Transcript 1. The Islamic Umma— A Community Defined by a History, a

4. Representative Muslim
Institutions & Their Dynamics
Frederick M. Denny, Islam and the Muslim Community
(Prospect Heights, Ill.: Waveland Press, 1987), 77–106.
Learning the Qur’an
Muslims strive to master Arabic
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Once memorized, it must be kept in
memory through continuous practice
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Quasi-musical (chanting)
At least initially, essentially a
mimicking process
Schools for learning the Qur’an are
called pesantren (medrese in Turkish)
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For worship
For meditation
For reading and reciting the Qur’an
Many residential pesantren
Taught by a kiai (“master”)
Focus on the text of the Qur’an, read
and recited
Contests for students to show their
mastery of the recitation
Turkish children on a break during
“vacation Qur’an school”
Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies
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Qur’anic Piety
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Recitation is tilawa, from the word “to follow”
Includes obeying the Divine message
A true Muslim is one grounded in the Qur’an
To Muslims, the Qur’an is
active & powerful
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Like a living reality
Power to inspire
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The Qur’an provides the
central source of meaning,
values, and spiritual power
for Muslims everywhere,
throughout changing
times
Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies
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Muslim Veneration of Saints
Muslims recognize the
importance of sacred persons
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The Qur’an never speaks of the
holiness of persons—God alone
is holy.
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Venerate
Seek guidance, boons, and
intercession with God
The Arabic term walî, usually
translated “saint,” means “friend”
(as in “friend of God”)
A Hajji (someone who has made
the Hajj) can be a kind of living
saintly presence
Pilgrims visiting the tomb of the Mevlana,
Sufi mystic and Saint,
Jalal al-Din Rumi
Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies
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Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi
Greatest Egyptian Muslim Saint
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Muslims must be careful not to deify saints
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Remembered through a mawlid (birthday festival)
Brought the Sufi Order to Egypt
Lived when Sufi brotherhoods, tariqas, were being
established throughout the Umma
Little if any Qur’anic basis for intercession of saints
People still seek such intercession in many ways, and
do not consider it idolatrous
View it as asking friendly help of a holy person
Saint veneration has been outlawed in some parts
of the Muslim world
Al-Badawi Mosque in Tanta i Nedre, Egypt, built over the grave of 12th century Sufi saint,
Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi
(Photo © Richard J. Natvig)
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Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies
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The “Nine Saints” of Java
The graveyard at Ngampel
The Sunan is buried within the fenced
enclosure (right rear of photo).
According to legend, Java was Islamized by nine holy men
who brought the teaching of the Qur’an to that island in
the 15th-16th centuries.
They are known collectively as the walî songo or
“nine saints.”
Sunan Ampel is one of these walî
Entrance to the tomb of Sunan Ampel, Surabaya, JAVA
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Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies
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Shi’ite Saint Veneration
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Shi’a Muslims celebrate
holy personages
Unlike Sunni Islam,
Shi’a tradition accords a
central place to visiting
the burial places of its
sacred heroes
If they cannot make the
Hajj to Mecca, Shi’ite
Muslims will make a
substitute pilgrimage to
the tomb of a Muslim
“saint” or walî
The tomb of the Mevlana, Sufi mystic and Walî,
Jalal al-Din Rumi
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Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies
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Key Rituals of Muslim Life
No formal rite of initiation
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To join the Umma, one need only
utter the Shahada with a sincere
heart in the presence of another
Muslim
Once a Muslim, all the duties and
privileges of membership in the
Umma are immediately in force
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An adult male convert must be
circumcised, if he is not already
Most converts take an Islamic name
(e.g., Cassius Clay took the name
Muhammad Ali)
Ablution fountain inside the Ulu Cami Mosque
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Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies
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Rites of Passage
Birth Rites & Early Education
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Devout parents utter Basmala before
marital relations (“In the Name of God
the Merciful the Compassionate”)
First act after a child is born is to whisper
the Call to Prayer into the newborn ear
Qur’anic training begins ASAP
Puberty Rites
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Vary from region to region
For young women, taking the hijab
(head covering)
For young men, circumcision (usu.
associated with 1st public recitation
of the Qur’an)
Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies
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Marriage
One of greatest transitions
in life
Expected (“only half a man”
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before marrying)
Simple marriage ceremony
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Courtship is chaperoned: Laws of mahram prohibit any female
associating with a non-mahram male unless one of her blood
relatives is present
Polygamy is permitted, although no longer common
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Signing of contract
Festivities
The Qur’an permits a man to have up to four wives concurrently, provided all
are treated equally
Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies
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Death & Funerary Rites
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Final transition in human life
The dying person looks
toward Mecca and recites the
beginning of the Shahada:
“There is no god but God.”
After death, the deceased’s
body receives final ablution
Funeral Salat
Reciting Qur’an is best way to
show respect and grief
Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies
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