Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ISLAM
Muslims accept there is no God but Allah and that Mohammed was his final prophet. These
two precepts form the first pillar of Islam, the
shahada
. The other four pillars, which a
Muslim must try to follow, are
salat
(
namaz;
praying five times a day, though Shiites only
pray three times),
zakat
(alms-giving),
sawm
(
ruzeh;
fasting during Ramazan) and hajj (the
pilgrimage to Mecca that those able should perform).
Almost every town has a Masjed-e Jameh (Jameh Mosque), which literally means Con-
gregational Mosque, that serves as the local centre of worship and Islamic discussion.
Shiism & Sunnism
When the Prophet Mohammed died in AD 632,
there was disagreement over his successor. The
majority backed Abu Bakr, the prophet's father-
in-law and friend. He became caliph (ruler).
However, there were those who backed the
claim of the prophet's son-in-law and cousin,
Ali bin Abi Taleb, one of the first converts. Ali
was passed over three times before becoming
the fourth caliph in 656, only to be assassinated five years later. The Muslim community
was by now divided into two factions, the Sunnis, who followed the Umayyad Caliphate,
and the Shiite (from 'Shiat Ali'
,
meaning 'followers of Ali'). When Ali's second son, Hos-
sein, and his supporters were slaughtered by the caliph's troops in 680, the division became
permanent and bitter. Today the representation of its imams ('leaders' or more loosely,
'saints') is one of the most visible aspects of Shiism and you'll see pictures of Imam Hos-
sein, in particular, everywhere.
All Muslims, regardless of whether Sunni or Shiite,
are forbidden to drink alcohol or eat anything con-
taining pork, blood or any meat that died in any
way other than being slaughtered in the prescribed
manner (halal).
THE 12 IMAMS
Shiism has several sub-branches but the Twelvers are by far the largest group, and make up the vast majority in Iran.
Twelvers believe that following the death of Mohammed the rightful spiritual leadership of the Islamic faith passed to
12 successive descendants of the prophet. These were known as imams ('leaders' or more loosely, 'saints') and apart
from Ali, the first imam, they weren't recognised by the caliphate (the dynasty of the successors of the Prophet Mo-
hammed as rulers of the Islamic world).
