Islam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 610, he began receiving what Muslims regard as divine revelations, delivered through the angel Gabriel. His preachings soon spread among the common people, but were met with hostility by the leaders of Mecca, who worshipped a number of gods, and whose center of worship was a square building, called the Ka’aba, which contained a sacred black meteorite.

However, Muhammad was protected by an influential uncle, Abu Talib, but upon his uncle’s death around 619, Muhammad migrated to the city of Yathrib (later known as Medina), where he soon got thousands of followers. His new faith was called Islam (‘submission to the will of God’), and its followers were called Muslims (‘submitters of God’).

A majority of Muslims, however, claim that Islam did not start with Muhammad, but was the original faith of a number of persons, whom they regard as prophets, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus, and that the final prophet was Muhammad.

Today, Islam is the second-largest religion in the world (after Christianity), with about 1.8 billion followers worldwide.

 

 

 

 

 

Shahadah. With a sincere heart, every devout Muslim must recite: “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is his messenger.”

Salat. Five times a day, the muezzins perform the adhan (from adhina, meaning ‘to listen’, or ‘to be informed about’), from high slender towers, called minarets. The adhan is the Islamic call for ritual prayer: “Allah-u-akbar! As-hadu-an-la-ilaha-il-Allah! Muhammadun-rasul-Allah!” (“God is great! I announce: There is no god but God! Muhammad is God’s servant!”). Originally, the muezzins were shouting the message between cupped hands, but today the announcement is given through loudspeakers.

The first prayer, al fajr, must take place at the crack of dawn, when there is enough light to distinguish a black thread from a white one. The other four prescribed prayers take place at noon, in the afternoon, when the sun is at an angle of 45 degrees with the horizon, at sunset, and two hours after sunset.

These prayer times originated in Arabia. As Muslims have moved to far northern and far southern latitudes, they are, naturally, not able to observe these times. Instead, they have appointed fixed hours of the day for praying.

Prayer can take place anywhere, but on Fridays, the weekly Muslim holiday, preferably in a mosque. Before you pray, you should wash your face, hands and feet, and during the prayer, your face must point in the direction of the Ka’aba in Mecca. Prayers are performed partly standing, partly kneeling, and partly lying down, with your forehead touching a small prayer rug.

Zakat. You must give alms to the poor.

Sawm. During the month of Ramadan, you must fast between dawn and dusk. Naturally, this cannot be observed by Muslims who live at far northern or far southern latitudes. Instead, they have appointed fixed hours of the day for fasting.

Hajj. At least once in your lifetime, you should undertake a pilgrimage to the sacred Ka’aba in Mecca. When Muhammad and his followers took Mecca in 630, they destroyed the pagan idols, which surrounded the black meteorite, but Muhammad embraced the stone itself as the sacred gift of God to Adam.

During the Hajj, the most important ceremony is to circumambulate the Ka’aba seven times, each time kissing the black stone. A person, who has made this pilgrimage, is honoured by the title of Hajji.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 681, Husain and his followers travelled to Iraq to fight against the Caliph of Damascus, who claimed that he was the true heir of Muhammad, selected by a council of elders. The Shi’a did not acknowledge this choice, maintaining that only God could appoint Muhammed’s heirs. In a battle at Karbala, Husain and his men were all killed, and from this day, the Caliphs of Damascus, and later Baghdad, held the power within Islam.

