Muhammadan festivals

Curzon

1988

viii, 107 p., [14] p. of plates

9780700702039

Contents: The Foundations of Islam: prayer and Friday service ; Pilgrimage Ramadan ; The Prophet and the Saints ; The Tenth of Muharram

By drawing from a wide spectrum of sources including medieval Arabic manuscripts, modern Arab authors and European travelers, G.E. von Grunebaum portrays the typical Muslim as a practicing believer by showing him at prayer, on Pilgrimage and in the act of honoring saints. The complexities of Islam festivals and practices such as salat(worship), the hajj (pilgriomageto Mecca), and the saum (fasting during Ramadan), are examined as typical elements of Islamic ritual, rather than the peculiarities of any one sect, any one period or any one nationality. The author also looks at the cult of local saints throughout the Islamic world, as well as the intense interest that centred on the Prophet Muhammad, his physical attributes and the major events in his life. Muhammad Festivals offers concise, lucid and straightforward information essential to students of Islam and comparative religion.

Английский