The Greatest Adventure

The Greatest Adventure

1987 10 October 22-23 The Greatest Adventure (671)

Thor Heyerdahl, the world-famous Norwegian anthropologist, once conceived the idea – highly novel at that time – that the Pacific Islands could have been populated centuries ago by aboriginal peoples who could have arrived by sea from the South American continent. But since it is over 4,000 miles from the West coast of South America to the nearest island, his idea did not gain currency. It seemed unlikely that such early peoples could have had any craft sufficiently seaworthy to carry them such an enormous distance, or that they could even have developed the skills to steer themselves in the right direction, let alone survive the innumerable hazards which must have beset them in the vastness of the ocean, such as encounters with whales, sharks, giant squid etc., not to speak of high winds, rough seas and violent storms. But Hyeyerdahl was convinced that his idea was well-founded because of the racial mixture and their cultural artifacts which he had observed on these islands and because there was a strong ocean current – the Humboldt – constantly flowing westwards which could have assisted small ships or rafts to cross the ocean. Now the only thing left to do was to prove it to the world by making the journey himself in the kind of vessel that was used by the pre-Inca peoples.

He had seen ancient drawings of rafts made from huge, but very lightweight Balsa* log with a large sail and adjustable centre boards used for steering which went vertically down into the water. He reckoned that a raft of this construction would allow huge waves to pass over it without sinking it, for the water would run off at the sides, or drain through between the logs, and that it would serve better than a boat, which would fill up with water in a storm, or even capsize. Rafts like this were no longer made, so Heyerdahl decided to have one constructed to the exact dimensions shown in the old drawings, using balsa wood from Ecuador.

But this was clearly a voyage which he could not make on his own. So he sent out an appeal for men to join him who would be interested· in such an unusual and hazardous expedition. In an incredibly short time, he found himself with five eager crew-members, all from different walks of life, who were willing to join him out of a keen sense of adventure.

Their raft – the Kontiki – set out from Callao in Peru on the 28th of April 1947 and, after a marathon voyage of 101 days at sea, reached the Raroia Reef on the 7th of August. They had their hair-raising adventures on the way, like their early forerunners, but all miraculously survived to *tell the tale, and the annals of anthropology are the richer for it today.

* The Balsa tree which grows in South America is highly valued for the lightness and strength of its wood. Nowadays this is the wood used to make model aeroplanes.

* See Thor Heyerdahl’s book, Kon-Tiki which gives a vivid account of their adventures

It is exactly such keenness, such courage, such selfless zest for adventure which Islam is so much in need of today. The Islamic Centre may have every good intention of bringing the truth to the unenlightened through AI-Risala and other publications, but it is essential that zealous individuals should come forward to form a ‘crew’ with the same bravery, enthusiasm and willingness to cooperate as Heyerdahl’s men. They should have the same willingness to relinquish the material things of this life in order to bring the true message of Islam to the peoples of the world.

The Muslim world today is engaged in all manner of activities but it has sadly neglected the all-important task of propagating the faith. To accomplish it, one must be ready to rise above the tangible gains of this world and think only of the intangible blessings of Paradise, for that is God’s promise to those who valiantly come forward to struggle for His cause.