Monotheistic Religions Flashcards
2nd pillar of Islam
- prayer/ salah
- each individual has a direct relationship with god
- pray 5 times a day (dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, evening)
- can pray in any clean place
- must face toward Mecca when pray
1st pillar of Islam
- faith/ shahadah
- “la illah ill Allah wa-Muhammad rasul Allah
- there is no god but god and Muhammad is the prophet/messenger of god
- Muslims total commintment, acceptance, and submission to god
3rd pillar of Islam
- almsgiving/ charity/ zakat
- calculate and set aside 2.5% of net worth/ possessions for the needy
- when set aside purified, act encourages growth
4th pillar of Islam
- fasting/ sawn
- must fast during the holy month of Ramadan
- it purifies you and gives you a richer perception of god
- makes you more aware of the sufferings of the poor
- fast until sunset– break with a special meal called Iftar
5th pillar of Islam
- pilgrimage/haji
- go to Mecca at least once Ina lifetime
- peak of religious life
- represents pilgrimage/ ritual Muhammad performed going to Mecca
- 2 million people celebrate together wearing white (to show equality and the expanse of Islam)
Qibla
- direction of Mecca
- orienting the mosque toward Mecca
- worshipers face this wall during prayers
Mihrab
- a niche that indicates the direction of Mecca
Difference between qibla and mihrab
The qibla is the direction Muslims pray (toward Mecca), the mihrab is a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla. The wall in which the mihrab is built is known as the qibla wall.
Minbar
- Pulpit
- the prayer leader is called imam which means “man of knowledge”
Minaret
- Used to call Muslims to prayer
- never in sync
Mosque domes
- some mosques have one or more large domes at the top of the main structure
- often highly decorated
- a crescent moon serves as a reminder of Islam’s lunar calendar
- stars are also common because the qur’an speaks of stars as one of the signs of Allah
Apse
Generally in the shape of a half circle with a domed ceiling
Chapels
Cathedrals often contained several smaller chapels in the honor of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and other saints
Towers (Christian)
Some towers contained bells used to call Christians to worship
Cathedrals
- often orients on an east-west axis
- early morning sun comes into Mary’s chapel first– a reminder of Jesus coming into the world though Mary
- in medieval times chairs only in choir (congegation stood while clergy, nuns, and monks sat)
- later Christian ritual placed benches in the nave
- cathedrals official house of the bishop
- the Orthodox Church has basilicas rather than cathedrals
The ark
- the holy cabinet
- contains the Torah scroll
- because Jewish prayers are always meant to be spoken toward Jerusalem the ark is always placed on the wall which faces Jerusalem
Torah scroll
- protected by the ark
- kept inside a case and behind an inner curtain and exterior doors
Ner tamid
- the eternal lamp
- in front of and slightly above the ark
- symbolizes the commitment to keep a light burning outside the ark at all times