Islamic holidays
Islamic festivals are mainly related to the life of the Islamic prophet Mohammed and special meanings of the Koran . Islam has two main festivals, the festival of breaking the fast ( ʿĪd al-fitr ) and the festival of sacrifice ( ʿĪd al-Adhā ). The way in which these feast days are recognized as public holidays varies across cultures, as does Sunni , Shiite and Sufism in the Islamic schools .
All Islamic feast days follow the Islamic calendar , a lunar calendar , and thus move around 11 days a year through the solar year . The calendar does not always match between Sunnis and Shiites; Deviations of up to two days can occur.
Islamic festivals
Friday
The Friday is a similarly important day of the week as the Muslims Sunday for Christians and the Sabbath for Jews. However, Friday is not a public holiday in Islamic countries ; shops are only closed for half a day in Saudi Arabia . The weekday Friday is also known in Islam as “Yaum al-Jumʿa”, which means “day of meeting”.
The Friday prayer ( Salāt al-Jumʿa ,جمعة) is a community prayer that Muslims say together every Friday in the early afternoon. The larger mosques in which this prayer takes place are therefore also called Friday mosques . For men, common prayer on Friday is compulsory, for women it is desirable. The Friday prayer is characterized by the fact that before the actual prayer ( salāt ) a sermon ( chutba ) is given by a preacher ( chātib , which is usually the imam of the mosque).
Ramadan
The month of Ramadan is Islamic Lent , during which Muslims do not eat or drink from dawn to sunset. The fast of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam . Pregnant, breastfeeding and menstruating women as well as the sick, children, the elderly, the disabled, travelers and soldiers are exempt from fasting.
The fasting day begins with the ritual prayer followed by breakfast with the family or the mosque. During the day the Muslim occupies himself as often as possible with thoughts of Allah, saying silent prayers and thinking about how to get rid of sins and harmful tendencies. He keeps away from any shameful act and marital intercourse. In addition, the believer should not get upset or curse over insignificant things. The fast is traditionally broken after sunset with eating one, three or five dates and a glass of water, after which the ritual community prayer is performed and eaten together.
Lailat al-Qadr
The night of determination (ليلة القدر) falls on one of the last ten odd days of Ramadan and has a special meaning in Islamic Lent.
Breaking the fast
The ʿĪd al-fitr (عيد الفطر) or "Feast of the Breaking of the Fast" is a festival that is celebrated at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan . The festival begins with the sunset on the last day of fast. In the early morning of the next day (the first day of the month Shawwal ), the Muslims gather for a ritual festival prayer. Food and non-alcoholic drinks are served in the mosques and in the houses. Children get sweets or gifts or money, which is why the festival is also known as the “Sugar Festival”. It is also common to give gifts to family members, friends and those in need. The festival lasts up to three days and it is Sunna to fast for six additional days in the month of Shawwal.
Festival of Sacrifice
The ʿĪd al-Adhā (عيد الأضحى) is the highest Islamic festival and is celebrated around 70 days after the ʿĪd al-fitr. It is celebrated in memory of the prophet Abraham when he tried to sacrifice his son Ishmael (cf. sacrifice of Isaac ) as proof of his loyalty to Allah . Muslims, like Abraham, sacrifice an animal (usually a cow or a sheep ) to thank God for saving Ishmael's life. The meat of the slaughtered animal is distributed in three equal parts to the victim, to his poor relatives and to the needy regardless of their religion, race or nationality. As with Īd al-fitr, Muslims meet on the morning of the first day for ritual prayer. The festival lasts four days.
Ashura
ʿĀschūrāʾ (عاشوراء) is called the tenth day of the Islamic month of Muharram . The day has different meanings in the Islamic schools.
- The Shiites commemorate Ashura while publicly the Battle of Karbala in the year 680 in present-day Iraq in Husain ibn Ali was killed. The rituals of Ashura contain stories (Rouza-chwani), mourning processions in mourning clothing and self-flagellation (Sinazani) or the cultic staging of the martyrdom of Husain ( Ta'zieh ).
