Middle East - Anthony Ham [52]
The suras contain many references to the earlier prophets – Adam, Abraham (Ibrahim), Noah, Moses (Moussa) and Jesus (although Muslims strictly deny his divinity) are all recognised as prophets in a line that ends definitively with the greatest of them all, Mohammed. Not surprisingly, given the shared heritage, Muslims traditionally attribute a place of great respect to Christians and Jews as ahl al-kitab (the people of the book; sura 2:100–15).
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Shahada This is the profession of faith, Islam’s basic tenet: ‘There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is the Prophet of Allah.’ This phrase forms an integral part of the call to prayer and is used at all important events in a Muslim’s life.
Sala (sura 11:115) This is the obligation of prayer, ideally five times a day: at sunrise, noon, midafternoon, sunset and night. It’s acceptable to pray at home or elsewhere, except for Friday noon prayers, which are performed at a mosque.
Zakat (sura 107) Muslims must give alms to the poor to the value of one-fortieth of a believer’s annual income.
Sawm (sura 2:180–5) Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, commemorates the revelation of the Quran to Mohammed. As Ramadan represents a Muslim’s renewal of faith, nothing may pass their lips (food, cigarettes, drinks) and they must refrain from sex from dawn until dusk. For more details on Ramadan Click here.
Hajj (sura 2:190–200) Every physically and financially able Muslim should perform the hajj to the holiest of cities, Mecca, at least once in his or her lifetime. The reward is considerable: the forgiving of all past sins.
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Originally the responsibility of the individual, zakat now often exists as a state-imposed welfare tax administered by a ministry of religious affairs with zakat committees overseeing the distribution of charitable donations.
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The Call to Prayer
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Jihad is sometimes referred to as the sixth pillar of Islam. Widely interpreted in the West as ‘holy war’, the word actually means ‘struggle’ or ‘striving in the way of the faith’ – the interpretation preferred by most Muslims.
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Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar God is great, God is great
Ashhadu an la Ilah ila Allah I testify that there is no God but Allah
Ashhadu an Mohammed rasul Allah I testify that Mohammed is His Prophet
Haya ala as-sala Hurry towards prayer
Haya ala af-fala Hurry towards success
Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar God is great, God is great
La Ilah ila Allah There is no God but Allah
This haunting invocation will soon become the soundtrack to your visit to the Middle East, a ritual whose essential meaning and power remain largely unchanged in 14 centuries.
Five times a day, Muslims are called, if not actually to enter a mosque to pray, at least to take the time to do so where they are. The call to prayer is made by the muezzin, who is a cantor who calls the faithful to prayer. The midday prayers on Friday, when the imam of the mosque delivers his weekly khutba, or sermon, are considered the most important. For Muslims, prayer is less a petition to Allah (in the Christian sense) than a ritual reaffirmation of Allah’s power and a reassertion of the brotherhood and equality of all believers.
The act of praying consists of a series of predefined movements of the body and recitals of prayers and passages of the Quran, all designed to express the believer’s absolute humility and Allah’s sovereignty.
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Historically, the muezzin climbed the minaret to make the call to prayer, but the growth of cities means that the call is now broadcast from minaret loudspeakers in all but the smallest villages.
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Islamic Customs
In everyday life, Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol (sura 5:90–5) and eating carrion, blood products or pork, which are considered unclean (sura 2:165), the meat of