Part II
As you all know, I take Arabic with Mahmoud at SIT. He is an interesting fellow. I can't tell if he hates me or likes me, but I did determine today that we both have a love of Ottoman History. I gave a short little presentation on Mustafa Kemal and no one in the class had heard of him. Mahmoud was impressed and we had a brief conversation. Mostly it was brief because of my limited Arabic vocabulary.
Here I mostly want to talk about things Mahmoud teaches us that are not Arabic related. I will go in order of increasing level of interesting. That was almost English, but you get the point.
1) As you all know, Muslims do not eat pork. They do not eat pork because pigs are dirty animals. Today, Mahmoud went around the room and asked every student if we eat pork. 5/6 said yes so he gave us a lecture about why that was disgusting. I don't care, I enjoyed the group pork roast the other night and will continue to eat my pork.
2) According to Mahmoud, men in Islam are not permitted to wear silver jewelry, but gold is okay. I Asked Mahmoud to clarify this and he hesitated before answering my question. He seemed annoyed that I wanted to continue down this tangent but I wanted to know. Apparently, he said that there is something about the Ions in silver that have bad effects on men. I did some research to find out more. On the internet, I found that silver is considered feminine and thus is culturally not appropriate. However, the ban on silver appears to come from a verse in the Quran that says men should not emulate women. Apparently someone interpreted this to mean don't wear silver, its a lady thing. This seems like an awfully strict interpretation. Mostly the interpretation of this line is dependent on what a culture considers womanly dress. If a culture deemed a hat womanly, then it would be haram for a man to wear it according to Islam. So I guess this must also be up to personal interpretation. Muhammad never came out and said no silver for you. It is just based on interpretation of what is feminine. Since Mahmoud thinks silver is feminine he won't wear it. Maybe he is also afraid Ions in silver will make him more effeminate. I don't know though, I am not in Mahmoud's head. Also, different schools of Islamic law interpret this ban on silver differently. Some ban gold, others ban silver and some have no opinion. Islam is so open to interpretation by different scholars because they do not have a head of the church in the way that Catholics have the pope. There is no central authority to demand one ruling.
Here is a website I used for additional information: Is silver manly enough for you?
Manery in Islam
*Note: These websites don't appear really legit. It just gives some information about jewelery and Islam.
3)Mahmoud does not believe in Evolution at all. He believes that man has always been living in the form and biology that is is today. Once again, this is a tough conversation to have in Arabic. He asked us our opinions and we all said that we believed in evolution and that we stem from chimps. He argued that scientists have not fully agreed on that yet. However, the students argued that that point was kinda a done deal.
This is it for now. Please keep in mind that there are many different interpretations of the words and actions of the prophet (Hadith) as well as the Quran. Please read my section in my previous post about Islam. Also, I am no expert on Islam, so please feel free to correct and do your own research. Mahmoud seems like a pretty strict guy when it comes to religion. He enters class and says b-ismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīmi- In the name of God the most gracious and most merciful.
Here is a picture of the phrases in Arabic Calligraphy.
Also, while I am on the topic of religion, I want to share the picture of my neighboor hood mosque.
This is where I attempt to get a cab to drop me off everyday. The Mosque is Al-Fayha'a mosque. I love the subtle colors of the mosque and the way the sun hits it. I mostly like the relief I feel when I finally get there and realize that I am no longer lost.
Below is a link of a man recording the call to prayer while walking to the mosque. I don't know what mosque this is, but the camera shows you around inside for a bit. This call to prayer is the one during the morning, my personal favorite.
Call to Prayer from Some Mosque in Jordan
Here is also a link that shows the prayer times in Amman. The times change based either on the position of the moon or sun. I forget.
Prayer Times
til next time,
Natalie
As you all know, I take Arabic with Mahmoud at SIT. He is an interesting fellow. I can't tell if he hates me or likes me, but I did determine today that we both have a love of Ottoman History. I gave a short little presentation on Mustafa Kemal and no one in the class had heard of him. Mahmoud was impressed and we had a brief conversation. Mostly it was brief because of my limited Arabic vocabulary.
Here I mostly want to talk about things Mahmoud teaches us that are not Arabic related. I will go in order of increasing level of interesting. That was almost English, but you get the point.
1) As you all know, Muslims do not eat pork. They do not eat pork because pigs are dirty animals. Today, Mahmoud went around the room and asked every student if we eat pork. 5/6 said yes so he gave us a lecture about why that was disgusting. I don't care, I enjoyed the group pork roast the other night and will continue to eat my pork.
2) According to Mahmoud, men in Islam are not permitted to wear silver jewelry, but gold is okay. I Asked Mahmoud to clarify this and he hesitated before answering my question. He seemed annoyed that I wanted to continue down this tangent but I wanted to know. Apparently, he said that there is something about the Ions in silver that have bad effects on men. I did some research to find out more. On the internet, I found that silver is considered feminine and thus is culturally not appropriate. However, the ban on silver appears to come from a verse in the Quran that says men should not emulate women. Apparently someone interpreted this to mean don't wear silver, its a lady thing. This seems like an awfully strict interpretation. Mostly the interpretation of this line is dependent on what a culture considers womanly dress. If a culture deemed a hat womanly, then it would be haram for a man to wear it according to Islam. So I guess this must also be up to personal interpretation. Muhammad never came out and said no silver for you. It is just based on interpretation of what is feminine. Since Mahmoud thinks silver is feminine he won't wear it. Maybe he is also afraid Ions in silver will make him more effeminate. I don't know though, I am not in Mahmoud's head. Also, different schools of Islamic law interpret this ban on silver differently. Some ban gold, others ban silver and some have no opinion. Islam is so open to interpretation by different scholars because they do not have a head of the church in the way that Catholics have the pope. There is no central authority to demand one ruling.
Here is a website I used for additional information: Is silver manly enough for you?
Manery in Islam
*Note: These websites don't appear really legit. It just gives some information about jewelery and Islam.
3)Mahmoud does not believe in Evolution at all. He believes that man has always been living in the form and biology that is is today. Once again, this is a tough conversation to have in Arabic. He asked us our opinions and we all said that we believed in evolution and that we stem from chimps. He argued that scientists have not fully agreed on that yet. However, the students argued that that point was kinda a done deal.
This is it for now. Please keep in mind that there are many different interpretations of the words and actions of the prophet (Hadith) as well as the Quran. Please read my section in my previous post about Islam. Also, I am no expert on Islam, so please feel free to correct and do your own research. Mahmoud seems like a pretty strict guy when it comes to religion. He enters class and says b-ismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīmi- In the name of God the most gracious and most merciful. Here is a picture of the phrases in Arabic Calligraphy.
Also, while I am on the topic of religion, I want to share the picture of my neighboor hood mosque.
Below is a link of a man recording the call to prayer while walking to the mosque. I don't know what mosque this is, but the camera shows you around inside for a bit. This call to prayer is the one during the morning, my personal favorite.
Call to Prayer from Some Mosque in Jordan
Here is also a link that shows the prayer times in Amman. The times change based either on the position of the moon or sun. I forget.
Prayer Times
til next time,
Natalie
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