The world and cultures that Ibn Battutah travels through are very diverse among regions. Battutah is a devout Muslim, and has many encounters with those belonging to different religions. Battutah originally plans his travels to Mecca on the Hajj, but discovers a passion for travel and continues to go through most of the world as he knew it. In order for Battutah to get the things he needed along his journey, he relied on people’s kindness and generosity. Although Ibn Battutah may not agree with the practices of other religions, he is tolerant of them as a traveler.
Throughout this book you see many different kinds of encounters with those that are members of a different faith. In general, he treats people with respect and tries to be accepting at the same time. Even though most of the time he gets along, there are also instances of him lashing out when it comes to religion. For example on page 110, there is a situation where a Jewish man comes into the prayer and sits in an inappropriate position with relation to the Qur’an and Battutah stands up and berates this man until he leaves the place of worship. In another setting Battutah would have been tolerant of this man but when it comes to religion he doesn’t hold back from saying exactly what he thinks. While this is an example of Battutah being intolerant of other religions, this is an atypical experience throughout the rest of his journey.
While Battutah makes his way around the world he relies on people he meets to provide him with the necessary things. Many times after meeting with various Sultans, or people in a high position of power, they send him on his way with money, clothes, and provisions for all that are in his group. These Sultans do not ask for much in return. They typically just want to hear an account of his travels of far away, exotic places. An example of this occurs when Battutah is in Birgi staying with a professor, and when the sultan learns of his presence he invites Battutah and his company to come to the mountains and visit him. This sultan wanted to hear his stories and so Battutah told him of the places that the sultan wanted to hear about. Battutah grew tired of staying in the mountains but did not want to insult the sultan by leaving, so he waited until he gave them many gifts and sent them on their way. The sultan gave them money, food, and other things that they would need along their journey. While this shows how Battutah receives the things he needs for travel without work, this also shows the value of respect among Muslims. Respect is a very important value in their society, and they all must be careful of their actions so as not to offend anybody. Because Battutah knows the importance of respect and customs, he had been successful in receiving things he did not have, but needed.
Throughout this entire book, Battutah travels through many cultures and describes each one based on its importance to those he is writing to. There are examples of how religion plays a role in how Battutah behaves, and treats other people, but at the same time displays his knowledge of customary actions and when to use them. In the case of the Jewish man in the wrong position during prayer, it was socially acceptable for him to berate this man in public, and was actually praised for it. When it came to his Muslim beliefs and practices, this was held up higher than any other social behavior. Battutah had a great knowledge of how to act around foreign people even though they may not even be able to communicate. He also understood the importance of being well liked among people of the ruling class in order to get what he wanted. I don’t think that Battutah hated people of other religions because through his travels he meets many different people, and this had allowed him to learn about judgment. He needed many of these generous people for his provisions that got him through his journey and it did not matter what religion they belonged to. Battutah had a passion for traveling and a skill for becoming well liked among many people. As a traveler Battutah maintained that his religion is of utmost priority, but that also people should be valued even beyond their religious practices.
