♫ Highway to Hell ♫'s definitions

Five Pillars of Islam

1) Belief in Allah & Muhammad
2) Pray 5 times a day facing Mecca
3) Giving of Alms (Tithing)
4) Fasting during Ramadan.
5) A Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca

It is every Muslims duty to carry out the Five Pillars of Islam.

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ October 7, 2009

Rastafari

Rastafari is a "messianic religio-political movement" that began in the Jamaican slums in the 1920s and 30s. The most famous Rastafari is Bob Marley, whose reggae music gained the Jamaican movement international recognition.

There is significant variation within the Rastafari movement and no formal organization. Some Rastafarians see Rasta more as a way of life than a religion. But uniting the diverse movement is belief in the divinity and/or messiahship of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I, the influence of Jamaican culture, resistance of oppression, and pride in African heritage. The Rastafarian lifestyle usually includes ritual use of marijuana, avoidance of alcohol, the wearing of one's hair in dreadlocks, and vegetarianism. Marcus Garvey (1887-1940), is usually credited as the founder of Rastafari and is seen as a 2nd John the Baptist.

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ July 18, 2010

Isis

Isis, the Egyptian goddess of rebirth remains one of the most familiar images of empowered and utter femininity. The goddess Isis was the first daughter of Geb, god of the Earth, and Nut, the goddess of the Overarching Sky. Isis was born on the first day between the first years of creation, and was adored by her human followers.

Unlike the other Egyptian goddesses, the goddess Isis spent time among her people, teaching women how to grind corn and make bread, spin flax and weave cloth, and how to tame men enough to live with them.

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ August 4, 2010

Drum and Bass

Drum and Bass (commonly abbreviated to D&B or DnB) is a type of electronic dance music which emerged in the mid 1990s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats (typically between 160–190 bpm, occasional variation is noted in older compositions), with heavy bass, sub-bass lines, and occasional infra-bass lines. Drum and bass began as an offshoot of the United Kingdom rave scene of the very early 1990s. Over the first decade of its existence, the incorporation of elements from various musical genres lent to many permutations in its overall style.

Drum and Bass: Adam F, Goldie, London Elektricity, High Contrast, LTJ Bukem, D.Kay, DJ Fresh, DJ Dara, DJ Zinc, Shy FX, Drumsound & Bassline Smith, DJ Hazard, DJ Hype, Photek, Loxy, Sub Focus, Future Prophecies, Roni Size, Chase & Status, Ed Rush & Optical, DJ Ink, Andy C, Congo Natty, E-Z Rollers, J Majik, Source Direct, Erb N Dub, Dillinja, Danny Byrd, Concord Dawn, Brookes Brothers, Logistics, Matrix & Futurebound, Nu Tone, Sun King, Cyantific, Plug, TC, and Dirtyphonics.

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ February 4, 2010

Adhan

The adhan (also spelled Athan, Azan, Ezan) is the Islamic call to prayer. The Muslim call to Friday public worship and to the five daily hours of prayer. It is proclaimed by the muezzin, a servant of the mosque chosen for good character, as he stands at the door or side of a small mosque or in the minaret of a large one. The adhan was originally a simple "Come to prayer," but, according to tradition, Muhammad consulted his followers with a view to investing the call with greater dignity. The matter was settled when 'Abd Allah ibn Zayd dreamed that the faithful should be summoned by a crier. The standard Sunnite adhan can be translated as: "Allah is most great. I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that Muhammad is the prophet of Allah. Come to prayer. Come to salvation. Allah is most great. There is no god but Allah." The first phrase is proclaimed four times, the final phrase once, and the others twice, the worshipers making a set response to each phrase.

It’s simply a way to alert people when they are busy; that the time for the prayer (“Salah” in Arabic; one of the 5 pillars of Islam) has come. Especially in the Muslim world; because in Islam, the five daily prayers are supposed to be carried out in congregation as much as one can. And so in the old days, before the development of technologies (alarm clocks, mobile phones, etc) that was a fast way to let people know. Recently, in the past fifty years or so, they started using loudspeakers on top of minarets to call the adhan. It’s a beautiful and enchanting sound and it’s just calling people to come and worship.

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ May 12, 2010

Ramayana

The epic about the struggles of Rama and his allies in rescuing Sita from the demon Ravana.

The Ramayana tells the story of Rama. Rama is an avatar of the great god Vishnu, incarnated to destroy Ravana, the demon king of Sri Lanka. When Ravana steals Rama’s wife Sita, he goes to retrieve her aided by his brother and the monkey king Hanuman. He rescues Sita and kills Ravana, but when the people question Sita’s honor, he sends her away. This sets a model for the responsibilities of husbands, rulers, and wives.

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ August 30, 2010

Jainism

An ascetic religion of India, founded in the sixth century BCE that teaches the immortality and transmigration of the soul and denies the existence of a perfect or supreme being. Both Jainism and Buddhism was rooted in dissatisfication with Brahmanic ritual and was founded by rough contemporaries in the 7th-6th centuries BCE by memebers of the kshatriya varna. It appealed to the masses by offering methods of salvation free from priestly control and rejecting the caste system. It Focuses on the need for extreme self mortification, the absence of possessions (including clothing) and the necessity of ahimsa, the practice of no-harm. They practice ahimsa to the point that they wear no shoes so that they do not step on insects and kill them. By doing bad deeds, they believe that karmic matter sticks to the soul. By doing good deeds, they believe that karmic matter loosens from the soul. Along with the act of ahimsa, Jains cannot lie, and commit sexual unchasity or infidelity. They must also guard against evils that can be avoided, observe regular meditation, observe regular periods of self denial, ocassionaly observe days as monks, control greed, and give alms (especially to ascetics).

The goal of Jainism is to rid one's soul of karmic matter and so escape samsara (cycle of re-birth/re-death) in moksha (release). There are 3 monastic sects - Digambaras (the Sky-Clad), The Shvetambaras (the White Clad), and The Sthanakvasis (those who reject idols and temples).

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ June 1, 2010