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Muslim Sects
Islam
Sunni Islam
-- Wahhabism (Salafism)
Shi'i Islam
-- The Druze
-- Alawis
Khariji Islam
Sufism
Nation of Islam and Black Muslims
Islamism
Islamic Vocabulary
The Islamic religion is complex, as is the culture of Muslim societies, and as such this is by no means a comprehensive explanation.
Rather, it seeks to give an introduction to Islam for Westerners, with some attention paid toward Islamist violence.
If you are researching for a class project, please do not quote this material. Besides my own amateur knowledge on this subject,
none of it is footnoted and some of it contains editorial or other biases that may not work well for your project. You can
use this as background information, but I suggest using google.com, or the Lexicon of the Orient for quotable information.
The Sixth Edition of the Columbia Encyclopedia (available extensively and free online) is also very useful, and sometimes
Wikipedia has a contribution to make on this subject.
Islam
The monotheistic religion Islam has more than one billion adherents, less than 20% of which are Arab.
In Asia, Islam is the principal religion of Indonesia (which has the world’s largest Muslim population), Malaysia, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan,
the Arabian Peninsula states, and Turkey. India and China both have extraordinarily large Muslim populations, although Islam
is not the principal religion in either country. Approximately two percent of Australia is Muslim, where it is the fastest
growing religion.
In Africa, Islam is the principal religion in Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Djibouti, Gambia, Guinea, Libya, Mali, Mauritania,
Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, and Sudan, with sizable populations also in Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania (where
the island of Zanzibar is predominantly Muslim), and Nigeria.
In Europe, Albania is predominantly Muslim, and, historically, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Macedonia, and Georgia have had Muslim populations.
Immigrant communities of Muslims from Northern Africa, Turkey, and Asia exist in France, Germany, Spain and Great Britain
and in some number in every European country. Ten percent of France is Muslim in religion.
In the Americas the Islamic population has substantially increased in recent years, both from conversions and the immigration
of adherents from other parts of the world. In the United States, the number of Muslims has been variably estimated at 2–6
million; 20% of the population of Suriname is Muslim.
Islam means ‘submission’ in Arabic. More fully, it means submission to the will and guidance of God. An adherent
of Islam is a Muslim (sometimes also ‘Moslem’), which is Arabic for ‘one who submits.’ The root word
from Arabic is closely related to ‘salam,’ Arabic for peace, and ‘salama,’ Arabic for safety and security.
The word explains major components of the religion. These words also present a clearer picture when viewed in conjunction
with Islamic culture, theology and especially law (shari’a).
Islam is based upon the revelations of the prophet Mohammed in the 7th century AD as contained in the Koran. The Koran is
the holy book of Islam. Supplementary teachings are found in the hadiths – stories from Mohammed assembled years, decades
or centuries after his death – or the ‘Sunna.’ Theologically, Islam dates to the creation of the same Adam
found in the Old Testament, and Ibrahim’s (the same Abraham of the Old Testament) construction of the city of Mecca.
Historically, Islam dates to 610 AD when Mohammed had his first revelations in Mecca.
Islam teaches that there is one God, the same God as that of the Jews and Christians, but that the teachings have been corrupted
by human influence in Christianity and Judaism. Regardless, Muslims generally consider both Jews and Christians people of
the book, and give them respect on that basis, although today there are certain groups that strongly disagree with that respect.
Islam considers Moses, Jesus and Abraham to be important prophets that gave divine messages, but consider Mohammed’s
revelations to be God’s final testament. Islam has no explicit message of love as with the Christian gospels, but still
maintains a positive disposition toward the well being of human beings. Allah, the Muslim name for God, often displays compassion
for humans in the Koran.
Islam centers greatly on social and familial roles. There are many rules in the Koran and Sunna on what to do and what not
to do in everyday life. The core of Islam is the family, and then the extended family, and then moves in concentric circles
from there. Muslims have few or no obligations to people who are not Muslim, Christian or Jewish – the people of the
book.
