Religion Blog: Prayer

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     I have been very interested in Moroccan praying practices. On the first day of arrival, I remember hearing music playing around the city. I then learned that that music was a way of calling people to the Mosque to pray. As I listened more, I noticed this prayer/song would be played multiple times a day. 

    The Muslim Student Association from Benedictine University stated, “The five daily prayers include: Fajr (sunrise prayer), Dhuhr (noon prayer), Asr (afternoon prayer), Maghrib (sunset prayer), and Isha (night prayer)” (2014).” They go on to state that Muslims are supposed to pray at all five of these times, however, it is really up to the faith and commitment of each individual. The times the prayer begins depends on the sun, and they end when the next prayer begins. The Student Association stated that the prayers do not have to last very long (5-10 minutes). Lastly, when they pray they must face towards Mecca. 

    Religious practices compared to here versus America seem greatly different. Back home, I have never known anyone who has prayed five times a day, and we do not have towers in every town that call to others to pray. I think that religion in America tends to be more hidden than in Morocco, as well as more of a mix of religions. I do no think that major cities in America would ever be able to have such a thing as a prayer tower. While I love how diverse America is with religion, I also love the sense of community and similarity in Morocco. It is wonderful to think that all of these people have something so spiritual in common with one another. 




https://www.ben.edu/faculty-staff/ctle/fac_resources/muslim-prayer-times.cfm

Comments

  1. Zaharia SelmanMay 20, 2022 at 5:42 PM

    Annabel,

    I really appreciate the knowledge you've posted in your blog. I've been interested and meaning to look up more information on the 5 prayers that we've been hearing about, but I haven't had a chance to. I think this commonality and community of praying together (essentially all over the world) is interesting, but I'm curious if this is actually the case. If Muslims don't have to pray five times a day (according to your findings) and 42% say they pray all five salah's daily (according to Pew Research Center survey), then I wonder how common and how often Muslims actually all participate in them (Sciupac, 2017). Additionally, none of the people we've visited have participated as far as I know, but this could be because we were with them at those times. It's a neat concept, I'm just curious on how genuine it is actually in the Muslim community.

    https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/08/28/u-s-muslims-are-religiously-observant-but-open-to-multiple-interpretations-of-islam/#:~:text=A%20majority%20also%20say%20that,15%25%20say%20they%20never%20pray.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AMBMay 23, 2022 at 3:56 AM

    To add in a leadership concept, Moroccan cities exemplify collectivism to its finest. People here rely on one another, and in doing so, perceive themselves as interdependent of others. Being called to pray, and being able to pray with others binds them. Comparatively, in America, religious cultures tend to exemplify collectivism within the walls of their religious place. However, people are more individualistic when it comes to everyday life outside for church, for example.
    Source: LAD Chapter 3

    ReplyDelete

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