Prayer bump

A prayer bump, also known as a prayer scar, or a "zabiba, zebiba or zehbiba (raisin)" in Arabic is a mark on the forehead of a pious muslim, caused by rubbing the forehead against a prayer mat. Islam requires its adherents to pray five times a day (known as salah), which involves kneeling on a prayer mat and touching the ground with one's forehead. When done for extended periods of time, a prayer bump may develop. Devout Muslims consider the presence of a prayer bump to be a worthy sign of religious dedication and piety.

The prayer bump can take the form of a discolouration of the skin, caused by repeated chafing and the build-up of callus. In extreme cases, the callus can be thick enough to create a real bump that portrudes from the forehead. Prayer bumps are common in certain Islamic countries, notably Egypt where they are colloquially called a 'zabiba' (raisin).

Prayer bumps are almost never present in women, rarely in establishment clerics, and are far more common in Egypt than in other countries; for these reasons they are generally seen as an intentional shibboleth of religious identity more than a passive product of regular prayer.

References in Literature

Paul Theroux mentions dealing with a Sudan official with a prayer bump in his book Dark Star Safari

The Prayer Bump is referred to as a mark or trace of prostration in [http://qb.gomen.org/QuranBrowser/cgi/bin/retrieve.cgi?version=yusufali&layout=auto&searchstring=048:29 Koran 048:029] .

References

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7469221.stm BBC International 'Signs of division on Egypt's brow']
* [http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/18/africa/18egypt.php International Herald Tribune 'Fashion and Faith meet on foreheads']
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/world/africa/18egypt.html?ex=1355634000&en=2f2adb6a34000ce2&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss New York Times ]
* [http://content.cdlib.org/view?docId=ft8c6009n4&chunk.id=ch3 reference to a prayer bump in 'Men, Women and God(s)']
* [http://bagnewsnotes.typepad.com/bagnews/2006/01/zawahiri_not_2_.html the prayer bump of Ayman Zawahiri]
* [http://www.merip.org/mero/mero031005.html mention of a prayer scar in Middle Eastern Report]
* [http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=1451 mention of a prayer scar in Occupation Magazine]