Islam in Daily Life
As you travel through West Sumatra, you will be woken before dawn by the call to prayer. Around eight o'clock at night you will see old women and little girls dressed in their all-enveloping prayer clothes walking home in the dark from the mosque. There is no escaping the evidence of how important religious practice is to these people.
After-school classes teaching recitation of the Al-Qur'an in Arabic are not compulsory until children are about eight years old but children often learn the sounds of many of the letters of the Arabic alphabet and recitation of important prayers in kindergarten. Some preschools advertise that they teach their students the all important correct Arabic pronunciation.
One of the greatest milestones in a child's life is when they complete reciting the whole Al-Qur'an in Arabic. The whole class dress in glorious costumes and march around the streets accompanied by a drum band and their proud teachers. Nothing makes parents prouder than if their children are able to recite the entire 6,000+ verses by heart (a remarkable feat considering they do not understand Arabic). This ability can gain students automatic entry into medical school at the local university and if achieved at a particularly early age they may be featured in the local newspaper.
- Pray against pride in strict adherence to religious practice and pride which follows memorising the Al-Quran.
- Ask that instead people would become aware of their 'filthy rags' (Isaiah 64:6).
- Pray that people would grow weary of rote prayers in Arabic and become aware that God delights to hear them pour out their hearts in their own language.
- Ask that people would become curious to read the Scriptures.
- May those interested discover, use and share the various resources which make Scripture accessible electronically.
Visit West Sumatra Grand Mosque