Islamic Culture - Essay Example

Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Islamic Culture Introduction Culture refers to the way of life of a group of people that is characterized by their beliefs, practices, values, norms and religion among others (Guillain 4). Islamic culture refers to the cultural practices that exist among the followers of Islam religion called the Muslims. Muslims are found in various countries all over the world among different communities. Muslims are strong adherents of their religion and it dictates a large portion of their way of life. It is therefore not easy to differentiate between aspects of culture and aspects of religion among the Muslims. Islamin culture in general revolves around practices which have been developed from Islam which are stated in the Quran such as prayer and others that are non-Qur’anic such as the major Islamic divisions. This essay looks at the general Islamic culture and some of the major aspects of the Islamic culture. Islamic culture can be viewed as a set of principles which focuses on material, spiritual and moral aspects. The principles dictate all aspects of human life, both the external and internal, and try to align them with the aspects of the Islam religion. Islamic culture is orderly where everything is categorized according to Islamic religious criteria. The culture has integrated rationality and faith to create a balance between religious and secular life (Kirabaev 60). That is why the religion is the way of life of the adherents of the religion of Islam. Features of the Islamic culture The main aspects of Islamic culture include prayer customs, leadership during prayers, prayer protocols, dietary rules, celebrations, dressing code, shaking of hands and social distance among others. Prayer customs The prayer customs dictates that a Muslim should pray five times in a day. Men are mostly required to attend the prayers in a mosque but women are allowed to conduct prayers in their houses to allow them to carry on with their domestic responsibilities. The prayer, also known as salat, is performed at dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset and evening. Due to different lifestyles and working schedules, the Muslims are allowed to pray in their workplaces, as they travel or any place where the prayer time finds them. Most of them carry prayer mats with them which they spread on the ground whenever the prayer time finds them. When performing the prayer, Muslims should face Mecca where it is believed to be the center and the origin of Islam. Muslim’s special day for prayers is Friday when most of them go to the mosque. Inside the mosque are prayer mats and the Muslims’ are therefore not allowed to get in with their shoes. Prayer leaders Prayers in the mosque are led by Imam .He leads the group in prayer, offers guidance on issues related to worship and conducts other services such as marriage or funeral. An Imam is just a member of the community who is selected or hired from amongst the adherents. His work is just to lead because Muslims believe that every individual has a direct connection with God. In absence of the Imam, an elder member of the mosque can stand in his position. Women are not allowed to lead prayers; they can only lead amongst women only congregations. However, even those who lead in women congregations are the wives of Imams. They must also be of a good character. Prayer protocols In Islam, cleanliness is considered very important especially as a prayer prerequisite, personal cleanliness and also in places of prayer. Contact with animals or a pet is highly avoided because their saliva is considered unclean. Anyone who comes into contact with it must wash himself before prayer. For this reason, many Muslims do not keep pets. Before they perform the five daily prayers, Muslims must perform an act known as Ablution where they must wash with water all the body parts which are exposed or may be in contact with environmental pollution. The prayers cannot be performed by the person with unclean body, dirty clothes or in a dirty environment. This is guided by a verse in the Quran which states Allah loves the clean. Dietary rules Muslims follow particular dietary practices which are founded in their faith. Their dietary practices are about being obedient to God. As a show of obedience to God, Muslims eat what is allowed, known as halal and avoid what is forbidden, know as haram as listed in the Quran. Before eating, Muslims must recite Allah’s name and give thanks to him after eating. They believe it us right to eat while accompanied and also using the right hand. When slaughtering animals, they must mention the name of Allah. Muslims also eat only when hungry and they should not eat in excess. They are also required to extend the food to the hungry people and animals as this can save them from going to hell. Some of their recommended foods include chicken, fish, pure meat, milk, honey and olive oil. Some of the forbidden foods include pork, carcasses, and an animal that has been killed by a beast, alcoholic beverages or any form of intoxicants (Yusuf 45). Celebrations Muslims observe various celebrations throughout the year all over the world. The main aim of these celebrations is to promote social relations amongst the community members. These celebrations are characterized by tangible things sharing of food and exchange of gifts, and intangible offers such as promoting brotherhood amongst all members of the society. This is a common thing in Islamic culture that is observed by all races of the Islamic community. The common Islamic feasts are Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. Eid-ul-Fitr: This is also known as the feast of fast-breaking. This feast is conducted to mark the end of the month of fasting which is known as Ramadan where they do not eat or drink between sunrise and sunset. The celebration is a manifestation of the joy and also thankfulness to the Allah for granting them an opportunity to carry on with their obligation of fasting and also other good things that have happened during the fasting month. This is expressed collectively by members of the Muslim community by holding congregational prayers where they praise and glorify Allah. During this feast, every Muslim holding food that is in excess of what his/her family needs for a day is required to give one meal per person, or its equivalent money to the poor and the needy in the community. This portion is referred to as Zakat-ul-Fitr (Guillain 20). Eid-ul-Adha: this is also known as the feast of sacrifice. It is celebrated every tenth day of the month of Dhul-Hijja, which is the month of pilgrimage to Mecca. The aim of the feat is to commemorate the great sacrifice made by prophet Ibrahim when he offered to sacrifice his only son Ismail upon the command of Allah. During