has been considered a “literary wonder” despite its many deficiencies and errors. The article aims to set the instance of Ludovico di Varthema against the background of the medieval East-West interactions. The article’s research methodology is a blend of descriptive, thematic and content analysis. The article concludes that the case of Ludovico di Varthema was an archetype. It shows how ignorant about, and prejudiced against, Islam and Muslims the 16th-century Europe was. The man was a product of a circumstance and a system of thought. He experienced and chronicled his voyages not just in his personal, but also in his culture’s intellectual and psychological mould.
Keywords: Ludovico di Varthema; Makkah; Madinah; Hajj.
Abstrak
Artikel ini adalah mengenai Ludovico di Varthema yang merupakan bangsa Eropah bukan Islam pertama yang melawat Makkah dan Madinah dan mencipta rekod perjalanan serta kesannya. Beliau menjadi terkenal kerana tiga sebab. Pertama, beliau menyertai kelab eksklusif penjelajah dan peneroka Eropah avant-garde. Kedua, dia adalah seorang pencipta sejarah kerana beliau melakukan perkara yang tidak pernah dilakukan oleh orang bukan Islam sebelum ini. Ketiga, beliau menjadi rujukan tambahan dan tidak ternilai kepada warga Eropah abad ke-16 mengenai Islam, orang Islam dan kebudayaan Islam yang dianggap sebagai suatu "keajaiban kesusasteraan" walaupun terdapat banyak kesilapan dan kekurangannya. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk menjadikankan contoh Ludovico di Varthema yang berlatar belakang antara pertembungan Timur-Barat Zaman Pertengahan. Metodologi kajian artikel ini adalah gabungan analisis deskriptif, thematik dan analisis kandungan. Artikel itu menyimpulkan bahawa kes Ludovico di Varthema adalah sebagai satu contoh tipikal. Hal ini menunjukkan betapa jahilnya dan berprasangka buruk terhadap Islam dan umat Islam di Eropah abad ke-16. Lelaki itu adalah hasil daripada keadaan dan sistem pemikiran. Beliau mengalami dan mencatat pelayarannya itu bukan sahaja untuk peribadinya, tetapi juga dalam acuan intelektual dan psikologi budayanya.
Kata Kunci: Ludovico di Varthema; Makkah; Madinah; Haji.
References
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Richard Francis Burton, Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah and Meccah, Appendix IV.
