5. HAJJ
(Pilgrimage)—At least once in a lifetime, the pilgrimage to Mecca is
required of adult Muslims who have earned the wealth needed for the trip,
have paid the Zakat due on it, have fulfilled all their debts, and have
provided adequately for all their dependents during their projected absence.
JIHAD
(Holy War)–The duty to wage holy war to defend Islam is obligatory by
the order of Moslem authorities. Abuse of this right by some Islamic leaders
has led to the charge against Islam that it sometimes converts by use of the
sword.
SACRED ISLAMIC LITERATURE
The most important and fundamental religious concepts of Islam are put
forth in the Sharia which means “The Path. ” The formulation of the Sharia
rests largely upon:
THE KORAN (Qur’an)—The Koran is a sacred book within Islam
written originally in Arabic. To Muslims, the Koran represents the revealed
word of God and is the sacred scripture of Islam.
THE HADITH (Tradition)—The Hadith consists of six authoritative
collections of “Tradition” which record the way (Sunnah) of the Prophet
(Mohammed).
THE ISLAMIC CALENDAR
The Islamic calendar is dated from the Hegira, or Mohammed’s flight
from Mecca to Medina, and is represented as 1 A.H. (after Hegira) which is
A.D. 622 by Gregorian computation.
The Islamic year is based upon the lunar cycle. The year is divided into
12 months, 30 and 29 days long alternately. The Islamic calendar divides time
into cycles 30 years long. During each cycle, 19 years have the regular
354 days, and 11 years each have an extra day.
This method of counting time makes the Islamic year nearly as accurate
as the Gregorian calendar. As a result of this system, the Islamic new year
moves backward through the seasons. It moves completely backward in the
course of 32-1/2 years.
RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS
Sabbath, the weekly holiday, is celebrated on Friday. The following
holidays and festivals are celebrated annually. Since the Muslim lunar calen-
dar is 11 days less than the Gregorian calendar every year, these holidays do
not occur on the same dates on the regular calendar.
New Year’s Day
The Islamic calendar is dated from the Hegira—
Mohammed’s flight to Medina
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