Transcript Marking Time

MARKING TIME & CENTRAL
BELIEFS
Ch. 6 #3
THE FIVE PILLARS & FESTIVALS
The
5 pillars guide Muslims on how to
order their time
Shahada permeates all daily life
Salat ritual prayer  rhythm of daily life
Fast of Ramadan
Pilgrimage in a particular lunar month
LIFE-CYCLE RITUALS
At
birth
1st sound heard in baby’s right ear: the call to
prayer
Naming ceremony
Hair cut from head, or shaved
Weight of baby: amount of silver  poor
Muslims believe males should be circumcised
MARRIAGE
Some
marriage practices are traced back to
Muhammad
Many
the product of local cultures
Qur’an
allows polygamy, most Muslim males do
not practice it
Marriage:
bond between families of bride &
groom, as well as between spouses
MARRIAGE
Islamic
law sets rights & responsibilities between
husband & wife and their families
Divorce
is permitted, but strongly discouraged
Wedding
Qur’an
ceremony is simple
is read, vows exchanged in front of
witnesses, performed by leader of mosque
DEATH
Last
words: the Shahada
After
death: corpse washed, covered, buried
as soon as possible
Buried
prayer
facing Mecca, imitating direction of
THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY: UMMA
The
Worldwide Community of Islam
The Five Pillars help Muslims to express their
membership in the umma
Islam: no central authority, hierarchy, or
priests; imam is not a priest
Salvation achieved through community
Regardless of where: 5 Pillars draw Muslims
together
MOSQUE
Where
Muslims gather to pray
1st
mosque built by M. at end of hijra
from Mecca to Medina
Mosques
are built wherever there is a
Muslim community that gathers
FRIDAY PRAYER
Men
gather at mosque after midday
Women
may join them or pray at home
After
call to prayer, imam leads prayer,
gives a sermon
Many
employers give Muslims time on
Friday to pray
FEATURES OF MOSQUES
Mosques
Muslims
Shoes
have common features & routines
called to pray 5X daily from minaret
removed, ritual washing
Prayer
hall large open area, usually carpeted
Sometimes
Prayer:
area)
hall divided: male/female section
facing Mecca, (alcove or recessed
THE QUR’AN
The
voice of Allah spoken to the Prophet
Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel
Gives guidance: worship, morality, worldview
The Qur’an wrapped to keep it clean, placed on
highest piece of furniture
One who memorizes the whole Qur’an: hafiz or
“memorizer”
ORGANIZATION OF QUR’AN
Divided
into 114 Suras, (chapters)
Each
sura has a name (e.g., The Star, The
Cow, the Resurrection) divided into verses
Most
begin with “in the name of Allah, the
Compassionate, the Merciful”
Not
written in a sequential pattern, more like a
piece of classical music, with repetitive themes
and dramatic movements