MC_Comprhnsv2016-17_Catalog

UND E RS TAND I NG I S L AM

The religion known as Islam emerged on the Arabian Peninsula during the seventh century and spread quickly. Today, the Muslim population is estimated at 1.6 billion, making it the world’s second-largest religion. The new series UNDERSTANDING ISLAM provides a comprehensive overview of the religion and its teachings; individual volumes discuss such important issues as the relationship of Islam to other major world faiths, the growth of Islam in North America, and the socio-economic conditions of countries in the Muslim world. THE EIGHT VOLUMES IN THIS SERIES ARE SUPPLEMENTED WITH A VARIETY OF USEFUL RESOURCES, INCLUDING A CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS RELATED TO THE COUNTRY, RECIPES AND IDEAS FOR PROJECTS AND REPORTS, A GLOSSARY OF TERMS, SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION, AND A DETAILED INDEX.

33 The hajj period ends with a three-day festival called Eid al- Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice. The Eid al-Adha is celebrated by all Muslims around the world at the end of the hajj period, not just by those actually able to make the journey. It is a time of prayer and celebration with family and friends. When pilgrims have com- plet d the hajj , m ny travel north to Medina, where they visit Muhammad’s tomb. C ENTRAL B ELIEFS dress, with only their hands and faces showing. These plain gar- ments symbolize the equality of all before Allah—during the pil- grimage, no class or cultural differences are to exist.

32 I SLAM :C ORE B ELIEFSAND P RACTICES

permitted to make the journey, the hajj marks a high point of their lives. The pilgrims’ ultimate destination is the shrine known as the Kaaba, an ancientplaceofworship that isbelievedbyMuslims to have been the site of Allah’s covenant with Abraham’s son Ishmael. Muhammad cleansed the Kaaba of tribal idols, reclaim- ing it for Allah and restoring it to its rightful place, according to Qur’an 22: 26–27: Behold! We gave the site to Abraham, of the (Sacred) House, (saying), “Associate not anything (in worship) with Me, and sanctify My House for thosewho compass it round, or stand up, or bow, or prostrate themselves (therein in prayer).And proclaim the Pilgrimage among people.”

Someof the hajj ritualsare rooted inpre-Islamicpilgrimageprac- tices. Among the rituals are walking counter-clockwise around the Kaaba seven times, kissing or touching the black stone located in a wallof theKaaba,and sacrificingananimal inMina, tenmilesaway from Mecca. By including certain tribal practices, Muhammad cre- ated a linkwith thepast thathelpeduniteArabMuslims from vari- ous backgrounds into a coherent Islamic community. Pilgrims also reenact Ishmael and his mother Hagar’s desperate search for water in the desert, running between Safa and Marwah seven times. Other rituals symbolize the unity of the global Muslim com- munity. The central ritual of the hajj involves praying and medi- tating for an entiredayon thePlainofArafat, about12miles from Mecca, where Muhammad gave his last message. This is followed by a trip to Mina for the animal sacrifice, where pilgrims first crowd onto Jamarat Bridge and throw pebbles at pillars that rep- resent the devil. Pilgrims to Mecca symbolize their purification for the journey in theirappearance.Menwear sandalsandwrap themselves in two pieces of unsewn white cloth; some shave their heads. Women wear a simple version of their normal clothing or a long white dress, with only their hands and faces showing. These plain gar- ments symbolize the equality of all before Allah—during the pil- grimage, no class or cultural differences are to exist. The hajj period ends with a three-day festival called Eid al- Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice. The Eid al-Adha is celebrated by all Muslims around the world at the end of the hajj period, not just by those actually able to make the journey. It is a time of prayer and celebrationwith family and friends.Whenpilgrimshave com- pleted the hajj , many travel north to Medina, where they visit Muhammad’s tomb. The Muslim Community Muslims throughout the world see themselves as a unified com- munity; the ties of faith are stronger than family, tribal, or nation- Actual Text Size

The Kaaba can be seen at the far end of theGreatMosque inMecca. Each year, approximately 2millionMuslims par- ticipate in the pilgrimage toMecca, one of the five pillars of Islam.

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