50 • 4 WHAT IS ISLAM?of living creatures rarely appear in mosques. (We write more about Islamic
art in Chapter 8.)
Muslims believe that sexual relations are meant to beget children and
thus should not occur outside marriage. Most marriages are arranged by
the parents of the bride and groom; in bygone days the young couple often
met for the first time on their wedding day. Strict rules used to separate
the sexes in order to ward off inappropriate love relationships. These rules
led in practice to the seclusion of women from the mainstream of political
and social life and subjected them to the command of their fathers, broth¬
ers, and husbands. Wearing a veil has been customary for urban women in
many ancient Middle Eastern societies. A late Quranic revelation required
Muhammad's wives to do so when they went outside, so eventually most
Muslim women veiled their faces, at least in the cities. Nowadays they are
less apt to do so, but many continue to cover their hair. Adults of both
sexes dress modestly and shun situations requiring nudity. Homosexual
acts and masturbation are included in the prohibition against sex outside
of marriage. Even if some Muslims privately flout some of these rules,
public acceptance of the prohibitions remains the norm.
Cleanliness is close to godliness. In addition to ritual ablutions before
worship, Muslims must wash themselves after performing an act of na¬
ture, before eating, upon awakening, and after handling certain objects
considered unclean. Total immersion in running water is required after
sexual intercourse and, for women, after menstruation and childbirth as
well. Traditionally, Muslim men shaved their heads and body hair but let
their beards grow. Women remove their body hair.
CONCLUSIONThis chapter has barely scratched the surface of its topic. Hundreds of
books have been written and thousands of speeches made attempting to
answer the question, "What is Islam?" Every life lived by a Muslim is a
statement about Islam, which now has more than a billion adherents liv¬
ing in every part of the world, though they are most heavily concentrated
in the southern third of Asia and the northern two-thirds of Africa. The
religion prescribes a complete lifestyle. In later chapters you will learn
about the Shari'a, or sacred law of Islam, which was developed and assem¬
bled during the first three centuries after Muhammad's death. Let us say
for now that the Quran, combined with the teachings and practices of
Muhammad, provides a comprehensive and coherent pattern for Muslim