Foreigner are expected to follow Islamic customs just as local people do. In any case, men and women, even husbands and wives, should refrain from public displays of affection—kissing, hugging, holding hands—wherever they are in the Arab and Muslim world. by Shehzad Saleem) The ways in which the inner inclinations of human beings become evident in various patterns of living and in various manifestations of culture and civilization are called customs and etiquette. And that spares us the gag-puke photo opportunities of the western rich and famous being “benevolent.”. See Prayer Times. There is no prohibition to be vegetarian in Islam, but any practising Muslim will come across meat on many Islamic occasions when meat is provided. The UAE is a Muslim country and the laws and customs are very different to here in the UK. If a person stretches out a hand and flicks the wrist it means "what do you want" or "what's up." In some places, good male friends often greet each other by reaching out shaking hand with both hands, with a right hand placed on top, gently massaging each other’s hand, or by following a handshake by placing one’s hand’s near one’s heart. Men enter from the front and pay the driver. If another guest arrives make sure you are standing to greet them. Close friends of the same sex often embrace Arab-style and kiss each other on both cheeks. The Sunnah reads: “When a man cometh into his house and remembereth God and repeats his name at eating his meals, the devil saith, to his followers, "Here is no place for you to stay in tonight, nor is there any supper for you." When any one of you sneezes and says ‘Alhamdulillah’, then he has the right to hear every Muslim say – ‘Yarhamuk Allah’. They were rough and ignorant people who were not conversant with the decorum of a civilized society. 03 – Recorded on 10th November 2012) He explains in great detail the place of customs and etiquette in Islamic Shari'ah. When Prophet Muhammad (a) declared himself to be the Messenger of Allah, the people of Arabia were leading a very miserable life. University of Southern California Compendium of Muslim Texts web.archive.org ; Encyclopædia Britannica article on Islam britannica.com ; Civilizations are mostly distinguished from one another When the Americans captured Baghdad, many Arabs expressed their loathing of the Saddam regime by bashing statues of Saddam Hussein with their shoes. Dirty feet in a mosques are regarded as an insult to Islam. However, these regulations are not observed very inflexible about tourists. Islamic Customs and Etiquette. If they do they might be perceived as rude. Five Pillars of Islam: Belief, Worship, Fasting, Almsgiving and Pilgrimage Ramadan: In the ninth month of the Muslim Calendar, it is the period of time when Muslims abstain from food and drink between the time of sunrise to sunset. The customs involving women are often based on local traditions rather than the tenets of Islam. Greetings are often long and elaborate and followed by questions about ones health and family. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. The Final good-bye is preceded by lots of preliminaries. Mosques that allow women often require them to at least wear a head scarf. To keep the months in sync with the phases of the moon the length of the twelfth month varies: during a thirty year cycle, 19 of the final months have 29 days and 11 of them have 30 days. Everything stops during prayer time. Eat with right hand. If someone holds up their right forefinger and moves it from left to right it is an emphatic “no” or means “never, never.”, an obscene gesture in some Arab countries. When asked about marriage, women should say they married even if they not, and have an excuse to explain why their husband isn’t with them. Make sure you don’t point the soles of your feet at anyone. Etiquette. Since the Muslim Sabbath is on Friday, in some Muslim countries, the work week starts on Saturday and the weekend is Thursday and Friday, but this is not the case in secular Turkey and many other places in the Muslim world. Men often wear their headgear inside. Arabs. The Sunnahs are the practices and examples drawn from the Prophet Muhammad's life. Also try not accept or give the plates or anything for that matter with your left hand. On Fridays, the Muslim day of prayer, mosques are often filled with people. Abu Hurairah (rta) said: “The Prophet (sa) said: ‘Allah (swt) likes the act of sneezing and dislikes the act of yawning. In Saudi Arabia, women are segregated from men in offices, schools and restaurants. Many places in the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia — and to a lesser degree in other parts of the Arab-Muslim world — observe a Muslim Saturday-through-Wednesday work week. If a conflict occurs the host is expected to defend the guest as if he were a member of his family. Don’t do the same in return. Patheos Library – Islam patheos.com/Library/Islam ; Rules for Non-Muslims in Muslim Countries. Saudis are required by law to pray during the five daily prayer times: 1) dawn (4:30-5:00am); 2) noon; 3) afternoon (between 2:00amd and 4:00pm); 4) sunset; and 5) one hour after sunset. This dates back to a time when this gesture was used show to that one was unarmed. Women on their own may be harassed by men, conservative Saudis or the religion police. Arabs like to talk and use flowery language, elaborate expressions and hyperbole. Following the Islamic etiquette, when sneezing. Encyclopædia Britannica article britannica.com ; See Prayer Times. by Nellie Huang Posted on 11 May 2016. To get hospitality you can say Ana dheef Allah ("I am a guest of God"). They must adhere to a strict chain of narration that ensures their authenticity, taking into account factors such as the character of people in the chain and continuity in narration. A good driver can be a real asset for a woman on her own by acting as her escort