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Religious Rites, Feasts and Practices Muslim birth rites Adhaan: God is great, there is no God but Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Come to prayer. should be the first words heard by a newborn Muslim baby whispered into the right ear of the child by his/her father. After seven days the baby's head is shaved (a tradition also carried out by Hindus). This is to show that the child is a servant of Allah. Muslims weigh the shaved hair of the baby and give the equivalent weight in silver to charity. It is also tradition to choose a name for the baby on the seventh day. The aqeeqah is also traditionally carried out on the seventh day. This is a celebration which involves the slaughter of sheep. Sheep are sacrificed and the meat is distributed to relatives and neighbours and also given to the poor. The ceremony is generally a wellattended affair, though to make it official, only two male witnesses are required. The marriage ceremony itself is called the Nikah. There is no marriage license in the Muslim wedding (though the witnesses need to sign a proof of Nikah, which testifies that the marriage has taken place and that the bride has given her full consent).

http://www.confetti.co.uk/weddingceremonies/muslim-weddings/ Death & Funeral At the time of death, those present at the deathbed whisper the shahadah in the dying person's ear. Family members recite surah 36 from the Quran, which describes God's raising of the dead on the Day of Judgment. The body of the deceased person must be buried as promptly as possible, preferably by sunset on the day of the death. When burying the deceased person is faced towards Mecca.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/rite srituals/birth.shtml Muslim Weddings Muslim women cannot marry outside their faith. Muslim men can marry nonMuslims, as long as they are Christian or Jewish and their children are raised as Muslims. Alternatively, it is possible for a woman to convert to the Muslim faith by performing the Shadada, a simple ceremony in which the convert accepts Allah and Mohammed. After accepting the marriage proposal, the groom must give the bride a Mahar (gift), which is usually in the form of money or gold. The engagement period lasts three months, and if the couple doesnt get married by the end of this period, the engagement contract needs to be renewed. In Islam, it is considered both a religious duty and a social necessity to get married. Thus there is a great emphasis on the religious and social dimensions of the ceremony, which usually lasts about oneandahalf hours.

http://www.patheos.com/Library/Islam/RitualWorship-Devotion-Symbolism/Rites-andCeremonies?offset=1&max=1 Holy Days & Feasts Ramadan. This Holy Festival takes place in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is a time of fasting and daily repentance. Lailat ul-Qadr The final 10 days of Ramadan. Muslims celebrate Muhammads first revelation. Eid al-Fitr The feast period just after the month long fast of Ramadan. It lasts for three days. Eid al-Adha. Two to three months after Ramadan, animals are slaughtered to benefit the poor. The purpose of the Eid al-Adha is to celebrate the faithfulness and obedience of Abraham. Al-Isra Wal Miraj. Celebrated on the 27th Day of the 7th month in the Islamic Calendar. It marks Muhammads journey from Mecca. Maulid al-Nabi. Celebrates the birth of Muhammad.

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http://www.diversiton.com/religion/main/islam/h olydays-festivals-rituals.asp The Five Pillars of Islam No matter how sincerely a person may believe, Islam regards it as pointless to live life without putting that faith into action and practice. The most important Muslim practices are the Five Pillars of Islam. The Five Pillars of Islam are the five obligations that every Muslim must satisfy in order to live a good and responsible life according to Islam. The Five Pillars consist of: Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger." This is the basic statement of the Islamic faith: anyone who cannot recite this wholeheartedly is not a Muslim. When a Muslim recites this they proclaim: That Allah is the only God, and that Muhammad is his prophet That they personally accept this as true That they will obey all the commitments of Islam in their life

Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy. It is

regarded as a type of worship and of selfpurification.

Zakat does not refer to charitable gifts given out of kindness or generosity, but to the systematic giving of 2.5% of one's wealth each year to benefit the poor. Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan

Muslims who are physically or mentally unwell may be excused some of these, as may those who are under twelve years old, the very old, and those who are pregnant.

Hajj: Hajj is the fifth and final pillar of Islam. It is the pilgrimage to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam. Mecca is a place that is holy to all Muslims. It is so holy that no nonMuslim is allowed to enter. Hajj takes place in the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar and every Muslim who is physically and financially able must perform this pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. The Hajj makes Muslims feel real

Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day. Muslims must be clean before they pray. They make sure of this by performing ritual washing, called wudhu.

importance of life here on earth, and the afterlife, by stripping away all markers of social status, wealth, and pride. In the Hajj all are truly equal.

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God ordered Muslims to pray at five set times of day: Salat al-fajr: dawn, before sunrise Salat al-zuhr: midday, after the sun passes its highest Salat al-'asr: the late part of the afternoon Salat al-maghrib: just after sunset Salat al-'isha: between sunset and midnight