Best of Sudan

In Sudan we were delighted by their people, cuisine and culture. We were happy eating pita bread, fuul (beans), falafel, vegetables, sheep meat, and fish with our hands. We were mesmerized with the beautiful hands and feet of married women painted with henna. We enjoyed learning how to write the Arabic numbers from 0 to 9 and played to recognize them in every street sign. We discovered interesting things about Islamic faith and lifestyle, including that weekends are Friday to Saturday and Sunday is a regular working day. Islam means submission to, and acceptance of, God. It is derived from the Arabic verb aslama, meaning to surrender or to submit. One important thing to remember about Islamic beliefs is that it is intended to be a system of rules for all aspects of life, based on faith. The devoted Muslim must adhere to Five Pillars of Islam: The first pillar is that there is only one God, and that no other is worthy of worship, no man is recognized from divine origin; the second pillar is the ritual prayer, which must be performed five times a day, each prayer must be performed in the direction of the Great Mosque at Mecca, birthplace of Mohammed and center of the Islamic World. Prayers take place early morning (sunrise), just after midday, between 3 and 3:30 pm, in the evening just before sunset, and about one hour after sunset. The third pillar is the practice of alms-giving or zabat, all Muslim who can afford it are expected to pay a portion of their income to help the poor and assist the spread of Islam. The fourth pillar is the practice of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. The fifth pillar is the famous pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah. Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it is expected to make the pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime.