7.5: Culture
In this section
- You will learn about prayer as a part of the daily routine in the Arab world.
Daily and weekly prayer in the Arab world
- Prayer is the second pillar of Islam.
- Muslims perform five main prayers : Fajr (dawn), Zuhr (Noon), Asr (late afternoon), Maghrib (sunset) and Isha (at dusk).
- Some people pray all five prayers in a the mosque المسجد = الجامع.
- On Friday, the noon prayer is called Friday prayer صلاة الجمعة which must be performed in congregation preceded by a sermon. This is the reason why Friday is not a business day in the Arab Muslim world.
- For Muslims, it is a part of the daily routine to attend Friday prayer in congregation. It is more common for men but women can also go and they usually have separate sections in the mosque.
- There are special prayers that occur during Ramdan nights (the month of fasting) and the two Eid celebrations in the Muslim world.
- Muslims follow a moon calendar for their religious observance of fasting and pilgrimage.
- Christians observe their prayers at the church الكنيسة usually on Sundays.
- Watch this video on how Friday prayer was resumed under COVID-19 conditions in Egypt.
Key Takeaways
- You can search YouTube for Friday prayer congregations.
- You can conduct a search on prayer times and how they change over the year in different countries.
- Discuss with your classmates the five pillars of Islam and provide your reflection.