{"id":94,"date":"2016-07-19T12:03:41","date_gmt":"2016-07-19T12:03:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/chapter\/daily-life-for-muslims-around-the-world\/"},"modified":"2022-11-04T01:48:09","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T01:48:09","slug":"daily-life-for-muslims-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/chapter\/daily-life-for-muslims-around-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 7. Prayer, A Part of Daily Life for Muslims Around the World"},"content":{"raw":"Daily life in Muslim-majority regions varies greatly, but there are some universal experiences based on the practices required by s<em>har\u2019ia<\/em>. One of them is prayer, although its practice varies amongst individuals, communities and whether the setting is urban or rural, and the degree to which local laws and practices are Western in orientation.\u00a0 Certain aspects are very common. In most Muslim-majority contexts, for example, Muslims hear the call to prayer from their windows five times a day. To an outsider, this may seem like a burden for Muslims, but to an insider it is an accepted norm.\u00a0 It may be considered as a way to set the pace of life and maintain orderly work and social patterns, especially in traditional areas. Each prayer has a practical function in addition to its spiritual function:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Morning, or <em>Fajar<\/em>, the prayer just before dawn encourages an early start to the work day.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Mid-day, or <em>Dhuhur<\/em>, is a short prayer at mid-day to ensure a break is taken from work (and implies work should be engaged in all morning).<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Pre-sunset, or <em>\u2018Asr<\/em>, is another short prayer to ensure another break, and a healthy pace of work.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Post-sunset, or <em>Maghrib<\/em>, prayer takes place just after sunset, and indicates a time of day when one can retire and be with family and community.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Evening, or <em>\u2018Isha\u2019<\/em>, is the final prayer, which takes place in the evening and signals it is almost time for bed.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3><a id=\"prayer\"><\/a>Expressions of Muslim Prayer:<\/h3>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_857\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"330\"]<a href=\"https:\/\/ohiostate.pressbooks.pub\/app\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/07\/Masjed-e_Jomeh_3-e1483741274650.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-857\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religions-of-middle-east\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2016\/12\/Masjed-e_Jomeh_3-e1483741274650-1024x856-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Image of Man performing ablution, and men praying in the background, in the courtyard of a mosque in Iran. \" width=\"330\" height=\"276\" \/><\/a> Man performing ablution, and men praying in the background, in the courtyard of a mosque in Iran. \u201cMasjed-e Jomeh 3\u201d by \u0645\u0627\u0646\u0641\u0649, from Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0[\/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_859\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"330\"]<a href=\"https:\/\/ohiostate.pressbooks.pub\/app\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/07\/Praying-Security-Guard-1-e1483741444432.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-90\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religions-of-middle-east\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2016\/12\/Praying-Security-Guard-1-e1483741444432.jpg\" alt=\"Image of Security Guard praying, Kabul.\" width=\"330\" height=\"273\" \/><\/a> Security Guard praying, Kabul. Security Guard in Kabul, 2008. By Thomas McClimans. All rights reserved.[\/caption]\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 50px\">\r\n<td style=\"height: 50px\"><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_862\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"330\"]<a href=\"https:\/\/ohiostate.pressbooks.pub\/app\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/07\/85377491_ab2703c47e_o-1-e1483741953413.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-91 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religions-of-middle-east\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2022\/06\/85377491_ab2703c47e_o-1-e1483741953413.jpg\" alt=\"Image of a woman praying in a mosque\" width=\"330\" height=\"310\" \/><\/a> Woman praying in a mosque. by Beth Rankin, from Flickr, is licensed under CC BY 2.0.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_864\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"330\"]<a href=\"https:\/\/ohiostate.pressbooks.pub\/app\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/07\/Communal_Prayer_Kandahar_Air_Field.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-92\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religions-of-middle-east\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2022\/06\/Communal_Prayer_Kandahar_Air_Field-1024x731.jpg\" alt=\"Image of group Muslim prayer\" width=\"330\" height=\"236\" \/><\/a> Muslims from throughout the world gather at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Nov. 16, for the start of Eid al-Adha, a religious holiday beginning after Hajj. This year, nearly 3 million pilgrims from more than 160 countries, including the United States, gathered in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and neighboring sites to perform the Hajj rituals and stand together in prayer.[\/caption]\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 21.1875px\">\r\n<td style=\"height: 21.1875px\"><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_583\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"550\"]<a href=\"https:\/\/ohiostate.pressbooks.pub\/app\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/07\/Prayer_rug_Turkey_Bergama_late_19th_century_wool_-_Huntington_Museum_of_Art_-_DSC04879-1.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-583\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religions-of-middle-east\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2022\/06\/Prayer_rug_Turkey_Bergama_late_19th_century_wool_-_Huntington_Museum_of_Art_-_DSC04879-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Image of Prayer Rug (Turkey) By Daderot (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons\" width=\"550\" height=\"712\" \/><\/a> Prayer Rug (Turkey) By Daderot (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons. The triangular shape at the top indicates the direction of prayer, and is to be pointed towards Mecca. File name:Prayer_rug_Turkey_Bergama_late_19th_century_wool_-_Huntington_Museum_of_Art_-_DSC04879-1.jpg[\/caption]Daily prayer is universal in Muslim communities because it is one of the five requirements all Muslims must observe, or the <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/chapter\/islam-in-middle-eastern-societies\/\">Five Pillars<\/a>. \u00a0It isn\u2019t necessary to pray in a Mosque, or even a private area. The only requirement is that the space be clean.\u00a0 This is the purpose of the prayer rug.","rendered":"<p>Daily life in Muslim-majority regions varies greatly, but there are some universal experiences based on the practices required by s<em>har\u2019ia<\/em>. One of them is prayer, although its practice varies amongst individuals, communities and whether the setting is urban or rural, and the degree to which local laws and practices are Western in orientation.\u00a0 Certain aspects are very common. In most Muslim-majority contexts, for example, Muslims hear the call to prayer from their windows five times a day. To an outsider, this may seem like a burden for Muslims, but to an insider it is an accepted norm.