Turkey offers Western visitors a unique opportunity to explore a land that's fully Muslim, moderate, and welcoming. The following is an explanation of Islam and its practice in Turkey, written by a pair of Turkish Muslims—this book's authors—who want to help travelers from the Christian West understand a very rich but often misunderstood faith that's worthy of our respect.
"Islam" is an Arabic word meaning "to surrender"—to submit to God's will. The word "Muslim" refers to a person who surrenders to God in all things.
Over 98 percent ol Turks identify themselves as Muslims, mostly of the Sunni denomination. But whether or not to practice Islam, and to what degree, is strictly an individual choice—a freedom protected by the secular state. Turks don't talk much when it comes to religion, considering it a private matter. An old saving goes, "You never know who's got the faith, and who's got the money." There is a great diversity in the way Islam is practiced among Turkish people, with many different sects or paths. Turks, who have a tradition of tolerance, accept the various sects, as long as none tries to impose its individual interpretation on others. Sects in Turkey tend to focus on Islam's spiritual side.
The Roots of Islam
The Prophet Muhammad (a.d. 570-632) was born in Mecca (in today's Saudi Arabia), in a community he believed was in the throes of moral decadence. Most of the Arab people at the time were pagans who worshipped idols.
Muhammad sought a new way. He retired to a cave for a whole month every year to meditate and seek truth. When Muhammad was 40 years old, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to him in the cave and said that God had chosen Muhammad to be God's prophet.
His first revelation was, "Read in the name of Allah who created you." Revelations kept coming over the next 21 years. Muhammad's followers memorized and wrote down the revelations, and compiled them in a book called the Quran, which Muslims believe is a faithful recounting of God's word.
Muhammad didn't introduce a new religion. Rather, he invited people to return to the religion of Abraham: submitting to one God. That alone was enough to cause trouble, as Muhammad's words clashed with the personal interests of local community leaders and even Muhammad's own tribe. Early converts to Islam had a difficult time in Mecca, where they were persecuted. Seeking freedom to practice their beliefs, a group of Muhammad's followers migrated to the city of Medina in 622. This event and date mark the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
For more on the history of Islam.

The Five Pillars of Islam

Most Muslims largely accept these five fundamentals, or "pillars," of Islam as the basis of their faith:

1. Say and believe, "There is no other God but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet." This is called şehadet (sheh-hah-deht) in Turkish, which means to declare, witness, or accept. A Muslim bears witness by accepting and declaring the fundamentals of the faith.

2. Pray five times a day. Namaz (nah-mahz) is the word for daily ritual prayers. It means to pray, to recite "Allah," and to prostrate oneself before God. For more on prayer, see below.

3. Give to the poor. Charity, called zekat (zch-kaht), is required of Muslims who can afford a decent living for their family. They should give away one-fortieth (about 2.5 percent) of their annual income to help the needy. Their giving should be discreet— undertaken without boasting and with care not to hurt the feelings of the receiver.

4. Fast during Ramadan. Devout Muslims in good health are required to fast {oruç; oh-rooch) from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan. If for some reason a believer cannot fast, he must instead feed the poor. Fasting is not just about staying away from food and drink all day; it is about self-discipline and becoming closer to God.

5. Make a pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims who can afford it, and who are physically able, are required to go on a pilgrimage {hac; hahj) to the sacred sites in Mecca and Medina at least once in their lifetimes. The highlight of this journey to Islam's holiest places is a visit to the Kaaba, the iconic cube-like building in Mecca. Muslims believe the Kaaba was built bv the Prophet Abraham, and is dedicated to the worship of the one God, Allah.
God requires more than these five elements from those who truly "submit." To Turks, God's will is recorded in the Quran—giving believers a more extensive code of ethics governing daily conduct. Muslims also follow the works and life of the Prophet Muhammad, known as the sünnet (sew-neht; "the path"), which appear in the hadith, the recorded works and words of the prophet.

Components of Islam

Prayer

Mainstream Islam asks believers to perform namaz (ritual prayer) five times each day: morning, noon, afternoon, evening, and night. Tire exact hours of prayers change each day according to position of the sun. Prayer times are announced bv the call to prayer, or ezan (eh-zahn)—a very Eastern-sounding chant that warbles across Istanbul's rooftops five times daily. You won't see Turks in shops, restaurants, and on the streets suddenly prostrate themselves in prayer. You'll see people praying mainly in mosques.
No matter where they are in the world, Muslims face Islam's holy city of Mecca when they pray. Muslims are not required to go to a mosque to pray, except for the Friday noon prayer, which the Quran tells believers to perform with their congregation. But Friday is not a day of rest like the Christian or Jewish Sabbath, because the Quran says Muslims should go back to work when the service is over.

