OBJECTS OF RELIGIOUS CEREMONIAL 75 



RITES AND PRACTICES OF THE MOHAMMEDAN RELIGION 



The theological system of Islam aims at embracing the entire life 

 of man; it covers public and private duties, the functions of the state 

 as well as the official cult. Five fundamental obligations form the 

 pillars of the Mohammedan system: (1) Confession of faith {shaha- 

 dah), comprised in the formula: "There is no God but Allah, and 

 Mohammed is his messenger {la ilaha ilia AllaTiu, Muhammadu 

 Rasulu illahi). This twofold confession is amplified into the following 

 creed: I believe in Allah, in his angels, in his Scriptures, in his prophets 

 in the future life, in the divine decree in respect to good as well as to 

 the bad, and in the resurrection of the dead. The name of Allah 

 was in use in Arabia before the days of Mohammed. (2) Divine 

 worship or prayer (salat), to be performed five times a day, namely, 

 at noon, in the afternoon, in the evening, at the approach of night, 

 and in the morning between dawn and sunrise. (3) Almsgiving 

 (zalcat). In a consistently regulated Mohammedan state it consti- 

 tutes an official poor tax levied on property to be used for humani- 

 tarian objects, but changes in political conditions have converted the 

 obligation into a charity gift. (4) Fasting (al-ciyam) during the 

 sacred month of Ramadhan, when neither food nor water should 

 pass the lips of the faithful between sunrise and sunset. (5) Pil- 

 grimage (al-hajj) to Mecca which every Moslem must, if possible, 

 perform at least once in his life. 



In addition to the religious duties imposed upon each individual 

 professing Islam, the collective duty of the jihad — fighting against 

 infidels — is imposed on the community as represented by the com- 

 mander of the faithful (amir al-muminin) . Idolators who refuse to 

 accept Islam forfeit their lives. Those who possess Scriptures {aM al- 

 Mtah) in which category are included Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians 

 (Magians) and Sabeans may be tolerated on their paying tribute 

 (jizyaJi) and recognizing the superiority of Islam. 



Mohammed prohibited the current practice among the Arabs of 

 his time of female infanticide, gambling, and the use of strong drink, 

 and enjoined on his followers to show mercy to the weak, the orphaned, 

 and the poor, and kindness to animals, but although mothers and wives 

 were subjects of his special consideration, he did not change materially 

 the low position of woman, and polygamy and slavery were sanc- 

 tioned by his own example. 



SPREAD OF MOHAMMEDANISM 



Before the death of the prophet his emissaries had proceeded to 

 various parts of the Arabian peninsula, calling upon the tribes to 



.adopt the standard of Allah and Mohammed. The plan of spreading 

 his creed of one God with Mohan med as the last messenger, which 



.Mohammed cherished, was taken up after his death by his lieutenants 



