MUSLIMS GROUPS

(THE 13 MUSLIM TRIBES IN THE PHILIPPINES)

As-Salam-u-Alaikum! In this lesson we will study about the Muslim Groups.

The thirteen Muslim-majority Philippine ethnic groups:

 Badjao.

 Iranun.
 Jama Mapun.
 Kalagan.
 Kalibugan.
 Maguindanao.
 Palawanon.
 Maranaw
 Molbog
 Sama
 Sangil
 Tausug
 Yakan

Mindanao and Sulu are the original homeland of the Philippine Muslims. These areas are
now the third political subdivision of the Philippines. They are located at the southern part of the
country, and lie around hundred miles north of equator. The areas occupy a strategic position at
the center of shipping line between the Far East and the Malayan world. They are situated north
of Sulawise and to the west is the state of Sabah. Mindanao and Sulu has a total land area of
102,000 square kilometers. It is a fertile region and known to be rich in agricultural plantation,
marine and mineral resources. As reported, more than half of the country’s rain forest are found
in Mindanao. While its agricultural crops include rice, corn, root crops, vegetables, cassava and
fruits. Marine products like seaweed production, fish as well as gas and oil are dominant in the
Sulu sea. Fifty nine percent of tuna and sardines are largely taken from the Sulu sea. Mainland
Mindanao has substantial mineral deposits. Zamboanga del Sur has gold, silver, lead, zinc
deposit; Davao oriental has chromite reserves; marble deposits for Davao del Norte and oil
deposit in South Cotabato. These huge resources of the southern islands have made Mindanao
the land of promise.
 However, the main concentration of the Philippine Muslim population is confined largely to
the western side of Mindanao down to the Sulu Archipelago. In mainland Mindanao, the
Muslims are dominant only in Lanao and Maguindanao provinces. While the rest of the Muslim
populations are scattered in nearby provinces such as Zamboanga peninsula, North Cotabato,
Sultan Qudarat, South Cotabato, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur and Sarangani island. In the
Sulu Archipelago, the Muslims are all dominant in three island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and
Tawi-Tawi.

Culture:

The kris – (Kampilan) is the weapon of the indigenous people of Mindanao.

The barong – (Kifing) is one of several significant weapons of the indigenous people in
the southern Philippines.
Islam is the most dominant influence on the Moro cultures since the era of the Sultanate
of Maguindanao and Sulu. Large and small mosques can be found all over the region. In
accordance with Islamic Law, alcohol consumption must be avoided at all cost, fornication is
prohibited. Pork and pork byproducts are not permissible. Fasting during Ramadan and providing
charity for the poor are mandatory in Islam. The Hajj is also a major requirement as it is one of
the five pillars of Islam. Moro women cover themselves using a veil (tudong) just as in Malaysia,
Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore and southern Thailand. Moro men, especially the elderly, can
always be seen wearing a black skull cap called the songkok or the white one called the taqiyah.
Differentiating from their Malay relatives in neighboring countries, the only main problems
associated with Moro groups is that they are not always united and lack a sense of solidarity

Music
Main articles: Kulintang and Music of the Philippines
Maguindanaon Indigenous people performing on the agung using two balus.
The culture of the Moros of Mindanao revolves around the music of the kulintang, a type
of gong instrument, akin to the drum instrument, yet wholly made of bronze or brass found in the
southern Philippines. This creates a unique sound that varies in the speed it is hit which includes
the Binalig,[16] Tagonggo and the Kapanirong plus others more also normally heard in
Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

Religion:
Islam, major world religion promulgated by the Prophet Muhammad in Arabia in the 7th
century CE. The Arabic term islām, literally “surrender,” illuminates the fundamental religious
idea of Islam—that the believer (called a Muslim, from the active particle of islām) accepts
surrender to the will of Allah (in Arabic, Allāh: God). Allah is viewed as the sole God—creator,
sustainer, and restorer of the world. The will of Allah, to which human beings must submit, is
made known through the sacred scriptures, the Qurʾān (often spelled Koran in English), which
Allah revealed to his messenger, Muhammad. In Islam Muhammad is considered the last of a
series of prophets (including Adam, Noah,Abraham, Moses, Solomon, and Jesus), and his
message simultaneously consummates and completes the “revelations” attributed to earlier
prophets.

The Five Pillars are the core beliefs and practices of Islam:

 Profession of Faith (shahada). The belief that "There is no god but God, and
Muhammad is the Messenger of God" is central to Islam. This phrase, written in Arabic,
is often prominently featured in architecture and a range of objects, including the Qur'an,
Islam's holy book of divine revelations. One becomes a Muslim by reciting this phrase
with conviction.

 Prayer (salat). Muslims pray facing Mecca five times a day: at dawn, noon, mid-
afternoon, sunset, and after dark. Prayer includes a recitation of the opening chapter
(sura) of the Qur'an, and is sometimes performed on a small rug or mat used expressly for
this purpose (see image 24). Muslims can pray individually at any location (fig. 1) or
together in a mosque, where a leader in prayer (imam) guides the congregation. Men
gather in the mosque for the noonday prayer on Friday; women are welcome but not
obliged to participate. After the prayer, a sermon focuses on a passage from the Qur'an,
followed by prayers by the imam and a discussion of a particular religious topic.

 Alms (zakat). In accordance with Islamic law, Muslims donate a fixed portion of their
income to community members in need. Many rulers and wealthy Muslims build
mosques, drinking fountains, hospitals, schools, and other institutions both as a religious
duty and to secure the blessings associated with charity.

 Fasting (sawm). During the daylight hours of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic
calendar, all healthy adult Muslims are required to abstain from food and drink. Through
this temporary deprivation, they renew their awareness of and gratitude for everything
God has provided in their lives—including the Qur'an, which was first revealed during
this month. During Ramadan they share the hunger and thirst of the needy as a reminder
of the religious duty to help those less fortunate.

 Pilgrimage (hajj). Every Muslim whose health and finances permit it must make at least
one visit to the holy city of Mecca, in present-day Saudi Arabia. The Ka'ba, a cubical
structure covered in black embroidered hangings, is at the center of the Haram Mosque in
Mecca (fig. 2). Muslims believe that it is the house Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) built for
God, and face in its direction (qibla) when they pray. Since the time of the Prophet
Muhammad, believers from all over the world have gathered aroundthe Ka'ba in Mecca
on the eighth and twelfth days of the final month of the Islamic calendar.