Muslim Ritual Research Articles

Astronomy in Ottoman Painting

Celestial bodies have occupied human beings' thinking and become a target to examine their essence and composition. Human beings started observing their movements and tried to explain these movements and connect them with global climate change occurring around. Basically، this led man to study them and record observations. Hence، astronomy becomes a science with its own structure، scientists and students who recorded all relevant events and enriched the libraries with their original contributions. Astronomy is an important science that is associated with human life. It organizes the temporal life in accounting days، months and years. It is also the science to which Muslim rituals such as: prayer، fasting، pilgrimages are related closely to human life، as many other rituals do. Many other religions' rituals are related with it as well. People did not only record their observations and results of their scientific studies in astronomy، but also provided them with paintings that supported the value and role of these studies. A good example is what the Ottoman school contributed in manuscripts painting; as Ottoman Sultans had a profound interest in Astronomy. They devoted great educational institutions to it as expressed in beautiful miniature paintings of Ottoman Sultans' ceremonies. Artistic Ottoman school miniatures that we attained are many. They maintain to us different astronomical phenomena and paths. They even depict the astronomical observatory with its scientific staff engaged in work. The paper would examine all what has been mentioned with historical evidences.

Homines Sacri in Contemporary War Novels: A Comparative Insider–Outsider Perspective

This paper examines the status of Iraqis in Sinan Antoon’s The Corpse Washer (2013) and Kevin Powers’ The Yellow Birds (2013) within the circumstances of war in Iraq and addresses the repercussions of the American-led 2003 war on Iraq from an insider–outsider perspective, that is, Antoon’s portrayal of his native land, Iraq, vis-à-vis that of Powers, an American who served in Iraq as a machine gunner for the US Army. This paper draws on Derek Gregory’s conception of homo sacer, which is initially derived from Agamben’s 1998 work. Homines sacri (singular: homo sacer), which emerge when the law suspends itself, are placed outside the law and can be abused and/or killed advertently. The insider–outsider perspectives in the aforementioned novels converge in the way that Iraqi civilians are given the ‘bare life’ status. The fragility and vulnerability of Iraqis in the face of American intervention can be seen both in life and death as the struggles of the living in performing the necessary Muslim ritual of cleansing and burying the deceased. However, the insider’s perspective in Antoon’s novel emphasizes the muted voices of the homines sacri.

Islamic component in calendar rituals and folk medicine of the peoples of Dagestan: traditions and modernity

The article examines the types and forms of manifestation of the Islamic component in the calendar rituals and folk medicine of the peoples of Dagestan that have survived to our time. On the basis of field material and literary sources, the author cites the calendar holidays of the first furrow, the beginning of spring, the collection of edible herbs, medicine. The Islamic component in these holidays and rituals is manifested by the participation of a Muslim clergyman in them, the remembrance of Allah, the recitation of verses from the Koran, the conduct of the mawlid and the ritual of zikr, and the distribution of alms sadaqa. This component has been woven into agrarian holidays; meteorological ceremonies with «binding the rain», the use of a horse’s skull, wooden and stone boards, «overturned stones»; «sacred» trees, springs and stones in the rituals of traditional medicine. Collected in a special sacred period of time (pre-dawn hours before morning prayer) on the day of Eid al-Adha or the holiday of spring, spring water became similar to zamzam water and acquired healing properties. There are no analogues adapted to Muslim holidays, calendar and household rituals, built on the tops of mountains and passes, special religious buildings of Tabasarans – «Prayer houses». According to the author, the cited calendar rituals and methods of traditional medicine belong to the category of syncretic so-called “everyday” or “folk Islam” and can serve as an argument in countering religious extremism. The reasons for the preservation and functioning of traditional rituals and beliefs at the beginning of the XXIst century should be sought in the stability of ancient beliefs and rituals adapted to the requirements of the Sufi form of Islam, the peculiarities of the mentality and ethnic psychology of the Dagestanis adherent to conservatism and traditional way of life.

