Page:RS21432 Islam a Primer.pdf/6

 taken on winged mules from Mecca to Jerusalem, where they ascended through the seven heavens to the presence of Allah. During the visit, Muhammad learned, among other points, that Muslims were to pray five times each day and to honor Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and the other prophets.

Restrictions. Observant Muslims are not supposed to eat pork and in general do not have dogs as pets; both swine and canines are considered unclean. Muslims are proscribed from drinking alcoholic beverages. Observant Muslims do not collect or pay interest.

Non-Muslim Practices. Some practices have been associated with Islam because they occur in Islamic countries, but actually are not a part of Islam. For example, female circumcision is not mentioned in the Quran, but is mentioned in Hadith as an "honorable" but not obligatory condition. It is a pre-Islamic tradition in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab world, notably in Eritrea, Yemen, and Egypt. Another example of a practice that has been associated incorrectly with Islam is honor killing, in which a brother, father, or uncle "restores" or "defends" a family's honor by killing the sister, daughter, or niece that dishonored the family through unmarried pregnancy or promiscuous behavior. The "honor killing" is more ancient and possibly tribal in origin.

For Further Reference

Armstrong, Karen. Islam: A Short History. New York, Modern Library, 2002. 230 p.

__ Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet. San Francisco, Harper, 1992. 290 p.

Esposito, John L. Islam: The Straight Path. 3$rd$ ed. New York, Oxford University Press, 1998. 286 p.

Lewis, Bernard. What Went Wrong: Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response. New York, Oxford University Press, 2002. 180 p.

Murphy, Caryle. Passion for Islam: Shaping the Modern Middle East; the Egyptian Experience. New York, Scribner, 2002. 358 p.

Nasr, Seyyad Hossein. The Heart of Islam: Enduring Value for Humanity. San Francisco, Harper-Collins, 2002. 338 p.

Islam Page [ http://www.islamworld.net ]

Al-Islam [ http://www.al-islam.com ]

Other Sources on Islam [ http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/othersites/ ]