The religion includes Heaven and Hell, and one’s Earthly actions determine to which one will go after Judgment. Where
the grace of God attained through faith and good works is absolutely central to salvation in Christian theology, Muslims do
not think grace is necessary to reach Heaven; Muslims think that human good works alone can qualify a person for Heaven, where
Christians require God’s compassion, believing all humans are sinful in some way. A Muslim cannot be assured of entering
into Paradise after death without living as a Muslim, just as most Christian theology requires one accept Jesus as savior
to enter Heaven. Most Muslims will not claim they are assured entrance to paradise. Islam has a Judgment Day upon which
all dead are reawakened to be either condemned or allowed to enter Paradise, but this day does not play a major role in the
theology of the religion.
Islam has five pillars, or basic tenets:
1) Shahada, the creed stating “There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his messenger.”
2) Salat, prayer five times a day performed with specific rules – bending toward Mecca and uttering phrases from the
Koran. Shi’a Muslims only require three daily prayers.
3) Zakat, alms given to the needy – Zakat can differ greatly in Islam, but is usually 1/40 of one’s income distributed
privately.
4) Sawm, daylight fast during the lunar month of Ramadan. Fasting occurs during the day for healthy Muslim girls over 13
and boys over 14. It requires abstinence from food, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, sex, seminal emissions, menstruation and bad
thoughts. Deliberately breaking one of these prohibitions results in extending the fast one day for every day broken - except
for menstruation, which need not be deliberate.
5) Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca for all healthy Muslims with sufficient funds to make the journey (and is accepted by the
modern-day Saudi regulatory authorities that limit the number of pilgrims for safety reasons). Women without traveling company,
the insane, and slaves are also exempt.
Muslims are required to commend good and reprimand evil; to abstain from gambling, alcohol, pork, and meat that is not ritually
slaughtered (‘halal,’ similar to kosher). The Muslim concept of Jihad is the exertion of efforts for the cause
of God at either the communal or individual level.
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Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the dominant form of Islam, comprising over 90% of Muslims worldwide. Followers consider it the continuation
of genuine Islam, although it is not especially closer to the original Islam than the other forms. The name is derived from
the book establishing traditional, acceptable Muslim practices, the Sunnah or Sunna.
The Sunni and Shi’a share belief in the oneness of God, the revelations of Mohammed, and resurrection of the Day or
Judgment. Sunnis emphasize the pilgrimage to Mecca while Shi’a have many other important pilgrimages. They revere
Ali, but not as the only continuation of Mohammed like the Shi’a, or to the same extent.
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Shi'i Islam
Shi’i Islam broke off in 661 AD and is the second-largest Muslim sect, although less than 10% of all Muslims are Shi’ites.
The main Shi’a group is the Twelver Shi’i. They have theological differences with the Sunnis dating back to
the Fourth Caliph Ali, the son-in-law of Mohammed. Shi’a are most commonly found in the Middle East and South Asia,
but are uncommon in Northern Africa and Southeast Asia. They represent the majority in Iran, where Shi’i Islam has
been the state religion since the 16th century.
Shi’i Islam holds that the Caliphate after Ali is illegitimate. This Islamic branch has been useful for minority or
rebellious influences in Muslim countries. For this reason, many Shi’ite followers are non-arabs, especially the ethnic
Persians in Iran. Shi’i belief praises martyrs and martyrdom in general, includes distinct ceremonies, and even allows
for pragmatic dissimulation, or taqiyya. This practice allows a Muslim to deny faith in public while maintaining it privately.
Shi’a also believe in the practice of mut’a or temporary marriage, where a woman is paid a set amount of money
to marry a man for a certain period of time. Some Shi’a traditions guarantee a place in Heaven for a man that performs
four temporary marriages.
The Sunnis views Shi’a as innovators and reformists while Shi’a view themselves as the true fundamentalists or
standard-bearers of Islam. Shi’a believe the leadership of the religion must come from descendants of Mohammed, and
grant their spiritual leaders, Imams, more power than Sunni sects.
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Khariji Islam
Kharijites are the third and smallest branch of Islam, accounting for 1% of Muslims worldwide. Historically, the Kharijites
(sometimes the “Khawarij”) broke off in 658 AD in opposition to the decision that two arbitrators could decide
the validity of certain acts, protesting human judgment over divine word.
