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Only few Bedouin societies in Jordan have remained Christian since the early Islamic period, the vast majority of Bedouins are Sunni Muslims.
The Five Pillars of Islam are the declaration of faith, the five daily ritual prayers, almsgiving, fasting and the pilgrimage to Mecca. Most Bedouins observe the fast of Ramadan, perform the obligatory prayers and celebrate the two major Islamic holidays 'Eid Al Fitr' and 'Eid Al Adha.
The 'Hajj' (the pilgrimage to Mecca) is important for the Bedouins (although nowadays only few Bedouins, living outside of Saudi Arabia, can afford to do so) and in earlier day’s individual piety was sometimes reflected in the number of pilgrimages an individual managed to undertake.
The Bedouins (and Muslims in general) variously believe in 'Jinn' (the presence of spirits), some playful and others malevolent, that interfere in the life of humans.
'Hasset' (the envious, evil eye) is also very real to the Bedouins and children are believed to be particularly vulnerable. For this reason, they often had protective amulets attached to their clothing or hung around their necks.
In Islam the existence of ogresses and monstrous super naturals is postulated, known as 'Maleika Al Ard' (Kings of the Earth) and Bedouins believe they are sometimes met by lone travellers in the desert.
There is no formal clergy in Islam and no centre of 'priests'. Every Muslim has its own direct relationship with Allah.
Bedouin societies have no formal religious specialists. They traditionally arrange for religious specialists, called 'Shaykh' or 'Sjeikh', from adjacent settled regions to spend several months a year with them to teach the young to read the Qur’an. A rural or settled religious specialist that Bedouins seek out for curative and preventative measures is called a 'Gatib'. (This is not the same as the 'Hakim', which is a Bedouin doctor/healer is, who specializes in herbal and traditional healing.)
In addition many Bedouins tend to have ceremonies and rituals including elaborate celebrations of weddings, ritual naming of newborn infants and the circumcision of children (boys universally, girls frequently but this is less common nowadays because in the mosque is preached that this is in contradiction with the teachings of the holy Qur'an).
According to Islam Bedouins ritually slaughter a goat or a sheep when a child is born. Bedouins call this 'Foo-ela' and their family is invited to eat the prepared meat together.
Bedouins of southern Sinai who are influenced by Sufism (Islamic mysticism) also celebrate the Prophet's birthday and carry out 'pilgrimages' to the tombs of (local) saints. They only worship Allah and these journey's are more important to consolidate the ties to the tribe and the tombs serve as a meeting place.
Death and traditions
Islamic tradition dictates the practices associated with death.
The body is buried as soon as possible and always within 24 hours. Among some Bedouin groups, an effort is made to bury the dead in one place ('Maghebr'), although often it is impossible to reach it within the strict time limit imposed by Islamic practices.
Funeral rites are very simple and Bedouins mark their graves with exeptional simplicity, placing an ordinary stone (or unmarked board) at the head of the grave, where family regularly place a fresh leaf of a palm tree. When they visit the graves, they take off their shoes and say a prayer, after which they sit around the graves and eat fruit.
Children playing around the cemetery always get a (sweet) treat from the visitors.
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