- For the Alevis , Ashura is not a day of remembrance as it is for the Shiites, but a holiday that is observed after a 12-day fast (i.e. on the thirteenth day).
- For the Sunnis , Ashura is a day of fasting - but fasting is voluntary here. This day is directly related to the salvation of Moses by God during his flight from Egypt. Thus, Ashura is a day of joy and gratitude.
Birthday of the prophet
Mawlid an-Nabi (مولد النبي) is a day of honor on the occasion of the birth of Muhammad, the founder and prophet of Islam . For Sunnis, Mawlid an-Nabi is celebrated on the 12th day of the month of Rabīʿ al-awwal of the Islamic calendar , for Shiites on the 17th day of the month of Rabīʿ al-awwal. The day is often celebrated as a festival of lights when many mosques are illuminated. Meetings are held at which stories and legends from the life of the prophet are told.
Some Muslims reject this celebration as an inadmissible innovation ( bidʿa ) and as a forbidden deification of Muhammad. Other Muslims believe that Muhammad himself and his companions had been his birthday with fasting not and treat committed.
First appearance of Muhammad as a prophet
Eid-e Mabʿas ( Eid-e Mabas ): Feast of the divine election of Muhammad as prophet.
Night journey of the prophet
In the night journey (ليلة الإسراء / lailat al-isrāʾ / 'the nocturnal journey'), narrated in the first verse of sura 17 , according to Islamic tradition, Muhammad was led by the archangel Gabriel to the “Distant Mosque” ( al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem ) and to heaven . This event is commemorated by many Muslims on the 27th of the month of Rajab .
Lailat al-Bara'a
The night of forgiveness (ليلة البراءة), also the night of liberation from fire , falls on the night between the 14th and 15th of the month of Shʿbān . According to tradition, Mohammed is said to have informed his followers on the 15th day of the month that angels of Allah record the deeds of people. Muslims view this night as a time of special divine mercy and blessings. The night is spent reciting the Quran and special prayers. Views in the Islamic currents diverge on the meaning.
Shiite holidays
These festive days are also held by Shiites. These include Tasu'a Day, Arba'in Day and the birthdays of Shiite imams.
Ahmadiyya festival days
This feast day is also held by the Ahmadiyya community.
Jalsa Salana
The Jalsa Salana is a mostly multi-day spiritual event organized by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in honor of Allah and the Prophet Mohammed and serves the purpose of spiritual edification. Its founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad , sought a reform of Islam with his movement and initiated the Jalsa Salana for this purpose, which took place for the first time on December 27, 1891 in Qadian ( India ).
Since then, it has always been held in Qadian on the last weekend in December. Jalsa Salana has been officially banned in Pakistan since 1984. The first Jalsa Salana in the UK was held in 1966. Since the ban on organizing the Jalsa Salana in Pakistan, the Jalsa Salana UK functions as the international Jalsa Salana and takes place annually near London . The first event in Germany took place in 1976 in Frankfurt- Sachsenhausen. The Jalsa Salana Germany has been held annually at Messe Karlsruhe since 2011 . With an average of 30,000 visitors, Jalsa Salana Germany is the largest Islamic event in Europe .
Cultural holidays
In Islam, the New Year is a cultural event with which Muslims celebrate the first day of the month of Muharram .
See also
literature
- Annemarie Schimmel: The Islamic Year. Times and festivals ; Munich: Beck, 2001; ISBN 3-406-47567-1
- Reinhard Kirste, Herbert Schultze, Udo Tworuschka: The festivals of the religions. An interreligious calendar with a synoptic overview ; Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 1995; ISBN 3-579-00771-8
Web links
- German Islamic Studies Committee of the New Moons (DIWAN): Islamic holidays from 2019 to 2027
- German Islamic Scientific Committee for New Moons (DIWAN): Islamic basis and computational rules for determining the lunar months
- Fêtes juives et Fêtes islamiques 2008/2009/2010 (German / French)
- Islam: Calendar on the website of Inforel, Information Religion
- Islamic Holidays further information