this day, Muslims slaughter an adult animal which must either be a cow, camel or ram. Slaughtering is used as a symbol of willingly submitting to the will of the almighty. The meat from the sacrificed animal is shared into three between the person’s own family, friends, relatives and neighbors, and the needy in the community (Guillain 21). Islamic dress code Muslims belief in modesty dressing that does not lead to sin and immorality in the society. According to Islamic culture, a man must is supposed to cover the lower part of his body, from the navel with a loose and unrevealing cloth. Muslim men must not get out in public in short bathing suits. Muslim women also observe modesty in their dressing. There is however some variation in the manner in which they dress across different Islamic cultures. Muslim women put on a head covering known as Hijab which is an indication of how they are devoted and committed in their faith. In some countries, it is mandatory to put on a Hijab but in others it is one’s choice. Their bodies must be covered with loose and unrevealing clothes which do not show the details of their body to other people. Some women also chose clothes that cover their hands and faces. The main aim of dress code in Islamic culture is to prevent sexual temptation and humiliation in the society as much as possible for both women and men. Muslims obey the dress code as an indication of their obedience to God (Yusuf 45). Shaking of hands and social distance in Islamic culture Muslims believe that men and women who are not related should not touch each other. According to them, it is a sign of humility, modesty and chastity. It is also a sign of respect to the person since it is an acknowledgement that nobody should touch them except those close to them. When interacting with Islamic women, it is important for one to main social distance. Close eye contact should also be avoided. When talking to them, one is required to look at an imaginary spot but still show interest in the conversation. This also applies to the elderly men and women (Guillain 29). Marriage in Islamic culture In Islam, marriage is referred to as a matrimony contract which is considered legal. It is however not compulsory and Muslims can choose to live single. The key cultural features in Islamic marriage include consent by competent people and presence of witnesses and a dower from the wife’s side. It is not mandatory to hold a ceremony although Muslims love colorful marriages and this has become part of their customs. According to the Islamic culture, contracting of marriage can take place anywhere and anytime. In Islam, polygamy is allowed but with various restrictions. The Quran allows men to marry as many wives as they want up to four but they should be able to deal with them justly. The Islamic culture does not allow dating in seeking for a partner. Most of Islamic marriages are arranged between the parents of the two partners. Islamic permits divorce from either the man or the wife. However, the man must continue supporting the children for their well being (Younos 109). Divisions within the Islamic culture Due to the growing number of Muslims, there was a need to have laws to answer to various things which were not in the Quran. Therefore there arose some legal experts with different thoughts on the application of some Islamic principles to different situations. Other scholars disagreed with their principles in some areas and this led to divisions along schools of thought within the Islamic culture. This divided Islamic into Sunni, Shi’ite and Sufi Muslims. Sunni Muslims: These form the majority of Muslims, about 90%. These are considered to be made of the mainstream traditional Muslims. This group pursues their faith within the secular society and is able to adapt to different cultures in their nations. This group believes in the power and sovereignty of Allah and that he has a right to do as he wishes with his creation. The ruler of this group is Caliphate who is believed to be the successor to Muhammad (Glasse, 368). Shi’ite Muslims: This group differs with the Sunnis on the issues of Muhammad’s successor. This group believes that the successor should have been Muhammad’s son-in-law and other successors should have come from his lineage. This group believes in five doctrines of prophecy, resurrection of the body and soul, divine unity, justice and the Imamate. According to this group, an Imam should be a successor of Muhammad and should be a person with great influence and power. The imam should be free from sin and flawless when it comes to matters of Islamic doctrines. He should be the one to intercede for all Muslims in the life after death (Glasse, 368). Sufi Muslims: These are spiritual traditionalists who are after the spiritual understanding of God. They lead a life of deprivation and meditation where they have renounced the worldly things and live under complete trust of God. Their ultimate goal is to achieve better knowledge and experience of Allah. This group believes in pantheism which states that God and the universe are the same thing. Other sub-groups differ with this since they believe that God created the universe. This group arose to break away from the materialism that had dominated Islamic empire (Glasse, 368). Conclusion The Islamic culture is a direct reflection of the Islamic religion. This is because it is a culture of the followers of the Islamic religion. The followers of Islamic religion lead lives that are based on the religious teachings as dictated in their holy book of the Quran. Therefore their daily lives and all their life activities are guided by Islamic believes and practices, and this forms their culture. However, with the changing times, diversities are being experienced in the Islamic culture. Islamic has therefore opened its ways to innovations and giving way to various talents that exist among its adherents. This is to ensure that Muslims are also well integrated into the general knowledge of the society for their own development. Some elements of the Islamic culture are also changing with times due to forces such as globalization and society integration. Those elements that are viewed as oppressive especially to women are also being abandoned to promote equity among the followers of the Islamic faith. Works Cited Kirabaev, N. S. Values in Islamic Culture and the Experience of History, Volume 1. Washington: CRVP publishers, 2002. Yusuf, Sayyid, M. Some aspects of Islamic culture. Michigan: Institute of Islamic Culture, 2006. Guillain, Charlotte. Islamic Culture. Oxford: Rain tree publisher, 2013. Younos, Farid. Islamic Culture. Bloomington, Indiana: Author house publishers, 2013. Glasse, Cyril. The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam, San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1989. Read More