Taraweeh-imams inVareš

Abstract

UDK 28-725:929

For centuries, Islamic religious life in remote villages and suburbs which did not have permanent imams, was intensified during the month of Ramdan with the arrival of taraweeh-imams. Prior to opening of new maktabs, masajeed and mosques, taraweeh salah was offered in private houses, often in the home of the imam. Before or after the prayer, imams would deliver a lecture, teaching the locals in rural areas about the basic teachings of Islam. The author here presents taraweeh-imams from Vareš of the 20^th century, using the available materials from the Archives of the Majlis of the Islamic Community in Vareš and interviews. Along with brief biographies of the imams, the author also elaborates on the circumstances and organisation of taraweeh salah before and after the Second World War, when the communist government held absolute control over the religious affairs of Bosniaks.