Islam and daily life
The spiritual life of the Mahorais is codified by daily obligations, liturgical practices, and respect for the "five pillars" which are the profession of faith (or chahada), recited each day at prayer time; the ritual prayer, five times a day. On Fridays, the median hour prayer is led by an imam (which means "guide"), who preaches to the gathered assembly. The time of prayer is announced by the muezzin, who can be heard in every village on the island. The third pillar is the legal alms, called zakat. This charity is a way of helping the needy population, it is practiced every day, but finds its greatest expression during Ramadan, at the time of breaking the fast, when it is appropriate to offer food to the needy. Generally, alms are 5% of income and are used more for building mosques than for the poor. The fourth pillar is Ramadan. From sunrise to sunset, believers must abstain from food, drink and tobacco and must also be chaste. Sick people, pregnant women and travellers are exempted. The Muslim fast, though arid during the day, gives rise to great festivities at night, for Ramadan is above all a month of joy; indeed, the revelation that came down from God and gave the way to mankind is celebrated. The month of fasting is concluded with a festival, Eid al-Fitr. For the sake of those who are fasting, avoid smoking, drinking or eating in public! Finally, the last pillar: the pilgrimage to Mecca, which must be accomplished once in the life of every Muslim who can afford it.
Important figures of Islam in the archipelago
Among the titles to know before going to the island is the fundi. He is a Koranic teacher who works in the Koranic school or in the madrassas. He is very respected and listened to. Another important character is the cadi. Judge and depositary of Koranic law, he settles property and civil law disputes. The "supreme court" of Muslim justice was headed by the grand cadi in Mayotte; the cadi and the grand cadi were salaried employees of the French government and appointed by the prefect, but the institutional evolution of Mayotte has put an end to their traditional missions of regulating society, which raises the question of their role in present-day Mauritanian society, since the new law no longer approves cadial justice. Today, the cadis are more like mediators. More well-known are the imam, who leads the prayer, and the muezzin, who assists him and calls for prayer from the top of the minaret.
The Koranic school in Mayotte
The Koranic school in Mayotte is present in all the villages and it is there that the fundi gives his lessons and where the Mahorais learn to discover the Koran and to learn by heart some of its verses. It takes place every day except Friday, which is the holy day for Muslims, from 5:30 to 6:30 am (before going to the public school for 7 am), then in the afternoon from 3 pm to 4 pm. In addition, it should be noted that there are no holidays. The fundi (the teacher) looks after the children for about 21 hours a week. In the past, the madrassas welcomed older children who had just left the Koranic school. The fundi used to be rewarded in kind and occasionally in cash. However, it has been observed that the Koranic schools are disappearing, because in every village there are now more modern madrassas with more comfortable classrooms than the Koranic schools with their very rudimentary comfort. They are not free and the Koran is taught by teachers who have studied and who offer more suitable hours for the children. Some Mahorais could even go abroad, to Arab countries, to pursue their religious studies.
A Christian minority
In Mayotte, Christianity is practised by a minority of the population, composed essentially of metropolitan people, but also of part of the Malagasy community, Creoles of Reunion origin and also Mahorais who have been converted for 3 or 4 generations. In Mayotte, in Petite-Terre, there is the church of Saint-Michel, whose foundations date back to 1849, and which adjoins the hospital. The second, Our Lady of Fatima, is in Mamoudzou. In Kawéni, finally, there is an international evangelical church which is asking to be attached to the Protestant church of France. The Catholic Mission started in 1841 in Mayotte, at the beginning of the French presence, at first depending on the Apostolic Prefecture of Madagascar. It was established in Mamoudzou in 1857 with 50 students.
A very codified birth
The birth of a baby is not a trivial event in Mayotte: at birth, the father or another family member imitates the muezzin (call to prayer) by holding the right ear of the newborn. This thanksgiving is the child's first participation in the religious act. The newborn should not be taken out of the family home before the fundi astrologer gives his approval; this is to avoid encounters with evil spirits. Only the family is allowed to visit during this period. A mirror is placed in the cradle to keep away any devils that might try to approach the baby: the sight of one's own image frightens the devil! As for the woman, she must not go out for 40 days and sexual relations are forbidden. She can only go out and remarry her husband on the forty-first day after giving birth and only after having taken a ritual bath to purify herself.
Fear of the Jinn
During your stay, you will surely hear about the djinns (pronounced "dzinns") or spirits. Originating from the Sakalava traditions (Madagascar), the belief in these spirits is strong on the archipelago. Sometimes evil, they can take possession of people and make them commit reprehensible or unexplained acts. Thus, when a person is inhabited, one tries by all means to chase away the djinn that inhabits him or her through rituals or offerings, and redirect it towards another body, often that of a chicken, or if one is malevolent towards another victim. Note that the djinn can also be called for positive requests such as rain, good fortune, or a good harvest. Thus, certain places (beaches, waterfalls) are regularly used for ceremonies, chickens and candles testify to this, superstitious people should not!