Perilaku Radikalisasi Beragama masa Pandemi COVID 19 di Provinsi Jambi

This article examines how COVID-19 Pandemic to be a moment for Islamist group in radicalizing the communities. In many studies have explained that Islam Defend Movement 212 as the biggest moment for Islamism arising. Post 212 movement there was no significance issue to trigger the society. Therefore COVID 19 Pandemic to be islamism consolidation that actually has been fragmented. This reserach used netnography method where the researcher make digital world to be a field of research. Data was collected by observing communities in Facebook groups managed and commented on by the Jambi community. Data was also obtained by collecting online news in Jambi Province. In addition, to add data, the researcher conducted in-depth interviews with 10 informants. Then the reseracher interpreted the symbols, images, and communication patterns that took place in the Facebook group and online media. Furthermore, the data is displayed, analyzed and concluded with the stages carried out in netnographic research. Research findings that COVID 19 Pandemic was capitalised for “anti China” issues and to be a tool to criticise Joko Widodo government because his policy about social distancing has been limited Muslim rituals out of home. The research analysis that COVID 19 Pandemic has been a significance momentum to nurture and to consolidate Islamist group who have experienced at least the issues and the stage for taking action and preserving the views of Islamism. This article discusses that the COVID-19 Pandemic as a curriculum for internalizing Islamism will become a social capital to realize the ideological agendas of radical groups.

COVID-19 Control: Challenges and Responses of Muslims in Tanzania

Abstract COVID-19 in Tanzania was both a health and religious puzzle. The government insisted all citizens regardless of their religious affiliations to join hands in fighting the disease through prayers and by adherence to the health measures. Muslims in Tanzania complied with the disease control measures instituted by the government. These measures in turn affected their prayers and fasting rituals. In this context, Muslims turned to religious texts and scholarly interpretations to seek for guidance and clarification (fatwa) on how to practice Islam under COVID-19 situation. Consequently, this shaped Muslims’ perceptions and responses towards the pandemic. This article analyses challenges of COVID-19 to Muslim rituals and the role of religion in shaping their responses during the first four months of the onset of COVID-19 in Tanzania. The article uses online publications, religious teaching provided through social media, interviews and personal observation in Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro regions. The article argues that the role played by Islamic religion in understanding COVID-19 pandemic justifies the importance of involving faith-based communities in solving health related problems.

Musul'mane Yuzhnogo Urala v konce XIX v. (po materialam knigi etnografa S. G. Rybakova «Muzyka i pesni ural'skih musul'man, s ocherkom ih byta», Sankt-Peterburg, 1897

The article examines the religious aspects of the life of the Muslims of the Southern Urals at the end of the 19th century based on the book by S. G. Rybakov “Music and songs of the Ural Muslims, with an outline of their life” (St. Petersburg, 1897), which, along with extensive material on musical folklore, contains significant material about Muslim rituals, holidays, the education system, the level of religiosity, religious buildings of Muslims and other information. The conclusion is formulated, according to which it is necessary to further study the heritage of S. G. Rybakov, including such areas as the history of Islam and Orthodoxy in the Southern Urals.

CRITICAL REFLECTION ON PATHOLOGICAL PORTRAYAL OF HOLY PROPHET (PBUH) WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO D. B. MACDONALD

Nineteenth century in the western theological literary circles, has been proved to be the age of shifting over the academic paradigms from theological debates to introducing Muslim studies particularly. In this perspective, one of the prolific and legendary orientalists Duncan Black MacDonald (d.1943 A.D.) played a pivotal role in transmitting and establishing chairs for Arabic and Islamic learnings at Hartford Seminary. He himself portrayed the image of Islam through his writings and lectures. He authored several books on different matters belonging from the Western thought, ideology, culture and perspective to the Muslim rituals and creeds. His major writings regarding Islam and its fundamental belief focusing Muslim cultural, social, religious and historical foundations got widespread recognition in the western academia. While delivering his famous series of lectures “Development of Muslim Theology, Jurisprudence and Constitutional Theory”; “Religious Attitude and Life in Islam” and “Aspects of Islam” have a remarkable impression of presenting the image of Islam in an absurd way. In particular, he proclaimed Prophet of Islam as a pathological case. In the first phase of the article, D.B. MacDonald’s life sketch has been penned down, while in the second part of the article, his portrayal of Prophet of Islam (PBUH) as a sick person has been described while in the last part of the article, this assertion has been critically reviewed.

