Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
conscious submission to the will of God. To
submit to the will of God does not just entail
paying lip service to God through ceremony,
but through all daily thoughts and deeds.
The principal teaching of Islam is that there
is only one true God, creator of the universe.
Muslims believe that the God of Islam is the same God of Christians and Jews, but that he
has no son or partner and he needs no intermediary (such as priests). Muslims believe that
the prophets - starting with Adam, including Abraham and Jesus, and ending with Mo-
hammed - were sent to reveal God's word but that none of them were divine.
Historically, this creed obviously had great appeal to the nomadic peoples of the land
we now call Jordan as they were given access to a rich spiritual life without having to sub-
mit to incomprehensible rituals administered by hierarchical intermediaries. Believers
needed only to observe the transportable Five Pillars of Islam in order to fulfil their reli-
gious duty. This is true to this day and is perhaps one of the reasons why Islam is one of
the world's fastest growing religions.
Mohammed is not considered divine, but rather the
last of these prophets.
Islamic Customs
Muslims should pray five times a day and follow certain rituals, washing their hands,
mouth, ears, arms, feet, head and neck in running water. If no mosque is nearby and there
is no water available, scouring with sand suffices; where there is no sand, the motions of
washing must still be enacted.
Muslims must face Mecca (all mosques are oriented so that
the mihrab, or prayer niche, faces the correct way - south-
southeast in Jordan) and follow a set pattern of gestures and
genuflections. Muslims do not require a mosque to pray and
you'll often see Jordanians praying by the side of the road or
at the back of their shop; many keep a small prayer rug handy
for such times.
In Jordan, which has a history of welcoming tourists to its
world-class sites of largely pagan origin, people may be sur-
prised if you take an interest in Islam but they will also be de-
lighted. Any sympathetic discussion of faith is treated as an
olive branch in a region where religion has all too often led to
conflict - as the great crusader castles at Karak and Shobak,
and the heavily militarised border with Israel illustrates.
Recommended
Reading
»
»
Islam: A Short History
(Karen Armstrong) Tackles
modern dilemmas facing
Islam.
»
»
Infidels
(
Andrew
Wheatcroft) Islam and Chris-
tianity's troubled relationship.
»
»
Concise Encyclopedia of
Islam
(Cyril Glasse) Definit-
ive A to Z.
