Year: 2008
Type: article
Abstract: This paper aims to examine the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday and the activities of tariqas (Sufi orders) in Zanzibar (Tanzania). The anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday is one of the most important events for Muslims/Muslimas. Moreover most of tariqas in Islamic World do their practice on the day.Since the latter half of the nineteenth century, many tariqas have come and have contributed to the Islamization of the people along the coastal areas and trade routes. It is tariqas that brought the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday to East African coast. The preceding researches, however, have hardly examined the events and tariqas' activities.According to my research, the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday had been held in each area of Zanzibar for three weeks after the birthday of the Prophet. The celebrations are basically composed of 2 parts, the festival organized by a leader of the area and the zikri—a practice in which the various names of God are recited repeatedly, which is organized by the tariqas' members. Some of these tariqas have not ever been mentioned in the preceding researches.
Source: Journal of African Studies
Author: Chiaki FUJII
Institution: Kyoto University
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2333201995