The Way to Mecca. Spanish State Sponsorship of Muslim Pilgrimage (1925-1972)

The sponsorship of pilgrimage to Mecca by European colonial powers in the 19th and 20th centuries contributed to transforming the hajj into the global phenomenon it is today. Spain also promoted Muslim pilgrimage from its zone of the Moroccan Protectorate, tentatively at first, and then more purposefully from 1937 onwards, continuing its sponsorship into the early 1970s, years after Morocco’s independence. Intensive study of administrative documentation from the Spanish Protectorate allows the reformulation of the sponsorship’s established chronology (from 1937 to 1956). It also shows the dual intent concealed behind its promotion: first, as propaganda aimed at the interior of the Moroccan territory being administered; and second, as a tool for the external promotion of a political regime in need of support to escape its international isolation. The pilgrimage’s sponsorship is seen as part of the general framework of managing Muslim rituals enacted by the Spanish government to deactivate their potential mobilising capacity.

Utopian/Dystopian Lebanon: constructing place in Jabbūr al-Duwayhī’s Sharīd al-manāzil

ABSTRACT Sharīd al-manāzil paints a portrait of Beirut at the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War. Born Muslim but raised by a Christian couple in the village of Ḥawra, Niẓām al-ʿAlamī embraces his mixed religious identity and seamlessly navigates Muslim and Christian religious rituals. He moves from Ḥawra to Beirut in search of adventure. When the war erupts, Niẓām is shunned by both Muslims and Christians. The seemingly utopian city is transformed into a dystopian place that demands strict sectarian affiliation and loyalty. Informed by studies of utopia and place, this essay offers a contextual analysis of the novel, focusing on three pivotal places in Niẓām’s life (and death), namely, the orchard of Niẓām’s adopted parents in Ḥawra, Niẓām’s rented apartment in Beirut, and his lover Janān’s workshop. I argue that by depicting the fluid construction of place and identity, al-Duwayhī’s novel elucidates the perils—and reversibility—of sectarianism.

Digital Technology and Pilgrimage: Shiʿi Rituals of Arbaʿin in Iraq

Since the collapse of the Baʿathist regime after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Shiʿi Muslim rituals, in particular the annual commemorations of Arbaʿin, have seen a revival in popularity. Based on two fieldwork studies conducted during Arbaʿin in 2016 and 2017, the present study attempts to examine the changing characteristics of the rituals. It does so by studying the increasing digitization of Arbaʿin as a commemorative pilgrimage to Karbala, Iraq, to the shrine of the Prophet’s grandson, Imam Husayn. This ethnographic study argues for a mediated conception of Arbaʿin pilgrimage in that digital technologies serve as an embodied site of interaction in shaping shared experiences based on networked sociability. Examining the intimate connections between “physical” and “virtual” spaces, as in the case of Mawakib or gatherings shaped in the form of temporary lodgings in the course of walking processions, the study argues that various uses of digital technologies for pilgrimage are less about means of devotional expression than a series of experiences of digital significance. The paper makes the final argument that the digital practices embedded in ritual processions are acted upon to enhance experience, which increasingly fuses technology with ritual action.

Estudio bioantropológico de dos maqābir en Toledo: apuntes sobre indigenismo en al-Andalus

