The Arabic word proncounced deen can denote both "religion" and "culture." For those of you for whom "Arabic" means "Muslim," allow MFoD a moment's chiding. Arabic speakers belong to as many religions as exist, worshipping in synagogues, churches, masjids and a variety of temples. There is no "Arab religion."
That said, this article shall concentrate on the word din in its Islamic usage. The one thing about Islam that must be remembered is that the religion, from its inception, offered a complete way of life. Of the other Western/Semitic religions, the Hebrew Scriptures, with their interest in approaching Creation in a manner pleasing the the Almighty, comes close, but Christian Scripture, with its persistent gaze towards the eschaton, offers little in the way of "everyday religion."
The best place to test the claim concerning Islam's completeness is to travel to the Islamic world itself. MFoD, from personal experience, can assure her readers that there are many destinations in the Muslims world where Westerners are safe and welcomed. Men, at least, can generally expect to be invited by a smiling aquaintance for coffee and discussion. For women, the Muslim world may offer less in the way of public amenities, but, in a group of other women, especially locals, a Western woman may have a reasonably pleasant visit.
Regardless of gender, a traveler (remember, one is never to be a "tourist," always a traveler) easily espies the strong influence Islam has on the world around her/him. First of all, the muezzin calls from the minaret five times each day, summoning the faithful to prayer. One will find a change in atmosphere around one as people become attentive to the reminder of the day's passage; one might even need to excuse a companion for the few minutes it takes to fulfill the duty to pray.
Then, there are, in the Middle East, at least, the suqs, filled with buys and bargains, from spices to silks. Not merely a prototype shopping mall, the suq serves the community as a gathering place where important information may be obtained. When MFoD lived in an "interesting" town, the Arabic speakers among us would always be sure to visit the market daily for the news. Other signs of Islam: men handling prayer beads, a companionable atmosphere among friends and contemporaries, jewelry made in the form of Islamic symbols, and, during Ramadan, hanging lights after dark and closed retaurants during the daylight hours.
As part of its completeness, Islam offers a political system, a blog for another time. For now, the traveler to many an Islamic State may look forward to a welcoming, smiling world where people generally tend to be happy with their lives, or at least secure in the knowledge that their way of life is, on the whole, better because of the focus religion brings to it.
That said, this article shall concentrate on the word din in its Islamic usage. The one thing about Islam that must be remembered is that the religion, from its inception, offered a complete way of life. Of the other Western/Semitic religions, the Hebrew Scriptures, with their interest in approaching Creation in a manner pleasing the the Almighty, comes close, but Christian Scripture, with its persistent gaze towards the eschaton, offers little in the way of "everyday religion."
The best place to test the claim concerning Islam's completeness is to travel to the Islamic world itself. MFoD, from personal experience, can assure her readers that there are many destinations in the Muslims world where Westerners are safe and welcomed. Men, at least, can generally expect to be invited by a smiling aquaintance for coffee and discussion. For women, the Muslim world may offer less in the way of public amenities, but, in a group of other women, especially locals, a Western woman may have a reasonably pleasant visit.
Regardless of gender, a traveler (remember, one is never to be a "tourist," always a traveler) easily espies the strong influence Islam has on the world around her/him. First of all, the muezzin calls from the minaret five times each day, summoning the faithful to prayer. One will find a change in atmosphere around one as people become attentive to the reminder of the day's passage; one might even need to excuse a companion for the few minutes it takes to fulfill the duty to pray.
Then, there are, in the Middle East, at least, the suqs, filled with buys and bargains, from spices to silks. Not merely a prototype shopping mall, the suq serves the community as a gathering place where important information may be obtained. When MFoD lived in an "interesting" town, the Arabic speakers among us would always be sure to visit the market daily for the news. Other signs of Islam: men handling prayer beads, a companionable atmosphere among friends and contemporaries, jewelry made in the form of Islamic symbols, and, during Ramadan, hanging lights after dark and closed retaurants during the daylight hours.
As part of its completeness, Islam offers a political system, a blog for another time. For now, the traveler to many an Islamic State may look forward to a welcoming, smiling world where people generally tend to be happy with their lives, or at least secure in the knowledge that their way of life is, on the whole, better because of the focus religion brings to it.
Image credit: Zeyek and Suleymaniye Mosques, Istanbul; courtesy Les Arts Turcs.
2 comments:
What a great blog to discover. It really fills a gap in the online world of religion. I like your comments on the suk, and I wonder whether the cathedral filled such a role in the Westerner's life before the strictures of Trent.
Thanks for the comment. Cathedrals did indeed serve a similar role in the Middle Ages.
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