Thus far, briefly, the Iman, dogmatical or theoretical part of Islam. The Din, or practical part, which contains the ritual and moral laws, inculcates as the chief duties time following four: prayer, alms-giving, fasting, and pilgrimage.
Prayer, "the key of paradise," comprises also certain religious purifications, as the most necessary preparations to the former. They are of two kinds: the Ghusl, or total immersion of the body, required as a religious ceremony, on some special occasions; and time Wadfi, a partial ablution, to be performed immediately before the prayer. This is of primary importance, and consists of the washing of hands, face, ears, and feet up to the ankles—a proceeding generally accompanied at each stage by corresponding pious sentences, and concluded by the recital of the 911.. chapter of the Koran. In the case of water being beyond reach, dry-dust or sand may supply its place. " The practice of religion being founded on cleanliness," it is not sufficient that the believer himself should be purified, but even the ground or the carpet upon which he prays must be as clean as possible, and the use of a special prayer-carpet (Seggadah) is therefore recommended. Every Mohammedan is, obliged to pray five times in the space of every twenty-four la-mrs, (Satih)11self consists partly of extracts from the revealed book, the Koran (Ford), partly of pieces ordained by the prophet without allegation of a divine order (Sunnah). The first time of prayer commences at the Maghrib, or about sunset; the second, at the +NM, or nightfall; the third, at the Suit, or daybreak; the fourth, at the Duhr, or about noon; the fifth, at the Asr, or afternoon. The believers are not to com mence their prayers exactly at sunrise, or noon, or sunset, lest they might be confounded with the infidel sun-worshipers. These several times of prayer are announced by the Mueddins (q.v.) from the minarets or madnelis of the mosques. Their chant, sung to a very simple hut solemn melody, sounds harmoniously and sonorously down the height of the mosque, through the midday din and roar of the cities, but its impression is one of the most strikingly poetical in the stillness of night; so much so, that even many Europeans cannot help congratulating the prophet on his preferring the human voice to either the Jewish trumpet-call of the time of the Temple, or the Christian church bells. The day-call (the Adan) consists chiefly of the confession of faith (God is most
great—Mohammed is God's apostle—come to prayer, come to security) repeated several times; the night-calls (Ula, the first; Ebed, the second), destined for persons who de sire to perform supererogatory acts of devotion, are much longer. The believer often changes his posture during his prayers; and a certain number of such inclinations of bead anti prostrations, etc., is called a Rekah. It is also necessary that the face of the worshiper should be turned toward the Kibleh, in the direction of Mecca (Qv.), the exterior wall of the mosque marking that direction being distinguished by a niche (Mehrab). All sumptuous and pompous apparel is laid before the believer approaches the sacred place; and the extreme solemnity and decorum, the unaffected humility, the real and all-absorbing devotion which pervades it, have been unanimously held up as an example to other. creeds. Women, although not strictly forbidden to enter the mosque. yet are not practically allowed to pray there, lest their presence might be hurtful to true devotion. Besides these prayers,•there are others ordained for special occasions, as on a pilgrimage, before a battle, at funerals, during an eclipse, etc. That the Moslems do not pray but simply implore his intercession, as they do that of the numerous saints, the relatives of the prophet, and the first propagators of Islam, need, after what we said under MOHAMMED, not be dwelt upon here. For the particulars of the service in the mosque, the reader is referred to that heading. It may be-remarked in passing, that Mohammedanism has no clergy in our sense of the word, the civil and religious law being bound up in one. See also MoLLAu, MUFTI.
Next in importance stands the duty of giving alms. These are twofold—legal (Zekah) and voluntary (Sadakah; Bch. Zedakah, piety, righteousness); but the former, once collected by the sovereign, and applied to pious uses, has now been practically abro gated. The Sadakah is, according to the law, to be given once every•year, of cattle, money, corn, fruits, and wares sold, at about the rate of from two and a half up to twenty per cent. Besides these, it is usual to bestow a measure of provisions upon the poor, at the end. of the sacred month of Ramadan.