El conjunto de datos analizados en este artículo pertenece a dos necrópolis musulmanas de Toledo. Su estudio nos ha permitido realizar inferencias sobre las características físicas de la población andalusí que vivió en la ciudad durante los siglos VIII-XI. Tenemos que tener presente que Toledo ha sido durante la Antigüedad y la Edad Media, una ciudad abierta al contacto con otras culturas y, por tanto, ha experimentado un gran peso de influencias externas. Por ello, los arqueólogos deben examinar los cementerios en Toledo con gran detalle, especialmente las proporciones y profundidad de las fosas y la colocación de los cuerpos, para tratar de identificar la adscripción cultural exacta de los enterramientos contenidos. Sin embargo, la simplicidad del ritual funerario musulmán hace que los restos esqueléticos se conviertan en uno de los principales objetos de análisis. Llama la atención que la especial relevancia que han tenido estas dos maqābir durante siglos, contrasta con la ausencia de publicaciones relacionadas con su estudio antropológico. En este sentido, este trabajo aporta documentación inédita sobre una sociedad donde la composición autóctona mantuvo un gran peso durante todo el proceso de islamización.

Recitation of sacred text in rites of passage among the Muslims of Volga-Ural Region (XIX – XXI centuries)

The subject of this research is the rites of passage among the Muslims of Volga-Ural Region in historical perspective. Ritual practices of the Muslim population of Volga Region are of particular interest since they developed in the conditions of continuous contact with non-Muslim population, and religious was often a key factor of national self-identification. Examination of the patterns of inclusion of the sacred text fragments into Muslim rituals in Volga-Ural Region has not previously been a topic of separate research within the Russian and Western anthropology. Analysis of functionality of the sacred text in rites of passage among the Muslims of Volga Region was conducted within the framework of methodology of diachronic analysis through comparing the records from Arabographic manuscripts and modern editions of prayer books. It is underlined that the prayers presented in manuscript of the XIX century are formulaic and repetitive, consisting usually of brief repeating fragments – epithets of Allah, names of prophets and chapters Ayats. Modern prayer books contain the whole Ayats and Surahs, or citations from Hadith. Such difference can be explained by widely accessible printed literature and expansive increase in the literacy level among population of the region comparing to the XIX century. The author notes that the great majority of prayers in both types of sources are in Arab language, which emphasizes a sacred significance of Arab language in the Muslim culture.

Abate de Bovinos: Considerações sobre o abate humanitário e jugulação cruenta

Conventional methods, such as humanitarian slaughter, use pre-bleeding desensitization so that animals are slaughtered without unnecessary suffering and bleeding is more efficient. Already the slaughters that are carried out according to the religious, Jewish or Muslim rituals, use the bloody slaughter. This work was developed with the aim of highlighting the difference between humanitarian slaughter and bloody slaughter, clarifying each method of slaughter used, how the slaughter line works, which animals can be used and how the slaughterhouses obtain the certificates. Humanitarian slaughter and bloody juggling are different methods, each with its own particularity, but with the same objective as guaranteeing animal welfare and obtaining quality meat for its specific consumers. The issue is of great relevance since Brazil has an economic interest in religious slaughter, and because of the added value in the negotiations, export rates that generate foreign exchange not only for the industries but also for the country as a whole increase.

Пища мусульманских религиозных праздников и обрядов у горожан Дагестана в постсоветский период

Пища мусульманских религиозных праздников и обрядов у горожан Дагестана в постсоветский период

Visual Representation of Shiite Muslim Mourning Rituals

This study deals with an important but still understudied aspect of visual representations of Islam. It compares how two international news agencies, the Associated Press and Reuters, visually portray Shia Muslim mourning rituals in five countries: Afghanistan, India, Iraq, Lebanon, and Pakistan. It offers analysis of how visual representations of the Ithna Aashari Shiite Muslim rituals are constructed in international news agencies' photos, especially as audiences turn to online news websites for news and other international events. A critical discourse analysis is based on 204 photographs taken between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2009. Coverage by the two news agencies overlooked nuanced readings of the rituals and may contribute to misconceptions of Ashura as male-only rituals centered on penitence.

