Niani, 1324, Morning
For me, today is a very important day of my life. I am traveling with a stupefying number of people and camels on the hajj. I am just one of 60,000 people, about 90 camels, and 24,000 pounds of gold. It is sad to leave my wife and kids behind, hoping that it won't be the last time I see them. Of course, I am going on the hajj totally out of choice to fulfill my want for knowledge. This journey is going to be extremely hard since since we shall be traveling for over 3,500 miles. As I move up toward Mansa Musa through the humongous crowd, I have mixed feelings. It will definitely a great experience to go on this treacherous journey. Also, I might be remembered by many as one of the great scholars who accompanied the richest man in the world in his most wide-known journey. Maybe, because of my social rank, Mansa Musa will ask me to help him pass out gold. Although I will be just fulfilling Allah's wish, the main reason for me to enjoy that is that I would be helping others. Going on this trip is definitely a great privilege.
Although there are many great things about this trip, I am also a bit scared. My wife and children will have to stay home alone, and Sogolon is ill at the moment. Besides, our hut is isolated, so if anything bad is going to happen, there will be quite a slim chance for escaping it. In addition to being afraid for my family, I am terrified about the journey over to Mecca. Who knows, some people might already know about our empire and decide to kill us all when we go! I hope I am wrong about that, but it is better to be safe than sorry. There are other obstacles along the way too. We will have to cross harsh deserts and mountains, and beasts may lurk in some of the places.
Even with all the bad possible situations, I am still excited to take this trip. The knowledge that I will accumulate will be tremendous. Also, the gifts that my caravan will give to people will make them happy, thereby making me feel blessed. Overall, I have mixed feelings about the hajj. Hopefully, I will return here to my home someday along with all the intelligence about the new and popular religion, Islam.
Although there are many great things about this trip, I am also a bit scared. My wife and children will have to stay home alone, and Sogolon is ill at the moment. Besides, our hut is isolated, so if anything bad is going to happen, there will be quite a slim chance for escaping it. In addition to being afraid for my family, I am terrified about the journey over to Mecca. Who knows, some people might already know about our empire and decide to kill us all when we go! I hope I am wrong about that, but it is better to be safe than sorry. There are other obstacles along the way too. We will have to cross harsh deserts and mountains, and beasts may lurk in some of the places.
Even with all the bad possible situations, I am still excited to take this trip. The knowledge that I will accumulate will be tremendous. Also, the gifts that my caravan will give to people will make them happy, thereby making me feel blessed. Overall, I have mixed feelings about the hajj. Hopefully, I will return here to my home someday along with all the intelligence about the new and popular religion, Islam.