The origins of Islam
The prophet Mohammed was born in the city of Mecca in 570, a member of the Hashemite clan of the Koraishite tribe, which dominated Mecca at the time, and was a simple man who drove camel caravans and travelled through many lands. It was probably during his travels that he discovered the contents of the Torah and the New Testament. Nothing predestined him to become Rasul Allah, "the messenger of God", when, at the age of forty, in a cave on Mount Hira, he received his first revelations from the archangel Gabriel: the god of the Jews and Christians had chosen him as a messenger to the Arab populations. Mohammed was converted by this fantastic encounter and preached against the idolatrous cults practiced by his tribe. In particular, he attacked the pagan pilgrimage to the Kaaba in Mecca, which the majority of the Arab population undertook. Threatened with death by his own people, he emigrated in 622 to the city of Yathrib. The prophet Mohammed received in two stages the revelation of the sacred text, the Koran (which comes from qaraa which means "to read"), which he dictated to scribes on a daily basis. It was in the 8th century that the text was declared complete. The Koran is the source of the Muslim law, the "sharia", at the same time as it indicates the meaning of Islam. From Medina, Mohammed launched the "jihad" against Mecca and its idolaters. The first pilgrimages were organized, and the majority of the inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula converted. The prophet Mohammed died on June 8, 632, in Medina, after returning from a last pilgrimage to Mecca without having designated a successor. There is no caliph (the "lieutenant of God on earth"), and his sudden death leaves his relatives distraught. Bedouin tradition was then invoked and the responsibility of appointing the caliph fell to the group
The first caliphs
The first four caliphs are called "the rightly guided" and come from the direct family circle of the Prophet. The first is Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (632-634). This old man, appreciated for his human qualities, set up an administration, the diwan, for the army and the cities. The second caliph was Omar ibn al Khattab (634-644). He was considered the organizer of the Muslim state and was named "Commander of the Believers". He led the campaigns to conquer Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Persia. He expelled Christians and Jews from Arabia and created two taxes for non-Muslims. The third caliph was Ossman Ibn Affan (644-655). Coming from the business circles of Mecca, he was soon accused of unrestrained nepotism. His government was so contested that he had to fix the Koranic text definitively and thus prevent anyone from claiming the caliphate in the name of the Revelation of the Book. The fourth caliph was Ali ibn Abi Talib (656-661). His election was not recognized by all Muslims. In 656, he was forced to fight the first of the battles between Muslims in Basra. He fought another famous battle on the Euphrates. Muawiya and his Sunnis met Ali and his Shiites. Ali was stripped of his title of caliph, and was replaced by Muawiya, who founded the Umayyad lineage. The government of Iraq was left to Ali. He was finally assassinated in 661.
Legal schools
The nuances of Islam are expressed through its legal schools, which emerged between the eighth and ninth centuries. Four Sunni schools developed, based on the principle that the sharia must be interpreted: either the sunna (which means "internal practice"), previous traditional practices, analogy or istihsan (which means "personal practice") are used. These schools, all of which are licit, are offered to the faithful who freely choose the one they wish to adhere to. The Hanafi school was born in Iraq in the eighth century and favors the use of personal opinion; its creator, Abu Hanifa, gives much weight to circumstances as moderating or aggravating elements. The Malikite school is also called the "school of hadith". Hadiths (or "traditions") are commentaries on the Qur'an initiated by Malilk Ibn al Abbas. They interpret theology, law and sometimes exegesis. Many of these hadiths have not been retained by Muslim theology and legal science. This school does not retain free opinion and its interpretation of the texts does not resort to extrapolation. Hanbalism is the third school, founded by Muhammad ibn Hanbal. It is the most rigorous school of Islam. It advocates the purification of the doctrine and is opposed to innovations and any form of interpretation. This school will give birth to Saudi Wahhabism and other forms of Islamic fundamentalism. The fourth school is Shafi'i. It also gives a strong importance to the hadiths referring directly to the Prophet. While it becomes the follower of the consensus of scholars in Quranic matters, it is not for the development of personal judgment. The Shafiite school is in the majority in Jordan.
