Popular (Folk) Islam and the ordinary Muslim

Though it is impossible to generalise, and there as many variations and nuances in Muslim belief as there are Muslim countries, peoples and cultures, there are some patterns that reoccur and influence most ‘ordinary Muslims’. And surprisingly, they are not anything to do with orthodox Islam and the writings of the Qu’ran.

Known as Folk or Popular Islam, it is best illustrated by the following account of one very important influence in every Muslim’s everyday life – the evil eye:

Habib  and the ‘evil eye’

The child was crying and could not be comforted, he had been ill since his mother had visited relatives on the other side of Walthamstow the day before. Cradling Habib in her arms, Gulshan thought back angrily to yesterday when she had bumped into her old school friend Tahira at the bus stop. She hadn’t seen her since she was 16, but she remained unmarried and she could see from her face that life had been difficult for her. “What a beautiful baby, Gulshan!” she had exclaimed. “Ma’shallah!” - her elder sister had hastily added the omitted ‘May God protect’ but Gulshan already began to feel anxious. After arriving at her aunt’s house, Habib had begun to get irritable and wouldn’t eat anything, and quickly developed a fever. In Gulshan’s mind she knew the reason why – Tahira’s compliment had unwittingly passed on envy from the ‘evil eye’. She began to repeat the Fatiha, the opening verse of the Qur’an, over her baby son….

It’s not difficult to see what is being played out here – the evil eye is a kind of spiritual force that lies behind envy or jealousy, and that needs protecting from if illness and bad luck is not going to plague the ‘blessings’ in a Muslim’s life. Most Muslims will feel vulnerable to this and use various talismans, phrases and Qu’ranic verses in Arabic to counter them.

There are many other examples of similar practices – drinking water from a spring considered sacred to conceive or find the right husband; camel hair or certain dried plants are considered to have protective powers for journeys in the same way as a horseshoe might be used to protect a house here. In essence they are based on superstition and are not explained by Islam, but are not seen in any way to contradict its more orthodox beliefs. They are heart-felt, mystical and influence the everyday concerns of health, marriage, guidance, and prosperity.

When you develop friendships with Muslims in any context, and especially those from more traditional backgrounds, you will become aware of the importance of these ‘forces’ in their everyday lives, and that there is a greater awareness of spiritual good and evil that most Western, secular people do not have, and God’s name and blessing is invoked much more readily and frequently in conversation. In many ways, a belief in the power of prayer and the Word of God can speak into this ‘worldview’ much more naturally than with non-Muslim friends, and can provide opportunities for them to experience Christ working in their lives.