Michael Wolfe — a white American born in 1945 to a Jewish father and a Christian mother — embarked on a journey to Mecca 35 years ago that not only reshaped his spiritual life but also positioned him as a pivotal figure in introducing Islam to mainstream America.

A writer and poet by training, Wolfe’s conversion to Islam in his late 30s led him to Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to the birthplace of Islam in present-day Saudi Arabia.

Wolfe’s subsequent work — including the first mainstream documentary on Hajj for ABC, a major US television network — marked a turning point in how Islam was perceived in pre-9/11 America.

“This was at a time when Islam was not a big subject (in the US). It was a little quiet corner of ethical monotheism, like Christianity and Judaism. Of course, there were Muslims, but they were one percent of the (US) population, maybe,” he tells TRT World.

Through his numerous books and films, Wolfe has spent decades offering nuanced portrayals of Islam to Western audiences unfamiliar with its traditions.

Becoming a Muslim, slowly and gradually

Before embracing Islam, Wolfe had already “witnessed Woodstock” and “marched on Washington” — major cultural and political events in the tumultuous 1960s — which shows he was never a religious hermit insulated from everyday realities.

Wolfe’s journey to Islam was gradual, rooted in years of immersion in Muslim cultures. He spent three years after university living in North and West Africa, including Morocco, Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast, and Liberia.

“I had a good, long time to get to know Muslims and to see how Islam fitted into their lives,” he says. “They were very kind to me. I never suffered at their hands.”

This exposure laid the groundwork for his eventual embrace of Islam, though it wasn’t until his late 30s that he took the final step.

A car accident in the 1980s became a catalyst. Recovering from injuries that left him unable to walk for three months, Wolfe stumbled upon a prayer book in a California bookstore, printed in Lahore, Pakistan.

Using a music stand and rubber bands to hold the book open, he memorised the Arabic prayers phonetically, much like he had done with Greek and Latin during his studies at Wesleyan University, where he majored in languages.

“I started doing it, and my back felt better,” he says, crediting the physical discipline of the prayer with aiding his recovery.

This experience led him to a mosque in San Jose, where he cautiously began attending Friday prayers. 

“I sat in the corner and I watched… I didn’t want to become a Muslim yet. I needed to get a feel for this,” he says.

Wresting spiritual experience from physical struggle

Arriving in Mecca for Hajj in 1990, Wolfe found himself enveloped in a community of millions, part of a “congestion (with) a planetary character”.

The physical and emotional demands of the pilgrimage — the heat, the crowds, the rituals — tested him, but also brought clarity. “Hajj demands effort. That’s part of what it’s about,” he says.

The first sight of the Kaaba — the sacred black silk-clad stone structure at the heart of Mecca’s Grand Mosque that one historian described as “an authentic fragment of the oldest past” — left an indelible mark on Wolfe.

“I saw it at midnight… a perfectly geometric cube… wrapped in satin silk cloth, on a polished white marble circle,” he says. “It’s very dramatic. It’s very beautiful.”

For Wolfe, the Kaaba was not just a structure but a “meaningful marker” of his spiritual centre, a place where “you’re putting God at the centre of your life”. 

The emotional weight of the moment was amplified by those around him, like an Afghan man weeping beside him, overwhelmed by seeing the Kaaba he had faced while praying throughout his life.

The rituals of Hajj required both physical endurance and spiritual focus. Wolfe emphasises the importance of understanding the stories behind these rites.

For the Sa’ay, where pilgrims walk between the hills of Safa and Marwah seven times, Wolfe says he tried to embody the desperate search for water by Hajar, Prophet Ibrahim’s wife, for her son, Ismail.

“You’re trying to put yourself in the frame of mind of someone who has a desire and a need,” he says.

At the Mount of Arafat, Wolfe saw the site of the most important ritual of Hajj as a “dress rehearsal for the Judgement Day”.  

Pilgrims offer noon and afternoon prayers one after another at Arafat and then “stand before God” until sunset. This is the place where Prophet Muhammad gave his last sermon in 623 CE.

Hajj becomes “too sprawling, too big to be a subject” at Arafat, he adds. 

From pilgrim to storyteller

Wolfe’s Hajj didn’t end in Mecca. Returning to California, he channelled his experience into writing The Hadj: An American’s Pilgrimage to Mecca, a book that took three years and multiple drafts to complete.

“It was an example of when the right person and the right subject come together,” he says of the process. The book is in vivid prose, which one reader described as leaving their Kindle “all yellow” from highlighted passages.

Many years after the book’s publication, an unexpected call from the producer of ABC Nightline – a long-running and popular late-night news programme for in-depth reporting – led to a groundbreaking project for Wolfe.

The TV producer asked him if he knew anyone who could go with a small film crew and make a documentary about Hajj. He thought for about 10 seconds and said, “Well, nobody but me”.

The result was a half-hour documentary, aired in 1997, that became the first mainstream film about Hajj on American television. 

Filmed during Wolfe’s second Hajj, it reached millions, offering a rare glimpse into the pilgrimage through his eyes as a guide for a small crew of Muslim filmmakers from Algeria, Egypt, and Palestine.

“I was the Mutawwif because these three (the filmmakers)… had never been to Mecca,” he says while using the term reserved for an experienced pilgrim who guides others during Hajj.

The film became an instant hit. It was nominated for Peabody, Emmy, George Polk, and National Press Club Awards.

Inadvertently, this project launched Wolfe into a new career as a documentary filmmaker. Partnering with another American Muslim convert, he co-founded Unity Productions Foundation, which produced films on Islamic history and culture, including Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet, which was aired shortly after 9/11.

Seen by millions, the film countered rising anti-Muslim sentiment by showcasing the Prophet’s life and Islam’s values. “It was the only thing on American television (post-9/11) which wasn’t about terrorism,” he says.

Over the years, Wolfe’s team has produced 15 documentaries, covering topics from Muslim contributions in medieval Spain to the lives of Muslim slaves in America’s Civil War era.

“Every story that we could tell that showed viewers that Muslims were part of the picture too… that’s what we did,” he says. These films, broadcast nationally and used in schools, have educated generations about Islam’s rich history.

Holding onto Hajj

Living as a Muslim in California, far from a mosque or a large Muslim community, Wolfe faced the challenge of sustaining his faith. “The hard part is holding on to it when you get home,” he admits. “You think Hajj is hard. Wait till you get home.”

Hajj remains a touchstone. “I keep thinking about it. I keep drawing on it,” Wolfe says, recalling moments like helping a frail elderly woman to a medical tent at the Mount of Arafat. These small acts, he says, are part of the pilgrimage’s lasting impact.

At 80, Wolfe continues to write and produce films. His journey from a curious traveller in Muslim lands to a convert, pilgrim, and storyteller has helped foster greater understanding of Islam in America.

“Hajj put me together,” he says, likening himself to a cake with all the ingredients finally baked.