They believed strongly in racial equality, garnering many historical supporters among the disaffected non-Arab Muslims. They
made very strict proclamations and performed violent acts, declaring all other Muslims to be infidels and killing many. Today’s
Kharijites are descended from the moderate branch founded in 700 AD, and are found in Oman, where it is dominant, and small
groups in Libya, Southern Algeria, the island Jerba in Tunisia, and East Africa.
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Sufism
Sufism is a blanket term for the mystic and ascetic elements of Islam. They incorporate many local beliefs and customs.
Sufism is different from place to place and between different Sufi orders. It was first mentioned as early as the 8th century
AD, but became especially important in the 13th century. Sufism aided Islam in expanding, especially into Asia and Africa,
since it coexisted much more readily with local custom than more orthodox Islamic sects. Sufis consider their views the essence
of every religion, and their central concept is ‘love.’ Sufis are philosophers and mystics, and the name Sufi
comes from the Arabic word for wool. They make extensive use of metaphors and parables and place an emphasis on philosophy
and master-pupil interaction. The non-orthodox nature of Sufism and the Sufi method of combining local (non-Muslim) customs
and traditions into Muslim theology make Sufism a target for modernist, reformist and purist movements within Islam.
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The Druze
This secretive Shi’ite reformist sect arrived in Lebanon in the 10th century from Egypt to escape confrontations with
Muslims there. Today there are less than one million Druze in the world. Living mostly in mountainous regions, they incorporate
Gnostic and neo-Platonic views into their theology and are small in proportion to the larger Muslim world. They are active
in Lebanon, as well as Syria, Jordan and Israel/Palestine and there are Druze communities in non-Muslim areas in the United
States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia and West Africa.
They believe Allah incarnated as the Caliph al-Hakim, who disappeared in 1021 AD. While most Muslims disagree, the Druze
believe that al-Hakim did not die and is waiting to return and reward true believers with a Golden Age. The Druze place a
strong emphasis on knowledge of a hierarchical system with five superior ministers and three inferior levels of functionaries,
preachers, and heads of communities. Concealing the substance of the Druze faith is obligatory, since many Muslims see the
Druze as non-Muslims. They can pray as Muslims or as Christians, depending on where they are. Marriage outside the faith
is forbidden. In Israel the Druze are expected to serve in the Israeli army. Conversion into or out of the religion is prohibited.
The religion is divided into uqqal, the religiously trained elite, and juhhal, the ignorants who do not know the majority
of their religion. Two percent of uqqal became ‘ajawid, the nobles that truly lead the religion. Uqqal attend weekly
meetings on Thursday nights in ordinary buildings outside town. The center of religious activity is in the mountains of southern
Syria. From 1927 to 1944 the Druze had an independent state in the south of what is now Syria. The juhhal do not pray in
mosques, do not fast during Ramadan, and are not obligated to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, or hajj.
They have seven principles in their moral system: 1) love of truth; 2) take care of one another; 3) renounce all other religions;
4) avoid the demon and all wrongdoers; 5) accept divine unity in humanity; 6) accept all of al-Hakim's acts; 7) act in total
accordance to al-Hakim's will.
The Druze believe all human beings are reincarnated as humans, with better people reincarnating in better lives. They believe
humans cannot reach God or perfection, which is very similar to the Gnostic philosophy.
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The Alawis
The Alawis broke off from the Shi’a in the 9th century, founded by Ibn Nucair Namin Abdi. Most of the approximately
1.6 million Alawis are found in Syria, where they make 11% of the population. The Alawis accept the traditional five pillars
of Islam but add an additional two pillars: jihad, or holy struggle, and waliya, or devotion to Ali and struggle against his
enemies. They celebrate the traditional Shi’i holidays in addition to other holidays, including Christmas. Other Muslims
often contend that Alawites are not Muslims, but Alawites consider themselves moderate Muslims. The election of an Alawite
to the Syrian Presidency and the legal acceptance by a Lebanese Shi’ite leader improved the theological position of
Alawites in the 1970s.
Alawite President of Syria Hafez al-Assad was a strong supporter of the Soviet Union, opponent of Israel, and known for tactics
both dictatorial and terrorist.
