The Pillars of Islam

The UAE is an Islamic country and Emiratis follow the five pillars of Islam:

Grand Mosque Chandelier - Muscat

1. Acceptance that there is only one God, Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger

2. To pray five times a day

3. To give alms to the poor

4. To fast during the 30 days of Ramadan

5. Make a pilgrimage to Mecca, once in a lifetime (the Hajj), if you are able

Living in the UAE, the proclamation of the first pillar is heard in the Adhan (call to prayer) as it permeates the air five times a day. In the community where I lived there was a constant battle over the volume of the Adhan from our three mosques, particularly the pre-dawn call, before 4:30am in summer, which some claimed destroyed their children’s sleep.

Muslims pray five times a day, often in the mosque but almost anywhere will do. Worshippers must face Mecca (a direction called Qibla); there are Smart phone Qibla apps and each hotel room has a little arrow on the ceiling or in a bedside drawer. What I didn’t realize when I offered my Calgary office as a prayer room for a couple of visitors was that they cannot pray in the presence of human or animal likenesses. I’d removed all my family photos, marked the Qibla on the floor, and provided mats but they wouldn’t use the room – only afterwards did I realize it was my large concrete sheep (don’t ask!) and Welsh rugby dragon that had stopped them.

Grand Mosque Ceiling - Muscat

The lack of figurative art has created a unique approach to the inside of mosques. This has focused Islamic artists on three levels of art: Geometric patterns, often expressed with ceramic tiles, Arabesque which employs depictions of plant life and finally, Calligraphy, seen as the highest art form, being the depiction of God’s word from the Qu’ran (Koran).

Even secular Arabic script is beautiful though. The logos of humble plumbers or the stretched letters of a bank sign can lift your mood.

Alms is payable as a percentage of assets owned. There are agencies that exist to collect this annual tithe. Muslims believe that they are answerable to God for their treatment of the poor and so charity is a fact of life. There are clearly defined groups eligible to receive alms other than the destitute and it includes the payment of ‘blood money’ on behalf of those that cannot afford to pay it (see previous blog).

Arabic Calligraphy - Grand Mosque Abu Dhabi

Fasting during Ramadan, the Muslim Lent, is intended to focus believers on their own actions and the plight of the poor. Emiratis eat at around 4am, before the first prayer of the day, and don’t eat or drink again until after 7pm when they break the fast with Iftar.

My friend Mohamed invited me to take Iftar with him and his brothers during Ramadan at his house. Emiratis eat sitting on the floor and the meal was laid out on the elaborate carpet over a plastic tablecloth. When you’ve spent your life eating on the floor it’s easy but when you are over 60 and only had the occasional picnic it can be a struggle. Mohamed insisted I sit on a cushion but getting comfortable down there was only half of it. They eat with their hands, so I had to lean forward and support myself as I grasped lamb biryani (rice and lamb) and attempted to get it to my mouth. The food was delicious though.

It seemed that almost everyone I met had completed his or her Hajj; it’s a short distance from Abu Dhabi to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, close to Jedda. The local airlines stage Mecca Specials. I’d always thought you could go on your pilgrimage whenever you wanted but no, Hajj takes place on specific days of the 12th month (Al Hajji) and follows a specific schedule, so all of the attendees are moving in a single mass through the each of the rituals.

Non-Muslims are forbidden from entering the holy city of Mecca and the penalties are quite severe so I imagine I’ll never get invited there!

Mosque at night - Muscat