and helping her do things she is not allowed to do on her own. People often sit on the floor, on carpets, surrounded by pillows. Also, you need to cover your head with a hijab or loose scarf. Islam at Project Gutenberg gutenberg.org ; The Muslim year has only 354 or 355 days, which means that all Muslim holidays are 10 or 11 days earlier each year. Even McDonald's has separate dining rooms for men and women. Don’t admit you are an atheist or agnostic if you are one. TAKING TRADE as a means of earning livelihood is encouraged in Islam. The religious practices and beliefs of Muslims are centralized around the Islamic religion. In Saudi Arabia, women are not supposed to leave home without a male escort, although many do. Boyfriends should be treated like husbands. In this lecture he will discuss Islamic customs and etiquette. Women can not travel alone on long distance buses or trains, nor can they check into a hotel by themselves. It is not right for a guest to stay in the house of the host so long as to inconvenience him. The Islamic lunar months are: 1) Muharram, 2) Safar, 3) Rabi al-Awwal, 4) Rabi al-Thani, 5) Jumadi al-Awwal, 6) Jumadi al-Thani, 7) Rajab, 8) Sha'ban, 9) Ramadan (the fasting month), 10) Shawwal, 11) Dhul Oi'dah and 12) Dhul Hijjah. By Muslim culture, we meant the culture which represents the consolidation of all the cultures formed by common beliefs and practices. Muslims have a "powerful hospitality instinct." One example of the best of guidance comes from Chapter 49 of the Quran, Surah Hujurat, which came down to the Prophet in the city of Medina. The prophet (S.A.W.S.) Men should never touch women, stare at them or even look them directly in the eye. A comprehensive course taught by Javed Ahmed Ghamidi on his book Meezan. Islam laid much stress on honesty in almost all dealings especially in trade and commerce. Business in Iran, Etiquette, Customs and Culture. They consider hospitality to be their sacred duty and guests are honored and held in the highest regard. It means the same thing as does in the West—“very good.” If a policeman or official makes a line across your palm with his index he is asking you for your passport or other documents. (Reported in Ihya-ul-Uloom by Imam Ghazali). Similarly, Muslim men and women are only permitted to dance as husband and wife. Guest are ritually absorbed into the household by the host. This constitutes 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. We should try to follow the customs and tradition as mentioned by Allah Almighty in Holy Quran and the ones Holy Prophet (PBUH) practically did in his life. Figure-hugging clothes are often frowned upon, particularly for women. When offered more tea, a right hand over the cup means "no thanks." Sometimes foreigners are welcomed into homes of even the poorest families and treated to a feast with the head of the household while other members of the family just look and watch. If you have cigarettes you are expected to offer them to others. Arab Cultural Center arabculturalcenter.org ; 'Face' Among the Arabs, CIA cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence ; Some open on Thursday afternoon. If you do it try to seek hospitality somehow do it as diplomatically as possible and provide your potential hosts with away to save face. Islam also teaches a Muslim, what he should say, when he sneezes, and what he should say, when he hears another sneeze. They often do things that are supposedly forbidden from doing: … And when a man cometh into his house without remembering God's name, the devil saith to his followers, "You have got a place to spend the night in." The Muslim faithful are expected to remove their shoes and wash their feet in a sacred basin before they enter the mosque. Don’t say anything that might be perceived as an insult—even teasing or sarcasm—it may cause a loss of face of a loss of honor. Foreigners and local people must abide by Islamic dress codes, abstain from alcohol and pork and observe prohibitions on music and smoking and social customs (do not expose the soles of your feet at people and take things offered to you with your right, not you left, hand). Don’t mention sex or make any sexual jokes. Women are not supposed to look or smile at men who are not their husbands. Arab American Institute aaiusa.org/arts-and-culture ; Websites and Resources: Islam Islam.com islam.com ; Islamic City islamicity.com ; Islam 101 islam101.net ; Wikipedia article Wikipedia ; Religious Tolerance religioustolerance.org/islam ; BBC article bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam ; In the cities, displays of hospitality are often a sign of status. In villages there are special guest houses for visitors. As such, many points discussed in this article are applicable in other regions of the Islamic world. Life revolves around the five daily prayer. Some important titles used in the Muslim and Arab world include: 1) Haj (an honorific that indicates that a person has participated in the Hajj 2) Sayyid (the title given to someone believed to be a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad); 3) Ma’ ali (a government minister); 4) Sa’ada (a senior government official); Shaykh for men and shaykah for women (a member of royal family); and 5) duktour for men and duktoura for women (for a Ph.D. or M.D. 02 – Recorded on 3rd November 2012) (Lecture no. Women are expected to respect Islamic and local customs and traditions. When someone sneezes Arabs clasp their hands and bow. Arabs have a different sense of privacy that Westerners. Don’t say anything bad about God and Islam. Hospitality is regarded as an honor and a scared duty. Professors and doctors are usually referred to by their title with the first name. Shops are closed during noontime and afternoon prayer times, which last anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. 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