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Nation of Islam and Black Muslims
The Nation of Islam, an American sect, dates from the 1930s but became more famous in the 1960s. There are today anywhere
between 10,000 and 100,000 members of the Nation of Islam, out of three to four million Muslims living in America. The American
Muslim Society has approximately 200,000 members today. The founder Wali Farad created the group in Detroit. It would have
been heretical to most Muslims, and included some Druze or Alawi elements. Like the Druze, Farad’s sect included a
form of reincarnation theology, and unlike mainstream Muslim theology, included a form of rabid segregationism and racial
supremacy. Farad preached that black people are the chosen race, and white people are an evil abomination created by a mad
scientist named Yakub. Racial supremacy is not an accepted part of any other major Muslim sect. Even more blasphemous was
when Farad claimed to actually be God. Farad most likely came from Druze or possibly Alawi roots and then modified his ideology
once in America. He might have been Lebanese, but he claimed to be Polynesian.
His successor, Elijah Muhammed, successfully spread Nation of Islam membership across America after Farad’s mysterious
disappearance in 1934. Perhaps the most famous – or infamous – member of the Nation of Islam was Malcolm X.
Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965 – possibly by black Muslims – after his mild conversion from outright separatism
to black nationalism within an integrated world. Malcolm X converted to orthodox Islam, and later so did the Nation of Islam
after Elijah Muhammed’s son took over in 1975. He moved the group toward Sunni practices and renamed it several times.
It is now the American Muslim Society, and allows members of all races to join.
In 1977 Louis Farrakhan and a group of other Black Muslims split off to re-form the Nation of Islam, dissatisfied with the
moderating changes. They advocated a much harder and more radical form of Islam, and have been associated with anti-white
and anti-Semitic statements. In the 1990s the Nation of Islam moved toward more mainstream Muslim practices, and in 2000
the Nation of Islam and American Muslim Society leaders declared an official end to their rivalry.
Besides racial separatism, reincarnation and the divinity of Farad, Nation of Islam teachings that Elijah Muhammed and Louis
Farrakhan are prophets violate basic mainstream Muslim belief. Islam teaches that Mohammed was the final prophet and that
the Koran is the Final Testament, after the first two testaments in the Jewish and Christian bibles.
The term ‘Black Muslim’ often applies to a member of the Nation of Islam, but one should be careful to distinguish
between members of Nation of Islam and black Americans that are Muslim.
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Wahhabism
The radical Sunni movement called Wahhabism by non-members and 'muwahhidun' by adherents, dates from the mid-1700s and is
a purist movement, seeking to cleanse the Muslim spirit and eliminate all innovations to Muslim. Adherents often refer to
Wahhabism as Salafism (singular Salafi). Wahhabism is one of the most regulatory and orthodox forms of Islam, and the name
derives from the founder Mohammad ibn Abdul Wahhab. The movement has eight prohibitions: 1) No other object for worship than
God; 2) Holy men or women must not be used to win favors from God; 3) No other name than the names of Allah may enter a prayer;
4) No smoking of tobacco; 5) No shaving of beard; 6) No abusive language; 7) Rosaries are forbidden; 8) Mosques must be built
without minarets and all forms of ornaments. It has three commandments: 1) All men must attend public prayer; 2) Alms must
be paid from all income; 3) Butchers slaughtering animals according to halal must have their life styles scrutinized - it
is not sufficient that they perform the basic rituals correctly.
Wahhabis reject innovation and consensus, favoring instead strict adherence to the word of the Koran and Sunnah. They reject
ornamental mosques and ceremonies as heretical to orthodox Islam. They are not a sect for this reason, but rather a reformist
or fundamentalist movement. Most analysts that criticize ‘fundamentalist,’ ‘radical’ or ‘ultra-orthodox’
Islam are speaking largely about Wahhabism. Wahhabism is not inherently violent, Islamist, or pro-terrorist, although the
connection is hotly contested on both sides. The emphasis on purified Islam and Muslim practices does make an appropriate
background for Islamism and violent extremism, however.
