4. Representative Muslim Institutions & Their Dynamics Frederick M. Denny, Islam and the Muslim Community (Prospect Heights, Ill.: Waveland Press, 1987), 77–106.

Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies26/27/2015 Turkish children on a break during “vacation Qur’an school” Learning the Qur’an Muslims strive to master Arabic  For worship  For meditation  For reading and reciting the Qur’an  Once memorized, it must be kept in memory through continuous practice  Quasi-musical (chanting)  At least initially, essentially a mimicking process  Schools for learning the Qur’an are called pesantren (medrese in Turkish)  Many residential pesantren  Taught by a kiai (“master”)  Focus on the text of the Qur’an, read and recited  Contests for students to show their mastery of the recitation

Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies36/27/2015 Qur’anic Piety  Recitation is tilawa, from the word “to follow”  Includes obeying the Divine message  A true Muslim is one grounded in the Qur’an  To Muslims, the Qur’an is active & powerful  Like a living reality  Power to inspire  The Qur’an provides the central source of meaning, values, and spiritual power for Muslims everywhere, throughout changing times

Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies46/27/2015 Muslim Veneration of Saints  Muslims recognize the importance of sacred persons  Venerate  Seek guidance, boons, and intercession with God  The Qur’an never speaks of the holiness of persons—God alone is holy.  The Arabic term walî, usually translated “saint,” means “friend” (as in “friend of God”)  A Hajji (someone who has made the Hajj) can be a kind of living saintly presence Pilgrims visiting the tomb of the Mevlana, Sufi mystic and Saint, Jalal al-Din Rumi

Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies56/27/2015 Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi  Greatest Egyptian Muslim Saint  Remembered through a mawlid (birthday festival)  Brought the Sufi Order to Egypt  Lived when Sufi brotherhoods, tariqas, were being established throughout the Umma  Muslims must be careful not to deify saints  Little if any Qur’anic basis for intercession of saints  People still seek such intercession in many ways, and do not consider it idolatrous  View it as asking friendly help of a holy person  Saint veneration has been outlawed in some parts of the Muslim world Al-Badawi Mosque in Tanta i Nedre, Egypt, built over the grave of 12 th century Sufi saint, Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi (Photo © Richard J. Natvig)

Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies66/27/2015 The “Nine Saints” of Java Entrance to the tomb of Sunan Ampel, Surabaya, JAVA The graveyard at Ngampel The Sunan is buried within the fenced enclosure (right rear of photo). According to legend, Java was Islamized by nine holy men who brought the teaching of the Qur’an to that island in the 15 th -16 th centuries.  They are known collectively as the walî songo or “nine saints.”  Sunan Ampel is one of these walî

Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies76/27/2015 Shi’ite Saint Veneration  Shi’a Muslims celebrate holy personages  Unlike Sunni Islam, Shi’a tradition accords a central place to visiting the burial places of its sacred heroes  If they cannot make the Hajj to Mecca, Shi’ite Muslims will make a substitute pilgrimage to the tomb of a Muslim “saint” or walî The tomb of the Mevlana, Sufi mystic and Walî, Jalal al-Din Rumi

Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies86/27/2015 Key Rituals of Muslim Life  No formal rite of initiation  To join the Umma, one need only utter the Shahada with a sincere heart in the presence of another Muslim  Once a Muslim, all the duties and privileges of membership in the Umma are immediately in force  An adult male convert must be circumcised, if he is not already  Most converts take an Islamic name (e.g., Cassius Clay took the name Muhammad Ali) Ablution fountain inside the Ulu Cami Mosque

Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies96/27/2015 Rites of Passage Puberty Rites  Vary from region to region  For young women, taking the hijab (head covering)  For young men, circumcision (usu. associated with 1 st public recitation of the Qur’an) Birth Rites & Early Education  Devout parents utter Basmala before marital relations (“In the Name of God the Merciful the Compassionate”)  First act after a child is born is to whisper the Call to Prayer into the newborn ear  Qur’anic training begins ASAP

Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies106/27/2015 Marriage  One of greatest transitions in life  Expected (“only half a man” before marrying)  Simple marriage ceremony  Signing of contract  Festivities  Courtship is chaperoned: Laws of mahram prohibit any female associating with a non-mahram male unless one of her blood relatives is present  Polygamy is permitted, although no longer common  The Qur’an permits a man to have up to four wives concurrently, provided all are treated equally

Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies116/27/2015 Death & Funerary Rites  Final transition in human life  The dying person looks toward Mecca and recites the beginning of the Shahada: “There is no god but God.”  After death, the deceased’s body receives final ablution  Funeral Salat  Reciting Qur’an is best way to show respect and grief