\u00a0 It may be considered as a way to set the pace of life and maintain orderly work and social patterns, especially in traditional areas. Each prayer has a practical function in addition to its spiritual function:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Morning, or <em>Fajar<\/em>, the prayer just before dawn encourages an early start to the work day.<\/li>\n<li>Mid-day, or <em>Dhuhur<\/em>, is a short prayer at mid-day to ensure a break is taken from work (and implies work should be engaged in all morning).<\/li>\n<li>Pre-sunset, or <em>\u2018Asr<\/em>, is another short prayer to ensure another break, and a healthy pace of work.<\/li>\n<li>Post-sunset, or <em>Maghrib<\/em>, prayer takes place just after sunset, and indicates a time of day when one can retire and be with family and community.<\/li>\n<li>Evening, or <em>\u2018Isha\u2019<\/em>, is the final prayer, which takes place in the evening and signals it is almost time for bed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><a id=\"prayer\"><\/a>Expressions of Muslim Prayer:<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_857\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-857\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ohiostate.pressbooks.pub\/app\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/07\/Masjed-e_Jomeh_3-e1483741274650.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-857\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religions-of-middle-east\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2016\/12\/Masjed-e_Jomeh_3-e1483741274650-1024x856-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Image of Man performing ablution, and men praying in the background, in the courtyard of a mosque in Iran.\" width=\"330\" height=\"276\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-857\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Man performing ablution, and men praying in the background, in the courtyard of a mosque in Iran. \u201cMasjed-e Jomeh 3\u201d by \u0645\u0627\u0646\u0641\u0649, from Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_859\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-859\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ohiostate.pressbooks.pub\/app\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/07\/Praying-Security-Guard-1-e1483741444432.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-90\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religions-of-middle-east\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2016\/12\/Praying-Security-Guard-1-e1483741444432.jpg\" alt=\"Image of Security Guard praying, Kabul.\" width=\"330\" height=\"273\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-859\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Security Guard praying, Kabul. Security Guard in Kabul, 2008. By Thomas McClimans. All rights reserved.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 50px\">\n<td style=\"height: 50px\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<figure id=\"attachment_862\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-862\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ohiostate.pressbooks.pub\/app\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/07\/85377491_ab2703c47e_o-1-e1483741953413.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-91 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religions-of-middle-east\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2022\/06\/85377491_ab2703c47e_o-1-e1483741953413.jpg\" alt=\"Image of a woman praying in a mosque\" width=\"330\" height=\"310\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-862\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Woman praying in a mosque. by Beth Rankin, from Flickr, is licensed under CC BY 2.0.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_864\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-864\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ohiostate.pressbooks.pub\/app\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/07\/Communal_Prayer_Kandahar_Air_Field.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-92\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religions-of-middle-east\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2022\/06\/Communal_Prayer_Kandahar_Air_Field-1024x731.jpg\" alt=\"Image of group Muslim prayer\" width=\"330\" height=\"236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2022\/06\/Communal_Prayer_Kandahar_Air_Field-1024x731.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2022\/06\/Communal_Prayer_Kandahar_Air_Field-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2022\/06\/Communal_Prayer_Kandahar_Air_Field-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2022\/06\/Communal_Prayer_Kandahar_Air_Field-65x46.jpg 65w, https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2022\/06\/Communal_Prayer_Kandahar_Air_Field-225x161.jpg 225w, https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2022\/06\/Communal_Prayer_Kandahar_Air_Field-350x250.jpg 350w, https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2022\/06\/Communal_Prayer_Kandahar_Air_Field.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-864\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Muslims from throughout the world gather at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Nov. 16, for the start of Eid al-Adha, a religious holiday beginning after Hajj. This year, nearly 3 million pilgrims from more than 160 countries, including the United States, gathered in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and neighboring sites to perform the Hajj rituals and stand together in prayer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 21.1875px\">\n<td style=\"height: 21.1875px\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<figure id=\"attachment_583\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-583\" style=\"width: 550px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ohiostate.pressbooks.pub\/app\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/07\/Prayer_rug_Turkey_Bergama_late_19th_century_wool_-_Huntington_Museum_of_Art_-_DSC04879-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-583\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religions-of-middle-east\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/135\/2022\/06\/Prayer_rug_Turkey_Bergama_late_19th_century_wool_-_Huntington_Museum_of_Art_-_DSC04879-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Image of Prayer Rug (Turkey) By Daderot (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons\" width=\"550\" height=\"712\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-583\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Prayer Rug (Turkey) By Daderot (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons. The triangular shape at the top indicates the direction of prayer, and is to be pointed towards Mecca. File name:Prayer_rug_Turkey_Bergama_late_19th_century_wool_-_Huntington_Museum_of_Art_-_DSC04879-1.jpg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Daily prayer is universal in Muslim communities because it is one of the five requirements all Muslims must observe, or the <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/chapter\/islam-in-middle-eastern-societies\/\">Five Pillars<\/a>. \u00a0It isn\u2019t necessary to pray in a Mosque, or even a private area. The only requirement is that the space be clean.\u00a0 This is the purpose of the prayer rug.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"menu_order":7,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-94","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":57,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/94","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/94\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":420,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/94\/revisions\/420"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/57"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/94\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=94"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=94"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}