The state Wahhabi philosophy of Saudi Arabia is distinct from more radical Wahhabi beliefs; the Saudis do not agree with war
against Islamic rulers or with declaring fellow Muslims to be infidel. The Saudi state was declared traitorous and infidel
by Osama bin Laden for its connection to the US military setting foot on sacred (Arabian peninsula) soil. The government
of Saudi Arabia is probably not Islamist-Wahhabi. The Islamist government in Sudan and the now-defunct Islamist Taliban in
Afghanistan were both influenced by the Wahhabi movement.
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Islamism
The belief in the spread and dominance of Islam is often referred to Islamism. Islamism is sometimes called Qutbism after
Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian modernist liberalizer turned extreme Islamic supremacist. Many Muslim terrorists that attack non-Muslims
ascribe to or admire Islamist beliefs, especially in Sudan and the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The terrorists that
hijacked four Western airplanes to attack the World trade Center and Pentagon in 2001 were almost certainly Islamists, and
Osama bin Laden is also considered an Islamist.
They believe, unlike most Sunnis, that the gate of interpretation, ijtihad, remains open. In addition, it is sacrilege for
a Muslim to live in a country not governed by Islamic law without trying to overturn it. They must fight to turn it Islamic
or emigrate. They also hold that any Islamic government that does not strictly adhere to sharia is traitorous. The Kharijite
branch also fought many Muslim governments and assassinated the Caliph Ali in a similar effort. Both Sunnis and Shi’a
consider the Kharijites heretical. Islamists also regard Christians and Jews as infidels rather than believers of the Old
(or New) Testament, and some believe that there is coming a final battle of Armageddon that will pit true Muslims against
Jews and Christians. This is why the more radical Islamists consider it positive to kill Christians or Jews through acts
of terror.
Westerners cannot accurately label Islamists as conservative or far right, since they do not fit within the Western definitions
of these terms. Islamists believe in strict application of Islamic, and therefore view poverty and inequality of wealth as
immoral. Failure to help the poor and gaps in wealth are insulting to these hardcore Muslims. Therefore, the West, especially
America, is an affront to them on the economic scale – Islamists are economic egalitarians. This is much closer to
a Western socialist or leftist than a Western conservative, classical liberal, or capitalist. The Western and American gaps
in wealth both domestically and internationally incites the anger of the Islamists.
Islamists feel that their culture is being lost to Western clothing, music, politics, ethics, values and language. This prompts
them to reject some elements of modern culture (but accepting many others). They are not naturalists or Romantics (they do
not reject technology and scientific progress automatically), but they do resent the wealth, progress and non-Muslim nature
of the West.
Islamists are utopian in their adherence to a Second Golden Age for Islam. Historic Muslim society grew from scattered tribes
to a major technological and military power in a very short period of time. Islamists reject capitalist and socialist economic
models, and want an Islamic revival to stem from a third system, an Islamic economic model based on sharia. Such a system
would be something like soft socialism or state socialism with the Muslim prohibition on interest added on. The Islamists
talk of the Golden Age when Islam grew at a rapid and impressive rate, but do not take into account the liberalism and relatively
open nature of Islam during that period. That expansion was achieved by accepting the technological and cultural achievements
of the areas that moved toward and from neighboring countries, and Islamists reject all but technological advancements. Their
strict sharia-based form of Islam does not follow their historical inspiration.
Iran and Sudan (and the former Taliban), have adopted many Islamist politics and to a lesser extent Libya and Pakistan. Saudi
Arabia is somewhat Islamist nation but does not follow the important qualification that wealth be distributed somewhat equitably,
and also does not agree with declaring fellow Muslims infidels or Muslim governments apostate. The Muslim Brotherhood, the
Islamic Resistance Movement (popularly referred to by its nickname Hamas), al Qaida, Hezbollah, and many other organizations
are Islamist in orientation.
An important facet to spreading and implementing Islamist ideology is private social services. Arab and Muslim-majority states
tend to have financial difficulty and cannot extend social services to all areas of the country. Islamist groups offer private
social services to Muslims and thus gain the loyalty of many dependents. Social services are also a factor both in helping
Muslims and in assisting the poor – both Islamist ideological commitments.
The typical Islamists are young and urban, often with college educations and parents living in modest rural conditions. They
generally feel that they are qualified and educated but the good jobs they seek are given to much less qualified people with
social connections. They see themselves as purists rather than revolutionaries, since they seek to reaffirm old values, not
create a new society.
