Today I would like to explain a few things about Islam, the faith of Muslims, for the benefit of those who do not follow that religion. First, whereby Christians consider the Bible as the word of God, Muslims believe that the Quaran is God speaking to them. They do not disavow the teaching of Jesus but see him as one of several prophets along with Abraham, Ismael, Isaac and the founder of their faith Muhammad.
About 1/4 of the world’s population are Muslim, mostly Sunnis (75-90%) and Shiites (12-17%). Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world.
There are two official holidays in Islam, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Both holidays occur on dates in the lunar Islamic calendar, which is different from the solar-based Gregorian calendar, so they are observed on different Gregorian dates every year. There are a number of other days of note and festivals, some common to all Muslims, other specific to Shia Islam as a whole or branches thereof.
Both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha follow a period of 10 holy days or nights: the last 10 nights of Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr), and the first 10 days of Dhu al-Hijjah (Eid al-Adha). The Night of Power, one of the last 10 nights of Ramadan, is the holiest night of the year. Conversely, the Day of Arafah, the day before Eid al-Adha, is the holiest day of the Islamic year.
During the month of Ramadan, Muslims will not eat during the daylight hours. This reminds Muslims that others are less fortunate and may not have enough food.
Friday is considered the holiest day of the week, and in Islamic tradition is considered a celebration in itself. Friday Prayers (Juma) are congregational prayers held in mosques, and Muslims are encouraged to wear clean clothes, perfume, and bathe. It's customary to eat special meals with family on this day.
Muslims are expected to pray five times each day. These include when the sun rises and sets in Mecca plus three addition times during the day which are also defined by the rising and setting sun in Mecca. Muslims in predominantly Muslim countries are called to the prayers by a religious person singing the call to prayers from a minaret. In other parts of the world Muslims use apps on their phones, such as the Muslim TTS (android only) and Muslim Pro (Apple and Android), to determine the times for prayers. Anyone can download these free apps.
In a work environment it would behoove non-Muslims to be aware of the prayer times for their Muslim colleagues so as to schedule break at times when Muslims need to pray.
This post is written with confidence that Muslims and non-Muslims will enjoy meaningful relationships at work and in private life.
Herb