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About Muslim Traditions & Customs

Thursday, February 19, 2009
Related Tags: circumcision | salat | jihad | koran | calendar
 

Instructions

Prophet Fooprints

  • Step 1:
    According to legend, Mohammed's foot left an impression in the rock at Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem during his night journey on a winged horse. Muslims believe that stones still exist with their prophet's footprint imprinted upon them and so reverently touch them before passing a hand over their own heads and bodies.

Islamic Calendar

  • Step 1:
    The Islamic calendar is 10 or 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar observed by most of the world. This is because the Islamic calendar is based on the course of the moon over 12 months. What is perhaps most interesting about this is that a time adjustment is made during every new moon, eliminating the need for a leap year.

Jihad

  • Step 1:
    The Jihad, or Holy War, has only come into the public consciousness of most Westerners in the past few decades, but a Jihad is actually based on a passage in the Koran that essentially states that all disbelievers should prepare for hellfire. The interpretation of the passage in question has been approached both figurative and literally, with the literal approach paving the way for much of what is known about Jihad by outsiders.

Salat, Act of Prayer

  • Step 1:
    Muslims are required to pray five times every day, although they have the right to pray as often as possible. The five mandatory prayers of the Salat take place during sunrise, noon, afternoon, sunset and night. The Salat is a profoundly ritual prayer that must be performed after cleaning of the hands, elbows, feet, face and ears.

Pilgrimate to Mecca

  • Step 1:
    Once in a lifetime, every Muslim who is physically and financially capable must trek to the holiest site in Islam, Mecca. This trek is called the Hajj and traditionally takes place during the last month of the Islamic year. During the Hajj, Muslims perform various rites that were actually performed by Mohammed during his lifetime.

Modest Female Dress

  • Step 1:
    There is a misconception that the wearing of a veil by Muslim women is related to a specific commandment found in the Koran. While no such commandment exists, the Koran does insist that women dress modestly for the purpose of not provoking indecency.

Circumcision

  • Step 1:
    Circumcision is not just limited to Judaism and Christianity. In fact, the circumcision of a boy is a festive event involving costumes and presents; the presents are primarily there to reward the child for suffering pain since, unlike in most other cultures, the circumcision does not take place until the boy reaches age 5 to 7.

About Muslim Traditions & Customs Provided by eHow.com
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