Islamists have varying views regarding women. They are generally not the most conservative Muslims when it comes to women.
Many profess some belief about men working in the public sphere and women working in the private sphere. Few Islamists advocate
the seclusion of women, and it’s not uncommon for Islamists to defend the right of women to work or influence politics,
especially in regard to women working in Islamic organizations.
They are not democrats, although they have had some success in democratic elections (in Jordan, and in Turkey). Islamist
governments are not necessarily dictatorial, although that form of government is acceptable in a transitional state. The
utopian ideal for Islamist government is shura, or a system where the leaders stay in contact with the people, ask for their
needs and ideas, and must show a degree of respect for what they hear.
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Islamic Vocabulary
These are a few terms in Islam that may be helpful in understanding the religion and culture.
Koran – The holy book of Islam, akin to the Christian Bible or the Jewish Torah. It is also called
Qur’an. The word’s origin is unclear; it may come from the word that means ‘collect,’ or the word
meaning ‘tie together,’ or more likely the word meaning ‘recitation’ in Arabic.
It is based on the revelations given to Mohammed, the Islamic prophet, and written by him, and by the people around him during
his life and several decades after his death. The information is slightly obscured by these secondary sources, and the writings
had to be edited later to include dotes and vowels. It was originally written without vowels and dots, meaning some of the
words had several potential definitions. As original and elderly Muslims passed away, the remainder starting editing the
Koran to include the full version of words, based on memory. Although most Muslim sects believe the Koran is written on gold
tablets in Paradise, there is no indication in early Islam that anything but the original revelations were considered divine
word. After the writing of the Koran and the passage of time, most Muslims consider the entirety of the Koran to be divine.
The Koran is difficult for most Muslims to fully comprehend without references or studies from Muslim scholars, especially
scholars from the first centuries of Islam. The language and allusions of the text inspired many early Muslims to study history,
language and natural science to understand it. There are seven methods to read the Koran, each with two variations, for a
total of fourteen different ways to read the Koran. These distinctions mostly apply to scholars, leaving Muslims in general
to worship in more straightforward fashion.
Unlike the Bible, the Koran is not chronological and is largely commandments and warnings rather than stories and metaphors.
It is divided into 114 suras and these are divided into Mecca and Medina, or the Arabic city in which they transpired. It
is understood that not all suras will be limited to the city they are associated with, and will include some events from the
other city. They range from three verses long to 286 verses.
The Koran is read at a rhythmic pace, usually sixty beats per second, and the process includes both reading and swaying the
torso to this beat. This is a form of meditation. Most Muslims learn Arabic, although the Koran of modern day is printed
in many non-Arabic languages. Despite understanding the literal word of the Koran, most Muslims refer to scholars or community
leaders for guidance and answers on the Koran.
Sunna – Also called Sunnah and hadith(s), a collection of stories about Mohammed, his revelations and
the first Muslims, collected years and centuries after his demise in 632 AD. The Sunna gives the Sunni Muslims their name,
and is not as symbolically important to Muslims as the Koran. The Sunna was written to clear up many issues in Islam and
so Muslim leaders collected stories about Mohammed, researched thoroughly in an attempt to only include accurate stories,
and then grouped them together as the hadiths. These efforts have been important in the understanding of the Koran and in
the development of Islamic religion and law (sharia). The Sunna is important but the Koran is clearly more symbolic and more
important to Muslims.
Mohammed – Also called Muhammad or Mohamed, the main prophet of Islam, and a man that still garners
much respect in Islamic society. Muslims theoretically honor Mohammed after saying his name, often by saying ‘May Allah
raise his rank and grant him peace,’ or similar statements. Not all Muslims follow this practice, but almost all Muslims
respect and admire Mohammed for his influence and role in the shaping of Islamic religion and culture for his influence and
role in the shaping of Islamic religion and culture. Muslims wrote almost all of the primary source information available
on Mohammed and much of it is from after his death in 632 AD. The Sunna is also a valuable source of information on Mohammed,
but most of the collected stories there are, though judged reliable by Muslim scholars, from decades or centuries after 632
AD.