The practice of Islam
The spiritual life of the Muslim is codified by daily obligations and liturgical practices grouped under the heading of the "five pillars"
The profession of faith, or Shahada, is the first of the pillars. Every Muslim makes a solemn profession of faith that recognizes that God is one and that Muhammad is his prophet. It is through the clear and audible utterance of this formula, with the genuine intention of adhering to it, that the individual becomes part of the Muslim community
The second pillar isthe ritual prayer , which is performed five times a day in the believer's daily life. The dawn is marked by the prayer of al fajr, the middle hour by al zouhr, the middle of the afternoon by al asr, the sunset by al maghreb and the night by al icha. Each prayer is preceded by a call to the faithful by a muezzin. The prayer must be performed in a state of bodily and spiritual purity; if water is used for ablutions, the believer may resort to symbolic gestures to purify himself. He then turns towards Mecca. The prayer begins with the recitation of the first sura of the Koran, called fatiha. On Fridays, al zouhr is led by the imam who preaches to the assembled congregation.
Zakat, the legal alms, is the third pillar and is imposed on the well-to-do. It is a means of helping the needy population. However, the legal schools have not clearly defined the percentage of one's wealth that should be given in order to be considered a valid act. Legal almsgiving is practiced every day, but finds its greatest expression during Ramadan, when it is appropriate to offer food to the needy at the breaking of the fast
The fasting called sawm is practiced during the month of Ramadan and is the fourth pillar. From sunrise to sunset, believers must abstain from food, drink and tobacco and must also remain chaste. The sick, pregnant women and travelers are exempt. The Muslim fast, though arid during the day, gives rise to great festivities at night, for Ramadan is above all a month of joy. Two days before the end of the month of Ramadan, al qadar, "the night of destiny", is an opportunity to chant the Qur'anic text in its entirety. The festival that concludes the month of fasting is Eid-el-Fitr
The pilgrimage to Mecca is the fifth pillar of Islam, but it is only obligatory for Muslims who can afford it. The great pilgrimage, called hajj, must be performed between the 8th and 13th day of the month of Dhu al-Hijja. It takes place around the Kaaba, a large covered cube that contains a stone given by the Archangel Gabriel to Hagar and her son Ismail. The Kaaba is covered with a kiswa, a black silk canopy where suras from the Qur'an are embroidered with gold and silver thread. The pilgrimage is purifying and erases the faults of the sinner. It is the pinnacle of the Muslim's spiritual life. The minor pilgrimage, which is not part of the five pillars, is called umra.
Religious minorities
The Christians. Christ walked on Jordanian soil and it was in the waters of the Jordan River that he was baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist. A land of Islam, Jordan is also part of the cradle of Christianity. Christians have therefore been established here for two millennia and are part of the country's society. The majority of Christians in Jordan are Orthodox and follow the Greek rite. Melkites and Latins, two churches sui juris, constitute the Catholic Church. The Melkites, also called Greek Catholics, have their patriarch in Syria. The Latin Catholics depend directly on the Pope in Rome. The massive arrival of Iraqis has changed the Christian face of the country with the Chaldean Catholics. There are also some Protestants among the Christians of Jordan
Shiite Muslims. A few Shiites live in Jordan, mainly from Iraq. After the death of the Caliph Ali, his supporters proclaimed that the Caliph had appointed his son Hassan as his successor, which was contested by the Sunnis and the Ismailis. Various plots and battles between Sunnis and Shiites followed, the outcome of which took place in Karbala in Iraq. The seventy-two Shiite martyrs of this battle are buried there and the city becomes the main place of Shiite pilgrimage.
The Druze: The Druze are a community of Shiites, but they do not consider themselves Muslims. There is no liturgy or places of worship in the Druze philosophy, and they keep their religion secret. It was not until the 20th century that a small number of them moved from Syria and Israel to Jordan. They are found in small numbers in the north of the country and in Azraq.
