Because of an incident with one of his friends, Austrian journalist Mohammed Asad (formerly Leopold Weiss) began writing his autobiography, telling us about his journey and how he converted to Islam. He spent two years writing this book, during which he talked about the beginning of his life, his upbringing in Europe, and how he wanted to achieve his dream of becoming a brilliant journalist. This dream enabled him to achieve it by traveling to Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. During these trips, he met many kings, ambassadors, and politicians, such as King Reza Pahlavi of Iran and King Abdulaziz Al Saud.

On the way from Mecca, Mohammed Asad talked about how Islam entered his heart, and how he viewed this religion. He began to compare Islam with his Jewish faith, and how some of the rulings contradicted each other, which his mind was unable to comprehend. He converted to Islam with complete conviction after several situations and dialogues that he witnessed during his stay in the Arab countries. He wrote about many of the political events that were shaping the Arab world at that time, and he participated in some of them, such as his jihad with the Libyans against the Italians and some of the espionage missions that King Abdulaziz Al Saud assigned to him.

I found neutrality in his views towards Muslims, Islam, kings and peoples. As much as he highlighted the virtues of some of them, he also highlighted their faults. He did not take sides with anyone, but rather supported raising the banner of Islam and Muslims in all countries. What is puzzling is that this book, with its wonderful words and good opinions, was not written by a religious scholar or writer, but rather by a journalist who wanted to document his personal experiences. Therefore, I consider it important for anyone who wants to learn about the history of that period, which has often not been documented in a neutral way. I consider it appropriate for anyone who wants to read about the experiences of someone who was formerly Jewish and his understanding of Islam. It is also appropriate as a gift to Europeans, as it contains a European person’s view of Islam and shows them some of the history of the Arab world.

This book was written in English and then translated into many languages ​​and was translated into Arabic under the title The Road to Mecca