Mosque – The Islamic equivalent of a church or temple, the place of worship. Mosques are supposed
to be divinely guided, and vary in design. All mosques must indicate the direction of Mecca, and most do this with a niche
in the wall, called a mihrab. The direction of prayer is called a qibla, and it is part of salat (daily prayer, one of the
five pillars) that Muslims must pray toward Mecca. In a mosque, there can be no doors on the wall with the mihrab. Many
old mosques were converted from churches as Christianity lost ground in some regions to Islam. Since Christianity is a kin
religion to Islam, this is considered appropriate. However, most mosques only allow Muslims inside.
Minaret – The tall, slim tower that is part of or near a mosque, from which calls to prayer are made.
They were probably added sixty to one hundred years after the first mosque, and likely inspired by churches in Syria. Calls
to prayer were originally made from atop Mohammed’s house, and the minaret is simply an advancement of this same function.
Wahhabis consider minarets innovative and reject them as not part of pure, original Islam.
Muezzin – The person who makes the adhan, or call to daily prayer for all Muslims. This is usually
performed from the minaret, or loudspeakers at the top of the minaret.
Imam – Imam has five different meanings, and can differ between sects, countries and even mosques.
Generally, it means one who is knowledgeable of Islam and has some leadership capacity. 1) A prayer leader in a mosque,
knowledgeable in Islam. This is not an office, but a term that applies only so long as the person is actually leading the
prayers. 2) Highest leader in Shi’i Islam. 3) The modern reinterpretation of imam by Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran allowing
for more power-sharing among the most elite working with the imam, instead of keeping the authority with the imam alone.
4) Sunni Muslims may occasionally refer to the Caliphs as imams. 5) Certain educated and prominent Sunnis may be granted the
title imam in their names to show respect for their learned faith.
Mecca – The most holy city in Islam, Mecca today has 1.4 million inhabitants and is located in Saudi
Arabia, 80 miles from the Red Sea. Daily Muslim prayer, salat, is physically directed toward Mecca, and all able Muslims
are directed to make a pilgrimage or hajj to Mecca. This is because the Ka’ba is in Mecca, and Ka’ba is the Islamic
center of the world.
Ka’ba – The center of the world, according to Islam, and the first house on Earth. The Ka’ba
is a building situated in Mecca, and it is the qibla – the direction toward which all Muslims direct their daily prayers,
or salat. The Ka’ba existed before the time of Mohammed and therefore pre-dates Islam by at least several centuries.
Most likely one or a number of now-defunct polytheistic religions used the structure for their worship. The building has
been modified since those times, renovated after a fire during Mohammed’s life. The door stands two meters off the
ground to limit access. The building’s four corners mimic the directions on a compass. Inside the building is a marble
floor, three wooden pillars holding up the roof, and no furniture except for gold and silver lamps.
Medina – Also called Madina and Medinah, the second most important city in Islam, where Mohammed and
his followers fled to from Mecca. It was originally called Yathrib, but the new name is derived from the Arabic for ‘City
of the Prophet.’ Many Muslims visit Medina after making the hajj to Mecca, since a mosque was built there around Mohammed’s
grave.
Sharia – System of laws inspired and influenced by Muslim history, theology and culture. It was developed
from the Koran, Sunna, pre-existing Muslim law, contemporary legal systems, and the work of Muslim scholars in the first centuries
of Islam. It can be divided into two categories – regulations on worship and regulations on law and politics. Sharia
is not merely law; it is a comprehensive work on acceptable political, social, domestic and religious behavior. It is especially
associated with rural, conservative, and purist elements in Islam, especially ideological Islamism.
Sharia applies theoretically to all Muslims, but also applies to all people living in Muslim societies. Muslims are not totally
bound by sharia when traveling outside Muslim countries. Large portions of the sharia have little or no effect in many Muslim
countries, except ones like Sudan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and somewhat Libya. Conservative and rural areas of many Muslim countries
also may follow sharia closely.
The study of sharia is called fiqh. A mufti is an Islamic lawyer or judge, and has the capacity to issue a fatwa, which is
a legal and religious opinion to bridge a questionable gap in sharia and is based very heavily on precedence, usually over
issues such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance. The root for both mufti and fatwa is the same in Arabic.
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