Lebbeik: Pilgrimage of the poor, by Malek Bennabi, heritage editions

To illustrate his thesis on "the social value of the Koranic notion", Malek Bennabi preferred to write a novel on "the pilgrimage of the poor" where he makes known the experience of the colonized Algerian Muslim. While in French literature, the consumption of alcohol was often supposed to be a sign of "emancipation", Bennabi underlines the possibilities of emerging, thanks to faith , from disqualifications, such as alcoholism. His vivid story has a certain pedagogical value in illustrating the role of religion as a "catalyst of social values" and of faith as an "irreplaceable factor in stabilizing human consciousness".

This reissue reveals that "Monsieur Billard", to whom Bennabi pays homage in the dedication, was the impartial judge who had exonerated him following the gratuitous accusations made against him by last-hour resistance fighters who thought they would forget their Vichy past through false denunciation.

About the Author: Malek Bennabi

Malek Bennabi (1905-1973) studied the problems of civilization in general and those of the Muslim world for a long time. Strongly imbued with Arab-Muslim and Western culture, we owe him the concept of "colonizability", a concept characterizing societies in decline. He has to his credit more than twenty books dealing with civilization, culture, ideology in general and problems related to the stagnation of Muslim society in particular. Through his writings, Malek Bennabi wanted to awaken Muslim consciences and relaunch a renaissance of Muslim society.