Re: Funeral Rug, Prayer Rug

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: : : Dear Friends, : : What I believe is the use of "funeral rugs" is simply to cover the face and, presumably, part of the upper part of the body if the rug is big enough. If that's the case, it wouldn't have to wrap anything. : : As for it being a two person prayer rug, I was extremely skeptical when my friend's father said that this is what it was for, but he and his daughter demonstrated by kneeling in front of a 2'6" wide door. Their knees were kept closed as they knelt, and their shoulders touched, which they said was conventional in every respect except that a woman and a man would not be in the same section of a mosque. I have no firsthand knowledge of this subject, but both of them do, and I'm inclined to take them seriously. I'd be interested in hearing from Erol and/or some other Moslem people, particularly those from Turkey, on just how narrow a space two people can use to pray side by side in a mosque. : : Steve : Steve, : Obligatory namazs (prayings) are performed 5 times in every day. Also there are 1 friday 'namaz' in every week, 2 religous holiday namaz in a year and some extras. Although these weekly and yearly namazs are not obligatory, the mosques are much more crowded than during daily obligatory namazs. In holiday namazs, one may put even his hand and forehead on his back of another prayer in front of him if the mosque is too crowded. During daily praying, since less people go to mosques for praying, there will be more space for praying and touching the shoulders will not be necessary. But they must stand closer to "imam" who directs praying in front of all of them. In this way, they are closer to the Kaaba in Mecca, and forming a big circle in the world around it at the same time. : All these happen usually during friday and holiday Namazs in mosques. The daily namazs are usually performed alone at home on one rug by people who are mostly old ones. And these small rugs, prayer rugs, are woven usually for praying at home and then may be donated to the mosques. I don't think the weavers considered the factor of how crowded a mosque during friday and holiday namazs is so that they wove such a small 2-person praying rug. If they were poor, why then finely woven? : As a conclusion, I insist on this rug is not a 2-person prayer rug. : If it, Wendel's rug, were used as a prayer rug, it couldn't be in a good condition unless it wasn't kept as an heirloom without praying on it. : Probability of being a salanchak or a cover for a baby (or dead) is increasing. : By the way, in my opinion, there is quite differences between turkish islam and arabic islam because of different traditions. In the former, I still see the traces of old religous of turks; shamanism, sun god, sky god etc. In this rug motif, the islamic effects are less dominant. : Regards, : Erol

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