Islam

1
Islam

• Muslim Practices

2
Essentials of Islam

• Islam means surrender or submission
• Indicating wholehearted surrender to God
• Muslim means one who submits to God (Allah)
• Expressed during worship-prostration of the
  entire body during prayer indicates a belief in
  divine power and the believers submission to it

3
Theology

• Islam worship the same God Jews and Christians
  worship
• Muslims refer to God as Allah
• The word is a contraction of al (the) and ilah
  (God)
• Muslims explain that the word Allah is not the
  name of God- it simply means God
• It is said that God has 99 names
• Merciful, just, compassionate
• Even though God is referred as a male, God has no
  gender

4
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE

• Essentially good
• People forget and thats why they sin
• Came from the fall in the Garden of Eden
• Therefore pray 5 x daily in order to remember
• Human destiny is dependent on the struggle
  (jihad) for goodness
• Reward for goodness Heaven
• Punishment for forgetfulness Hell

5
Umma

• Umma Islamic community
• The Umma bases its laws and lifestyle on the
  teachings from the Koran
• Sufism Religious movement
• Aka Sufis
• Sufism derives from the Arabic word suf wool
• Because early Sufis wore a simple robe made of
  common wool
• Sufi belief
• Believe that the highest experience a person can
  have is a direct experience of God
• An individual can experience God face to face on
  earth
• Sufis have spoken about the sense of loss of self
  that occurs in mystical experience through dance
  or meditation
• This sense of loss of self is called fana or
  al-fana meaning extinction

6
Sufis cont.

• Sufi practice
• Deep regular breathing during meditation
• Repetition of the 99 names of Allah
• Sometimes counted on a rosary, to enable a
  constant remembrance of God
• Dancing
• Wear a special dress code
• Sufi Shaykh
• A teacher
• Leads his disciples through a variety of
  spiritual disciplines to help them achieve union
  with God
• Sufism video clip
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vFo5HJ_voXxg

7
Mosque

• Mosque refers to a space for prostration
• Its design is simple
• Has one formal entry to the compound
• where shoes are to be taken off and left outside
• There is at least one fountain for purification
• There is a high pulpit indoors or outdoors for
  sermons
• worshipers stand and prostrate themselves in
  rows
• Mihrab- is a special arched niche that indicates
  the direction of Mecca- Muslims pray facing Mecca
• The floor is usually covered with rugs or mats

8
Mosque cont.

• Outdoors there is usually a minaret
• a tall tower or two towers at the corners of the
  mosque where prayer is called
• a muezzin
• calls out from the top of a tower for prayer
• The muezzins call to prayer begins with Allahu
  akbar (God is supreme)
• Nowadays, recordings of the call to prayer are
  often played over loudspeakers

9
Marriage

• Marriage
• Arranged by parents and formalized by a written
  contract
• The bridegrooms family makes an offer of money
  or property to the family of the bride as a part
  of the contract
• The marriage ceremony is held at home
• It consists of signing the contract
• A passage from the Quran might be read
• There is usually a feast following the signing of
  the contract

10
MARRIAGE, CONT.

• Multiple wives (polygamy) no more than 4
  permitted
• Must be treated equally
• Not allowed in western countries with monogamous
  marriage laws

11
Female roles

• In some societies, a woman must be veiled when
  she goes out of the house
• She allows only her husband and relatives to see
  her face
• In most places it is a choice, not in
  Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran
• Women are expected to socialize only with female
  friends and relatives
• Women may work as nurses, doctors, and teachers

12
Female dress code veiled options

• Burqa- covers the entire body, with mesh over the
  eyes
• Niqab- covers the entire body, with a thin slit
  for the eyes
• Chador- covers the body and leaves the face bare
• Hijab- covers the hair and neck

13
Male dress code

• Kufi cap- skull cap
• Usually worn during prayer
• Humility before God
• Mens Jeleba

14
Circumcision

• Male circumcision is required
• Is the sign of the Covenant between God and
  Abraham
• Ishmael and Isaac were circumcised
• Boy are circumcised at the age of 7 or 8 years
  old
• Muhammad was circumcised

15
Prohibition image making

• The prohibition against the making of images has
  been observed in Islam, but there are at a few
  exceptions
• One Muhammads Night Journey. However,
  Muhammads face often appears as a ghostly blank
  space.
• Another exception Pilgrims who return
  successfully from Mecca make a picture of their
  pilgrimage and place it outside the house, near
  the front door, where it cannot be missed.

16
Death rituals

• Prayers from the Quran are recited for the dying
  person
• After death, the body is buried in a plain white
  shroud
• If the deceased is a male who has made the
  pilgrimage, he will wear the robe he wore in
  Mecca
• The face of the decease is turned toward Mecca at
  the burial
• The headstone is usually an undecorated stone
  marker- signifies equality of all people in death