The Shi’a fervently commemorate the death of Husain. In his book Reisebeschreibung nach Arabien und andern umliegenden Ländern (Gloyer und Oldshausen, Hamburg, 1837, in English Travels Through Arabia and Other Countries in the East, Performed by M. Niebuhr, Gale Ecco, 2018), German cartographer and mathematician Carsten Niebuhr gives a vivid description of a group of pilgrims, paying a visit to the tomb of the martyr in Karbala, in present-day Iraq: “I was genuinely puzzled by watching the devotion, with which the superstitious people already in the front yard kissed the entrance door, and also later kissed the door of the mosque. Inside the temple, they eagerly kiss the floor, and I was told with conviction that to some devotees the death of Hössein is so sad that they hit their head agains the wall and the iron grids. It has been told that some devotees have become so mad with rage that they have killed themselves at their great imam’s grave, believing that they will also be recognized as martyrs, and go to heaven, because they have given their life for the sake of Hössein. I must confess that I have never heard anything more plaintive than these devoted Shi’a. People screamed and howled as if Hössein had been their father and had been murdered this day; this was by no means false, like the professional mourners who weep over a deceased for money, but so genuine that the eyes of those who left the mosque were swollen from crying.”

The Shi’a acknowledge a succession of 12 imams, and they maintain that the last of them, Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Mahdi (868-941), vanished without a trace, but will return in due time as the ultimate saviour of mankind and, together with Isa (Jesus), bring peace and justice to the world.

In 818, the 8th imam, Ali ibn Musa al-Riḍha, in Iran known as Imam Reza, was murdered by order of the Abbasid Caliph, al-Ma’mun. The place he was buried was called Mashhad al-Ridha (‘Martyrdom of al-Riḍha’), and in the late 9th Century, a dome was erected on the grave. Later, numerous other buildings were built on this place, which constitutes the world’s largest Islamic temple complex.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout history, Sufis have often belonged to various ṭuruq (‘orders’), centered around a wali (‘master’), who traces a direct chain of successive teachers back to Muhammad. These turuq meet for spiritual sessions (majalis), during which their goal is ihsan (‘perfection of worship’). Sufis regard Muhammad as al-Insān al-Kāmil (‘the person who has reached perfection’), exemplifying the morality of God.

Sufi whirling, or Sema, is a form of meditation, still practiced by the Sufi Dervishes of the Mevlevi order, end a few others, who aim to reach the source of all perfection, by focusing on God while spinning their body in repetitive circles. (Source: hayatidede.org/popups/about_sema.htm)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Qutb-ud-din Aibak ordered the razing of 27 Hindu and Jain temples in the area, an action, which was praised by his chronicler, Hasan Nizami Taj-ul-Maasir: “The conqueror entered the city, and its vicinity was freed from idols and idol-worship; and in the sanctuaries of the images of the gods, mosques were raised by the worshippers of the one God.” (Source: P. Brown 1942. Indian Architecture: The Islamic Period)

Construction of the complex was completed c. 1370.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Souks date back to the 6th Century B.C. Initially, they were located outside the city walls, but as cities grew larger, they were moved to the city centre, where they became covered lanes, each lane displaying similar goods.

In one lane you may find carpets, in another brightly coloured cloth, in a third jewelry, in a fourth huge piles of apples, oranges, pomegranates, and other fruits, in a fifth wonderfully fragrant spices and herbs, such as garlic and mint, ginger and paprika, rosemary and cardamom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My experience with mudhifs are described in depth on the pages Travel episodes – Iraq 1973: The hospitable mudir, and Iraq 1973: Dust storm and sheep’s head.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purana Qila (‘Old Fort’ in Urdu) is one of the oldest forts in Delhi. Remains date back to the 3rd century BC, the pre-Mauryan period. Construction of the present citadel was initiated by Humayun (see above), and continued under Sher Shah.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The qubba below, in the small town of Hamar, southern Iraq, is the final resting place of a holy man, said Esa. The title said indicates that he is a descendant of the Muhammad. In the centre of the building is a platform, covered by a multi-coloured cloth, on which several Qurans, wrapped in green cloth, have been placed.

 

 

 

 

 

On a rocky promontory near the town of Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania, lie the remains of Gereza, a huge Muslim fort, built c. 1800 on the order of the Sultan of Muscat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This interesting wetland is presented in depth on the pages Travel episodes – Iraq 1973: The hospitable mudir, and Iraq 1973: Dust storm and sheep’s head.