{"id":1575,"date":"2016-10-17T14:42:47","date_gmt":"2016-10-17T14:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.soundislamchina.org\/?p=1575"},"modified":"2017-04-24T21:09:36","modified_gmt":"2017-04-24T21:09:36","slug":"salat-in-xiahe-gansu-province","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.soundislamchina.org\/?p=1575","title":{"rendered":"Salat in Xiahe, Gansu Province"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/i-lwI0wUQq4\" width=\"650\" height=\"370\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333300;\"><strong><br \/>\nTimothy Grose\u00a0<\/strong><em>Assistant Professor of China Studies\u00a0<\/em> Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The mosque in Xiahe, Gansu Province (locally referred to as the Xiahe \u590f\u6cb3 or Labrang \u62c9\u535c\u695e Mosque), sits on the residential \u201coutskirts\u201d (Ch. tawa \u5854\u54c7; Tib. mtha\u2019ba) of Labrang Monastery, one of the most important Buddhist institutions outside central Tibet. Originally built in 1854, the mosque was expanded in 1898, renovated in 1936,<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\">[1]<\/a> and restored in 1983.<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"#_ftn2\" name=\"_ftnref2\">[2]<\/a> The current structure consists of a five-story minaret, a courtyard, ablution rooms, a prayer hall large enough to accommodate 800 worshipers, and living quarters for its imam.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Many of Xiahe\u2019s Hui residents are descendants of traders and refugees from Linxia, China\u2019s \u201cLittle Mecca.\u201d<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"#_ftn3\" name=\"_ftnref3\">[3]<\/a> Attracted by Labrang\u2019s thriving markets and the region\u2019s relatively calm political climate, Muslim families from nearby Linxia, with permission from the monastery\u2019s highest recognized incarnate lama (Tib. sprul sku), the Jamyang Zh\u00e9pa, began to settle in the region in 1854.<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"#_ftn4\" name=\"_ftnref4\">[4]<\/a> The community has grown from sixty households (Ch. hu \u6237) in 1891 to 886 persons in 2008.<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"#_ftn5\" name=\"_ftnref5\">[5]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Today, members of Xiahe\u2019s Muslim community speak proudly of their Linxia roots. One middle-aged Hui restaurateur longed for his ancestral home\u2019s (Ch. \u8001\u5bb6) lush vegetation and bemoaned Xiahe\u2019s desolate landscape and harsh climate. A third-generation Hui draper bragged that the history of every local Muslim family begins in Linxia. He proceeded by showing me images of himself posing in front of the Naqshbandi saint Ma Laichi\u2019s (\u9a6c\u6765\u8fdf) tomb (Ch. Huasi gongbei \u534e\u5bfa\u62f1\u5317), which is located just outside Linxia\u2019s city center.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Indeed, Xiahe\u2019s local Muslim community, similar to elsewhere in Gansu, is a \u201cpatchwork\u201d of Chinese Islam\u2019s \u201cthree major sects\u201d (Ch. san da jiaopai \u4e09\u5927\u6559\u6d3e) and four major Sufi tariqa (Ch. si da menhuan \u56db\u5927\u95e8\u5ba6).<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"#_ftn6\" name=\"_ftnref6\">[6]<\/a> Perhaps since commerce rather than proselytization was the main driving force behind Hui migration to the region, Labrang\u2019s various Muslim groups have coexisted peacefully. In fact, Labrang\u2019s mosque is the only in Xiahe County to not be affiliated with a specific tariqa; it is listed as a si da menhuan mosque.<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"#_ftn7\" name=\"_ftnref7\">[7]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Despite the several mystical strands of Islam in Xiahe, however, the Muslim community preserves elements of Sunni \u201corthopraxy.\u201d The footage, recorded on July 5, 2015 (the eighteenth day of Ramadan) during the noonday prayer (Ch. \u664c\u793c, \u6487\u4f7f\u5c3c, \u6487\u5e08\u5c3c, or \u6487\u5f00), captures the prescribed utterances of salat\u2019s rakat (postures) cycles. The imam can be heard opening the prayer by reciting the takbir \u201cGod is great\u201d (Allahu Akbar). He then utters, \u201cGod listens to the one who praises him\u201d (sami Allahu liman hamidah) and repeats the takbir. He chants the takbir three times in succession signaling the completion of the rakat. After a brief pause, the cycle is repeated until the required rakat have been executed. The prayer ends with the blessing, \u201cMay the peace and mercy of God be upon you\u201d (Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">During the prayer, the faithful move between six stations: standing (Ch. zhanli \u7ad9\u7acb), raising one\u2019s hands to begin the prayer (Ch. taishou rubai \u62ac\u624b\u5165\u62dc), standing with arms folded (Ch. zhanli chaoshou\u7ad9\u7acb\u6284\u624b), bowing (Ch. jugong \u97a0\u8eac), kowtowing (Ch. koutou \u53e9\u5934), and kneeling (Ch. guizuo \u8dea\u5750).