The Mosque

The English word "mosque" comes from the Arabic masjid (mahs-jeed; "place for prostration"). The Turkish word for mosque is cami (jah-mee), meaning "place for congregation." Turks also use the word mescit (mehs-jeet; from the Arabic masjid) for a small mosque, or a simple chamber to perform namaz.
The mosque grew from the need to provide a safe place for Islamic congregations to practice their religion, protected from the world and the blazing desert sun. Mosques are not described in the Quran, so there is no proscribed architectural form. A building's function is what makes it a mosque.
Even within the predominantly Muslim world, religious architecture varies according to place and time. Istanbul's older mosques, to a great extent, were built in the Ottoman style. The classical Ottoman architecture in the Old Town gives way in the New District to a more eclectic style with Western influences.
The most common form of mosque (exemplified by the Blue Mosque and the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent, both covered by self-guided tours in this book) has a central dome, with cascading semi- and quarter-domes. The concept of a massive central dome supported by pillars was first used at Hagia Sophia, which was originally not a mosque but an Eastern Orthodox Christian church. In the centuries since, Turkish architects have refined this traditional design, which is still reflected in many contemporary mosques.
Islamic tradition prohibits portrayals of humans in places of worship. Early Muslims were turning away from the pagan worship and idolatry of the time. They believed icons could distract followers from worshipping Allah as the only God—and mainstream Islam continues this tradition today. Mosques are instead decorated with fine calligraphy, floral and geometric patterns, and colored tiles.
Minarets—the tall, skinny towers near a mosque—were originally functional: The imam (cleric) would climb up the minaret five times a day to let people know it was time for prayer. Even though the call to prayer is now amplified electronically, minarets remain a symbolic fixture of mosque architecture, like bell towers on Christian churches in Europe.
Prayer services in a mosque are generally segregated, with women and men in different parts of the mosque or separated by a screen. This is for practical reasons: Islamic prayer involves different body positions, such as kneeling with one's forehead on the floor—and early believers thought it could be distracting to have members of the opposite sex doing this in close proximity.
For details on the proper protocol for visiting a mosque, see page 40.

Ablution

Ablution (abdest; ahb-dehst) is the physical—and spiritual—cleansing proscribed for a Muslim before prayer. It involves ritual washing of certain parts of the body: hands and arms to the elbows, feet and lower legs, face, nose, ears, and so on. The fountains and water taps you'll see outside of every mosque are for ablution.

The Imam

In Turkey, the imam (ee-mahm) is the Muslim counterpart of a Christian priest or Jewish rabbi. His primary role is to lead the service in a mosque, five times a day. In the past, the imam was more active in Turkish society, in both religious and social matters. Though the imams' influence has waned in urban areas, villagers in rural Turkey usually go to their imam when they need advice.
The imam is usually responsible for calling the congregation to prayer, but at large mosques, this duty is delegated to a second person, called a muezzin (muh-ehz-zeen). The muezzin is chosen for his talent in correctly voicing the call to prayer.
Although Turkey is a secular country, both imams and muezzins in Turkey are civil servants, appointed and paid by the state's Religious Affairs Directorate. To become an imam, vou have to complete a four-vear university degree in theology (to study Islam as well as other religions) and pass a rigorous final exam. The government regulates the rotation or imams, but there is no hierarchy among them (such as with the bishops and cardinals in the Catholic Church).
Islam, Christianity, and Judaism
The Quran refers to Muslims, Christians, and Jews as "People of the Book," and to people in general as "believers" and "non-believers." Just as the word "catholic" can mean "universal," the words "Islam" and "Muslim" can have a wider meaning in the verses: "Muslim" can be taken to mean all those who have faith in the one God, and "Islam" as all those who submit to God's will. For instance, in a verse related to "People of the Book," the Quran says, "There are good Muslims among them."
The Quran recognizes 28 prophets by their names, including Abraham, Noah, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. According to the Quran, Allah sent hundreds of prophets to take his message to humankind.
The Quran speaks of an afterlife (heaven and hell), but no eternal punishment and no original sin. There is no confession in Islam—faith and repentance are strictly between God and the believer.

Muslim Women

Islam advises modesty for both men and women in attire and attitude. Some Muslims interpret this as an order for women to cover their bodies from head to toe. Veils or black coveralls are not traditionally a part of Turkish culture—but you'll sometimes see these trends borrowed from Arab Muslim cultures farther east.
The majority of Turkish Muslims prefer a more liberal interpretation of modesty; in fact, the way a woman dresses is left to individual choice. On the streets of Istanbul, you'll mostly see women dressed in contemporary styles, ranging from conservative dresses to miniskirts. But you'll also see many women wearing headscarves, as well as some women wearing head-to-toe coverings.
How does a woman decide how to dress? Her particular community, personal beliefs, family, status, age, education, and profession all play a role. For example, wearing a head covering or scarf does not always have religious significance. Some women simply feel more comfortable in public wearing a scarf—or maybe they're just having a bad hair day.
In poorer and more rural areas, women tend to dress more conservatively. The young women generally dress however they like, as long as they are modest, but elderly women typically wear a scarf in public, often accompanied bv a cloak that looks like a long raincoat. In the countryside, it's traditional for women to wear a simple white or colorful scarf—not only as part of their religion, but also as practical protection from the sun and dust. (s3)