Islam - Jordan - page 563

In the ensuing power struggle, shi'a (partisans) supported the claim of Mohammed's
cousin and son-in-law, while others supported the claim of the Umayyads. From that point
the Muslim community split into two competing factions: the Shiites, who are loyal to the
descendants of Mohammed, and the Sunnis, the orthodox bedrock of Islam.
Within Jordan most Muslims are Sunnis, belonging to the Hanafi school of thought. A
minority of around 15,000 Druze in Northeast Jordan (including the town of Azraq) fol-
low a form of Shiite Islam.

THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

A good Muslim is expected to carry out the Five Pillars of Islam.
» » Haj The pinnacle of a devout Muslim's life is the pilgrimage to the holy sites in and around Mecca. Haj takes
place in the last month of the Islamic calendar and Muslims from all over the world travel to Saudi Arabia for the
pilgrimage and subsequent feast of Eid al-Adha. Returning pilgrims earn the right to be addressed as Haji.
» » Salat This is the obligation of prayer, expressed five times a day when the muezzins call upon the faithful to
pray before sunrise, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and before midnight. Communal prayers are only obligatory on
Friday, although the strong sense of community makes joining together in a masjid ('place of prostration', ie
mosque) preferable at other times.
» » Shahada This is the profession of the faith and the basic tenet of Islam: 'There is no God but Allah and Mo-
hammed is his prophet' (La il-laha illa Allah Mohammed rasul Allah) . This is part of the call to prayer, and is
uttered at other events such as births and deaths. People can often be heard muttering the first half of the sentence to
themselves for moral support.
» » Sawm Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, commemorates the revelation of the Quran to Mo-
hammed. As a renewal of faith, Muslims are required to abstain from sex and from letting anything (including cigar-
ettes) pass their lips from dawn to dusk throughout the month.
» » Zakat Giving alms to the poor is an essential part of Islamic social teaching and, in some parts of the Muslim
world, has been developed into various forms of tax as a way of redistributing funds to the needy. The moral obliga-
tion towards poorer neighbours continues to be emphasised at a personal and community level, and many Islamic
groups run large charitable institutions, including Amman's Islamic Hospital.

Teachings

Despite modern connotations with fundament-
alism and the violent beginnings of the faith,
Islam is an inherently peaceful creed. The
word 'Islam' means 'submission' or 'self-sur-
render'. It also means 'peace'. Taken as a
whole, Islam is the attainment of peace - with
self, society and the environment - through

Islam, Judaism and Christianity share many of the
same prophets: Abraham (Ibrahim), Jesus (Isa),
John the Baptist (Yahya), Job (Ayyub), Joshua
(Yosha), Lot (Lut), Moses (Musa), and Noah (Nuh).