Intermediaries of Faith: A Comparative Study of Post-Mortem Pilgrimage and Delegation in Medieval Christianity and Islam

The use of delegates to undertake pilgrimages to holy sites was a common practice during the Middle Ages among both Christian and Muslim believers. Despite fundamental differences between Christian (voluntary) and Islamic (obligatory) pilgrimage, both traditions resorted to delegation when individuals passed away without fulfilling this obligation. This practice, documented in Christian wills and Islamic pilgrimage certificates dated between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries, has traditionally been studied separately. However, when analyzed together, it reveals a common origin based on eschatology, and strikingly similar case studies. This article seeks to bring together the available sources and documentation to elucidate the similarities and differences in the process of conducting post-mortem pilgrimages in both faiths.