A little reminder of historical Islam
Islam, a word that means "to surrender to God", was born of the will of its creator, Muhammad, who came from the great Meccan (Saudi Arabian) family of Hâshim, from the Quraysh tribe. As an orphan, Muhammad was adopted successively by his grandfather and uncle. As a young boy, he became a shepherd and was later hired by Khadidja, a wealthy widowed merchant who organized caravans in the desert. He later married her and they had four daughters, including Fatima, who became Ali's wife. Around the age of 40, Mohammed was touched by the grace of the Archangel Gabriel, who dictated to him the words of the Koran. He advocated faith in a single God, Allah, and renunciation of an easy, selfish life. He also felt he should warn the rulers of Mecca of this revelation. They saw him as a troublemaker, seeking to pervert public order by indoctrinating the poorer classes. Muhammad was forced into exile and, in 622, took refuge with his first followers (the first Muslims) in Medina (still in Saudi Arabia). This migration, thehijra or hegira, marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. He thus became a politician, then a military leader. Seeking to win the trust of the city's Jews, he guaranteed them freedom of worship and introduced some of their rites into Islam. Jews and Muslims alike turned to Jerusalem for prayer. But the gradual revelation of the Koran broke with them and better defined the principles of the new religion. Henceforth, the faithful must turn to the most holy Kaaba in Mecca, a cubic temple dedicated to Ibrahim (Abraham), to whom the Prophet linked his religion, in order to give it a monotheistic origin and continuity after Judaism and Christianity. Muhammad died on June 8, 632, in Medina, having exercised considerable political power throughout the Arabian Peninsula. His fame spread throughout the world, especially after his death. Today, there are over 2.6 billion Muslims worldwide (2024).
The Qur'an, the foundation of Muslim education
Published in Arabic in 634, two years after Mohammed's death, the Koran(Al Quran) is the only sacred book for Muslims. The Koran simply repeats the words of God, transmitted to Mohammed by the archangel Gabriel (Jibraîl). Its correct reading and knowledge are the foundation of a traditional Muslim education (Koranic schools). Written in an archaic alphabet on camel shoulder blades during the Prophet's lifetime, its structure has since evolved. Only the content of the texts has remained unchanged. The Qur'an presents numerous difficulties of interpretation, which can only be debated by the greatest scholars. The Koran is made up of 114 suras, or chapters, and is divided, for practical reading purposes, into 30 parts (juz'i). Each sura is further divided into verses (aya), 6,211 in all.
Islam imposes on its believers a code of good conduct comprising five fundamental rules: the profession of faith, prayer, almsgiving to the poor, the Ramadan fast and pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.
Islam in Djibouti
The country is overwhelmingly Sunni, Shafi'ite (the majority religion in Egypt, Sudan, Somalia...). Djibouti has adopted the Muslim week. Rest days are Thursday afternoon and Friday. The feasts of the Muslim calendar (the birth of the Prophet Mohamed, the Ascension of the Prophet, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and the Muslim New Year) are public holidays. Every town, village and group of houses has one or more mosques. They are characterized by their small size and low minarets. But in a city as flat as the capital, minarets stand out clearly on the urban skyline, serving as landmarks. Muezzins sound the call to prayer five times a day, giving rhythm to the Djiboutian day. Although Islam has never been as prevalent in Djibouti as it is today, the religion is not as visually omnipresent as in other Muslim countries. For example, you rarely see people praying in the street. Religion has never been a source of conflict here.
Within the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, Djibouti is one of the states that applies Islamic law to personal status (as in the Maghreb, for example). Since the creation of a Ministry for Muslim Affairs in 1999, the State has authority over all Islamic matters, including mosques, private religious schools and religious activities. It controls religious teaching and the training of imams, as well as the activities of charitable foundations, and coordinates all the country's Muslim non-governmental organizations. The President and high-ranking civil servants, including judges, are required to take a religious oath.
Islam is the official religion. Sharia, Islamic law, is not official law. Sharia does not entail rigid norms; it is reconciled with modernity. For issues such as marriage, divorce and inheritance, for example, the Family Code includes elements of both civil and Sharia law. Civil courts deal with the same issues for non-Muslims. There are no penalties for those who decide not to follow the precepts of Islam or practice other religions. People don't drink alcohol, but foreigners are allowed to. What's more, Sharia law has never totally supplanted xeer and fima, the customary tribal laws born of nomadic life and its demands. Ancestral traditions, customary rights and religion go hand in hand. The Islam practiced here is therefore described as moderate and tolerant.
Although Islam is more present than ever in Djibouti, it overlaps and mingles with nomadic customs. There is a strong belief in spirits, both good and evil. All ills have a specific origin and can be warded off by sacrifices, signs and magic formulas.