Functions of Astrofiqh Observatories in Malaysia in Solving Astrofiqh Issues

This article discusses the role of astrofiqh observatories in Malaysia in solving current issues concerning the astrofiqh field. Astrofiqh observatories also play the role of managing affairs of Muslim rituals related to falak (astronomy). Fewer studies have been done on astrofiqh observatories as compared to other Islamic institutions such as mosques and Islamic schools. Hence, this study is carried out with the aim of analyzing the role of astrofiqh observatories in Malaysia in solving current astrofiqh issues. In addition, this study also indirectly deliberates the history of existence and development of the observatories. This study employed a qualitative approach based on primary and secondary sources through the method of document analysis, interviews and observations. Results of the study found that there are five astrofiqh observatories in Malaysia which function as official sites for crescent or hilal sighting, research centers, education institutions and tourism destinations, simultaneously playing the role of solving current astrofiqh issues related to Muslims. The astrofiqh observatory institutions in Malaysia also give the Muslim community the exposure to understanding Islamic astronomy holistically. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n1s1p112

Finding Common Grounds: Shared Patterns in Pakistani and Indian Religious Rituals

For more than two thousand years, Pakistanis and Indians shared a rich history and culture. However, since the Partition of 1947, a lack of open and direct communication between the two countries has made that common history and culture largely invisible to the people. This paper will demonstrate that the shared South Asian cultural heritage is still clearly manifest in common patterns in contemporary Muslim rituals and cultural celebrations practiced in Pakistan and also Hindu ceremonies and beliefs in India. These clear “common patterns” in both countries have hardly been emphasized, which adds to the differentiation among the people. The background for this paper is the unique opportunity I was given in August 2003, as the first Indian student in 57 years to be allowed to study in a Pakistani university. During my study and stay in Pakistan, I experienced Muslim festivals such as Shab-e-Barat and visited numerous shrines in Lahore. As I observed this Muslim “getting-rid-of sins” celebration, I noted numerous commonalities of the reasons and rituals the festival holds with those of Diwali, a Hindu festival in India. I also realized that similar beliefs were manifested in their ceremonies, such as the concept of God or an angel keeping a record of good and bad deeds in peoples’ lives. The paper will document these and other clear similarities.To interpret these data, the paper will draw on the work of anthropologists such as Clifford Geertz to demonstrate that Islam and Hinduism, as practiced in particular contexts, are indeed shaped by shared cultures. In addition, respectful participation in the rituals of each other religion among people who share a cultural heritage is common. The paper will conclude with suggestions for how this awareness of the shared Pakistani-Hindu cultural heritage, evident in the distinct Islamic and Hindu traditions, might be disseminated among the young people of the two countries in order to help them move beyond the biases and prejudices that have grown up since Partition to a deeper mutual respect and understanding.

A Prayer for Rain: Practising Being Soviet and Muslim

The history of secularization in the twentieth century is often described as the process of ‘driving religion out’ of the social and political domain, and confining it to private, peripheral and marginalized spaces. In this article, I explore how Islam fared in what was the most explicitly anti-religious society in twentieth century, namely, the USSR. I argue that, even in this extremely controlled society, there was a certain recognition of religion built into the administrative structures and patterns of behaviour. Drawing on ethnographic interpretation of a number of Muslim rituals that I observed in Central Asia in 1989–91, I illustrate the ways in which religious identities and acts were legitimized under the Soviet regime, and the tools that made it possible to play the double game of revealing and concealing Muslimness.

Being-towards-God: Heidegger and the Relationship Between Man and God in Muslim Ritual Prayer

Being-towards-God: Heidegger and the Relationship Between Man and God in Muslim Ritual Prayer

Muslim Ritual Practices and their Multilayered Messages in a Non-Muslim Environment: Examples from the Dutch Context

Many Muslims in the Netherlands want to live according to the prescriptions of their religion, but are trying at the same time to accommodate themselves to Dutch society in everyday life. Accommodation also seems to occur in the area of Muslim ritual practices, even though most orthodox and orthoprax Muslims are convinced of the 'unchangeability' of Islamic rituals. The study of Islamic rituals and changes in them in a non-Muslim Western environment have therefore become very popular among Western researchers. Most studies have focused on the relation between ritual, social cohesion and group identity. By focusing on certain Muslim ritual practices in the mon-Muslim environment of the Netherlands, this article draws attention to the role of ritual as an expression of faith on part of the individual beliver, thus stressing the multilayered messages conveyed by ritual practices.