<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"#_ftn8\" name=\"_ftnref8\">[8]<\/a> While kneeling during the final rakat, the worshipper turns his head to the right as the imam says, \u201cMay the peace and mercy of God be upon you\u201d and then turns his head to the left when the imam repeats the invocation. This gesture marks the end of the final rakat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333300;\">_______________________________ <\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\">[1]<\/a> Nietupski, Paul K., \u201cIslam and Labrang Monastery: A Muslim Community in a Tibetan Buddhist Estate.\u201d In <a href=\"https:\/\/rowman.com\/ISBN\/9780739175293\/Muslims-in-Amdo-Tibetan-Society-Multidisciplinary-Approaches\"><em>Muslims in Amdo Tibetan Society<\/em>: <em>Multidisciplinary Approaches<\/em><\/a>, Marie-Paule Hille, Bianca Horlemann, and Paul K. Nietupski (eds), (New York and London: Lexington Books, 2015), pp. 140 and 146<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref2\" name=\"_ftn2\">[2]<\/a> Chen Shiming, <em>Xiahe xian musilin jiqi qingzhensi jianjie<\/em> [An Explanation of Xiahe County\u2019s Muslims and Mosques], <em>Zhongguo Musilin <\/em>3: pp. 35-36.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref3\" name=\"_ftn3\">[3]<\/a> Nietupski, Paul K., <a href=\"https:\/\/rowman.com\/ISBN\/9780739164433\/Labrang-Monastery-A-Tibetan-Buddhist-Community-on-the-Inner-Asian-Borderlands-1709-1958\"><em>Labrang Monastery<\/em>: A Tibetan Buddhist Community on the Inner Asian Borderlands, 1709-1958<\/a> (Lanham: Lexington Books, 2011), p. 54.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref4\" name=\"_ftn4\">[4]<\/a> Nietupski, \u201cIslam and Labrang,\u201d p. 140.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref5\" name=\"_ftn5\">[5]<\/a> Gong Baozhang, <em>Labuleng Tawa de shehui wenhua bianqian <\/em>[Socio-cultural Changes in Labrang\u2019s Tawa], (Beijing: Minzu Press, 2009), p. 33. This figure indicates only those Hui living within the Labrang Tawa. The population of Hui living in Xiahe County is much larger.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref6\" name=\"_ftn6\">[6]<\/a> Lipman, Jonathan. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.washington.edu\/uwpress\/search\/books\/LIPFAM.html\"><em>Familiar Strangers: A History of Muslims in Northwest China<\/em><\/a>, (Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1997), pp. 20-23. See also: Slobonik, Martin, \u201c\u2018Muslim labtse\u2019: Contemporary Forms of Hui Sufism in Tibetan Surroundings,\u201d <em>Zentral-Asiatiche Studien <\/em>37 (2008): 119-142.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref7\" name=\"_ftn7\">[7]<\/a> Chen, \u201cAn Explanation of Xiahe County\u2019s Muslims,\u201d p. 41.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref8\" name=\"_ftn8\">[8]<\/a> <em>Musilin Daquan <\/em>[A Comprehensive Reference Manual for Muslims], unpublished booklet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Timothy Grose\u00a0Assistant Professor of China Studies\u00a0 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology The mosque in Xiahe, Gansu Province (locally referred to as the Xiahe \u590f\u6cb3 or Labrang \u62c9\u535c\u695e Mosque), sits on the residential \u201coutskirts\u201d (Ch. tawa \u5854\u54c7; Tib. mtha\u2019ba) of Labrang Monastery,&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.soundislamchina.org\/?p=1575\" class=\"read-more\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[106,28,138],"tags":[226,225,10,227],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundislamchina.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1575"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundislamchina.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundislamchina.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundislamchina.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundislamchina.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1575"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundislamchina.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1575\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1645,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundislamchina.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1575\/revisions\/1645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundislamchina.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundislamchina.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundislamchina.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}